Our Picks
QUINTONIL
Where Mexican cuisine becomes something else
Quintonil is one of those places people talk about before you arrive. In a city full of incredible restaurants, this is where many come to experience how deeply creative Mexican ingredients can become while still feeling grounded in Mexico.
What to order
If you want the full experience, go for the tasting menu. It moves through ingredients like corn, beans, squash, chiles, and mushrooms in ways that constantly surprise you. Dishes like the avocado tartare with escamoles or the chayote in house mole stay with you long after dinner ends. And whatever you do, leave room for dessert.
A dinner worth slowing down for
People come here for celebrations, long conversations, and meals that feel memorable from beginning to end. The service is attentive, the pacing is slow, and every dish feels intentional. This is not the kind of dinner you rush through.
More than a restaurant
Quintonil reminds you that Mexican cuisine can be both deeply rooted and constantly evolving. By the end of the night, you leave seeing it differently.
Address: Newton 55, Polanco, Mexico City, Mexico 11560
Photo by: @rest_quintonil
PUJOL
Where tradition becomes evolution
Pujol is one of the restaurants that helped redefine modern Mexican cuisine. Behind it is chef Enrique Olvera, whose approach blends ancestral techniques, local ingredients, and constant experimentation into something deeply rooted, yet entirely contemporary.
The space feels alive from the moment you walk in, elegant, energetic, and built around the experience of the meal itself.
What to order
If you want to understand Pujol, go for the tasting menu.
The dishes move between tradition and reinvention, from the famous corn with chicatana ant mayonnaise to vegetables, escamoles, and seafood prepared with incredible precision. But the moment everyone remembers is the mole madre.
Served alongside a fresh mole, the mother mole has been continuously fed and evolving for years. More than a dish, it feels like tasting history.
A meal that unfolds slowly
People come here to celebrate, to experience, to be surprised.
Every course arrives with intention, and the pacing invites you to slow down and pay attention. This is not simply dinner, it’s a progression of flavors, stories, and technique that reveals itself little by little.
More than a restaurant
Pujol reminds you that Mexican cuisine is not frozen in tradition. It’s alive, evolving, and capable of becoming art without losing where it comes from.
And somewhere between the first bite and the last spoon of mole, you understand why this place became part of Mexico City’s culinary history.
Address: Tennyson 133, Polanco, Mexico City, Mexico 11550
Photo by: @restaurantepujol
EXPENDIO DE MAIZ
A kitchen that feels transported from another place
Expendio de Maíz feels less like a restaurant and more like being invited into someone’s home kitchen.
Chef Jesús Tornés brought the essence of rural Guerrero into the middle of Roma Norte, clay pots, heirloom corn, wood fired cooking, and ingredients that feel deeply connected to the land.
The space is small, lively, and intentionally unpolished. That’s part of the experience.
What to expect
There’s no menu here.
Instead, the kitchen sends out a steady flow of dishes built around tortillas and seasonal ingredients, each one arriving when it’s ready. Everything is made with heirloom corn that’s nixtamalized and ground in house.
Come hungry, stay curious, and trust the process.
Slowing down, naturally
Nothing here feels rushed.
People sit close together, conversations overlap, servers move quickly, and dishes appear one after another. It can feel a little chaotic at first, but eventually you settle into the rhythm of it all.
This is the kind of meal where you stop checking the time.
More than a restaurant
Expendio de Maíz reminds you that some of the most meaningful food experiences don’t come from luxury, but from tradition, patience, and care.
Somewhere between the tortillas, the smoke from the comal, and the endless small plates, you begin to understand just how central corn is to Mexico’s identity.
Address:
Yucatan 84, Mexico City, Mexico 06700
Photo by: @exp_maiz
TACOS DEL VALLE
A taquería that does things its own way
Tacos del Valle takes familiar flavors and pushes them somewhere unexpected.
Inspired by the nostalgic feeling of old Mexican
cenadurías, the space feels warm, casual, and full of energy. But the real personality comes from the food, where traditional tacos meet playful experimentation.
What to order
Start with the trompos.
The Trompo Rojo with marinated pork belly is a favorite, but the Trompo Negro Fuego, with pork, black ashes, and their house marinade, is the one people keep talking about.
And if you still have room, order the Tijuanita or the flautas.
The kind of place where one taco turns into three
You come thinking you’ll have a quick bite, and somehow end up ordering another round.
There’s music, smoke from the grill, salsa on the table, and that feeling that everyone around you is having a good time. It’s lively without trying too hard.
Why people keep coming back
Tacos del Valle reminds you that tacos in Mexico City are never just food.
They’re comfort, creativity, nostalgia, and late conversations all wrapped into one tortilla.
Address:
Av. Álvaro Obregón 130, Roma Nte. Cuauhtémoc, Roma Nte., Álvaro Obregón, 06700 CDMX
Photo by: @tacosdelvalle
EL VILSITO
A taco spot that only really makes sense at night
During the day, El Vilsito is a mechanic shop. At night, the grills turn on, the pastor starts spinning, and the whole place changes.
People stand around eating tacos on the sidewalk, cars pull up for late night orders, and the smell of al pastor fills the street. It feels busy, loud, and very Mexico City.
What to order
Start with tacos al pastor.
The meat is sliced straight from the trompo and served with pineapple, onion, cilantro, and salsa.
If you want something heavier, order a gringa with melted cheese on a flour tortilla.
And if the salsa hits too hard, get a horchata.
The best time to come
Late.
After drinks, after a night out, or whenever you’re hungry enough to stand on the street eating tacos past midnight.
Part of the experience is watching the taqueros move quickly while everyone around you eats, talks, and waits for the next order.
Why people keep coming back
El Vilsito isn’t trying to reinvent tacos.
It’s just one of those places that does them really well, especially when the city is still awake and you’re not ready to go home yet.
Address:
Petén 248 y, Av. Universidad, Narvarte Poniente, Benito Juárez, 03020, CDMX
Photo by: @elvilsito.mx
FONDA MARGARITA
Where mornings in Mexico City really begin
Fonda Margarita sits on a quiet street, but the line outside usually tells you everything you need to know.
Inside, it feels simple and old school, long shared tables, clay pots bubbling over charcoal, waiters moving quickly between plates of guisados and stacks of fresh tortillas.
This is the kind of breakfast that feels deeply tied to everyday Mexico City life.
What the table should look like
Start with the huevos con frijoles.
Scrambled eggs mixed with rich refried black beans, served with hot tortillas and smoky salsa.
Then order whatever guisados are cooking that morning, especially if there’s chicharrón en salsa verde.
And if you drink coffee, get the café de olla.
The rush before the city fully wakes up
Taxi drivers finishing a shift, families sharing tables, tourists still waking up, people recovering from the night before, everyone ends up here.
The room is loud, busy, and packed, but somehow it still feels welcoming. Part of the experience is passing salsa around the table and eating shoulder to shoulder with strangers.
A breakfast that feels like Mexico
Fonda Margarita isn’t polished or trendy.
It’s just one of those places that reminds you how comforting Mexican breakfast can be when it’s made slowly, served hot, and shared with other people around the table.
Address:
Adolfo Prieto 1364 B, Colonia Tlacoquemécatl Del Valle, Benito Juárez,
CDMX
Photo by: @fondamargarita
MI COMPA CHAVA
Coastal energy in the middle of the city
Mi Compa Chava brings the energy of a coastal seafood stand into the middle of Mexico City.
Bright yellow tables, loud music, cold beers, seafood towers moving across the room, everything feels busy in the best way.
People come here for long lunches, hangover cures, birthdays, or simply because someone at the table said, “let’s order one more thing.”
What to order
Start with an aguachile.
The raw seafood is the reason most people come here, shrimp, scallops, octopus, tuna, all layered with acidity, spice, and fresh sauces.
If you’re with a group, order the Señora Torres seafood tower. It’s huge, messy, and part of the fun.
And yes, get a michelada.
Somewhere no one checks the time
There’s usually a wait, but nobody seems to mind.
People drink beers on the sidewalk, tables fill with too many plates, and the whole place moves with that slightly chaotic rhythm that somehow makes the experience better. The staff keeps everything flowing without losing the relaxed atmosphere.
Why people love it
Mi Compa Chava isn’t subtle.
It’s loud, colorful, excessive at times, and completely built around sharing food with other people.
You come for seafood, but you stay because the whole afternoon starts to feel like a small celebration.
Address: Zacatecas 172, Roma Nte., Cuauhtémoc, 06700 Ciudad de México, CDMX, México
Photo by: @micompachava