22 Best Restaurants in Mexico

Bagels are not common in Mexico, but luckily Bagels Lepu single-handedly satisfies many a craving in the city. While it might just be the most expensive sandwich you'll find here, these homemade bagels are delicious, and the desserts and coffee are both delightful.

This sunny, easygoing bakery/café---part of a popular Mexico City chainlet---lies conveniently across the street from handsome Parque de La Bombilla, which is the perfect spot to savor some of the exquisite, freshly baked tarts, cookies, and pastries sold here, along with a coffee or tea. For a heartier meal, choose one of the more substantial options, such as the Jamón serrano-Manchego sandwich or vegetable quiche.

Basic Foodie is that cool bakery we all wish we had in our neighborhood, with unsurpassed baked goods and a menu that caters to organic-minded, vegan, and gluten-free customers. A modern design and laid-back atmosphere (plus reliable Wi-Fi) have made it a magnet for digital nomads.

Just a block away from the famous restaurant that inspired it, this wildly popular bakery is worth the often long wait for a table to savor a fantastic breakfast, lunch, or even a sweet treat to break up your day. The flaky pastries here are second to none—try the blueberry-lavender scones, guava rolls, or mamey-filled berliners. The savory items are just as mouthwatering, including ricotta-spinach croissants and Croque monsieurs. Traditional Mexican atole is served, plus fine espresso and tea drinks, and there's a pantry that sells gourmet groceries, from olive oil to rosemary focaccia.

Since 1927, this venerable bakery has been supplying Chilangos with traditional European and Mexican pastries as well as savory rustic breads. Give yourself a little time to wander the aisles and make your way up to the second level to see the cake decorating area. Another location of the bakery can be found at 16 de Septiembre 18, also in Centro.

An anticapitalist communal space, bakery, and kitchen, this feminist cooperative has been serving handmade goods since 2017, in resistance to unhealthy working situations and overarching franchises without a soul. Their homemade breads use a unique fermentation process, and they also sell sweets, snacks, coffee, and tea. There’s a focus on a nonhierarchical environment, and they regularly promote the work of women and LGBTQ+ artists with book launches, concerts, and craft-making. Beautiful artisanal crafts are also sold here with a focus on fair trade. 

Inside the Hyatt Regency Mexico City, one of the city's best pastelerías will satisfy even the most discerning sweet tooth. Here European-style chocolate tarts sit alongside all classic pan dulce as well as a selection of sweets, salads, and sandwiches. If your visit coincides with the holidays, make sure to try the traditional pan de muerto and rosca de reyes.

Follow your nose to this dessert café, where the aromas of French pastries and rich cocoa waft into Campeche's narrow streets. Tucked inside a stone-walled colonial building are small wooden tables and a collection of antiques, like a vintage cash register still used for ringing up transactions. Drink recipes originated from the owner's research into Mayan traditions and her time spent with local families; prepared with the purest form of organic cocoa, they're infused with mint, chile, and more. Not a chocolate lover? You’ll enjoy all-natural fruit juices made with jicama and piña. Crepes and cookies make nice accompaniments. A small gift shop sells locally made products and blocks of dark chocolate.

A branch of the historic churro restaurant in Centro Historico, this is a great place to stop and take a break on the eastern edge of Polanco. Delicious churros, hot chocolate, milk shakes, and coffee will satisfy your sweet tooth here

Part bakery, part restaurant, you won't be disappointed whether you stop here for a quicker bite or a full sit-down for dinner. The star of the show is the roulette, a round, flaky pastry reminiscent of a croissant and served plain or with savory or sweet toppings and fillings.

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.

Las Tunas is a residential neighborhood north of downtown that's almost exclusively filled with vacation homes, short-term rentals and inns, and construction sites building the two. Amid all of that, however, is a coffee shop and bakery with perhaps the best breakfast in all of Todos Santos. If you have a rental car, it is absolutely worth making the drive up to start your morning here.

This bakery just a few blocks north of Parque Santa Ana is a great place to start your day with a light breakfast of a pastry and a coffee. It has a small garden and plenty of seating if you want to linger for awhile at your laptop. The decor is an inviting updated colonial style with pasta-tile floors and more contemporary touches, such as the steel staircase leading up to the second-story seating. You'll only wish it didn't close so early—at 1 pm during the week and 2 pm on the weekends. 

You'll know this tiny storefront by the cluster of people waiting patiently on the sidewalk for a full loaf or single serving of panque de nata, pound cake made in a style traditional to the nearby state of Queretaro. Pillowy, buttery, and sweet, a piece makes for a perfect snack while winding your way through the nearby Ciudadela and San Juan markets.

PanVero is an absolute godsend for travelers with dietary restrictions: every item on the menu is gluten-free, dairy-free, and plant-based---and at least half of the items are vegan, as well. Only natural and organic ingredients are used, so feel free to order a sweet treat without feeling guilty. It's a little bit of a drive from town, but there's a cute takeout window, should you want your order to go.

For coffee and desserts there is nothing more vallartense than Repostería Los Chatos.

Extraordinarily delicious baked goods and savory breads are dispensed at this cute French-style bakery in the south end of Condesa. Highlights include rich pain au chocolate, doughnuts bursting with strawberry jam, creamy flan, and crunchy cinnamon palmiers. Among the savory options, the flaky sourdough bread is a favorite, but there's also first-rate rye bread and baguettes.

This cozy bakery/café is a source of singularly delicious Japanese and European treats, both savory and sweet, as well as more substantial fare like grilled teriyaki chicken and curry and rice. Matcha cakes, orange pastries, and perfectly crafted baguettes and sandwiches are among the top options. They also custom design cakes and cookies with a variety of fun motifs, from Day of the Dead to lucha libre.

Pick out your goodies with a pair of tongs—that’s the way bakeries operate in Mexico—and bring your tray to the front counter. Take your food (cakes, pastries, breads) to a table indoors or on the front porch or get it to go. Don’t’ forget the coffee—these folks brew it strong.