972 Best Restaurants in Mexico

This little restaurant east of Parque Paseo Juárez is packed with locals—sometimes there's not a tourist in sight—who appreciate the traditional fare like enchiladas suizas (with sour cream) and the prices. It's a 10-minute walk from the zócalo. You'll know you're there when you spot the huge green eyes painted on the side of the building. It closes early, at 7 pm.

Waitresses in funky, meter maid–style hats serve good seafood to canned music and the rhythm of nearby waves at this unpretentious restaurant. The crowd is a mix of locals and visitors, all of whom are particularly keen on stopping by to enjoy the sunset. Specialties include amazingly fresh seafood dishes like the Jalisco favorite pescado sarandeado (barbecued fish), camarón mustache (butterflied shrimp breaded in shredded coconut), and gigantic portions of ceviche. When in doubt, ask for half portions; servers are also flexible about substituting french fries or beans for rice. A smaller branch, El Bigotes 2 (Puesta del Sol 3, Tel. 334/334–0831), in the Playa Azul district, has the same great food but fewer specials.

It's on a noisy street corner, but the seriously good food and generous portions make this a local favorite. The molcajete—a sizzling black pot of tender flank steak, grilled green onion, and soft white cheese in a delicious homemade sauce of dried red peppers—is served with a big plate of guacamole, refried beans, and made-at-the-moment corn or flour tortillas. If you're into simpler fare, the unadorned grilled fish fillet is fresh and delicious.

This Bucerías branch of El Brujo is located right on the beach but with the same food and generous portions as the original location in Puerto Vallarta. The molcajete—a sizzling black pot of tender flank steak, grilled green onion, and soft white cheese in a delicious homemade sauce of dried red peppers—is served with a big plate of guacamole, refried beans, and made-at-the-moment corn or flour tortillas. Try the breaded scallops, stuffed fish with shrimp and creamy huitlacoche (black corn fungus) sauce, or a grilled skirt steak with mushrooms and bell peppers bathed in tomato sauce. If you're into simpler fare, the unadorned grilled fish fillet is fresh and delicious, too.

As the name implies, young goat—served charcoal-grilled—is a specialty of this restaurant. You can also choose from among genuine Mexican dishes like chicken in mole (spicy chocolate-chili sauce); shrimp in tequila; and jerky with egg, fish, and seafood. Wash it down with a cold beer or glass of wine. The place opens at 2 every afternoon, so although you can have lunch here, it might be at a later time than you're accustomed.

This lively street-side café-bakery-restaurant is a hub for locals, visitors, and those passing through; everything you need to know is being passed around by word of mouth here. Almost always full but with speedy service, the restaurant is best known for its hearty breakfasts, Mexican specialties such as enchiladas and quesadillas, aguas de frutas (fruit water), and reliable Wi-Fi. Kid-friendly chow such as hamburgers and spaghetti plus sturdy high chairs make it extra appealing to families with toddlers. The daily special is an especially good deal. Popular bakery items include fruit-filled pastries, whole-wheat bread, and cinnamon buns. There's another branch—slightly spiffier but minus the view—on La Rinconada

There's no kids' menu, but you get 30% off on half orders of any dish.

Specializing in coffee and desserts, El Callejón Café should be your stop for a quick bite on the north side of Centro Histórico. Grab a pizza in the afternoon and enjoy the scenery.

Called "Camellito" by locals, this restaurant is famed for having Tulum's freshest seafood—and the jammed parking lot is testament to its enduring popularity. Fish or shrimp tacos are light and fresh, but the full splendor of the place is expressed by its whole grilled or fried fish, served with generous mounds of rice, beans, and plátanos. Come hungry. The lively scene and tropical ambience are a Mexican original.

Widely considered by locals as the best taco place in downtown Vallarta, El Carboncito offers the full taco experience with chairs on the sidewalk and plates covered with plastic bags. However, don't let the aesthetics and lack of amenities fool you—pretty much anything you'll try here is simply delicious. 

An institution known for its classic Mexican cooking, today El Cardenal has locations all over the city, but the branch to try is on Calle Palma, in a three-story building in the florid style of the late 19th century. Inside, the atmosphere (think beige walls and white tablecloths) and food are old school; the best time to come is breakfast, when trays of pan dulces make for a pleasant prelude to eggs or chilaquiles. Another location in the neighborhood can be found at Marconi 2.

The clientele is lively, and the seafood is fresh at this open-air eatery in the bustling Mercado Veintiocho. The kitchen serves crab (stuffed, steamed, or fried) and whole fried fish that's crispy outside and moist inside. If you've had a wild night, try the vuelva a la vida, or "return to life" (conch, oysters, shrimp, octopus, calamari, and fish with a hot tomato sauce). The ceviche and spicy shrimp soup are also good, though the quality can be inconsistent.

Tables at this casually stylish restaurant are centered on a partially open patio with grand views of the mountains. The varied menu includes contemporary takes on regional Mexican fare, including a fragrant soup of corn, zucchini, squash blossoms, and huitlacoche; spaghetti with duck ragu; and salmon cooked over a charcoal fire and served with cauliflower puree and grilled asparagus.

San Miguel's place to go for coffee roasts beans from Oaxaca and whips them into a variety of drinks. A selection of baked goods and salads rounds out the fare. The place was formerly known as "Coffee Bean," and people occasionally refer to it by that name.

The ambience at this patio restaurant facing the boats and the marina is casual and festive; the crowd hums with contentment while other restaurants nearby seemingly have been drained of clientele. There is live music (mainly mariachi) most days.

A neon sign bearing the namesake hummingbird draws you to this little cafeteria. Mothers who have packed their kids off to school and cell-phone-toting business executives favor this place, perhaps for its free refills of super-hot coffee and the extensive menu of Mexican favorites. If you're homesick, you can always order a burger with fries. While you wait, browse in the gift shop. The restaurant is across from the ADO bus station, making it a great escape from the crowded waiting area.

The homemade ice cream and sorbet at El Colón have been keeping locals cool since 1907. Served in a pyramid-shape scoop, the tropical fruit flavors (like chico zapote, a brown fruit native to Mexico that tastes a little like cinnamon and comes from a tree used in chewing-gum production) are particularly refreshing. The shop also sells cookies and fresh candies—the meringues are exceptional. There are five locations throughout the city, and while the one on the Plaza Grande is the oldest, the one on Paseo de Montejo is the most popular, especially on warm evenings. 

This intimate but elegant (for the neighborhood) diner has small tables in a quiet space with a reclaimed feel and appropriately minimalist decor. With juicy burgers, salmon carpaccio, and crunchy thin-crust pizza, the menu caters to a wide audience. The space gets busier with an artistic crowd throughout the day, some staying a while to sip wine and coffee. With a variety of tapas-style snacks, mouthwatering burgers, and their own craft beer brand, it makes for a relaxed afternoon or evening stop. 

Through a pair of graceful arches you can gaze down on the main square from this second-story restaurant. There's a certain rustic charm imparted by the wrought-iron wall sconces and the rough-hewn tables and chairs. The menu begins with simple dishes like quesadillas and enchiladas and moves on to more substantial fare like pollo a la mexicana (chicken simmered with tomatoes and onions). They also serve a number of different pizzas, which are thick, greasy, and ridiculously cheesy.

The former ambassador to China was so impressed by El Dragón's lacquered Beijing duck that he left behind a note of recommendation (now proudly displayed on one of the restaurant's walls) praising it as the most authentic in Mexico. The duck is roasted over a fruitwood fire and later brought to your table, where the waiter cuts it into thin, tender slices, though it's served with flour tortillas instead of the traditional Chinese steamed pancakes. Most of the cooks hail from Beijing, but they mix up their regional cuisines.

Although a Uruguayan owns this fashionable eatery on Coyoacán's lively Jardín Centenario, the menu will be familiar to fans of Argentine cuisine: the superb provoleta (grilled provolone cheese with oregano), for example, and the stellar steaks. Uruguay's Italian heritage appears on the menu as well, with good pizzas and gnocchi with a creamy gorgonzola sauce. Breakfast is served on weekends.

Perhaps the most revered reservation to score in Cabo San Lucas, cliffside El Farallon provides one of the most breathtaking vantage points in town. There's no typical menu here—rather, that day's selection of grilled entrées, featuring fish, shrimp, scallops, steak, and more, are presented on a large chalkboard, along with the available sides. Every meal also comes with a trio of appetizers, guaranteed to leave you stuffed by the end of the meal. An optional wine pairing for each course is a fine complement, as is a pre- or postdinner glass at the chic Champagne Terrace. Try to score a seating time before/during sunset, if you can; it gets quite dark afterward, diminishing the otherwise stellar view.

A neighborhood favorite since 1962, this spacious taqueria with a striking black awning and red-and-white color scheme offers up hefty platters of delicious tacos and other classics. Try the costras crujientes, in which the meat is wrapped in fried cheese before being wrapped in a tortilla, or any of the alambres al carbón with bacon, onions, chile poblano, and any number of fillings.

Popular among locals, this taquería captures some of the charm of the barrios and remains open late (until 1 am daily). The soft tacos stuffed with pork, chorizo (sausage), cheese, or beef aren't the cheapest tacos on the island, but they're tasty and filling. Eat in, take out, or have your food delivered.

El Fogón de Jovel, spread across a lovely colonial courtyard, strikes a balance: it caters to tourists but is still popular with locals. Order the parrillada chiapaneca for a sampling of regional specialties of Chiapas. They also serve a large selection of tamales, such as the tamal untado, which is stuffed with chicken and mole. In keeping with local ways, they serve a margarita made with posh (the local firewater).

Huff and puff your way up the 40-plus steps to this restaurant's threshold for an exceptional view of downtown Guanajuato, as well as for the mouthwatering house specialty, filetto Claudio (beef fillet with olives, capers, herbs, and garlic). Save room for the velvety tiramisu. Weather permitting, have your aperitif on the terrace, which has an even more dazzling view, best as sunset tints Guanajuato's domes several different shades of gold. Lunch is served, but on the Mexican timetable: starting at 2 pm.

The scent of sizzling steaks and a giant neon cowboy draw meat lovers to this cavernous ranch-style restaurant morning, noon, and night. The epic menu lists nearly 100 dishes—from spicy chorizo hot off the grill to tongue sautéed with tomatoes and onions. Or try the shrimp stuffed with peppers and wrapped in bacon. The house specialty drink, jarra de clericot (red wine with melon and pineapple), is delicious. The place opens at 7 am for breakfast.

"The Blacksmith" will win no awards for cuisine (or, for that matter, decoration), but it's often filled with families of pilgrims, and the locals recommend it, too. The menu offers mainly meat dishes, including burgers with fries, plus antojitos, gorditas, and sopes (all cornmeal-based, fried concoctions stuffed with meat or beans and, in the case of the latter, topped with beans and salsa), pozole, and quesadillas. The tortillas are made fresh at the back of the restaurant. Half orders are available, and there's a bar serving national booze and beer.

The location of this two-level restaurant, just next door to the Hotel Xibalba, has made it a favorite with tourists, but locals frequent the place, too. The plates are big, and the food is varied and delicious. The freshness of the seafood is a big part of what makes dishes like the chilpachole de mariscos (a slightly spicy tomato-based seafood soup) delicious. The filete de pescado (a shrimp-stuffed fillet of fish baked in a banana leaf) is another delicious option.

General consensus says that this miniscule taco stand on the border between the Plaza San Juan and Chinatown serves the best al pastor in Centro, and has been doing so since 1959. There are now three branches around the neighborhood, and several more scattered around town, but the original remains the best by far.