972 Best Restaurants in Mexico

After 70 years in a tiny alley of a shop deep in Centro's fabric district on Calle El Salvador, Lebanese grocer and baker Helu's moved to bigger, shinier digs on Mesones, where they serve tasty shawarma on homemade pan arabe and empanadas libanesas stuffed with spinach, cheese, or meat. There are also Lebanese groceries like labneh and tahini for sale, popular with members of the community coming through the neighborhood for work.

One of the few vegan restaurants in Cancún is popular with locals thanks to its wide variety of juices, smoothies, and fruit bowls. Its menu also features excellent vegan versions of traditional Mexican breakfasts such as enchiladas, chilaquiles, and burritos. For lunch, you can enjoy a portobello burger or a No Meat Lover's pizza.

Go to the Hotel Posada Santa Fé for alfresco dining at the Jardín. Try the pozole estilo Guanajuato (hominy soup to which you can add onions, radishes, lettuce, lime, and chili peppers). The service and food are just average, actually, but the people-watching opportunities are excellent, and the restaurant has a "Distintivo H" award for cleanliness.

A trendy offspring of neighboring Sano’s Steakhouse, “Smoke and Salt” focuses on local seafood with a twist; guests of the casual hot spot can also order from the more formal steak house next door. The bar shakes up tequila and mezcal from small-batch labels and all their wines come from Mexico. The oysters with beet and ginger mignonette whet your appetite for tuna carpaccio bathed in oil and lime or agua-chili shrimp on crispy blue-corn tostadas. Salsas and garnishes, such as the watermelon radishes and lemon-serrano vinaigrette, are punchy and fresh atop tuna belly tacos.

Nestled on top of a small hill on the outskirts of town, this charming Italian restaurant by Chef Daniela Borghini overlooks pretty gardens (hence the name) and the ocean. The ambiance is pleasantly pleasing, and the pizzas (which are 33 cm, in between a size medium and large) and pasta dishes are a guaranteed hit.

This two-story family restaurant has a large indoor fish tank, a play area for children, and shaded tables on a white patio. The menu includes salads, pastas, meat dishes, and thin-crust pizzas. The cuatro formaggi pizza with mozarrella, blue cheese, Gruyère, and provolone cheeses is heavenly, especially with chimichurri sauce. The insalata golosa, a large salad served with a zesty house dressing, Gruyère cheese, bacon, and crushed nuts, is especially tasty.

A friendly family with Italian and Mexican roots operates this tiny artisan bakery that's tucked inside a shop near Jardín Centenario and open only Thursday through Saturday, from mid-morning until they sell out (usually by 2 pm or so). You'll find crisp-but-chewy sundried-tomato-Parmesan and cranberry-walnut-fennel baguettes, flaky scones, soft and chewy amaretto and orange pastries, and lusciously gooey chocolate-banana cakes.

The name means "unexpected," and—thanks to the international dishes created by executive chef Juan Diego Solombrino—this place is truly a surprise. At breakfast, you can order hangover-healing eggs Benedict, Belgian waffles, or old-fashioned French toast; later, Imprevist pulls out all the stops with a hint of molecular gastronomy in the tuna tartare with lime and sake foam, and the chilled beetroot soup with goat cheese croquettes, truffle oil, and thyme cream. Risotto choices include a seafood number with squid ink and shaved fennel. The fish cooked in parchment is unbelievably moist, and the beef fillet with foie gras mousse practically melts in your mouth. Seating is available at sidewalk tables and in an intimate underground dining room.

Go for the delicious complimentary focaccia bread; stay for the fine wines, family-style fare, and charming views of downtown Cabo San Lucas. Chef and co-owner Antonello Lauri shows off his Roman heritage on the menu at Invita, which is overflowing with traditional Italian favorites like the filling eggplant Parmesan made from recipes passed down from his grandmother. The intimate dining area is dominated by an enormous Bacchus-theme painting by local painter Yandi Monardo, which offers a clue as to just how seriously Invita takes its wines; temperature-controlled selections by the bottle or glass are touted on the bar-front blackboard. Views are provided courtesy of an expansive picture window, which looks out across the gazebo to the center of the town square, Plaza Amelia Wilkes.

This lagoon shore restaurant serves gourmet Mexican dishes and exotic cocktails to enjoy with the best view in town and live music most days. Go for the al pastor (shepherd-style) seared tuna as the main course, and don't leave without trying the tribute to cacao as dessert.

Though it's touristy—it's a popular lunch stop for tour groups—this place serves a variety of regional dishes. Everything is set up buffet-style, so you can afford to experiment. Try the tasajo (sun-dried beef served with pumpkin-seed sauce) and the chipilín con bolita, a soup made with balls of ground corn paste cooked in a creamy herb sauce and topped with cheese. The restaurant closes at 6.

There’s nothing fancy about one of Isla’s most popular restaurants—think plastic tables and chairs with bright tablecloths and furnishings—but Javi’s captures that island informality perfectly. Seafood is the specialty here, with cilantro-chile-lime shrimp, grilled octopus, or Alfredo lobster among the don't-miss dishes. Top it all off with a brownie or flan from the dessert menu. The place looks tiny, but dining spills over into the back courtyard on warm nights.

Set next to a beautiful garden that provides many of the fruits, veggies, and herbs used in the kitchen, Jazamango is a feast for the eyes as well as the taste buds, and one of the most iconic restaurants in Todos Santos. It's helmed by well-known Mexican chef Javier Plascencia, known for his organic, sustainable approach to creating Baja-Mediterranean fusion dishes. Specialty cocktails and craft-brewed Baja beers are spotlighted at the bar, while the kitchen serves delicious dishes like lechón prensado (roast suckling pig) and a six-hour braised beef short rib. All ingredients are sourced locally; the catch of the day, for example, comes straight from Punta Lobos.

Come to this intimate bit of Bavaria on the lake for German cuisine like sausages and goose or duck pâté. Main dishes come with soup or salad, applesauce, and cooked red cabbage. For dessert indulge in plum strudel or blackberry-topped torte. Come on the early side, though; this restaurant closes at 8 pm.

One of the island's coolest and liveliest spots has an eclectic Caribbean, Mexican, seafood menu that includes gems such as jerk chicken skewers and buffalo shrimp, as well as delicious pizzas at the adjacent Pizza Joint. The main attraction, though, is the live music—particularly reggae and other Caribbean styles—which plays almost nonstop.

This clean, comfortable family restaurant overlooks the bay—a perfect spot for morning coffee and pancakes. At other meals, portions tend to be small, but the food is quite good, and the owner and his daughters play the guitar and sing in the evening. The outdoor patio is great for enjoying the giant margaritas that this place is known for.

A mix between a sports bar and a restaurant, the food here is legendary. Big burgers, ribs, hot dogs, and of course Mexican seafood all come in generous portions. You'll often find Juan himself having fun with patrons and checking to make sure you're enjoying your meal.

Juanito's has had American owners for four decades, and the evidence is obvious everywhere from the menu (which includes burgers, milk shakes, fries, barbecued ribs, and fried chicken) to the quick service to the U.S. sporting events on the big-screen TV. But the place has been enthusiastically embraced by the locals, who crowd in every morning for breakfast and stay late into the evening to watch telenovelas (Mexican soaps) when there's no game on. The menu features a full range of Mexican food, too, and there are Internet computers for your use. A smaller branch in a modern building near the port (Blvd. Miguel de la Madrid 426,Tel.314/114–0318) dishes up the same great food.

K’u’uk, which means "sprout" in Mayan, is chic in every sense of the word, from the suave waiters to the molecular gastronomy dining experience in a historic mansion facing the Monumento a la Patria on Paseo de Montejo. The presentation is artistic—picture dollops of baby pumpkin dusted with goat cheese the texture of powdered snow, potatoes slices as thin as tissue paper, and desserts sprinkled with dehydrated berries or honey-soaked seeds. Many of the Yucatecan options are prepared in a custom-built pibil oven, allowing for a modernized way to impart a traditional smoky flavor. Plan to stay awhile, since dining takes between two and three hours.

This cozy café is perfect for a pick-me-up from the well-curated list of artisan coffees and wines, all of them from highly respected producers found throughout Mexico. Just a couple of blocks from Jardín Centenario and Plaza Hidalgo, Kahwen is a happily chill space far from the crowds.

Don't be put off by the shopping mall location or shared entrance with the Macao casino, because this modern Japanese restaurant serves truly fresh sashimi and sushi with unique toppings such as miso foie grass, black truffles, or lemon caviar. The excellently trained servers guide you through the extensive menu and offer cocktail suggestions to complement the myriad of main courses and roll choices—from uramaki to futomaki. Make a reservation for the speakeasy, Shinkai, which is hidden behind the sushi bar and only open on Friday and Saturday nights.

Viennese entrées dominate the menu, which is modified each year when the restaurant participates in PV's culinary festival. The adjacent café has sandwiches, excellent desserts, and 20 specialty coffees—all of which are also available at the main restaurant. To avoid the stream of street peddlers off the patio, eat in the charming, European-style dining room.

This Tapatío institution has held the Guinness World Record for fastest restaurant service: 13.5 seconds for a table of six. Lightning-fast service is made possible by the menu's single item: carne en su jugo, a combination of finely diced beef and bacon simmered in rich beef broth and served with grilled onions, tortillas, and refried beans mixed with corn.

When was the last time you enjoyed a plate of stingray in black butter sauce? This unimposing restaurant encases the heart of Zihuatanejo's most deliciously inventive cuisine. Owner-chef Ricardo Rodriguez, who worked in Paris before returning to Mexico, applies deft Mexican and Mediterranean touches to seafood dishes in a beachcomber aura overlooking the bay. The melt-in-your-mouth abalone and exquisite grilled mahimahi under a sweet, spicy pineapple sauce are popular choices, but the house specialty remains patata rellena—potatoes stuffed with shrimp and lobster in a fresh basil-and-garlic sauce.

Rub shoulders with cab drivers, local government officials, and expat regulars over coffee at Tulum's favorite family-owned and -run coffee shop, where espresso drinks are made with 100% Mexican-grown coffee from places like Oaxaca and Veracruz. Upstairs you'll find a small bakery, out back a quiet jungle garden, and up front a relaxed beachy bar space, all serving up coffee, baked goods, and Mexican dishes like molletes—spiced toast over black-bean puree with pico de gallo (pro tip: add a fried egg for something special). Eco-friendliness is important here, and the plumbing is a composting system.

You can't get any closer to the ruins than this two-story restaurant in a palapa setting with Mexican blankets draped over wooden tables. Some of the more traditional selections include fish prepared Yucatán style, chicken in banana leaves, and cochinita pibil.

This popular deli has been serving up affordable Mexican-Jewish fusion in Polanco since 1962. You'll find hotcakes, waffles, and chili dogs on the menu alongside chilaquiles and enchiladas, all topped with a large range of house-made salsas. Klein's has retained its charming diner appeal with burnt orange vinyl booths and laminate tabletops despite opening multiple locations throughout the city.