972 Best Restaurants in Mexico

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.

This two-story palapa restaurant, named “The Drunken Sailor,” is always packed with locals and tourists alike. It’s no wonder: the location across from the marina is the perfect spot to watch the sunset while enjoying a ginger mint mojito or tamarind margarita. Several dishes feature unexpected Vietnamese and Costa Rican influences, such as the panko-crusted fish taco with ginger cream and the shrimp enchilada with coconut pineapple sauce and fried plantains. The shrimp burger on homemade bread comes with chili lime fries and pairs well with an ice cold michelada (salt-rimmed Mexican beer with lime, spices, and hot sauce). Timid palates must overcome any hesitation and try the best dessert in Los Cabos: the avocado-lime chocolate cream pie on graham cracker crust.

At this glorified food court, more than 20 culinary offerings are at your disposal, ranging from Mexican and Greek to Spanish and Italian. Savor wine, cheese, or tapas while the little ones dig into gourmet hot dogs, creamy gelato, or treats from the candy shop. In this two-story industrial-style building, grab what you want and converge back at the table with the meal of your choice; sushi, barbecue, and Oaxacan cuisine are top picks. The organic market is great for meals-to-go, and the assortment of tacos and regional dishes explore the best of Mexico’s gastronomy in a unique environment.

This tremendously popular restaurant, named after Querétaro's version of Robin Hood, is on the handsome Plaza de Armas. It's strong on regional dishes like goat-filled tacos and shrimp with nopal (cactus) and corundas (a kind of tamale from the neighboring state of Michoacán).

A macaw named Paco greets you with "Hola, Paco!" when you enter this delightful courtyard restaurant. Huge wagon wheels remind you that horse-drawn carts once brought all the coffee grown here to market. The kitchen's emphasis is on local cuisine, so start with brujitas xiqueñas, the "little witches" that are actually pockets of fried corn filled with "beans bewitched by avocado." Main dishes include cecina xiqueña, which is seasoned beef pounded flat and grilled, and—obviously—moles. All dishes that have been invented at the hotel are marked on the menu with the restaurant's logo.

Situated alongside the artisan market in Santa Maria del Tule, El Milenario is famous for its breakfasts. Enjoy entomatadas or enfrijoladas in a family environment where the portions are huge and the prices are low. It makes a great stop off on a trip to Mitla or Hierve El Agua.

"The Pier" resembles a Caribbean fish market with its wooden plank floors, whitewashed tables, and pilings strung with rope. A chalkboard features the catch of the day; it's delivered from local fishermen every morning and simply yet flavorfully prepared one of five ways or sold by the gram to go. El Muelle opens at 4 pm, so come before dinner for a strawberry-lemon spritzer and mixed ceviche made Peruvian style with leche de tigre. From that point on, you're hooked, and you'll soon find there isn't a mediocre dish on the menu.

This darling, ocean-to-table restaurant is not to be confused with Muelle 3 right around the corner.

The dinner menu is forever changing at this family-owned and -run restaurant, and that's a good thing. Whether you order soup and salad, steak, or fresh catch of the day prepared any way you like it, this is a one-of-a-kind dining experience with amazing sea views. Patio dining is de rigeur during most of the year, but during the hot summer months, guests may prefer air-conditioned indoor dining room seating.

A dark, wood-paneled restaurant with leather booths, Mexican antiques, and a large central fireplace, this is one of Rosarito's oldest eateries, and the best in town for atmosphere. Diners unimpressed with newer, fancier places come here for grilled venison, lamb, and quail from the owner's farm in the Baja wine country. Made-to-order tortillas, salsa, and margaritas are remarkably fresh. Farm-grown mangos, strawberries, and melons are infused into simple syrups for cocktails. They serve organic vegetables, have a delicious flan, and offer wine tastings in their small damp cellar. Ask for a table on the back patio where potted plants and a waterfall make a pleasant setting in the charming greenhouse.

Open since 1955, Café Bagdad occupies a long narrow room in an 18th-century house on the Plaza de la Aguilita, one of several plazas in Centro's rundown and hectic but charming eastern side. Coffee beans are toasted and ground on-site and simple but hearty comida corrida (all-inclusive meals that include soup of the day, rice, beans, tortillas, and fruit juice) comes at an affordable MP80.

This aptly named eatery is a welcome respite from El Centro's busy streets. House specials include grilled seafood with rice, fish fillet with coconut cream, and smaller dishes like ceviche or aguachiles (spicy lime shrimp). Many of the dishes can be prepared with your choice of mango, tamarind, or guava salsa. A small wooden bridge leads into a palapa (thatched roof), which is colorfully decorated with turquoise chairs, mosaic flooring, seashell lamps, and a bamboo bar. Relax to the sounds of a cascading waterfall, skirted by palm trees and tropical plants. Note that menus are in Spanish, and the staff doesn't speak much English.

Fishnets and realistic reproductions of the fish you'll be eating decorate this restaurant, whose name means "red snapper." The catch of the day varies, but you can depend on consistent quality. Classics like a brimming shrimp cocktail could be followed by fish stuffed with shrimp, clams, squid, and octopus. Depending on your luck, you'll be serenaded either by Mexican musicians or by the ceaseless wailing of polkalike norteña music on MTV. The restaurant also delivers.

If you are looking for a traditional Mexican experience, there's no better place to go in Tlaquepaque than El Parián. At this large complex with a central patio shared by 18 different restaurants and bars, everyday is a Mexican fiesta! Mariachis perform all day long and tequila flows easily. The cuisine might not be the best in town, but it's quite good. 

The logo says "tradición desde 1970," but in fact El Parnita is a more recent addition to Roma's lunch scene: a hip, updated take on the simple family-owned fonda. The menu consists of antojitos (snacks like tacos, tostadas, and ceviches), from recipes culled from the family's travels throughout the country, such as rellenito, a chipotle chile stuffed with cheese and beans in a sauce of piloncillo (unrefined brown sugar) from Zacatecas; and tacos viajeros, homemade tortillas piled with pork loin and leg long cooked in citrus, from Michoacán. While it's a hugely popular spot for trendy types, local workers and families come, too, enjoying it for the affordable neighborhood restaurant it is at its core.

Just two blocks from the plaza, this local favorite family restaurant serves traditional seafood dishes at reasonable prices. Try one of the seafood cocktails featuring shrimp, octopus, and oysters, or splurge on a pineapple stuffed with seafood and smothered in cheese.

Locals in the know duck into this low-key restaurant on weekends to avoid annoying itinerant vendors or to grab a spiked cappuccino or glass of Mexican wine. Try the whitefish, pink trout, or pechuga de pollo (chicken breast) stuffed with huitlacoche and breaded in Parmesan cheese. For a snack go for a plate of quesadillas with a side order of guacamole. Breakfast is good, too.

This low-key open-air oasis in the heart of El Pueblo has chit palms and ocean grape trees wrapped in fairy lights and adorned with seashell lanterns. House specialties like chicken mole and grilled octopus are served with a choice of two side dishes. Head to the rooftop lounge for live music and frozen mojitos.

El Patio de Mario serves traditional Mexican food in a clean, calm environment with a gorgeous open patio and friendly staff. Forget what you know about Mexican food; come here and try their birria or menudo, exquisite soups of pre-Hispanic origins. Open for breakfast or lunch, it also sells raicilla to go.

Come to this cozy place for the pizza, stay for the cocktails and the live music. If pizza is not your thing, though, a wide variety of salads, pastas, and steaks are also available and well-served.

This family-owned restaurant is known for its friendly service and casual atmosphere. It has great breakfast options, including eggs Benedict and waffles, which are available until noon to aid late risers. At lunch and dinner light fare predominates, including salads and sandwiches, but there are full meals as well, such as grilled chicken with lovely steamed veggies, and the popular chiles en nogada (mild chili peppers stuffed with an elaborate ground-meat mixture and topped with walnut sauce and pomegranate seeds). Desserts are all made in-house. Don't miss the new rooftop bar, up several flights of stairs, with exceptional downtown views.

At "The Golden Chicken," it's best to order ... well, chicken! You can try it roasted, grilled, fried, or baked, in fajitas, enchiladas, burritos, soup ... a menu worthy of Forrest Gump's narration. Their pork ribs are also quite popular.

On warm nights you can watch activities in the Plaza Vasco de Quiroga from a tiny balcony table at this second-floor restaurant. The brightly colored interior is warm and inviting, and the eclectic menu provides a break from typical Pátzcuaro fare: try the pear salad with goat cheese, walnuts, and watercress, or the chicken rolls stuffed with plantains, coconut, and almonds, topped with a mango sauce. For dessert try the mixed-fruit compote on phyllo dough drizzled with caramel and chocolate.

There are 25 steaming plates of traditional Mexican dishes to choose from at this rustic, full-buffet diner. Lunch will likely include Spanish rice, beans, pollo en mole (chicken in mole sauce), fresh salads, and aguas frescas (fruit water). Prices are reasonable. Hours are 8:30–12:30 for breakfast and 1:30–7 pm for lunch and early dinner.

From its chateaubriand bouquetière to the savory chicken cooked in prune sauce, this classy French restaurant has been family-owned since 1947. Louis XIV–style furnishings and an attentive staff make it both comfortable and elegant. In addition, the restaurant pays tribute to its heritage with family photographs that line the hallways, starting with a portrait of founder Doña Pepita. As the oldest French restaurant in Mexico, it's also considered one of the top of the pack with more than 10 Five Diamond Awards. Impressive preparations of Caesar salad, crepes Suzette, and café flambé create a show at your table. For larger parties, request one of the three private rooms modeled after Paris and the Palace of Versailles. The sidewalk tables are a perfect place to dine and people-watch. The small café in the front sells pastries that are made on the premises.

The best bargain in town is also the place for the best home-cooked Mexican food, prepared in the immaculate little kitchen within the converted garage space. Along with tacos and quesadillas, try hamburgers, grilled chicken, full-meal salads, and shrimp wrapped in bacon.

The flavorful Lebanese cuisine—including baked eggs, raw kibbeh, falafel, grilled kofta, dolmas, and cucumber salad—at this charming restaurant with amiable servers is perfect for filling up before or after a stroll or run in nearby Viveros park. If you're not sure what to order, the best approach is the extensive sampler platter, or dine here on the weekend, when there's a huge buffet offering. Many items are available to go, including jocoque, baba ghanoush, dolmas, and all of the sweets.

This tiny restaurant fills a void in island cuisine with the day's catch transformed into the sushi roll of your choice. Local favorites include the Holbox Rainbow made with shrimp, salmon, tuna, and sea bass. Nearly every roll is stuffed with cream cheese, an ingredient that makes the sushi far from authentic yet memorably tasty. Placing a sweet spin on the menu is the Banana Roll with shrimp, avocado, and cream cheese topped with fried banana and eel sauce. The restaurant also serves Thai dishes and has a full cocktail menu—the ginger margarita packs a punch.