972 Best Restaurants in Mexico

Hidden inside the lush courtyard of a local boutique hotel, this humble, family-owned eatery has been serving up a Sicilian storm for over a century, bringing the Galluzzo family's heirloom recipes and signature massive portions to the hungry people of Cabo's center. The place has gotten so popular that there are often set seating times for dinner; be sure to call ahead to make a reservation. More spontaneous diners should have no problem walking in for lunch.

With sushi, tacos, and tarot readings, this chef-driven restaurant adds more variety to San Rafael’s food scene. In addition to the eclectic culinary offerings, it’s a space that also serves as a fresh vegetable market and art space (with art and Mexican-made jewelry for sale), which nicely complement the psychedelic artwork that adorns the small, deli-style space. Courses on how to read tarot cards take place at the end of each month (consult Facebook for updates) and there are complementary tarot readings on Thursday evening.

In 1917, the Sanborn brothers took over the iconic Casa de los Azulejos building to expand their drugstore business and now the popular stores-cum-restaurants, owned by billionaire Carlos Slim, populate every major town in Mexico. The menu plays it safe with decent Mexican standards and international options like burgers, soups, and club sandwiches, but the long, winding counter is one of the best places around for a solo coffee and breakfast, while happy hour deals at the endearingly old-fashioned upstairs bar are hard to beat.

It's very pleasant to dine at night on the back patio of this local favorite amid dozens of candles and tiny lights. The menu includes pizza, salads, pasta dishes, and Mediterranean fare like chicken souvlaki and Greek chicken. Order a liqueur-laced coffee or dessert from the bakery counter. The café at the front has great espresso but is open in high season only, usually December through Easter.

This elegant restaurant, with its white linens, open trusses, and soft candlelight is the best steak house in Baja California. Prepared on mesquite wood, the steak is divine and tender, almost as if it's been marinated in butter (though the chef swears salt and a little love are the secret). Aged for 21 days, the rib eye is the star of the show—juicy, flavorful, and served with a side of asparagus and baked potato. Preempt the experience with local oysters, a Baja beer tasting, and the romaine wedge doused in blue cheese. They also serve homemade pastas, grilled lamb, and hamburgers. The wine list extensive. The chocolate truffle cake will leave you asking, “Did I really just eat that whole thing?”

One of the most sophisticated restaurants in Guadalajara, Santo Coyote offers top-notch Mexican-fusion cuisine, like delicious tacos el negro with lobster and traditional Mexican sopa de tortilla. Set in a wide indoor/outdoor space, the atmosphere couldn’t be more spectacular with outstanding lighting, a huge palapa, and a beautiful garden. This is the place you would take that date you are trying to impress.

This unglamorous cantina, marked by a string of Christmas lights dangling over the patio, is a tribute to masked wrestling champion El Santo. Its reasonable prices, retro decor (picture rainbow lawn chairs and sculptures of the Virgin Mary holding plastic roses), plus surprisingly good food attract locals who work in the Hotel Zone. Menu highlights include fried cheese tacos and shrimp tacos with seven types of sauces. Tamarindo margaritas are also very refreshing. A bright red bar dominates the downstairs, and upstairs there's a dining area with a small outdoor patio.

This isn’t a fine-dining spot, so don't be surprised if the one waiter on staff serves you in stages.

This uberhip osteria with a cool arched dining room overlooking Plaza Río de Janeiro is justly famous for the fresh handmade pastas of internationally renowned chef Marco Carboni—think gnocchi with a 12-hour ragu of beek cheek, lamb, sausage, and pork leg, or tagliolini tossed with lobster, lemon, tarragon butter, and fish roe. Portions are a bit small, so consider ordering a side or two of the marvelous Creole tomatoes with burrata, pesto, and preserved lemon. The owners also operate intimate Bottega Sartoria across the street, which is a good place to enjoy a glass of wine or a light bite, as well as the snazzy little coffeehouse Buna, which adjoins the main restaurant.

Six thatch-roofed cabanas—each housing four tables—are staggered on a hill and dimly lit with candles and lanterns. The menu features traditional Thai cuisine such as spring rolls, pork dumplings, red duck curry, and pad Thai with chicken or shrimp. The mango crème brûlée with ginger sorbet makes it worth a special visit. Plank floors lead to a bamboo bar where fruity mojitos and martinis are prepared. Despite the street-facing views, this open-air restaurant has one of the most pleasant settings in Cancún.

If you need a break from seafood, this small, sophisticated café serves outstanding coffee, Mexican breakfasts, and classic burgers for lunch. They have live music during the week.

Locals rave about the grilled steaks and garlic shrimp at Sergio's—one of the nicest restaurants in Chetumal. The barbecued chicken (made with the owner's special sauce) and smoked-oyster or seafood pizzas are equally tasty. When you order the delicious Caesar salad for two, a waiter prepares it at your table. This place also offers a huge breakfast menu plus a variety of lunchtime pasta dishes. You can order takeout or have food delivered, but the gracious staff and free Wi-Fi give you an added incentive to eat in.

The perfect spot for a quick coffee or pastry, Signora Mariola is a tiny place with very few tables placed on the sidewalk outside, so be prepared to take your meal to go as you stroll through Polanco. The croissants and bread are to die for, and the Mexican breakfasts are tasty and light.

Chef and owner Brian Solomon runs one of the most popular restaurants on the Cabo San Lucas Marina, supplementing waterfront views with first-class service and an enormous range of quality food and beverages. Fresh local seafood is the specialty of the house, but pastas, steaks, and traditional Mexican favorites are also staples of the lunch and dinner menus. The palapa-style architecture is fun yet classy, and the space is pet-friendly, too. 

Come to this sophisticated steak house for the finest cuts of the famous Sonoran beef. You won't break the bank, as the prices here are quite reasonable. The specialty, rib-eye steak, is aged for 28 days. Vegetarians can graze on a variety of salads or opt for cream of green chili soup. The restaurant is a good spot for a late-night meal—it's open until 1 am.

With dozens of dishes on the menu, this open-air restaurant is the most popular in Papantla. It's always crowded with locals who come to enjoy the reasonably priced seafood and to catch a few minutes of a telenovela (soap opera) on the giant TV set. The platillo mexicano, a selection of regional appetizers, is big enough for two.

The famous roasted duck with an apple-based stuffing, mashed potatoes, and a baked apple bathed in blueberry sauce has made Specia a wildly popular destination, but the refined Polish restaurant with 1920s-inspired Jazz Age artwork serves a number of other tasty dishes, too. Consider the lamb goulash, seasoned with paprika and tomato, or the slow-grilled rabbit loin with cabbage and beets. Service is attentive and the pace of a meal here is leisurely.

Italian food may just be Mexico's favorite international cuisine, but it's still rare to find house-made pasta that's as delicious and reasonably priced as the noodles served at this stylishly contemporary trattoria that draws foodies from far and near. Favorites include agnolotti stuffed with shrimp, mascarpone, and spring peas in a light olive oil-herb sauce, and tagliatelle with a rich short rib-and-red wine ragout. There's also a well-chosen list of mostly Italian wines. There's a second location in Zavaleta, on the west side of Puebla.

With an enormous menu (as well as a kids' menu) to satisfy every appetite, this elegant palapa restaurant is the perfect place to savor the sunset. The wide range of dinner dishes includes grilled tuna, coconut shrimp, paella, and grouper in a creamy dill-and-wine sauce. Homemade key lime pie provides a sweet finish. A wall-less dining terrace overlooks the sea, while soft music and candlelight add to the romantic ambience. Grab a table in the sand, and you can take a dip in the ocean between courses.

Stunning views of El Arco from cocktail tables along the cliffs make this restaurant just outside Cabo San Lucas the best place to toast the sunset. Chef Hector Morales' menu offers a variety of dishes including beef tenderloin delivered on a hot stone and grilled table-side, but portions are on the smaller side, so it's worth splurging for the Mona Lisa signature five-course menu, which includes truffle fettuccine and Australian Wagyu. If the breeze is still, stay outside and enjoy dining alfresco; if not, move into the candlelit dining room under a palapa. And, if you arrive without a reservation, you can always head upstairs to the more casual Sunset Point, a gastro pub offering a wide range of top-shelf cocktails and à la carte menu.

Open all night and drawing a particularly spirited crowd during the wee hours, this no-frills taco stand named for the vampire-ish "goat sucker" of Latin American folklore serves joyfully messy, overstuffed pastor, chorizo, beef, cecina, and other meaty tacos for around just MP25 apiece. The casual seating area, set below a highway overpass, has several metal picnic tables.

Focusing on food from the Pampas region of Argentina, this trendy corner spot has tables on 5th Avenue and second-story seating overlooking the action below. Entrées come with four sauces, including a fiery habanero sauce for the brave spice lover and a smooth chimichurri, made with oil, vinegar, and finely chopped herbs. Start off with warm, just-out-of-the-oven rosemary bread, baked empanadas, or beef carpaccio. Follow up with a sizzling steak cooked perfectly to order. Then finish your meal with the popular, traditional carajillo—espresso and liquor on ice, prepared right at your table.

A truly local joint that seems out of place in the Zona Hotelera draws crowds in the morning for its smoothie bowls and later on for its tacos and burritos. Forget your own private booth at this 24-hour place—you’ll eat at long tables and really get to know your fellow diners. This hangout sits a short distance from Cancún’s party central, but it’s a world away in style. Partiers converge here for a quick after-hours bite.

In addition to the fresh Southern California cuisine, many come to this restaurant to connect with the charming owner Susanna who moved to Rosarito years ago to open a furniture shop. Her love for fine food prevailed, thus turning her store into a restaurant that makes people feel right at home. From the moment you try the fresh-baked bread with homemade butter and tapenade, you know you’re in for a memorable meal. Everything here is made from scratch including salsas and vinaigrettes. Entrées are beautifully prepared, like the grilled salmon with strawberries and spinach or the pork rips with a spicy pineapple sauce. Susanna’s rich flan is made with Grand Marnier and three types of milk, a dessert perfect to share. Larger groups can request the private table in the wine cellar, ideal for private parties.

Founded 65 years ago and moved to its current location three decades back, Taco de Oro specializes in cochinita pibíl, the beloved dish of slow-roasted pork from the Yucatán. This small restaurant doesn’t have much seating inside, so be prepared to eat on a bench on the sidewalk or stand outside.

Fish tacos for breakfast? It may take getting used to, but that's how things are done in La Paz. The type of fish that's battered up "Baja Style" changes daily with the fishermen's catch, but is usually grouper, mahimahi, or sea bass. Top it with cream, chipotle, and avocado sauce ... plus spicier flavors, if you're brave.

In need of refreshments after a magical day diving or snorkeling in Cabo Pulmo National Park? Stop by Tacos and Beer, and soak up the muy tranquilo vibes while you eat delicious seafood tacos and admire views so paradisiacal they look like the set of a Corona commerical. The mostly seafood-focused tacos here are served at umbrella-shaded picnic tables that look over the pristine beach and Sea of Cortez beyond. Cans of ice-cold Pacífico are the most popular of the limited pairing options (no Corona here), but first-time visitors should also check out the bottled Big-Eyed Jacks pilsner from local Cabo Pulmo Brewing.

According to some food historians, tacos de canasta (literally "basket tacos") are the original taco and a street food par excellence as closely associated with the capital's unique culinary culture as tacos al pastor. Mostly made in the neighboring state of Tlaxcala and carried into the city in baskets (hence the name), tacos de canasta are cheap and tasty, slicked with fat and moisture from their journey, and stuffed with simple fillings like beans, potatoes, or chicken in adobo. You'll find tacos de canasta on just about every corner here, but Los Especiales, just off the Zócalo, is justly famous. Get in line, snag an order of five, chow down, and be on your way.

Street eats aren't as ubiquitous in Todos Santos as they are in Cabo or La Paz, but if you're craving tacos and want something cheap, easy, and oh-so-good, go to George's. Choose between fish or shrimp; either will cost you just a few bucks cash (credit cards not excepted), with agua de jamaica (hibiscus water) as the available beverage.