2 Best Restaurants in Tlaxcala, Side Trips from Mexico City

One of the best restaurants in Mexico is in the sleepy town of Apizaco, in Tlaxcala state, a quick 20 km (12 miles) from the capital city of Tlaxcala. Opened in 2011, Evoka shows that Mexico's gastronomic revolution, which celebrates local ingredients, small producers, and traditional techniques, isn't limited to the big cities. With a simply elegant dining room, impeccable service, and a clientele largely consisting of in-the-know foodies from Puebla and Mexico City, Evoka could be the hottest restaurant anywhere, but could only exist in the Valle de Tlaxcala, from where its ingredients, and chef-owner Francisco Molina, come. The tasting menu is a must, where you might find aged rib eye in a mole sauce of huitlacoche (corn fungus) and amaranth with plantain dumplings, or a salad of tiny wild tomatoes and local cheese with powdered, root-beer-like hoja santa herb shaken table-side over the top.

In a low stone building on a tree-lined street, this unassuming café is overlooked by most travelers but is always packed with locals. The series of small dining rooms means it won't be hard to find a quiet table. The delicious traditional fare includes such dishes as chicken broth with creamy avocados and strips of cactus flambéed with bits of onion and chilies. Ask your waiter if there's caldo de habas, a bean soup with strips of cactus; it's something of a local specialty, and is quite tasty. Open until 8 pm, and quiet after 6, it's best for breakfast and lunch.