10 Best Restaurants in Mexico

This old-time cantina a block from the eastern edge of Roma opened in 1950 and continues to attract crowds of both locals and tourists-in-the-know. There's nothing fancy about the brightly lit dining room, but the authentic Spanish food is up there with the best in the city and includes slow-cooked octopus, chorizo with cabrales cheese, Spanish omelets with asparagus, and chamorro (a fall-off-the-bone pork shank braised in a heady achiote sauce).

This casual Spanish restaurant is known both for traditional tapas like tartar de atún con ajillo, croquetas de jamón serrano, and patatas bravas, and for its Iberian take on tortas, the classic Mexican sandwich. The tortas are among the best in the city, some with Mexican touches—like the secretaria (pork leg, chorizo, and cheese)—but the specialties are the calamar (chopped baby squid in chimichurri sauce) and vegetariana (a hearty stack of roasted eggplant and melted cheese). The small, stylish café has a long selection of artisanal Mexican beers, and may be the only tortería in town with a wine list.

One of the best all-around restaurants in El Centro, this place offers great food and excellent service. The paella Valenciana has no equal in the Banderas Bay area, and if you come for the tapas then you can't miss the spicy garlic shrimp or the Galician-style octopus. The restaurant is air-conditioned in summer; the rest of the year the windows are taken off to let the breeze in.

This open-air locale charms with its curated selection of wines and vermouths along with delicious mocktails and coffee drinks. With a small menu of tapas-inspired snacks, it is a nice place to hang out solo for a while or meet up with friends. Local ceramics and artwork are for sale and it opens up to the street with outdoor and indoor seating options.

Housed on the mezzanine floor of the magnificent Casino Español, this restaurant is as classic as it gets: white tablecloths, coffered ceilings, formal service, and food straight out of the Iberian Peninsula, with a particular focus on dishes from the northern regions of Galicia, Asturias, and País Basco. The Casino was founded in 1863 as a club for Spanish immigrants to independent Mexico and relocated to its current, opulent home in 1905.

Spanish dishes are the specialty at this lovely little restaurant west of the center. The most popular dish is lechón a la segoviana (succulent baby pig), which is considered a regional specialty, and this is a great place to try it. The wine list favors Spanish wines hard to find in Mexico City, let alone Chiapas. The restaurant itself is hard to find, as it's behind a bank.

This contemporary Spanish tavern plates up Mexico City's top tapas, alongside paella and other delicacies. The jamon serrano is freshly carved and the red wine is full bodied; both are made to be shared. Fran's bar is relatively small, so make a reservation or prepare to wait.

This alluring mesón (tavern) exudes Old Spain with stained-glass windows and a roaring fireplace. On weekdays, classic dishes such as paella, spring lamb, suckling pig, and Cornish hens with truffles keep customers happy, but on Saturday night this place comes into its own with a four-course medieval banquet (starting at 8:30 pm), including a procession of costumed waiters carrying huge trays of steaming hot viands. Further entertainment is provided by a student vocal group dressed in medieval Spanish capes and hats, a juggler, and a magician. For dessert, a real winner is the turrón (Spanish nougat) ice cream.

Bullfighting posters and mirrors in elaborate frames are some of the things that make stepping into this restaurant a little like stepping back in time. Main dishes include róbalo a la cazuela (sea bass in a tomato-based sauce with shrimp). The daily prix-fixe menu consists of a soup, a plate of pasta or rice, and an entrée. Sunday sees a tasty paella.