Take a stroll in Bosque de Chapultepec and end the outing with brunch at Lago Algo. This hybrid contemporary art gallery and restaurant is set in a fine example of Mexico’s Brutalist architecture dating back to the late 1960s, with a dining room that overlooks Chapultepec’s lake. The seasonal art exhibits always prove engaging, often taking advantage of the space in creative ways. When you’re done perusing the artwork, try the endive salad, the cheese ravioli with pumpkin broth, or the glazed pork chop with cauliflower and caramelized onion.

A new addition to Polanco’s dining scene, Aúna is the most recent project of Quintonil chef Jorge Vallejo, alongside chef Fernando Torres, who oversees the culinary program. The kitchen focuses on traceability and quality ingredients, creating vegetable-forward dishes like roasted tomatoes with black garlic dip, squash blossoms stuffed with mushroom cream, or roasted sweet potato with mascarpone and harissa. Chef Torres’s skills shine through the soft shell crab with red curry and the braised-to-perfection short rib with roasted shishito peppers. Overall, Aúna’s menu is fresh air in Polanco’s oversaturated fine dining scene, complete with a well-curated wine list.

Perpetually ranked highly on the World’s 50 Best Restaurants list, Pujol has built a remarkable legacy in fine dining. Throughout the years, the restaurant has evolved into a multi-course vegetarian or pescatarian experience while holding true to Enrique Olvera’s values of sustainability, respect for Mexican culinary heritage, and local ingredients. Chef de cuisine Jesus Duron has elevated the experience since taking over in 2020, executing the tasting menu and taco omakase. Reservations are hard to come by, so book at least three months in advance.

After cementing his career in acclaimed kitchens like Bestia in LA and Arca in Tulum, chef Victor Toriz Sánchez is finally flying solo at Gaba, consistently drawing diners to the outskirts of Condesa with his exceptional execution. The menu builds on carefully sourced ingredients like acoyote beans, chicatana ants, and Ocosingo cheese, all enhanced with a dose of experimentation for especially sophisticated results. Make sure to order the sweetbreads with green chileatole (corn masa porridge mixed with green chiles and herbs) and the wagyu cecina tartar.

Chef Santiago Muñoz founded Maizajo in 2016 as a corn-centric research project, sourcing native corn from small communities in Mexico to produce quality tortillas from 100-percent nixtamalized dough. After several years of operating in the Azcapotzalco neighborhood, Maizajo opened a new space in Condesa, where the corn-grinding operation is joined by a counter-service taqueria and a terrace on the second floor for dining in. The menu includes tacos made with rib-eye, brisket, and longaniza (sausage), as well as volcanes (corn tostadas with various fillings covered with a cheese crust) and gorditas. Weekends are especially lively on the terrace, where wine and craft beer pair with an elevated menu of dishes like black mole, brisket, and roasted leak, or oxtail with cegueza, an Oaxacan sauce thickened with red corn.

Tapping into diners’ interest in Yucatecan cuisine, restaurateur Gabriela Cámara opened Castacán in spring 2024. The menu’s stars are the traditional cochinita pibil, the roasted suckling pig, and the crispy castacán (Yucateco pork belly). Order a taco of each to try the full range or go for a torta if you feel more ambitious, along with side orders of black refried beans, cheese, or longaniza sausage. The quality of the tortillas and salsas match Cámara’s care and respect for Yucateco traditions, but the look and feel of Castacán is entirely CDMX: bright pink floor tiles, eye-catching signs, and walls lined with intricate mosaic tiles.

This casual coffee and breakfast spot in Condesa satisfies many cravings, from cinnamon rolls to French toast with scrambled eggs to a biscuit with a fried egg and bacon. Restauranteurs Andrea Strobl and Adriana Hernández have created a home-away-from-home spot with indoor and outdoor seating and a lovely counter where you can enjoy your daily cup of coffee alongside a freshly baked pastry from Farmacia’s repertoire. Starting mid-week until Saturday, the cafe offers small bites like crab cakes and fried chicken wings with spicy morita chile sauce to pair with a short but sweet cocktail list.

At this wine bar, which opened in Condesa in 2024, chef Montserrat Garza offers a menu that combines Sepharadic and Mizrahi influences with dishes like kubaneh (pull-apart bread) with tahini spread and red schug, grilled snapper with spiced tomato and olive sauce, and burekas stuffed with spiced meat and pine nuts. The wine list is thoughtful, with an excellent price-to-value ratio in options by the glass. Finish dinner with the malabi (milk pudding with rose water) or the halva soft serve with poached cherries.

Chinese Mexican cuisine in Baja California dates back to the mid-1800s, when immigrants from China arrived to work in farming and railroad construction. Eventually, Mexican and Chinese food cultures mingled in cafes, dive bars, and restaurants to create a local fusion cuisine. To taste a piece of that culinary history, head to Canton Mexicali. The restaurant is a bit cramped and dimly lit in red and yellow hues, but it feels like the perfect setting for the wide array of dishes like pork wontons; green fried rice mixed with green beans, green fava beans, and chickpeas; dan dan peanut noodles; and chile relleno with garlic and ginger. Don’t forget to order the carne Mexicali and chile shrimp, house specialties. Dishes are meant to be shared family style, ideally with a round or two of house cocktails or wine. Since opening, Canton Mexicali has become the popular kid on the block, so reservations are strongly recommended. The restaurant closes at 1 a.m., making it a strong contender for late-night dinners.

For years, the Servicio Becerra autoshop stood on the corner of Aguascalientes and Manzanillo in Roma Norte. The shop’s hand-painted sign still signals the entrance, but the concrete-heavy interior now houses Voraz, a gastropub by chef Emiliano Padilla. The restaurant makes the space feel welcoming with pristine white tablecloths and a busy open kitchen, where Padilla produces appetizers, like a conversation-starting salty churro served with Cotija cheese sauce and chile powder. Meatless main dishes include options like roasted broccoli with pumpkin seed sauce or an uchepo, a sweet corn tamale made here with cheese foam and tomatillo sauce. There’s a bar area where you can have a snack alongside cocktails like the Melipon Sour with gin, honey, and xtabentún.

With sleek 1920s decorations in a hidden, speakeasy-inspired space, Handshake offers a cocktail menu by award-winning Dutch bartender Eric Van Beek. Known for drinks like a clarified piña colada, along with takes on modern classics like the pornstar martini, the bar won the top spot in North America on the 50 Best Bars list in 2024. The basement, where a cocktail lab produces syrups, clarified juices, and other beverage magic, also seats guests, and you should jump at the opportunity to drink down there if you get the chance. As of late, reservations are challenging, so plan ahead with a reservation.

The Santa María la Ribera neighborhood is home to a number of trendy spots, including “psychedelic cantina” Pink Rambo, a lively drinking spot tucked behind a garage door. Customers gather at the bar and communal tables in a bright, concrete-walled interior patio to share dishes by chef Nicolás López and drinks by Luca Simpson-Damiano. Food items — lamb tartare, trout confit, fried chicken — are on the small side, allowing visitors to concentrate on the strong personalities of the cocktails, like the Kendall (gin, fennel, lacto-fermented cucumber, white wine) or Miriam (tequila, mezcal, radish, watermelon, sake).

Considered one of the best places to eat carnitas in Mexico City, El Gran Abanico is a local gem in the Tránsito neighborhood. While the taquería serves pastor, grilled steak, and longaniza tacos, focus on the carnitas. Order a surtida taco — a mix of lean and fatty pork meat — or, if you’re feeling more ambitious, order a pork shank served with fried beans, guacamole, and tortillas.

Chef Giuseppe Lacorazza sources seasonal seafood from Mercado de la Viga (Mexico City’s largest seafood market) and uses it to make effortless, homey dishes that mix Mexican influences with some global flair. The avocado tostada with furikake is one of Fugaz’s most popular dishes, and it’s always on the menu, but check out other house specialties like the chilpachole (a corn and seafood soup), gnocchi with mussels, and white bean stew with clams. Lacorazza’s menu reflects his ongoing culinary research, which he shares periodically in his newsletter, Gula. The restaurant sits on a busy avenue in Roma Norte and works best for a casual late lunch or dinner.

Omakases have been trending in CDMX for a while now, as chefs meet the demand for high-end culinary experiences with easily accessible fresh seafood, including sustainable options from Baja California. The 12-seat bar Kill Bill is a less stuffy addition to the scene, combining elements of sushi omakase, robata, and hi-fi jazz music. The casual atmosphere is ideal for enjoying the three, well-thought-out omakase options — Kill, Bill, or Kill Bill — the last including super premium ingredients like certified Japanese wagyu and caviar. The pairings include sake by the glass or bottle and an elegant wine selection with crisp oranges and whites.

After a short closure to revamp the space and menu, wine bar Vigneron made a comeback this summer under chef Aram Abisahi, who stewards the kitchen, and sommelier Mario Luna, who showcases small wine producers from the Old World. For wine lovers looking to explore hidden gems from Burgundy, Catalonia, and Champagne, Vigneron delivers great value by the glass; for everyone else, the beverages pair well with a food menu heavy on French technique and seasonal ingredients. Abisahi highlights his northerner culture in dishes like wagyu brisket with flour tortillas and pico de gallo, but he also shows range with items like fish rillette with pickled vegetables, or the catch of the day with beurre blanc, chicatana (ants), and beets.

Oregonian chef Jacob Harth and restaurateur Enrique Lascuráin run Sarde, which is inspired by the cuisine of Corsica and Sardinia. The restaurant’s menu is primarily focused on seafood, including elegantly plated dishes like totoaba tartare, mackerel with celery vinegar, or tuna carpaccio with schmaltz and pickled chile. Simple preparations highlight the team’s efforts to select sustainable items for their pantry and source seafood fished responsibly. The wine program focuses on underappreciated wine regions, with an exciting selection of bubbles and whites by the glass. The restaurant is small and well-edited in ambiance, and the open kitchen lets out noise from the service rush, so expect to hear plenty of “Yes, chef!” throughout your visit.

Since opening in 2020, the women-led bar team at Brujas has honored female Latin American artists and activists through creative cocktails anchored in Mexican herbal medicine practices, earning a ranking on the North America’s 50 Best Bars list in the process. The bar sits in a turn-of-the-century apartment building known as Casa de las Brujas, the Witches’ House, an iconic architectural piece overlooking the Río de Janeiro plaza in Roma Norte; for decades, the building has been a figure of urban legend, since it housed Pachita, a well-known psychic and medium. The Brujas cocktail list pays tribute to Mexican botanical traditions with herb-driven libations like Woman of the Century (house vermouth, gin, and lavender soda) or the Amazona (tequila, yucca, cinnamon, and pepper tincture).

Mexico City is obsessed with everything Norteño, from banda music and cowboy boots to velvety flour tortillas. El Tigrillo fits right in. The tiny bar in Roma Norte offers a short menu of hardy Norteño breakfasts from Friday to Sunday. Try the scrambled eggs with chorizo and potatoes, the grilled cheese with carnitas, the chile güero taco, or the chicharron burrito. It’s hard to go wrong. In the evenings from Wednesday to Saturday, El Tigrillo serves as an aperitif bar pouring vermouth, cider, Mexican wine, and mini cocktails.

El Minutito is a small, Italian-inspired coffee shop that moonlights as a wine bar after dark. Located just a few steps from Plaza Washington in the Juarez neighborhood, the business focuses on the social aspects of European coffee culture; the place has no seating — except a tiny bench on the sidewalk — instead encouraging customers to stand at the bar (and discouraging remote workers setting up shop with their laptops and phones). It makes for an intimate space to start the morning with caffeine, a croissant, or a grilled cheese sandwich. Once the sun sets, the bar kicks in, offering aperitivos, espresso martinis, vermouth, and natural wine.

Juárez’s buzziest new drinking spot, Cananea is the wood-paneled bar of the Posada Viena hotel. The bar felt abandoned for years until Baja chef Jair Téllez took over the space, revamping the menu and beverage program. The original character (and lore) of the bar remains: a mezzanine with a pool table, a jukebox by the cocktail bar, dimmed red lights. The new menu offers bar snacks and small Northern-inspired dishes like quesabirria, Sonoran dried meat, and chivichangas, alongside well-balanced classic cocktails like margaritas, whisky sours, gimlets, mezcal spritzes, and natural wine.

After several years of weekend-only operation, Barbacoa Gonzalitos relocated to Colima Street in Roma Norte and extended service from Tuesday to Sunday. Chef Israel Mata has kept the menu of hearty Northeastern-style tacos the same, adding a couple of mouth-watering tortas stuffed with items like beef barbacoa or machaca (Northern-style dry, shredded beef), the latter paired with scrambled eggs and salsa. Make sure to order  bestsellers like the chile relleno taco and the asado de puerco. The new location is excellent for brunching over tacos and several rounds of micheladas.

This coffee shop in Roma Norte is a food writer’s dream come true: a place to have a flat white and some kumquat olive oil cake — among a short but sweet array of treats — while perusing a well-curated collection of culinary travel literature, food fan zines, and collectible magazines and cookbooks. Chefs Jorge Linares Vaca and Pilar García Canseco are best known for their work at taquería Tizne Tacomotora, but Mise en Print feels like a project closer to their food culture obsessions and esthetic. The shop is petite but feels homey, and you can purchase a small selection of local, food-focused paraphernalia.

Mexico City’s dining scene has become increasingly international, including restaurant genres from the U.S. Ojo Rojo is the second project by chef Scarlett Lindeman in Mexico City, run alongside Jhotzi Reyna and Francisco Reed, where she serves diner comfort staples — grilled cheese, Reubens, tomato soup, pancakes — with a few creative updates here and there. Ojo Rojo takes a more local perspective in the beverage program, including a michelada spiked with mezcal, salt-rimmed margaritas, and the perfect mezcal Negroni.

Taverna sits in a restored townhouse built in 1906 on Juarez’s General Prim Street. After years of family inheritance disputes, neighborhood disarray, and neglect, the property was eventually acquired and restored by Archipiélago restaurant group to house a Mediterranean-inspired spot. The food does deliver — but it’s almost beside the point. Most people come for the candlelit setting, which blends vintage details, greenery, and fine tableware into a kind of elegant ramshackle vibe. Needless to say, pin Taverna for a romantic dinner. The menu offers smoked and fire-cooked dishes like whole fish with potatoes and citrus salad or roasted cauliflower with mustard cream. The space also includes cozy lounges to enjoy a cocktail or two, with options like aged Negronis or dirty martinis.

After relocating to the Juárez neighborhood in fall 2023, Makan received diners in a revamped space overlooking one of Mexico City’s iconic roundabouts, El Reloj Chino. Chefs Maryann Yong and Mario Malvaez have kept Makan’s most popular dishes on the menu — like the fish larb and the Singaporean chicken with rice — while adding a few more fun options such as the chili king crab with sambal, lacquered duck, and char siu pork belly. The restaurant has come a long way from the small courtyard that served as its original home in Roma Norte; the new dining room is focused on an open kitchen, and there are two private rooms for intimate parties. The updated cocktail menu complements the usual funk from their natural wine selection.

For a solid, casual Mexican-inspired breakfast or lunch, head to Paradero Conocido. The small restaurant was opened in late 2022 by chef Sofía García, who wanted to create a welcoming space to bring together the local community of Centro Histórico. Paradero Conocido’s menu is small and based on popular, homey Mexican dishes like chilaquiles topped with cecina, crab gorditas, sopes with fried eggs, and comforting chicken soup.

If you schedule a visit to Mexico City’s Metropolitan Cathedral, book a reservation at Caracol de Mar, just a few steps from the iconic landmark. The restaurant sits on the inner patio of the boutique Círculo Mexicano hotel, creating a quiet oasis in the restored colonial architecture away from the hectic energy of Centro Histórico. As a sister restaurant of Mexico City’s ever-popular Contramar, Caracol de Mar has the quality stamp of acclaimed restaurateur chef Gabriela Cámara. Expect a sustainably sourced and seasonal seafood-focused menu executed by Peruvian chef Álvaro Vázquez, who showcases delicate flavors from his homeland like hoja santa ceviche with leche de tigre and choclo (crunchy Peruvian corn) or grilled octopus with salsa macha and white corn puree. Don’t skip dessert; the citrus meringue is a playful spin on Contramar’s famous strawberry meringue.