I always tell people that these days Mexico City is more like London or New York than Oaxaca City or Guadalajara. While delicious traditional Mexican cuisine remains paramount, the city now has incredible Singaporean, Korean, Japanese and Indian food. Newcomers are introducing a whole new audience to regional cuisines from around the world with touches of mexicanidad that add to their specialness.
Young Mexican chefs have moved beyond moles and molcajetes to create thrilling contemporary Mexican with iconic local ingredients – quelites, heritage corn, chiles – that highlight ancestral agriculture and endemic flavors. A focus on sustainability and sourcing locally has caught fire in Mexico City to the point that 2024 saw the opening of our first zero-waste restaurant, and while tequila and mezcal are still our stars, a wide range of spirits and mixologists have made this one of the best cocktail scenes in the world. Here are 10 worthwhile food and drink experiences should you find yourself in Mexico’s great capital.
Throw back a Manhattan at Cananea Bar
An aging poet drowning his sorrows in whiskey and a hipster sipping a negroni with her date would both be equally at home at Cananea’s burgundy-toned bar wrapping around the center of its skinny space.
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Brand new in Colonia Juarez, Cananea has the feel of an old-school hangout with glamour – fancy glassware and a muted afternoon sunlight that pours through the front windows in a melancholy way. Order an unfussy Manhattan, strong and alcoholic in a petite martini glass, and enjoy the cheesy banda tunes that spill out of the bar’s 1980s jukebox.
Make it happen: Sidle up to the bar early afternoon to have your pick of seats and bring some change for the jukebox.
Try the chinampa vegetables at Mexico City’s first zero-waste restaurant
Led by a young team of enthusiastic chefs, Baldío is just as focused on making delicious food as it is on ensuring that it’s food is as sustainable as possible. Baldío’s kitchen is working towards zero waste, using a half dozen methods for fermenting, curing and maximizing the life of their fresh ingredients.
Everything here is seasonally-based, but the most satisfying combination of flavor comes in a recurring dish. The chinampa vegetables change with the seasons (right now it’s broccoli, romeritos and cauliflower) and are grilled to a deep char and served with creamy pumpkin seed mole and a black garlic purée made with elephant garlic.
Make it happen: Baldío gets busy, but they still usually have some space for walk-ins.
Delight in the homestyle comfort of the roast beef toasts at Sin Cruda
An unpretentious space on a quiet street in Colonia Juárez Sin Cruda is anything but plain. The owners hail from Paris, France, and are making some of the city’s most delicious small plates and cocktails.
Theirs toasts are decidedly French – a couple of slices of rare roast beef on a crunchy slice of sourdough with coarse mustard and gribiche sauce (made of shallot, parsley, capers, hard-boiled egg and vinegar) and a sprig of peppery arugula on top. Wash them down with a Smash My Dill cocktail or one of their many wines by the glass that rotate through regularly.
Make it happen: This is a bit of a hidden gem so you shouldn’t have any issues just walking in.
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Join the crowds of diners enjoying wild concoctions at Fugaz
One of the best openings of 2022, Fugaz has now solidly settled in as a local favorite. The dishes are always just a touch beyond the norm, like my current favorite, the bolted Cauliflower pancake. The pancake with cauliflower tucked inside has a hint of anise to it and there is a butteriness from the coconut cream used in its preparation along with a tang of purslane and crunchy slices of cuaresmeño chile and quelites (wild greens) on top. I love the crazy mix of textures, especially alongside a sweet and bitter vermouth rosado. Sit at one of their outside bar stools where you can get a full view of the hustle and bustle in the small restaurant beyond the window.
Make it happen: Make a reservation at least a day or two in advance if you have a specific time in mind, the restaurant is small and very popular for dinner.
Find an elevated taste of the sea at Taller Xilotl
Quite possibly the most underrated seafood tacos in the city, for me this spot’s take on the dish far outshines more popular places like Contramar and Mi Compa Chava. My eternal favorite is the fiery enchipotlado shrimp with a chipotle chile sauce whose richness and heat are balanced by the sharp tang of pickled red onions on a warm corn tortilla.
However, anything you order on the taco menu will be delicious and the cocktails, made with love by owners Alberto Harwy and Felicitas Binder, are an excellent accompaniment.
Make it happen: Best to make a reservation on Opentable and if you can’t get the time you want, give them a call or message on Instagram as they are extremely responsive on either.
Travel back in time with a negroni sbagliato at El Minutito
Perched on one of the black leather swivel stools at the El Minutito bar, a slightly effervescent and alcoholic negroni sbagliato in hand, you’re transported to early 20th century Buenos Aires, Paris or even New York.
This miniature diner, whose to-go window’s light casts shadows on the handful of sidewalk tables (one of them inside an old VW bus), has become a casual cool hangout for anyone a little nostalgic for another time and a little tired of the same old bar scene. Try a slice of the fluffy homemade cheesecake or the jalapeño oyster dip if you’re feeling salty.
Make it happen: El Minutito is the perfect spot to stop by on the fly. No reservations needed.
Dip into decadence with the Uchepo at Voraz restaurant
The menu at the new Voraz restaurant in Colonia Roma nods to several kinds of regional Mexican cuisine – the chicken pibil a la the Yucatan or the machaca salad – a dried beef preparation found in Mexico’s northern states.
Surpassing them all is the uchepo – a kind of sweet tamal from Michoacán. This version is made from tender sweet corn and is drowned in a velvety cheese foam with green tomato oil for a hint of grassy citrus and a dusting of toasted macadamia nut. Fine dining in what was once an old vacuum cleaner repair shop has never tasted better.
Make it happen: If you can’t get a space on Opentable, give them a call. The early afternoon (before 3pm) seems to be an easier time to get in.
Enjoy the seasonal delights of the rotating menu at Esquina Comun
In a dark horse moment, Esquina Común was awarded a Michelin star in 2024 and I couldn’t agree more with the award. They have a seasonal menu that highlights the freshest ingredients and some of the best cooking in Mexico City. In their reservation-only dining patio, you will find yourself with only a handful of other diners enjoying dishes like the smoked plantains stuffed with shrimp, coconut and pineapple (with a touch of spice for a kind of aguachile), covered with a crust of provolone cheese and garnished with borage flower and purslane (pictured above). It’s a delicious dance between the smoky sweet of the plantain, and the tangy, slightly spicy aguachile inside, with a half dozen different textures teasing your tastebuds.
Make it happen: Since being awarded their Michelin star in 2024, Esquina Común is harder and harder to get into. Book months in advance.
Sip Bar Mauro’s signature cocktail Maurito for a taste of nostalgia
The house’s insignia cocktail, the Maurito is a blend of mezcal, sherry, lillet blanc and guava juice and is an homage to the owners’ grandfather, Mauro. Reminiscing about him sitting in his garden, enjoying guavas from his nearby tree, brothers Ricardo and Eduardo say their grandfather was a consummate host, a lover of cocktail hour and their inspiration for the new project. Now, in their tiny bar, whose official tagline is “Golden Age meets Future Nostalgia,” the brothers are crafting a delicate and complex list of house cocktails, vermouths and amaros that rival some of the best bars in the city.
Make it happen: Once again, the space is small and they are super popular right now, just opening a few months ago. Make sure to make a reservation at minimum a few days in advance.
Chow down guilt-free on Paxil’s vegan tuna tostada
Vegan cuisine is making inroads in the meat-heavy world of Mexico City’s street food and some of the very best is at Paxil’s vegan seafood stand just down the street from Plaza Rio de Janeiro. Their “tuna” tostada made with cured tomatoes in a chipotle mayo with avocado and crispy, fried leeks will have you believing in a meat-free future (or at least a meat-free lunch every once in a while). Salty and fresh, a slight heat builds as you eat and you can almost taste the sea on your lips, perfect for an ice-cold agua fresca on a sunny Mexico City afternoon.
Make it happen: This small street food stand is open daily from 1:30pm to 7pm, so just walk over and grab a seat.
