972 Best Restaurants in Mexico

This trendy but casual café also offers lunch and dinner, but it's the breakfast people come here for. Patrons love the enchiladas, huevos al gusto, pastries, and good coffee, though the pizzas and salads served later in the day and into the night are also tasty. It's one of the few places that has a/c during the summer months. Did we mention they also have Italian-style ice cream?

Guanajuato natives and newbies in the know head to this family-run Santa Rosa hideaway for homemade dishes in a country atmosphere. The setting is rustic, with simple tile floors, metal folding chairs, and plain tablecloths, but the fresh, home-style chiles rellenos and chicken in mole more than make up for it. House specialties are mixiote de borrego (lamb baked in foil and served in a rich broth) and cecina seca de res (air-dried beef), both served with frijoles, salsas, guacamole, and fresh tortillas. It's an excellent place for breakfast, lunch, or a (very) early dinner en route to shopping at Mayolicas Santa Rosa. A few hundred yards off the highway, along a dirt road, it's about 15 to 20 minutes northeast of La Valenciana, en route to Dolores Hidalgo. Look for small signs announcing "Cabaña de Lolita" and "Puente de Barrilito."

This laid-back seafood eatery brings the beach to Mexico City. Try the fresh taco Gobernador or tostada Punta Mita accompanied by a michelada. 

The cowhides decorating the walls let you know exactly what's on the menu at this longtime favorite. Start off with Argentine-style empanadas (stuffed with beef, naturally), then move on to the grilled short ribs. If you have a hankering for the enormous rib eye, call at least three hours ahead. The impressive wine list includes selections from Argentina, Chile, and Spain, as well as a respectable representation from Mexico.

This colorful hangout on the corner of the main plaza is the best place in town to watch the world go by (or take advantage of free Wi-Fi) while lingering over coffee and a pastry. Most items are organic, and the fruit smoothies are delicious. Come prepared to practice your Spanish; the staff doesn't speak much English.

This small outdoor café is perfect for soaking up the boho vibe on a street lined with shops, small hotels, and huge potted plants. None of its hearty Mexican breakfasts costs more than MX$60. The lunch menu revolves around seafood plates and appetizers (try the tiritas, small strips of raw fish swimming in lime and onion) that don't top MX$75. Dinner is all about steak and seafood. There's an adjacent bar and even rooms to rent upstairs.

This small restaurant and gallery in an old building behind the Posada Freeman in the Centro Histórico lets you drink and dine, listen and talk so unhurriedly that it's almost meditative. The kitchen, which specializes in grilled meats and fish, serves until about 10:30 pm, but the bar is open long into the night. You're encouraged to listen to the music (nightly after 8 pm), consider the paintings, maybe read something in the small library, and engage in the lost art of conversation.

Cheery, seashell-decorated Cito was one of Isla's first cafés, and it's still among the best breakfast spots on the island. The menu includes pancakes, waffles, fruit-filled crepes, and egg dishes, as well as great cappuccino and espresso. Every breakfast comes with complimentary coffee or tea, and the fresh-squeezed OJ is a great way to start the day. Don't miss the pineapple-coconut marmalade. Lunch specials are also available daily.

This adorable downtown café with an outdoor garden is a local favorite for breakfast. It serves an extensive selection of coffees alongside yummy pancakes, crepes, bagels, waffles, and paninis. Sweet tooths will love the frappés and homemade desserts.

A serene tropical garden lies behind the unremarkable facade of this coffee bar on the busy road into Las Brisas hotel zone. The long list of caffeinated options are Big American franchise quality at about half the price. It opens at 8 am for breakfast; the offerings range from the healthy (fruit-granola-yogurt combos) to the hearty (chilaquiles). Come back later for the desserts, which include the good (carrot cake), the bad (ice cream), and the wicked (tres leches cake). You can score a beer, too.

This casual spot north of Parque Santa Ana has a French flair, with vintage posters and antique signs, and its French owner, Eric Sureau, is on the premises most days, assuring that the quiches, crêpes, and salads all leave the kitchen comme il faut. There are tables in the lovely and shady yard in the back. In addition Sureau has a small but excellently curated selection of wines and some of the best cheeses in the city if you want to buy the essentials for a little gathering around the pool at your rental or hotel.

Break up your explorations of Pueblo's Centro Histórico with perfectly crafted single-origin coffee or cold brew featuring locally roasted beans from acclaimed Subversivo Roasters at this hip little café around the corner from the colorful Sapos Alley. There are a few tasty food items, too, including flatbread with cheese and ham.

This comfort-food café has three distinct menus for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. The two rooms of this renovated former home overlook the street just a few blocks from the beach. In the morning order one of an army of different omelets, a smoothie, or an attractively presented fruit bowl with yogurt. The lunch menu ranges among the classics: BLTs and burgers, roast beef sandwiches, spaghetti, and four different salads. Coffee and a scoop of excellent Blue Bell ice cream or slice of carrot cake are also options. For dinner, choose among a reasonably priced rib-eye steak, shrimp in mango or chipotle chili sauce, or a fish fillet. Bathrooms are clean and pleasant.

Repeat visitors swear by the enchiladas and carne asada at this earthy restaurant. A large tree extends from the dining-room floor through the roof, local artwork adorns the walls, and salsa music often plays in the background. Note that as soon as Café de Olla opens for the season, it fills up and seems to stay full. You may need to wait for a table, especially at breakfast and dinner.

A few blocks away from downtown Cabo's heavy foot traffic and named after the town's zip code, this is an adorable place to grab breakfast or spend an afternoon co-working. Their slogan is "Coffee made by locals, for locals," and their beans are sourced from the Mexican state of Chiapas and are available for sale to take home with you.

A corner coffee spot clad in dark wood with an impossibly narrow upstairs balcony, El Chavelete is a pleasant spot to stop for a pick-me-up in the vicinity of San Juan. You can also grab your coffee to-go from the window that opens to the sidewalk.

A block from Plaza Hidalgo, this old-time café whose name translates to "native of Veracruz" has a nearly fanatical following. It has stood at this prime street corner in 1953—many evenings the line for coffee, hot chocolate, mochas, and doughnuts extends down the block well past midnight. There are a few other—generally less crowded—branches around the neighborhood, but the original is still the most popular.

Part cute vintage store (with clothing, housewares, jewelry, and antique toys) and part café, this homey spot in Escandón is the sort of place you want to linger. The all-day breakfast menu features a number of hearty dishes, including the house dish: poached eggs over ham, bacon, and roast beef with hollandaise sauce; plus, there's a good selection of pastas, sandwiches, and other tasty fare available later in the day. It's also a nice stop for coffee and dessert.

The main location of a small local chain founded in 1938 by a family of Lebanese immigrants, Jekemir recently moved to one of Centro's prettiest plazas, at the end of the pedestrianized Calle Regina. One of precious few places in Centro to sit outside, Jekemir is still a family-owned operation.

Think of this as Mexico City's equivalent of your favorite all-day diner: open from 7 am to 4 am every day of the year, La Pagoda is the best of several (admittedly very similar) old school cafés lined up along the northern side of Avenida 5 de Mayo. The food is far from extraordinary, but the atmosphere is beyond charming, with its long bar and bright lights, service that borders on the maternal (expect to be called mi amor or mi vida at least once), solid breakfast dishes served all day, and a perfect café con leche to snap you out of a late-night or early-morning stupor.

Whether you come for breakfast or lunch, you'll enjoy the relaxed vibe at this open-air café. Its menu ranges from Mexican classics like chilaquiles and huevos divorciados (eggs with chile sauce), to pizza, grilled meats, and fish later in the day. If you feel like lingering, have a glass of wine with a friend, or spend quality time with your laptop (Wi-Fi is free) while enjoying a cup of organic coffee from the highland state of Chiapas.

Originally a coffee-and-dessert stop and fashionable hangout for Mascotans, this snug little eatery serves big breakfasts and now main dishes at lunch and dinner, too. Sit on the small street-facing patio, in the small dining room, or facing the glass case featuring fantastic-looking cakes, pies, and tarts. You can get wine and beer as well as pizza, barbecue, spaghetti, and other Italian food.

This exquisitely designed eatery feels like entering a mansion. A bit like a labyrinth, the service is quick and the menu extensive with breakfast through dinner options specializing in fresh ingredients. Vegetarian, vegan, and gluten-free options will appease travelers who have eaten one too many orders of chilaquiles.

The laid-back hub of Puerto Aventuras is this terrace café with a varied menu, including coconut shrimp and chicken with a chimichurri sauce made from red wine, garlic, onion, and fine herbs. If you and local fisherman get lucky, the nightly specials might include fresh-caught fish in garlic sauce. There's live music on Sunday, Wednesday, and Friday in high season.

Perfect for a quick caffeine pick-me-up or a more leisurely session of catching up with friends, this plant-filled café serves a full range of coffee and tea drinks along with a selection of tasty baked goods. It's right in the heart of the city center, steps from local museums.

A classic of the Olas Altas/Zona Romántica scene, Café San Angel used to be the place where one would go for a coffee, grab a book (English or Spanish), and enjoy the slow pace of Vallarta’s afternoons. Today it has evolved into a lively mix between a breakfast spot and a trendy burger grill. They still have books and sofas, but the pace is not as slow as it used to be.

This diner is trimmed with paintings and sketches given to the owner by famous people who've eaten here, including a small acrylic by Rafael Coronel. Sip a strong Turkish coffee while watching the locals flood in for breakfast. The chilaquiles verdes (fried tortilla strips smothered in tangy green sauce and white cheese) comes with a basket of pastries and bread. Mild enchiladas zacatecanas are filled with cheese, onion, and chili, and topped with cream. Traditional café fare like hamburgers, sandwiches, and fruity shakes is available for lunch.

This cute and casual eatery was the first in Todos Santos to open with tourists intentionally in mind, back in 1993. The building is over a century old, and was a house in the late 1800s; the flooring is original from 1933. The chairs and wall decor are colorfully quirky and very Mexican, with the menu mixing traditional cuisine with international favorites.