9 Best Restaurants in Mexico

Quite possibly the most beautifully designed location of this hugely popular gourmet pizza chainlet, Cancino Coyoacán is in a stunning bi-level space with brick walls, soft lighting, high ceilings, and soaring windows that offer views of tree-shaded Jardín Allende. There are wood-fired pizzas with toppings like pureed huitlacoche, Oaxaca cheese, elote, jalapeños, and Bolognese sauce with red wine and tomatoes, and there's a tempting assortment of appetizers, from blistered shishito peppers to truffled Parmesan potatoes. There's also a solid wine list, and Cancino is open later than most restaurants in the neighborhood.

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.

You'll know that a fun evening lies ahead even before you are seated at your table at this outdoor restaurant, where the pizzas and empanadas are cooked in a wood oven and several different pasta dishes are offered each day. A food truck serves as the main kitchen, kids (and adults) can make their own s'mores around a fire, and strings of taverna lights glow overhead. Well-behaved dogs are welcome, too, adding to the feeling that you have joined a casual gathering of friends at the beach.

This tiny pizzeria has more space on its sidewalk than its interior, which is mostly a kitchen that prepares thin-crust Argentine style pizzas, empanadas, and salads. The service is attentive and the prices are low. You’ll probably have to wait for a table, as there are very few, but the food and staff will make it worth it. 

The pizzas at this small, simple restaurant—half a block from the Convento de Santo Domingo—are tasty and hot out of a wood-burning oven. The margarita pizza, with Gouda, chihuahua, and manchego cheeses is excellent. Save room for the moist and delicious tiramisu.

Wonderful smells waft from this small corner establishment, where scenes of old Italy and the Yucatán adorn bright yellow walls, and patrons pull padded folding chairs up to yellow-tile tables or take their orders to go. Pizza is the name of the game here, but tortas and pastas are also served.

This Cancún landmark since almost the beginning draws crowds with its scrumptious wood-fired pizzas. The most popular, Pizza Del Padrone, is topped with tomatoes, prosciutto, arugula, and mascarpone cheese. The calzones are smothered with olive oil and packed with fresh ingredients like asparagus, mushrooms, and ham. You can’t go wrong with the homemade pasta dishes like the veal-stuffed ravioli or linguine with clams and white wine, either.

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.