681 Best Restaurants in Mexico

Repeat visitors swear by the enchiladas and carne asada at this earthy restaurant. A large tree extends from the dining-room floor through the roof, local artwork adorns the walls, and salsa music often plays in the background. Note that as soon as Café de Olla opens for the season, it fills up and seems to stay full. You may need to wait for a table, especially at breakfast and dinner.

Part cute vintage store (with clothing, housewares, jewelry, and antique toys) and part café, this homey spot in Escandón is the sort of place you want to linger. The all-day breakfast menu features a number of hearty dishes, including the house dish: poached eggs over ham, bacon, and roast beef with hollandaise sauce; plus, there's a good selection of pastas, sandwiches, and other tasty fare available later in the day. It's also a nice stop for coffee and dessert.

The main location of a small local chain founded in 1938 by a family of Lebanese immigrants, Jekemir recently moved to one of Centro's prettiest plazas, at the end of the pedestrianized Calle Regina. One of precious few places in Centro to sit outside, Jekemir is still a family-owned operation.

Think of this as Mexico City's equivalent of your favorite all-day diner: open from 7 am to 4 am every day of the year, La Pagoda is the best of several (admittedly very similar) old school cafés lined up along the northern side of Avenida 5 de Mayo. The food is far from extraordinary, but the atmosphere is beyond charming, with its long bar and bright lights, service that borders on the maternal (expect to be called mi amor or mi vida at least once), solid breakfast dishes served all day, and a perfect café con leche to snap you out of a late-night or early-morning stupor.

Whether you come for breakfast or lunch, you'll enjoy the relaxed vibe at this open-air café. Its menu ranges from Mexican classics like chilaquiles and huevos divorciados (eggs with chile sauce), to pizza, grilled meats, and fish later in the day. If you feel like lingering, have a glass of wine with a friend, or spend quality time with your laptop (Wi-Fi is free) while enjoying a cup of organic coffee from the highland state of Chiapas.

Originally a coffee-and-dessert stop and fashionable hangout for Mascotans, this snug little eatery serves big breakfasts and now main dishes at lunch and dinner, too. Sit on the small street-facing patio, in the small dining room, or facing the glass case featuring fantastic-looking cakes, pies, and tarts. You can get wine and beer as well as pizza, barbecue, spaghetti, and other Italian food.

This exquisitely designed eatery feels like entering a mansion. A bit like a labyrinth, the service is quick and the menu extensive with breakfast through dinner options specializing in fresh ingredients. Vegetarian, vegan, and gluten-free options will appease travelers who have eaten one too many orders of chilaquiles.

The laid-back hub of Puerto Aventuras is this terrace café with a varied menu, including coconut shrimp and chicken with a chimichurri sauce made from red wine, garlic, onion, and fine herbs. If you and local fisherman get lucky, the nightly specials might include fresh-caught fish in garlic sauce. There's live music on Sunday, Wednesday, and Friday in high season.

This diner is trimmed with paintings and sketches given to the owner by famous people who've eaten here, including a small acrylic by Rafael Coronel. Sip a strong Turkish coffee while watching the locals flood in for breakfast. The chilaquiles verdes (fried tortilla strips smothered in tangy green sauce and white cheese) comes with a basket of pastries and bread. Mild enchiladas zacatecanas are filled with cheese, onion, and chili, and topped with cream. Traditional café fare like hamburgers, sandwiches, and fruity shakes is available for lunch.

This cute and casual eatery was the first in Todos Santos to open with tourists intentionally in mind, back in 1993. The building is over a century old, and was a house in the late 1800s; the flooring is original from 1933. The chairs and wall decor are colorfully quirky and very Mexican, with the menu mixing traditional cuisine with international favorites.

This beef-lover's dream is popular with everyone from businessmen to young families. Everything is grilled, from the Argentine beef and Australian lamb to the whitefish in a mild chile sauce. Desserts are large and inventive—try the riff on an alfajor, a typical dulce de leche sandwich cookie. The low-ceiling, wood-beam dining room is hung with nostalgic pictures of Buenos Aires. Menus in Braille are also available.

This Argentinean steak house is rustic yet elegant, with dark wooden tables and arched brick ceilings. Not surprisingly, steak is the most popular main. although the local fish and lamb skewers grilled over a brick fire are other good choices. The house cocktail, clericot, made from red wine, sparkling cider, and fresh fruit, is prepared at your table. For starters, try traditional empanadas. Be sure to leave room for alfajor, a crisp pastry layered with caramel and pecans. The tango music coupled with views of Coral Negro Market give this restaurant international flair (and help you forget you're inside a mall). With room for 350 people, the dining room tends to get rather loud at night. There's no outdoor seating.

The presence of an authentic Argentine steak house confirms Tuxtla's status as a cosmopolitan city. The dark, elegant room is appropriate for the serious meat and wine list, which includes good Argentine and Mexican selections. Rich, tender mollejas (sweetbreads) are a good bet for starters. The steaks are grilled by parrilleros (grill masters) in the front of the restaurant.

Near several art spaces in San Miguel Chapultepec (and across the street from famed Kurimanzutto), this upbeat, stylish Italian restaurant has a lovely brick patio that fills with creative types after gallery openings. The roasted potatoes with truffle oil and Parmesan is a worthy starter, and there are some nice pasta and salad options, but the star is the pizza, including a distinctly Mexican-style pie topped with huitlacoche, Oaxacan cheese, corn, and jalapeños. You could check out the more traditional Diavola with Italian sausage, cured pepperoni, Calabrese salami, and a spicy tomato sauce. There are several other locations throughout the city.

An old-school cantina, come here for the vibes and the excellent service. You'll find classic Mexican meat and seafood dishes.

In a gray house with red trim and awnings that are lit up at night brighter than a Christmas tree, this extremely popular restaurant near the border with Roma specializes in the distinct brand of Chinese food that's popular in the Baja city of Mexicali. Start with the chiles rellenos stuffed with ground seasoned pork, garlic, and ginger before moving on to flavorful main dishes, such as Szechuan-style dan dan noodles, beef chop suey, and shrimp chipotle.

The cheapest restaurant along Tankah's beachfront serves up fresh, simple, satisfying Mexican food from 8 am to 9 pm every day. Grab a table at the waterfront, and order up beef fajitas or fish tacos, topped with a healthy helping of fresh-made salsa and fresh-squeezed lime juice. Margaritas are popular (and strong) here, and on Sunday you can join locals for a popular barbecue on the beachfront and live music from 1 pm to 4 pm. Bring your own meat or order from the restaurant.

Though it serves good basic pastas, salads, and burgers, as well as some Mexican bar-food favorites, this restaurant's popularity is primarily due to its delicious cocktails, aguas frescas, and lively atmosphere. You can dine outside, enjoying the activity on Paseo Montejo, or inside, where the people-watching is just as interesting.

This restaurant in a little yellow house near the plaza has been satisfying cravings for Yucatecan favorites like cochinita pibil (spiced pork baked in banana leaves) since 1945. Locals tend to stop in between 8:30 and 1 for cheap breakfast and lunch menus that highlight tacos and empanadas, and the tortas (sandwiches) are also a real bargain. In the evening, Casa Denis is a place to see and be seen—if you're seeking more privacy, opt for a seat in the quiet garden courtyard to the rear.

This institution is right on the malecón, just a few steps from the fish market. The atmosphere is not fancy, but the walls radiate bright orange, and a courtyard fountain splashes in a minor key. The staff is helpful yet unobtrusive, and the food habitually good. The fare consists of Mexican dishes and such simple seafood plates as fish steamed in foil and served with rice and french fries. Lobster is a specialty, though it and the well-loved seafood platter will push your tab into the $$$$ category.

The marvelous view of the Palacio de Cortés is a major draw of this rambling restaurant with sprawling patios, leafy plants, and traditional artwork. The menu mixes Mexican and international foods; you might try the breaded veal stuffed with Serrano ham and manchego cheese, the trout stuffed with shrimp and roasted red peppers, or the tacos filled with grilled cactus.

This restored colonial gem a couple of blocks north of the main square deserves a place on any list of Mexico's best pizza restaurants. Lots of reds and yellows brighten the interior, and the outdoor patio overlooking Parque de la Candelaria becomes prime real estate on beautiful evenings. With 30 years in the restaurant business, most of them spent back in Italy, the owners here know pizza. They whip up 11 varieties, as well as sweet and salted focaccia and enormous calzones. A selection of Italian wines rounds out the offerings. Casa Italia opens at 7 each evening—come early if you want to snag a patio table.

Part private home, part restaurant (and owned by the same family since the 1980s), this place evokes a country hacienda in mainland Mexico. Although the setting, with tables lining the veranda, outshines the food, stalwart fans nevertheless rave about the huge platters of fajitas and grilled fish. The on-site botanical garden has mango and papaya trees and a small zoo with caged birds. Casa Mission also has two more centrally located sister restaurants, La Mission and Parilla Mission.

The wooden bar, ocher walls, and handcrafted furnishings make this tiny restaurant seem like a true cantina, although it's in the middle of a shopping center. Patio tables are more elegant at night than during the day, with potted trees dressed in little white lights and lively tropical music at a level that doesn't drown out conversation. The chiles rellenos de camarón (egg-battered peppers stuffed with shrimp), fajitas, and tuna steak topped with three kinds of chilies are all filling and delicious, even if they cost slightly more than entrées at nearby restaurants. You can also come for a generous breakfast.

The creative menu developed by the Sicilian chef, Giuseppe Genovese (commonly known as "Beppe"), offers a mix of Italian, Mediterranean, and Caribbean cuisine. Locals gather for seafood pasta, grilled lobster, octopus salad, and fresh ceviche, all bathed in garlic and olive oil, and breads, sausages, and pizzas are made from scratch in the small kitchen where Beppe works his magic. The pizza topped with smoked ham, mozzarella, and arugula makes a perfect starter for two. This is the only spot on the island where you'll find authentic espresso, sorbet, and tiramisu.

Sink your toes into the sand at Cancún's only on-the-beach restaurant where impeccable service matches an incredible setting. The romantic setting caters to couples—silk curtains drape palapas, each centered with an illuminated table adorned with seashells—and many of the seafood dishes are created for two. For a delicious sampling, try the platter of shrimp, oysters, tuna tartare, king crab, and lobster tail. A variety of steaks and salads are also available. The mini dessert shooters are the perfect way to extend your dinner-with-a-view. Call ahead, since the restaurant is at the mercy of the weather. 

Just off Plaza San Jacinto, this smart and contemporary café offers a relatively calm respite from the bustle of weekend shoppers and is particularly popular for brunch. The menu focuses on creative thin-crust pizzas, bountiful salads, avocado toast, and panini sandwiches, and the mimosas are always flowing.

This restaurant takes up the entire first floor of a colonial house. You can dine beneath the arches or in the sun next to a fountain. Popular dishes include mushroom soup flavored with epazote (a pungent local herb), chicken with salsa de flor de calabaza (pumpkin-blossom sauce), and a superbly prepared lechón (suckling pig). On Sunday, there's a buffet from 2:30 to 7.