10 Great Restaurants in Mexico City

El Cardenal first opened in 1969 at the corner of Moneda and Seminario streets in Mexico City. While there’s no longer at its original location, you can still find several branches in Palma, Alameda, Lomas and San Angel.

Easily one of the most well-known restaurants in Mexico City, El Cardenal is famed for its traditional breakfast service. A must-try is its rich Doña Oliva chocolate, paired with your choice of freshly baked pastries and creamy nata (clotted cream). If you prefer something savory, the restaurant serves the likes of enchiladas, gorditas (corn tortillas stuffed with cheese and meat), and Spanish omelet with escamoles (ant larvae).

Contramar is the place to be if you want to enjoy fresh seasonal fish and shellfish in Mexico City. It’s just 1 km south of the Angel of Independence monument in the city centre.

Contramar is a trendy spot with a breezy indoor dining room and a garden-like patio. Highlights range from tuna tostadas and shrimp tacos to sashimi and New England-style chowder. It’s often packed with locals and tourists, especially during weekend lunches. It’s a good idea to come early, even on a weekday.

Pujol offers a contemporary take on Mexican cuisine. Local ingredients and traditional techniques come front and center in its dishes, but they also draw from foreign culinary styles. The dining space is elegant but has a rather casual atmosphere.

Pujol is an excellent place to try modern dishes that reflect Mexico’s rich culinary history. The tasting menu is always changing and evolving to take advantage of what’s in season. You can also opt for the chef’s recommendation, which can be anything from octopus tacos to gorditas (corn tortillas stuffed with cheese and meat).

Restaurante Lorea offers a daily tasting menu of seasonal Mexican specialties. You can enjoy 15 courses of refined and artful dishes, each carefully plated on handcrafted dishware. The restaurant also offers a variety of alcoholic beverages, including wines, beers, spirits, and cocktails.

Restaurante Lorea is owned by Oswaldo Oliva, who combines his experience of working at Michelin-starred restaurants with his Mexican roots. If you love exploring local cuisines through tasting menus, this is a great place to be in Mexico City.

Maximo Bistrot is an upscale restaurant at the heart of La Roma in Mexico City. It has a laidback and cozy atmosphere, with ample natural light. There’s also outdoor seating if you want to dine while people-watching.  

The restaurant’s menu includes local favorites like ceviche and tacos, which you can pair with your choice of fruity cocktails, artisanal beers, or wines. Must-try desserts include tarte Tatin, corn pancakes, and madeleines. Maximo Bistrot sources fresh seasonal ingredients from the neighboring Xochimilco, which specializes in chinampa agriculture.

Restaurante Rosetta is in Mexico City’s Roma neighbourhood, just opposite the MODO Museo del Objeto. Its seasonal menu features Mexican dishes with Italian influences. This is evident in its handmade pasta dishes, but you can also enjoy contemporary takes on tamales and mole.

Dishes at Restaurante Rosetta depend on the availability of raw ingredients, which are sourced from small-scale producers in Mexico. However, you can always find freshly baked pastries, bread, and desserts at this popular restaurant.

Nicos is a family-owned eatery specializing in traditional Mexican cuisine. It’s been around since 1957, with dishes made with the family’s own recipe. A must-try is sopa seca de natas, made with layers of tomatoes, shredded chicken, poblano chilies, and natas (heavy cream)

Depending on the season, you might be able to try Nicos’ version of chiles en nogada. This seasonal dish is made with stuffed poblano chilies, which are lathered in a creamy sauce and sprinkled with pomegranate seeds.

Sud 777 serves trendy vegetarian Mexican dishes in Pedregal, an upscale neighbourhood in southern Mexico City. Chef Edgar Núñez and his culinary team often experiment with sustainable produce – such as algae and insects – to create very unique dishes. 

Appetizers include sopa de chicharron (pork crackling soup) and nuestra sopa de cebolla (onion soup), while the tasting menu highlights indigenous ingredients like callo de hacha (a type of shellfish native to the Sea of Cortez). If you want a unique gastronomic experience in Mexico City, Sud 777 is the place to be.

Quintonil, named after a common wild herb in Southern Mexico, serves unique meals that are packed with flavor. Most of the restaurant’s produce is harvested daily from a nearby garden. It’s a good idea to indulge in its tasting menu, which can be tailored to suit vegans, pescatarians and ovo-lacto vegetarians.

Quintonil showcases authentic well-balanced Mexican flavors in dishes like chileatole (green chile soup with corn), striped bass in chapulín adobo dressing, and charred avocado with escamoles (ant larvae) and Mexican herb chips.

Masala y Maiz serves dishes inspired by the flavors and culinary techniques of East Africa, South Asia, and Mexico. The restaurant is founded by Norma Listman and Saqib Keval, who uses seasonal produce by small-scale farmers in Mexico.

Standout dishes include black ceviche, masala fried chicken, uttapam (Indian dosa), and mole toast. You can also find a selection of natural wines on its beverages list, which changes weekly. Masala y Maiz is just 400 meters east of Avenida de los Insurgentes, Mexico City’s longest avenue.