Best Places to Eat in Mexico City: A Food Guide

October 12, 2018

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I cAnoLooking for the best places to eat in Mexico City? Look no further! My Mexico City food guide is your go-to guide for all of the best places to eat in Mexico City. This means all of the best tacos, tostadas, and quesadillas that CDMX has to offer! I’ll be covering a range of fine dining, street food, desserts, and cocktails – quite simply the best places to eat if you only have three days in Mexico City!

Best Places to Eat in Mexico City: Upscale Restaurants

Contramar

I typically avoid fancier spots when I’m traveling but holy shit, Contramar is incredible! Mexico City restaurants are some of the best in the world, and this is truly the best of the best. Like seriously one of the best places to eat in Mexico City, if not the best!

Definitely call ahead to make a reservation! We took our chances showing up at 5pm on a Friday and we grabbed the last two seats in a huge restaurants.

And then do yourself a favor and order the crab and tuna tostadas. Even though I was so full that I didn’t think that I could take another bite, we couldn’t resist ordering a second round!

Azul

We came to Azul after it was recommended by a fellow travel blogger and it definitely did not disappoint. The traditional Mexican decor and food presentation is perfect, not too mention the food itself is amazing! The restaurant is known for their mole, so I recommend adding some to your order. We showed up right when they open at 1pm and were able to snag a table, however I recommend making a reservation ahead of time.

El Parnita

El Parnita was our first stop in Mexico City and it was a great introduction into great Mexican food. The shrimp ceviche is a must!

This restaurant teeters on the border between upscale and casual, as it has a sit down dining room with slightly higher prices. However, it is definitely still frequented by all of the locals.

Continue your food tour around Mexico with a trip to San Miguel de Allende! 

La Zaranda

La Zaranda was recommended to us by our AirBnB host and it is truly one of the best places to eat in Mexico City. The food is delicious, the decor on point, and the atmosphere is bustling on a Saturday night. It is also conveniently located by many of the bars and dancing spots, so a perfect dinner before a night out!

Best Places to Eat in Mexico City: Casual Restaurants

Taqueria Tlaquepaque

Quick, cheap, and super filling! I can assure you that Taqueria Tlaquepaque is definitely not making the healthy eats list, but it is an awesome place to fill up in the centro historico.

Taqueria el Greco

Another great spot to add to the list is Taqueria el Greco. Taqueria el Greco is a hole-in-the-wall taqueria located amongst the trendy Condesa spots. This covers all of the bases for prime location, cheap prices, and quick and delicious tacos and bites. I personally loved their quesadillas!

Quesadillas Local 13

Quesadillas Local 13 has hands down the best quesadilla that I ate in Mexico City! After spending a few hours walking around the Frida Kahlo museum, this was the perfect quick lunch spot! There is no formal dining here, so customers sit at the booths surrounding the grills.

Tostadas Coyocan

Located inside the Coyocan market, the busy stall of Tostadas Coyoacan is hard to miss! This is a great place to grab a quick, cheap bite after exploring the Frida Kahlo Museum.

Balderas Metro Station

Okay so I honestly have no idea what this stand was called but their tacos were cheap (approximately 50 cents each) and delicious. The carts has tons of great vegetarian options like cauliflower and broccoli! A great stop after visiting the Museo de Arte Popular or La Ciudadela. The stand is located right next to the Balderas Metro Station so you shouldn’t have a problem finding it. Easily one of the best places to eat in Mexcio City, as well as one of the cheapest!

Churreria El Moro

To be honest I’m thankful this chain doesn’t exist in New York because I would gain so much weight! Churreria El Moro has locations all over CDMX and it is most definitely one of the best places to eat in Mexico City! I mean, what could be wrong about a bag of cinnamon coated churros for $1 USD?!

You can get them made into ice cream sandwiches as well, which are just delicious!

Best Places to Eat in Mexico City for Breakfast

El Cardenal

El Cardenal makes the list for best places to eat in Mexico City because it is simply a classic! Unlike the trendy cafes that are popping up around the city, this breakfast joint is frequented by the older, more traditional CDMX locale.

There is just about always a line to get in, so make sure to go inside and put your name on the list as soon as your arrive (rookie mistake on our part).

Once you’re seated a warm pasty and a cup of their traditional hot chocolate is an absolute must!

Rosetta

I read over and over again that Rosetta is one of the best bakeries in CDMX, and therefore one of the best places to eat in Mexico City in general. I had mixed feelings myself. Yes, the lemon scone was incredible, but I don’t know if I’d go as far as to say the best bakery in the city. That being said, if you’re in the area it is definitely worth a visit!

La Guera Tortas de Chilaquiles (the best place to eat in Mexico City!!)

This might have been the best damn sandwich that I have ever eaten! We showed up to this corner stand on a bit of a whim, after a quick search on Google maps and let me say, it did not disappoint. La Guera Tortas de Chilaquiles is one of the BEST places to eat in Mexico City.

On a Saturday morning at 9:30 we waited in line for about 35 minutes, alongside only locals, anxious to see if the sandwich lived up to the hype. It did! Perfectly cooked chicken, cheese, cream, beans, and the most incredible chilaquiles sauce. I swear I would fly back to Mexico right now just to get another one.

Fonda Margarita

We showed up to Fonda Margarita early on a weekday morning and locals were already lined up down the block – a good sign in my eyes! If you’re planning a trip to CDMX do not miss a breakfast at this epic spot. The eggs with beans and huevos rancheros were incredible! Plus everything is super reasonably priced and there is live music.. pretty much perfection!

Best Places to Drink in Mexico City

Cafe Toscano

Looking for a non-alcoholic pick me up? Cafe Toscano is an adorable cafe in Condesa. It is the perfect stop for a fresh juice or coffee!

Temporal

Apparently the food at Temporal is amazing, but I can only speak for the incredible cocktails. Beautifully crafted cocktails for less than $5, that’s my kind of deal. I recommend one of their handcrafted mezcal cocktails.

Gin Gin

I’m sure what I was expecting when I walked into Gin Gin but I was definitely surprised. Picture sleek, sophisticated, NYC bar with overpriced cocktails, but in a good way. That is how I would describe Gin Gin. Honestly we felt super cool just getting a table here. Drinks are definitely pricey by Mexico City standards at about $11 a cocktail, but so worth it for the atmosphere!

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