Where to eat in Mexico City: from Michelin-starred restaurants to cheap eats, Mexico City has it all.
I have always wanted to go to Mexico City, so when we booked our trip a few months ago the first thing I thought about was where to eat in Mexico City. The City is huge. So huge, in fact that a quick google reveals that it is the 5th largest city. Mexico City has it all. For the Michelin star obsessed to the budget traveler, there are plenty of places for each type of traveler.
Fine Dining
For years, my husband and I have been trying restaurants on The World’s 50 Best Restaurants, so naturally we hit up the big 2.
Pujol
Before even booking our flight/hotel, we booked Pujol. It was surprisingly easy to get a reservation. (Well, surprisingly easy if you are a planner like me.) We made our reservation a few months ahead. The chef, Enrique Olvera, opened Pujol in Mexico City in 2000. Pujol is on countless articles on where to eat in Mexico City. Enrique is the top dog Chef in the city thanks to Anthony Bourdain and The 50 Best Restaurants in The World (currently ranked #12.)
Pujol is very similar to other fine dining experiences in that there is a set seating time. Therefore, the entire restaurant is getting their food at the same time. You can order al la carte or the tasting menu. We opted for the tasting menu and received 7+ courses. They were all delicious. Especially the mole which Pujol is known for. When you receive the mole, you receive a fresh serving as well as an older one – a MUCH older one. The mole we had was 2,579 days old. It was amazing and nothing like I expected. In fact, I preferred the older mole to the fresh one, who knew!
One of the things I did not like is that Pujol’s tasting menu does not have an option for wine/drink pairings, so we had to order drinks throughout the meal. If available, my husband and I typically go with a wine pairing that is thoughtfully paired with each course. The ambience of the restaurant was decent, but not great. The most unique part of the restaurant was the tree planted in the entrance with an open roof above it, which was creative, but not a show-stopper. But then again, I was eating there for the food and not the ambience.
Quintonil
Quintonil is Pujol’s biggest competitor and is ranked 24 on The World’s 50 Best Restaurants. It happens to be just a couple of blocks away from Pujol. The chef, Jorge Vallejo, opened the restaurant in 2012. You may book Quintonil 60 days in advance. Knowing this, I set a calendar alert on my phone to book for our desired day exactly 60 days in advance.
Unlike Pujol, Quintonil has the option to make a wide range of reservation times. Moreover, Quintonil has the option to have wine pairings which was a plus. We ordered the tasting menu along with the wine pairing. The food was amazing! In my opinion it will eventually surpass Pujol. In addition to the food, the wine pairings were amazing! I would never have tried Mexican sake but thanks to the pairings, I did and it was fantastic.
Finishing off the night, the coffee was probably the best coffee I have ever had. This is saying something considering some of the other countries I have been fortunate enough to visit.
Casual/Mid Range dining
El Hidalguense
This is THE PLACE TO GO for Barbacoa. We did not have a reservation and got there around 10:45am. It was already the happening place to be on a Sunday morning. We were lucky to get seated right away at a table just outside the front of the restaurant. Within minutes of us sitting down, a line started to form for people waiting for a table. We started with the queso asada. Man oh man I dream about this gooey cheese, it was heaven. Next our main course came. We had the lamb barbocoa wrapped in maguey leaves. The second you lift up the leaves, the hot steam rises with the smell of heaven. Our waiter brought all the fixings for tacos and we had so many plates on the table, I ended up putting a few dishes on the empty chair next to me.
In addition, we had our waiter bring us different tequilas. We were on vacation without kids after all. They also have amazing juices… They brought a sample of each of them and I ended up having a glass of peach juice. I would’ve been happy with just the food but the entire restaurant was amazing. They had a Mariachi band playing music. The décor around the restaurant was beautiful and it had the best vibe. It was the best lunch we had in Mexico City.
Huset
This restaurant was recommended to us by a friend. Our friend told us we must request the courtyard when making a reservation and I’m glad we did. Huset has a beautiful garden filled with hanging lights and plants. This is THE PLACE TO GO for the scenery and the place to go for the perfect Instagram picture. Unfortunately, I believe the restaurant probably knows this because the food was just okay. We went here on our last night and were blown away by the atmosphere, but not the food
Restaurant El Cardenal
When you start looking into where to eat in Mexico City for an amazing breakfast, this is the place you will come across again and again. They have multiple locations so we chose the Centro location to start off our sightseeing day right. We arrived early since they don’t take reservations and were immediately greeted with their famous hot chocolate. It is delicious! Shortly afterwards, we were presented with their famous pastries. We each had a pan dulce (which means sweet bread) and it was amazing. Melt in your mouth good. I ordered the Gorditas Hidalguenses and it was superb! I don’t think you could have a bad breakfast here.
Terraza Cha Cha Cha
Where to eat in Mexico City with a view you might ask? This is THE PLACE. We were fortunate enough to be able to squeeze this in thanks to our flight being on time. We had reservations and they are a must! The view was breathtaking. Unfortunately we were in a rush due to other reservations so we had our waiter order for us. Lucky us.
We started with the guacamole con chapulines satleados (which is seasoned grasshoppers.) Craig, wasn’t a fan but it was good and I loved them! We then split the “pulpo arrebatado” and “de lengua me como un taco.” The “pulop arrebatado” is octopus and it was delicious -some of the best we have ever had. The “de lengua me como un taco” is beef tongue. It was good, not great but was fun to try! I ate all of it because of the delicious tortillas and fixings. We actually went to Terraza Cha Cha Cha with the intentions of just ordering cocktails but ended up eating. It’s a must just for the view and ended up being a nice surprise of good food and cocktails.
Panderia Rosetta
I researched a ton of places and starred them on google maps in case we happened to wander across one of them. I’m glad we stumbled upon Panderia Rosetta. Located in the charming Roma neighborhood, this place was the hot spot for a Saturday afternoon. With our belly’s full, we just wanted a place to take a break. Panderia Rosetta, known for their pastries and delicious coffee, was the perfect place. Upon arriving, there was a 30 minute wait. Not a big deal in such a cute neighborhood. We had two delicious cups of coffee followed by two pastries. There was music and great people-watching. The only disappointment was they were out of Pan De Pulque. A must order from what I’ve read from Tripadvisor reviews
Cheap Eats for the budget traveler
El Turix: Located down the street from where we stayed in Polanco, this little cheap taco place was found by my husband with a little googling. It is known for their cochinita pibil. We had a little bit of a wait so we just sat on the curb of the street and waited with 10-15 other people. It was delicious. We each had 2 small tacos and it had the perfect amount of spice. I could’ve ordered more but it was a mid-day snack sort of meal. The hot sauce was fantastic, and Craig claims it was the best in Mexico City.
Los Cocuyos: Located in the centro area, this is the place to get suadero tacos. And did we.. They were melt in your mouth good. I could’ve eaten 100 of them, however we had a busy schedule of eating to do. From my research, I also read that the campechano is another item to order. Unfortunately I missed my research memo due to the pouring down rain. They had a little cover that we crammed under with some other’s enjoying their food.
Churreria El Moro: For the sweet tooth fan, this is the place to eat in Mexico City. Churreria El Moro has been around since 1935 and there is a reason it is still thriving today. After an unsatisfying meal at Huset, we hit this place up on the way back to our hotel. There are a lot of locations so it will not be hard to miss. With hot, fresh churros and countless dipping sauces, it is a dream. Oh and for late night post bar snack? This would be the place I would go to if I could still party like it’s 1999 because Churreria El Moro’s original location is open 24/7!
Bars
Licoreria Limantour: Currently listed as number 17 in the World’s Best Bars (2021), this bar has two locations in Mexico City. Lucky for us, one of the locations happened to be down the street from where we stayed in Polanco. We went with big expectations and were disappointed. The cocktails were good but they didn’t blow it out of the park for us. We had two different cocktails and each time they just didn’t scream 17th best bar in the world. We initially liked that we were seated on the outside patio however were constantly bugged by people trying to sell us items. If the drinks were amazing, the people wouldn’t of mattered.
Fifty Mils: Known as one of the top bars in Mexico City and located in the Four Seasons. We were seated in the beautiful garden immediately. Instagram influencers, this is a great place to go for pictures. We found time for Fifty Mils however it wasn’t on the must visit list. I will tell you now, if you have a choice between Licoriea Limantour and Fifty Mils, go to Fifty Mils. It was unbelievable. We somehow squeezed in time for two cocktails. They were both delicious. It was when I was sipping my first cocktail that I noticed that Fifty Mils somehow made a cocktail with bacon in it. I immediately order cocktail #2…. I wish we hadn’t of come here on our last night because it is where I had the best cocktail in Mexico City.
Hanky Panky: This little speak easy had my interest from the moment I started googling bars in Mexico City. I quickly discovered that you make a reservation through their facebook page. After a few back to back chats, I had my reservation secured and an open table confirmation sent to my cell phone. I am not going to tell you exactly where it’s located but a quick look at pictures on google, I knew I would not get lost.
After entering the taco shop and telling them you have a reservation, you will walk through the kitchen to a door where the bar is. We sat at the bar however they do have a few small tables. The drinks were good but I didn’t order anything over the top amazing compared to Fifty Mils. The best part about Hanky Panky is the bartenders. I sat, mesmerized at these talented bartenders. They make Tom Cruise in Cocktail look like an amateur. Go here and sit at the bar for an amazing show.
Unfortunately, I didn’t have time for all of the restaurants on my list. These are the places I can’t wait to go back for: Mercado Roma, Contramar, and Los Panchos. Here are all of the bars that are also on my next trip’s list: Baltra Bar, El Mayor, Casa Franca, and Supra Roma.
I hope that this list has helped you figure out where to eat in Mexico City. If there is something I haven’t discovered, I would love to know and add it to my next trip. After all, 4 days was not enough time in such an amazing city!
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