972 Best Restaurants in Mexico

Los Conos Restaurant and Bar serves Latin and Mexican dishes and drinks and specializes in seafood. Their tasty lemonade or cold beer will save your life if you decided to hike to Las Ánimas from Boca de Tomatlán. Their fresh sierra ceviche is highly recommended, and shrimp come in very decent sizes (try the coconut ones). The waiters are attentive but not imposing, and the place is really neat and clean.

For fairly authentic chiapaneca cuisine in a lovely environment, try this restaurant on the corner of the main square. The best seats are in a cute garden in the back. The tasajo (a soup made of cured beef) is an interesting preparation. The food won't blow your mind, but it's pleasant.

On the fancy side for the neighborhood, this outpost of a famed Mexican fusion restaurant in Oaxaca occupies a handsome two-story space overlooking Jardín Centenario. Artfully plated dishes like guajolote (organic wild turkey) smothered in mole poblano and negro sauces, and achiote-marinated huachinango (Gulf red snapper) with plantains, avocado, and cotija cheese reflect the kitchen's creative approach, although service can be a tad stiff, especially for laid-back Coyoacán.

Named for the dancing figures carved in stone at the nearby ruins of Monte Albán, this restaurant fuses the new and the old with dishes such as hierba santa asada, a local leaf stuffed with goat cheese and Oaxacan cheese; and ravioli with huitlacoche (corn fungus) in one sauce of squash flower and another of green chili and cream. The three-story earth-color walls, consisting of triangular columns of rough stone, are reflected in a pool that takes up about half the open-air space. The service is perfectly attentive. Expect to dine exclusively in the company of other tourists.

When Los Girasoles ("the sunflowers") opened more than 30 years ago in Centro, it became the first in a wave of modern Mexican restaurants to take on a neighborhood dominated by century-old classics. Now it remains a good place to sip a cold beer and enjoy pre-Hispanic delicacies like escamoles (ant eggs), gusanos de maguey (agave worms), and chapulines (fried grasshoppers). Set in a restored colonial home, its front patio has the best view around of one of the city's most grandiose plazas, its edges lined by extravagant belle epoque giants.

This restaurant is in a marvelously restored, plant-filled 17th-century mansion. Specialties include the full range of local dishes as well as Argentine-style massive steaks. Salads, pastas, and homemade soups round out the menu. The bar resembles a cozy living room; copper trays serve as tables, and the painted, domed ceilings resemble the sky. The wine list includes a selection of Mexican wines.

Good value, dependable Mexican cuisine, and a prime view of the town plaza make Los Portales a wise choice for breakfast or an afternoon meal. As one of the more authentic taquerías in a resort town catering to visitors, Los Portales offers traditional tacos al pastor, grilled meats, and Oaxacan moles as well as a full menu devoted to seafood. The aguachile is tasty, especially when accompanied by a mezcal cocktail from the bar.

A former sugarcane mill dating back to 1888, this quaint restaurant is surrounded by farmland that provides organic fruits and vegetables to many of Cabo’s top eateries. Wildflowers in Mason jars and hand-painted clay dishes set the scene at this rustic spot where the menu is based on the season’s harvest. Start with Baja oysters with homemade ponzu and sashimi of the day with cucumber noodles. For something fresh and innovative, try the burrata salad served with seasonal farm pesto and kalamata. For the main, try either the whole fish with guajillo sauce or the roasted suckling pig, both cooked in a wood-fired oven. One of the secrets to the fine flavors is the homemade herbal oil that is dribbled on breads and meats. A cooking class takes place at 10 and 3, by reservation only.

This comfortable restaurant has a varied regional menu. Seafood is a specialty, particularly local trout, which is made in 20 different ways. The acamayas, or river lobsters, prepared with garlic are delicious; and the grilled beef and regional chorizo is also a great option. A large backyard has a couple of swing sets, and there's occasionally a big inflated castle where the kids can jump around.

This cozy wine-cave-like space, located beneath the wildly popular cocktail-piano bar Artemisia, stands out from the city's growing clutch of vino bars for its devotion to natural bottles, from German orange wines to heady, bold Rhône blends (nearly all are priced over MP1,000—and many are much costlier—so budget accordingly). But there's also a quite reasonably priced menu of tasty French-inspired bar fare, including a savory Wagyu beef tartare with piquillo chiles, fried Brussels sprouts with a garlic-lemongrass dressing, and lamb couscous with olives and preserved lemon.

Morelia's current hot spot serves Michoacán cuisine, and not just the ubiquitous whitefish and corundas found at tourist-oriented eateries. Diners choose a seat under the popular portico facing the Plaza de Armas, or inside, where large, open windows overlook the same scene. Otherwise, the plain dining room is brightened only by original paintings and prints of Michoacán scenes. Sample a salad of jicama bloom with cotija (a dry, white cheese produced in the area); tamales of tender new corn; green ceviche; and other upscale versions of classic regional fare. For under MX$300, there's a four-course tasting menu consisting of starter, seasonal salad, main dish, and dessert. How about some chocolate blended with hot chilies and mezcal and topped with avocado ice cream? It's open for unusual breakfast treats, too.

For refined dining in an intimate atmosphere, head to this modern French restaurant that serves refreshingly original dishes. The setting is sophisticated without excess, while the cuisine is bold and authentic. Start with the escargots or a lobster soup, and then order the catch of the day or the surf and turf picanha for your main course; either is guaranteed to satisfy.

This jaw-dropping restaurant at Lomita winery is your chance to try a six- or eight-course tasting menu with a wine pairing. Grab a table overlooking the vineyards or head indoors, where a glass-roofed dining room allows the stars to shine over your table. At the helm is twentysomething chef Sheyla Alvarado, who changes the tasting menus weekly. Expect mouthwatering dishes like spider crab, suadero tacos, oyster mushrooms, firewood lamb, and, for a sweet and smooth finale, camomilla with honey. If you've fallen hard for one of the courses, simply ask for seconds at no additional cost.

Locals go to Lupita on a regular basis for the large menu, reasonable prices, and easygoing atmosphere. There are several rooms inside with tables but, weather permitting, most folks choose the open patio with equipale (pigskin) chairs, umbrella tables, and colorful walls and tablecloths. There are breakfasts from light to full; and for lunch and dinner, five soups and seven salads to choose from, as well as antojitos (snacks like tacos and burgers; tostadas with guacamole), seven pasta dishes, and a full gamut of seafood and meat dishes. There's Wi-Fi and an honor-system lending library up the back stairs.

Luvina’s aim is to create a range of tastes, smells, and textures prevalent in Oaxaca and transform them into culinary creations. The restaurant, inspired by the works of Juan Rulfo, does just that. The elegant dining space, a few blocks away from the main city-center streets, offers just enough peace and serenity for the restaurant goer to be able to interpret and understand the complex flavors found in the local ingredients. The chef, Carlos Garcia, aims to take each diner on a culinary journey through the real and imaginary worlds of Rulfo’s writings.

Inside a colonial-era building, this small (just five tables) family-run restaurant is decorated with Mexican crafts and has an enormous menu of familiar favorites like burritos and fajitas. Grilled fish and steak are served with rice and shredded lettuce, as are the rolled tacos and enchiladas topped with red or green chile sauce. If you’re an early riser, stop by for French toast or a breakfast crêpe.

In an old house with a pleasant patio, this vegetarian restaurant is a favorite of locals and tourists. Almost everything on the menu is homemade, including the daily baked bread. For breakfast, don't miss the muffins and fruit salad with fresh yogurt. You also can't beat the fresh pastas and pizzas or their soups and salads. Going on a day trip? You can buy pizzas, breads, muffins, and preserves to go.

A colorful French-Mexican fusion café, Maison Belen offers pastries and hearty breakfasts. The space itself is small, but the outdoor seating provides an excellent opportunity for people-watching over a pain au chocolate. A few doors down on the same block is a stand where you can buy their pastries to go.

Part of the city's warm embrace and advocacy of Mesoamerican culinary traditions, this diminutive café with Mexican folk art on the walls specializes in dishes made with—as the name suggests—corn and chocolate. Tuck into a plate of blue-corn tamales with mildly spicy pork rib meat, eggs grilled with chiles in banana leaf, or cheese gorditas, washing everything down with corn atole or indigenous chocolate drinks (all of which are also available in the form of refreshing paletas, or popsicles).

Japanese chef Makoto Okuwa brings his energizing point of view to Mexico's rich culinary heritage. The dishes are beautifully presented; main dishes like the black cod miso and short rib maki offer a complex blend of flavors. From the upstairs terrace, diners can look out over the leafy surrounding neighborhood.

Open from 8 in the morning until late every evening (it closes a little earlier on Sunday night), this unpretentiously stylish café with a covered sidewalk terrace fits the bill for a wide range of occasions. Early in the day, it's a favorite for well-crafted espresso drinks, shakshuka, and French toast, but as the day continues, patrons drop by for smoked-trout sandwiches, French onion soup, and to share a bottle of from the short but well-chosen wine list. Service can be on the leisurely—though still friendly—side, but for many who favor this spot, that's the point.

This casual, open-air spot advertises themselves as "probably the best breakfast restaurant in the whole country," and they're not wrong. Everything on the menu is good (if you return multiple times on the same trip, you'll be in good company), but their claim to fame is the decadent French toast stuffed with a mix of cream cheese and ricotta topped with fresh fruit, pecans, and flambéed orange liqueur.

Chef Jorge Melul, a master baker, has become known on the island for his breads, cakes, and pastas, made from organic, local grown ingredients. For a memorable meal, start with shrimp tempura dipped in chipotle cream or homemade pesto and then order the fish cooked in white wine and topped with spinach and pears. The daily catch is purchased directly from the fishermen who dock on the shores. If it's just ambience you're after, head to the rooftop Luuma bar for a reasonably priced basil mojito or ginger margarita.

Manolo is the most traditional of the Oaxacan ice-cream manufacturers, started in 1877. It’s small ice-cream museum is located on the principal city-center street and attracts both locals and tourists. Visitors can experience a wide range of traditional and exotic ice creams including mezcal, corn, and the elusive beso Oaxaqueño (made from carrot, pecan, and appple).

Two of the most exciting chef-owners in Baja, Benito Molina and Solange Muris, have taken a truly modern approach to Mexican cuisine at Manzanilla, integrating the freshest catches from the local waters—oysters, mussels, abalone, and clams, for instance—and using ingredients like ginger, smoked chilies, fresh herbs, and huitlacoche (corn truffle). The ahi with ginger raspberry vinaigrette melts in your mouth, and the white clam with Gorgonzola is delicious. A local ranch sources their beef, grilled and served on a cutting board with warm tortillas. Next to the port, this hip joint is popular for its pleasant atmosphere and eclectic style of concrete floors and an intricately carved wooden bar from the 1930s brought over from Los Angeles.

Local families and expats in the know come here for a seafood fix. The ceviches are delicious, as are the whole-fried-fish platters and the shrimp specials. Margaritas, too, are best-in-class, and a wonderful baked banana dessert comes with condensed milk, cream, and rummy eggnog. This, the original branch, where you can enjoy your meal out in a lovely, fern-shaded garden, is a breakfast-and-lunch-only place, closing at 6 pm. Another branch on Calzada de Porfirio Diaz isn't quite as cute.

Traditional Yucatecan dishes—like panuchos (fried masa cakes stuffed with beans and piled high with shredded meat, lettuce, sour onions, and other toppings) or chile mestizo (poblano pepper stuffed with shredded meat)—are the specialties here. Although waitresses dressed in colorful regional-style skirts will explain the dishes, if you're unsure what to order ask to see the album containing photos of top dishes with multilingual captions. Lunches and dinners are finished off with a complimentary tamarind margarita, and a guitar trio performs some evenings. This is also a great place for breakfast. You can try plain agua de chaya here—in other restaurants, it's often sweetened with pineapple.

The difference between a memorable evening here and an unforgettable one is reserving a table for two at the water’s edge—otherwise, you’ll be sitting beneath a palapa roof overlooking an infinity pool and the crystal bay, which is, of course, a spectacular runner-up. The minimal menu presents the best local seafood in dishes like red snapper with herb sauce; shrimp skewers with lime; and grouper with tomatoes, olives, and basil. For something meaty, try the rib eye or grilled lobster. Cap your meal by ordering caramel lava cake with homemade mango sorbet. Note that this little haven is reached via a dark, steep driveway.

The original Mariscos 8 Tostadas establishment (nowadays there are a few others in the bay) is widely considered the best seafood restaurant in PV. It's not a flashy place, but it’s clean, offers good service, and serves up simply delicious dishes.