349 Best Restaurants in Mexico

Totally local yet beloved by visitors, this place is the real deal, morning, noon, and night. Multigenerational Mexican families dine among a spattering of granola-crunchy tourists, all comfortably ensconced within several chummy spaces. At breakfast, egg dishes reign supreme, and enfrijoladas (corn tortillas layered with refried beans, cheese, and sour cream) are an excellent choice. It's also hard to go wrong with the traditional lunch plates, which include enmoladas (tortillas bathed in mole sauce and baked), enchiladas (the same, but in a spicier sauce), and chicken dishes. It's open later than most spots in town.

This cozy bakery/café is a source of singularly delicious Japanese and European treats, both savory and sweet, as well as more substantial fare like grilled teriyaki chicken and curry and rice. Matcha cakes, orange pastries, and perfectly crafted baguettes and sandwiches are among the top options. They also custom design cakes and cookies with a variety of fun motifs, from Day of the Dead to lucha libre.

The inexpensive croissants and freshly brewed coffee make a delicious breakfast combo at this place tucked behind the Soriana grocery store on Avenida Tulum. At lunchtime, stop in for a huge sandwich stuffed with all the deli classics, but be prepared to wait awhile since lines are long. You’ll also find a few vegetarian items on the menu. The "Ty-Coz Express" signs you see around town are mini-branches of this restaurant, usually connected to local gas stations or convenience stores.

Facing Parque Hundido with a view of nothing but trees (okay, and some parked cars and an EcoBici stand), Village Café is a great place to unwind and take in a bit of tranquillity in one of the busier parts of the city. Massive windows open to the sidewalk, where diners take their time on sandwiches, coffees, and pastries. An antique magazine stand occupies the center of the café, providing ample reading material. The dark, green tub chairs are inviting, as is the shaded atmosphere.

When you're looking for a bite to eat on your day at the beach, choose between poolside service or a table at the more upscale Pez Gallo restaurant. The latter offers inventive Mexican cuisine and great views. After, join a baby-turtle release, hang out at the swim-up bar, watch a free movie at nightfall, go for a long walk, or just lounge in a hammock at this expansive beach club set directly on Playa Bacocho. Even during peak periods, the large, free-form swimming pool never feels crowded. A playground, their own swimming pool, and a kids' menu will make little ones happy.

Arrive early to snag a prime lounger and for happy hour noon–1 daily.

This oasis of carnivorous delights serves tortas—Mexico's answer to the sandwich—and tacos at four locations in Mérida. In addition to ham and cheese tortas, you can get pork loin in smoky chipotle-chile sauce, chorizo sausage, turkey strips sautéed with onions and peppers, and several other delicious combos guaranteed to go straight to your arteries. If you don't speak Spanish, just point to one of 20 types of ingredients while they heat up your tortilla. Not a meat lover? Try some unusual combos, like chopped cactus pads sautéed with mushrooms, or scrambled eggs with chaya or string beans. All of the Wayan'e locations are casual and unassuming, with plastic tables and chairs, but most diners gather around the counter where the food is handed over. The restaurant closes when the food runs out, which is usually around 2 pm.

This pretty little café and organic-produce shop is nestled away in Jalatlaco, one of the oldest, prettiest, and least-visited parts of the city. The store offers a wide variety of unusual vegetable and fruit products, all sourced locally, as well as a small range of vegan, lactose-free, and gluten-free alternative foods. The cafeteria, located next door, is famous for its filled ciabattas, interesting teas, and friendly atmosphere. It's a great place for a midmorning breakfast or lunch.

The Yacht Club is a restaurant and bar on the town beach—it's not a yacht club at all. Their breaded fish fillet is famous among the villagers and tourists, as are their chicken dishes. The place is always full. At 10 pm the disco starts and it lasts until 2 am.

Zai may be one of just a few restaurants in the La Fortuna area, but that doesn’t mean you should go only as a default. It is the most buzzed about restaurant in the East Cape, with plenty of diners making the drive up from San José just for a taste of their sushi, which is said to be the best in Los Cabos. If you’ll be driving along Camino Cabo Este, plan intentionally to stop here.

A shabby-chic handful of wooden tables dressed in bright paisley cloths, Zandunga is the quintessential corner café. It fills up with local families who come to sample hearty and simple dishes from the istmo, the southeastern part of the state around the town of Tehuantepec. The estofado, a savory beef stew, is recommended; start off with the sampler plate of typical regional snacks, which comes with totopos (crunchy tortillas that originated on the isthmus). Daily specials may include a mole for good measure. Wash it all down with a tangy tea made from hibiscus blossoms.

Pick out your goodies with a pair of tongs—that’s the way bakeries operate in Mexico—and bring your tray to the front counter. Take your food (cakes, pastries, breads) to a table indoors or on the front porch or get it to go. Don’t’ forget the coffee—these folks brew it strong.

North of Banderas Bay, in little San Pancho (aka San Francisco), the multitudes rave about the fish and shrimp tacos at Baja Takeria.

This is the best place in town for seafood; the ocean view from under the tall, peaked palapa roof isn't bad either. In addition to the garlic-and-oil fish fillets and breaded shrimp, there's grilled chicken with baked potato, beef tips with rice and beans, soups, quesadillas, steak, great guacamole, and fries. It's open all day (8 am until 10 pm) and serves everyone from white-collar business types to families and friends meeting for lunch to tourists cleaned up for an evening out. Popular with local families, business people, and travelers, it's a simple and unadorned but large restaurant facing Christmas Bay. After your meal, kick your shoes off and take a walk on the beach.

The locally owned bakery Los Chatos sells cakes, tarts, and house-made gelato. They have expanded to new areas, too, in Bucerías, the Marina, and more.

In El Centro at Paris Café, a gruff and eccentric Frenchman who bakes bare-chested is PV's version of Seinfeld's "soup Nazi."

Grab a mini-cheesecake, crunchy chocolate cookie, or an infamous mango pie at Pie in the Sky. The store has expanded to Puerto Vallarta and its marina as well.

Healthy and nutritious food with lots of flavor is what has crowds coming here every morning for breakast. There is no guarantee that there will be space for you to sit at any time in particular, but there's always takeaway to be eaten at the boardwalk. Don't miss the smoothies!

Bucerías's Tacos Linda occupies a small patio surrounded by hurricane fencing. Watch a telenovela on the overhead TV as you wait for savory meat tacos and other snacks served on huge, just-made tortillas.

In downtown Vallarta, locals love the quesadillas, shredded beef burritos, and tacos at Tutifruti, where you can also get a sandwich, burger, or fruit smoothie.