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Capicua
One of several restaurants in a little mall off Av de la Paz, Capicua is a lot smarter than your average Spanish tapas bar, but offers familiar favorites like pulpos a la gallega , tortilla de patatas (potato omelet), boquerones alinadas (anchovies in a vinaigrette dressing), and slices of crumbly Manchegocheese. There's an excellent wine list with riojas.
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Casino Español
The old Spanish social center, housed in a fabulous Porfiriato-era building, has a popular cantina-style eatery downstairs and an elegant restaurant upstairs. Stolid execs loosen their ties in the former for a long leisurely lunch, and the courses keep coming. Spanish fare, naturally, highlights the menu (Thursday there's cocido madrileño, a stew of chick peas and sausage), though tacos dorados (chicken tacos, rolled and deep fried)and chiles en nogada are equally well-prepared.
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Chalet Suizo
Dating from 1950, this transplanted Alpine-feel restaurant is gingerbread cute, with beamed ceilings and Swiss ornaments and photos spread throughout five small dining rooms. Fondues include chocolate and Chinese, aside from the more conventional cheese or meat bourguignon . Other menu choices include veal goulash, trout in a white wine sauce and a creamy broccoli soup starter.
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Churrería El Moro
A fine respite from the Eje Central crowds, El Moro manufactures long, slender deep-fried churros (doughnut-like fritters), just made to be dipped in thick hot chocolate. It's a popular late-night spot, perfect for winding down after hours.
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Cluny
This place has history, dating back to 1974 when it was one of a rare breed of French restaurants in the city. Cluny continues to hit the spot for unpretentious French cuisine, but don't expect much that is nouvelle. Quiche, salad, crepes, decadently delicious desserts and happily generous portions are the order of the day.
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Contramar
Fresh seafood, artfully prepared, is the star attraction at this stylish dining hall with a seaside ambience. The specialty is tuna fillet Contramar style - split, swabbed with red chili and parsley sauces, and grilled to perfection.
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Coox Hanal
Started in 1953 by boxer Raúl Salazar from Mérida, this establishment over a billiard hall prepares Yucatecan fare just as it's done in Don Raúl's hometown. The poc chuc (grilled pork marinated in sour orange juice), papadzules, (tacos stuffed with chopped hard-boiled egg and laced with pumpkin seed sauce) and cochinita pibil (pork, marinated in chilies, wrapped in banana leaves, and pit-cooked or baked) are of a high standard.
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Covadonga
Nicknamed 'Covita,' and the place to see journalists, celebrities and government officials, this is the trendiest cantina in the city. A better reason to visit is the tortilla española .
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Creperie De La Paix
There's a Parisian feel to this crepería , with its Toulouse Lautrec posters, bustling corner location and attractive outside terrace. The menu includes savory and sweet crepes, a few pasta choices and small or large salads, including goat cheese with walnuts.
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Crêperie Du Soleil
A long-time classic on the Plaza del Carmen, this tiny crêperie has a handful of tables and a steady stream of regulars here for the reliably-good sweet and savory crepes, chapatas and coffee.
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Cuatro Mares
If you're looking for authentically prepared Chinese food, you won't find it in the capital's diminutive Chinatown, but instead a generally bland Chinese-Mexican hybrid that's heavy on the sweet-and-sour sauce. Of the half-dozen restaurants along Dolores, this one has the best Peking duck and shrimps in lobster sauce. Dine outdoors on the plaza or inside with the Chinese dragons.
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Del Bosque
Part of a lakeside trio, Del Bosque overlooks the smaller, more tranquil (ie no pedalos ) Lago Menor. Brilliant blue wine-and-water glasses on the tables catch any sun rays, brightening up an otherwise somewhat stuffy dining room. The weekend buffets are your best value, with an expansive breakfast and lunch spread available. Afterwards you can waddle round the lake for exercise.
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Don Keso
This casual, reasonably priced hangout near Parque México has great baguettes and salads, plus an exciting cocktail selection. Crowds rush in for the good-value comida corrida (around $65 ).
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El 91
Lunch is served to piano accompaniment at this triple-decker restaurant-bar - dumbwaiters deliver the food to the top terrace. It offers a different menu daily, with a long list of homemade soups and mains.
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El Bajío
Owner Carmen Titita Hernandez Oropeza (better known as Titita) is one of the best-known and -loved culinary figures in the city. She has written several cookbooks and built a reputation on producing down-home Veracruz-style food. One of five restaurants in the city, this branch has striking folkloric-inspired decor, with one entire wall decorated with colorful woven baskets, another with framed hand-woven fabrics.
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El Borrego Viudo
More than a dozen white-capped men labor over a steaming grill at this busy neighborhood taquería just below the Viaducto freeway. The menu announces the taco variations in sparkly type: suadero (beef), longaniza (sausage), tender tongue, and their specialty, pastor, sliced off a huge cone by the entrance. The tacos are small but substantial, bathed in a potent salsa verde, and are best washed down with a mug of tepache, a pineapple drink fermented in a wood barrel.
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El Califa
This very popular taquería on Condesa's southern edge puts its own spin on the classic Mexican snack, grilling thin slices of beef and tossing them on handmade tortillas. Tables are set with a palette of savory salsas in sturdy clay bowls. Often jammed well past midnight, the place attracts after-hours prowlers in the mood for comfort food.
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El Califa De León
Practically hidden amid the surrounding ambulante activity, this standing-room-only joint is sought out by taco mavens from all over. Unlike at thousands of similar places, the twist here is that the beef is not chopped up but grilled in thin slices. The salsas - chipotle and salsa verde - are exceptional.
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El Caracol De Oro
Oozes cosmo kitsch with jazzily designed painted tables (chessboards, faces, flowers - get the picture?) and equally flamboyant paintings on the walls. Pretend-to-be-arty types can tuck into interesting flavors like apple curry with chicken and goat cheese, or chiles rellenos stuffed with mango.
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El Cardenal
Possibly the finest place in town for traditional Mexican fare, El Cardenal is a family-run institution frequented by politicians and businessfolk - former Mayor López Obrador used to hold breakfast meetings here. The restaurant occupies three floors of a Parisian-style mansion with a pianist playing in the background. Breakfast is a must: a tray of just-baked sweet rolls and a pitcher of frothy, semi-sweet chocolate are a prelude to eggs, scrambled with chilorio (Sinaloa-spiced minced pork).
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El Charco De Las Ranas
Men in white bonnets work the big, gleaming grill at 'the frog pond,' a modern branch of the renowned taquería located in the southern DF. Aside from the well-crammed tacos al pastor and huge alambres (kebabs of beef, peppers, onions and bacon) - best washed down with an ice-cold horchata - you might try the chicharrón de queso, rolled sheets of crispy fried cheese.
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El Cuadrilátero
Owned by luchador (wrestler) Super Astro, this shrine to lucha libre features a wall of wrestlers' masks, many donated by his ring pals and enemies. Not just wrestlers, but also ordinary denizens of the Centro frequent the joint for its gigantic tortas, versions of which are displayed at the entrance. If you manage to consume a 1.3kg cholesterol-packed Torta Gladiador in 15 minutes, it's free.
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El Diez
The overwhelming popularity of this unpretentious steak place might be attributed to its prices. Quality Argentine cuts, served on a cutting board with zestily dressed salad alongside, average under around $100 , and Malbec wines are similarly reasonable. Those with less carnivorous appetites can order pizza by the square meter.
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El Farolito
Old-fashioned place with smiley service, a vast outside terrace and a menu including tacos, quesadillas and salads (such as Cesar and Greek) plus, astutely reflecting current cholesterol-obesity concerns, a list of taco 'light' choices, such as chicken breast.
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El Figonero
In the midst of all the trendiness is this little neighborhood place, offering a three-course comida corrida that's a bit more creative than usual. Show up before to avoid the lunchtime rush. There's sidewalk seating or you can squeeze into the crowded little comedor .
