4 Best Restaurants in Cuernavaca, Side Trips from Mexico City

This sprawling, open-air restaurant in an affluent neighborhood northeast of downtown has a lush garden setting that makes it a perfect choice for a relaxing meal on a balmy day, of which there are many in Cuernavaca. The farm-to-table-inspired menu features a mix of classic and contemporary dishes, such as shrimp tacos with a mildly spicy sambal salsa, aguachile with tangy passionfruit sauce, or pasta with classic fettuccine carbonara.

Downtown Cuernavaca is a bit lacking in trendy dining, but this casually fashionable open-air restaurant in stylish Las Casas B&B Hotel serves some of the most beautifully plated and delicious food in the city. It's a mix of contemporary Mexican and Mediterranean dishes, from sea bass risotto with roasted artichokes and kalamata olives to grilled chicken in a rich mole negro with caramelized bananas and hand-made blue-corn tortillas. There's also a selection of creative pastas, pizzas, and salads. Be sure to save room for the homemade desserts. 

The marvelous view of the Palacio de Cortés is a major draw of this rambling restaurant with sprawling patios, leafy plants, and traditional artwork. The menu mixes Mexican and international foods; you might try the breaded veal stuffed with Serrano ham and manchego cheese, the trout stuffed with shrimp and roasted red peppers, or the tacos filled with grilled cactus.

It should come as no surprise that one of the most celebrated and refined restaurants in the City of the Eternal Spring overlooks a lushly landscaped garden---the beautiful dining room is decorated with candlelit tables, arched ceilings, and well-curated artwork. The elegantly plated modern Mexican cuisine relies heavily on seasonal, locally sourced ingredients and might include a cream of avocado soup with cilantro and serrano chiles, filet mignon with a rich chipotle sauce and new potatoes, and grilled shrimp stuffed with crabmeat and served in a lemon-butter sauce.