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.

Comal Oculto is a small but sweet eatery in the San Miguel Chapultepec neighborhood with a menu based on hardy antojitos like flautas, enmoladas, and tlacoyos. The restaurant focuses on breakfast and lunch, so pair your fresh-from-the-comal snacks with hot chocolate or cafe de olla. The flauta ahogada with mole and the bean tlacoyo with avocado leaf are favorites among customers.

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.

Niv is a star in the well established wine bar scene in Mexico City. The project brings together two wine insiders — wine importer Tanguy de Bodinat and Eneida Fuentes, the former beverage director of Pujol — who created an intimate yet vibrant space. The wine list features small producers from France, Italy, Germany, and Mexico with effervescent pet nats, fun oranges, and classic labels from Burgundy. The culinary menu, executed by chef Diego Martínez, matches the quality of the wines; the toasted beef carpaccio and wild mackerel sashimi have become favorites, and be sure to finish with the mamey creme brulee. Since opening day, the restaurant has become a neighborhood social spot in Condesa thanks to its candle-lit backroom, where diners can finish the evening with cocktails, infused rums, and late-night snacks while listening to visiting DJs and Niv’s eclectic vinyl collection.

Located in a restored art deco mansion in Condesa, Botánico is the first solo project of chef Alejandra Navarro, an alum of acclaimed Mexican fine dining restaurant Quintonil. The lush courtyard is an elegant setting for a long afternoon of cocktails, wine, and shareable plates. The menu has an international touch, so expect dishes that combine flavors from all over the world with high-quality ingredients. When in doubt, go for the oyster platters, fried squid, and pork Milanese with a salad of field mustard and buttermilk dressing.

Head to Caiman in la Condesa to try some of the most avant-garde creations from Mexican wine country. The food menu is designed to complement the cocktail and wine experience, with munchy snacks like french fries with mussels and quail egg, or canned items for no-fuss clientele. The classic cocktails are well-executed, but explore the house pet-nat selection, which comes mostly from Baja California. The vibe is chill but the bar still delivers that Condesa it factor.

The most recent addition to the cluster of Jewish restaurants in Condesa, Mendel takes cues from New York’s delis. Since opening in spring 2023, the restaurant has gathered an eclectic following of locals and international visitors while catering to the Ashkenazi Jewish community in Mexico City. Mendel offers quality pastrami sandwiches and Reubens, bagels, and dishes like latkes, matzo ball soup, whitefish salad, and veal schnitzel. The deli is conveniently located just a few steps from Parque Mexico, and it’s become a popular option for weekend brunch. The dining space is lush and welcoming, and the pastry display by the entrance can inspire an appetite.

Located in Condesa, Plonk shines for its attentive hospitality and wine geekiness. Sommelier Romina Argüelles and chef Flor Camorlinga joined forces to open the space in fall 2023. Plonk’s dishes hint at Mexican flavors with strokes of Asian influence, like the smoked marlin tamal with morita chile sauce or the spicy shrimp udon with peanuts and cheddar. Camorlinga’s work in the kitchen is constantly changing, allowing Argüelles’s wine expertise to shine through creative pairings from small, Old World wine producers. If you’re interested in trying a variety, Plonk’s wine selection by the glass is reasonably priced, while the cocktail list offers versions of classics. The best seating is at the bar.

The top three reasons to go to Salazar are location, location, and location. The restaurant sits on a rooftop overlooking one of the most iconic roundabouts of Mexico City, creating the perfect atmosphere to enjoy dinner and cocktails during golden hour. Chef Allan Yañez’s menu combines bistro classics and family-style, country recipes, with dishes like organic roast chicken (sourced from an owner’s farm, which supplies the restaurant) with confit tomatoes, grilled shrimp with leek emulsion, or aged Pat LaFrieda rib-eye with sauerkraut. The portions are large enough to share, and the wine list includes beautiful organic and biodynamic bottlings. With stellar service and hospitality, it’s hard not to spend hours indulging in martinis and dessert after the meal is over.

With sleek 1920s decorations in a hidden, speakeasy-inspired space, Handshake offers a cocktail menu by award-winning Dutch bartender Eric Van Beek. Since relocating to Colonia Juarez in 2021, the bar has taken off as a drinking destination, with guests eager to try the famous clarified piña colada or the bar’s take on more modern classics like the pornstar martini, with vodka, pineapple, passion fruit, and vanilla. Seating is limited, reservations are a must, and guests have a window of 90 minutes to enjoy the experience.

For a taste of Tijuana-style tacos in Mexico City, head to El Compita Tacos in the Roma Sur neighborhood. The project started as a Northern-style beef birria stand before evolving into a permanent taco spot. Stick to the Tijuana classics like the quesabirria, served on a crispy tortilla and topped with beans, or the carne asada taco wrapped with a hand-made corn or flour tortilla.

Located above EM (also on this list), 686 impeccably edits classic cocktails for a 2022 drinking audience. Enjoy pre- or post-dinner libations like the Aviator, a take on an Aviation made with Armonico gin, St. Germain, and citrus, or the much sought-after Negroni Sbagliato (which was on the menu here before the cocktail’s viral moment). If the drinks make you a bit hungry, indulge in fried chicken or roasted baby corn.

To access Panadería Gala, you must ring the doorbell of an unassuming building on Tonalá Street in Roma Norte, head through a second door, and pass through a corridor filled with the aromas of freshly baked bread before reaching the pastry workshop. Inside, visitors can enjoy a cup of coffee or hot chocolate along with one — or several — of Panadería Gala’s delicious pastries, while taking in the shop’s operation: the bakers rhythmically rolling out bread, the hypnotic smell coming out of the oven, the comings and goings of staff. Panadería Gala’s seating is limited, but the experience is a dream for pastry lovers.

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.

Lina is the first solo project of chef Mariana Villegas after spending time in world-renowned kitchens like Cosme in New York, Fulgurances L’Adresse in Paris, and Contramar in Mexico City. Lina’s dinner menu combines international flavors and local ingredients, with options like trout tartare with hibiscus creme fraiche, tuna sashimi with carrot aguachile, and wagyu with salsa borracha. For dessert, Villegas’s tres leches with guava cream is an elegant take on one of Mexico’s most beloved cakes, and the chocolate mousse with pataxtle (white cacao) is excellent. Lina’s open kitchen and dining room feel cozy, and the restaurant offers  bar seating for diners to kick off dinner with a Sake Splitz (Mexican sake, Oaxacan poleo, prosecco) or a glass of biodynamic wine.

Located in a restored Art Deco building overlooking colonia Roma’s most iconic park, Pigeon delights diners with a thoughtful approach to ingredient sourcing and seasonality. Chefs Mercedes Bernal and Rodney Cusic are behind the culinary project, inspired by casual European taverns. Though the menu isn’t vegetarian, options with vegetables are plenty and delicious, like roasted carrots with creamy tofu, rice with eggplant and turmeric, and rice croquettes with mushrooms and mozzarella. If you want something hardier, the roasted chicken with harissa and lemongrass is an excellent option, while the steak tartare with capers is a favorite among locals. It’s worth checking out the cocktail menu, designed by the team behind Pigeon’s sister cocktail bar, Brujas, next door.

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).

Seafood is at the epicenter of Ultramarinos Demar, the most recent project of chef Lucho Martínez. It’s hard to pinpoint all the culinary influences at play on the menu; there’s zarandeado (the classic Mexican-style grilled fish), but also velvety clam chowder, perfectly moistened crab cakes, lobster rolls, caviar with chips, and seafood platters. The restaurant appears casual, with a relaxed, no-frills dining room and bar seating, but servers draw inspiration from classic European restaurants, delivering polished table service in crisp, white jackets. The cosmopolitan, indulgent experience is a good choice for lunch or an early dinner (the restaurant closes at 7 p.m.).

Somsaa is the third project by Thai chefs Somsri and Rachadaporn Raksamran, who have made a name for themselves in Mexico City’s food scene by recreating the flavors of their culinary heritage. Somsaa’s South Asian menu plays within traditions and classic dishes, while allowing the Raksamran sisters to innovate. Start with the baos crostini with king salmon, ikura, and nam jim sauce, before moving onto the super crispy fried chicken with spicy lemongrass or the Singapore-style chilli crab. Save room for dessert, when you should try an assortment of mooncakes, which come with fillings like sala cider or cured duck egg. The tea service is casual, with organic blends carefully selected for quality, and the cocktail menu focuses on tea infusions too. The wine list concentrates on pet-nats and sparkling wine, adding an elegant, effervescent touch to the entire dining experience.

Mexico City is saturated with casual bistros and wine bars, so it takes some great cooking for one to rise above. Cana, the first solo project from chef Fabiola Escobosa, offers just that, with well-tuned flavors in dishes like foie gras with pear compote, cod croquettes, chive dumplings, creamy rice with squid, and steak frites. But if you’re just looking to indulge in a burger and a house martini, Cana has your back (the burger is only available when sitting at the bar). The restaurant pulls a local crowd, and the staff are knowledgeable and familiar, making Cana a great addition to the neighborhood.

Inspired by classic trattorias, Darosa offers rustic Italian flavors in a petite, down-to-earth restaurant in the Juarez neighborhood. The menu winds through cacio e pepe suppli, ricotta with spinach gnudi, and an endive, chive, and pecan salad before hitting its stride at pasta. Order the rigatoni with beef ragu, the tagliolini a la puttanesca, and the house lasagna. Portions are on the small side, so order a couple of entrees and appetizers for a complete meal. Leave enough room for the hazelnut tiramisu and classic cannoli too.

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.

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.