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Restaurante Vegetariano Yug
Just south of Reforma, Yug has downtown's best vegetarian fare. Local office workers head upstairs for the generous lunch buffet, served til late afternoon, with a plethora of salads and fresh whole-wheat bread.
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Rojo Bistrot
On a leafy corner near Parque México, this eatery is popular as much for its vibrant social scene as the French-inspired cuisine. The ambience is pure Condesa: loud chatter competing with thumping music, sexy waitstaff, and sidewalk seating behind a plastic curtain. Regulars recommend the duck in passion fruit sauce, or the octopus risotto.
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Saint Honoré
This restaurant is especially famous for its vast choice of excellent local and imported wines, having won a place on the Wine Spectator 's 'Outstanding Wines' list for four consecutive years. The romantic dining room has dreamy Mediterranean seascape murals and a menu that includes innovative French dishes like escalopes de foie gras de canard chaud aux framboises (slices of warm duck foie gras pâté with raspberries).
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Saks
Sitting here on the terrace, bathed in sunshine with live music, a cosmopolitan clientele and a view through the leaves to the art stalls, you could be in Montmartre - except the food and weather here are arguably better. Choose from meatless specialties like poblano chilies stuffed with huitlacoche , Camembert soufflé, huge salads and squash-blossom crepes. The dining room is reminiscent of a monastery cellar, with its huge arched windows and vaulted ceilings but, thankfully, more cheerful given the good-humored staff and colorful art work on the walls.
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San Ángel Inn
Next to the Estudio Diego Rivera, the San Ángel Inn is housed in an ex-hacienda complete with lovely flowery courtyard, fountain and gardens. It serves delicious traditional Mexican and European cuisine, but even if you don't splurge for dinner, be sure to sample one of their renowned margaritas or martinis.
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Sanborns
Although not quite as splendid as the Sanborns original located in the historic district, the interior here is still magnificent with ivy-twined classical columns, looming stained glass windows and a lofty vaulted ceiling. The food is, sadly, only average - aside from the breakfast, order the chilaquiles (crushed soft corn tortillas covered in a green chili sauce and topped with cheese).
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Sanborns Casa De Azulejos
The original branch of the citywide chain of coffee shops is worth visiting mainly to admire its main dining hall within a magnificently preserved baroque courtyard. It's a perennially popular meeting place for Chilangos and tourists alike, with rows of tables between octagonal pillars, roof beams alternating with strips of French tile, and a lovely Moorish fountain behind an ornately carved archway.
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Sumo
An elegant Japanese restaurant with a feng shui minimalist look and lots of white, beige and tubular steel furniture. The food is Asian-authentic, with a vast menu that includes deep-fried noodles, sashimi, sushi, noodles, tempura and various imaginative tofu dishes. Wind up with a shot of cold sake.
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Supertacos Chupacabras
Named after the mythical 'goat sucker' (something like the Loch Ness monster), this mega taco stall has a new home beneath a freeway overpass, but true mavens should not be deterred. The beef and sausage tacos (with 'a secret ingredient of 127 spices') can be enhanced by availing yourself of the fried onions, nopales (prickly pear) and other tasty toppings that fill half a dozen huge clay casseroles in front.
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Sushi Shalala
This long-standing Japanese deli is noted for its authenticity (owner Hiroshi is from Tokyo) and casual atmosphere. Standouts include the tempura and negitoro don (fresh tuna with sesame oil served on a bed of rice).
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Taberna De León
Chef Monica Patiño is one of the new breed of female Mexican chefs who are stirring up traditional cuisine in the most delightful and innovative ways. This is her original restaurant and it remains the most popular, especially at weekends when it is packed out with elegant local families with their well-behaved (and fashionably dressed) children.
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Tacos De Canasta Chucho
These bite-sized tacos are filled with things like refried beans, chicharrón (fried pork skin) and mole (just the sauce), and arranged in a big basket. A couple of pails contain the garnishes: spicy guacamole and marinated carrot chunks and chilies.
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Tacos Xotepingo
With seating inside the big dining hall, on the sun-dappled patio or alongside the formidable grill, this taco temple makes a great pit-stop after shopping at the Ciudadela crafts market, opposite.
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Tamales Chiapanecos María Geraldine
At the passageway next to the arched wing of San Juan Bautista church, look for these incredible tamales by native chiapaneca doña María Geraldine. Wrapped in banana leaves, stuffed with ingredients like olives, prunes and almonds, and laced with sublime salsas, they're a meal in themselves.
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Taquería Hola
Mid-morning, local snackers crowd this friendly hole-in-the-wall for a stand-up chomp. Choose from a remarkable array of taco fillings, including sardines, green sausage, stuffed chilies and quelites (a seasonal green), all temptingly displayed in clay dishes. Tacos are served on two tortillas, the second to catch the overflow, and garnished on request with guacamole or crumbly white cheese.
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Taquería Los Paisás
There's always a crowd spilling out of this corner taco stand amidst the wholesale paper district east of the Zócalo, and that's reason enough to join them. Run by three goateed brothers, the place offers overstuffed steak, sausage and pastor tacos - or campechano, all mixed up. Help yourself from the heaving trays of garnishes: mashed potatoes, pico de gallo, cactus paddles and habanero -spiked onions, among others. As there's just one narrow steel table, most patrons have a stand-up chomp.
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Taquitos Frontera
One of a few late-night taquerías along Roma's main drag, this is a humble alternative with cheerful staff, a smoky open grill and leather tables and chairs. In addition to the main attraction, there are great sides like frijoles charros (cowboy beans) and cebollitas (grilled green onions).
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Tezka
This restaurant showcases contemporary Basque cuisine created by Master Chef Juan Mari Arzak, a native of San Sebastián. Seafood is the specialty, with dishes like sea bass and red snapper in a green chili sauce or codfish in a garlic and red pepper marinade. Desserts include a truly decadent warm chocolate torte with fresh berries. The dining room is one of the most stylish in town, accentuated by dramatic copper metalwork.
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Tianguis De Pachuca
The food section at the north end of the weekly Condesa street market offers many tempting options, but none so mouthwatering as the mixiotes, steamed packets of seasoned mutton, whose contents may be rolled into thick tortillas and garnished with fiery chiles de manzana (very hot, yellow chili peppers).
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Tierra De Vinos
The focus is on the wine, with hundreds of vintages lining the cellar-like walls, but there's fine Spanish cuisine to complement your chosen tipple. The mood is smart but not snooty: waiters gladly suggest what to have with, say, a plate of paprika-laced patatas bravas (shiraz), or sea bream over black rice (a barrel-aged tempranillo).
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Tostadas Coyoacán
Inside Coyoacán's main market (between Malitzin and Xicoténcatl) an attractive array of platters here will stop hungry visitors in their tracks. Tostadas are piled high with things like seviche, marinated octopus and pig's trotters, mushrooms and shredded chicken.
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U Rae Ok
The core of the Korean community, the Zona Rosa has several authentic restaurants catering to this discerning and traditional local crowd. This simple upstairs locale has the finest bul-go-gi (grilled marinated beef) and chigae (hearty soup), at the best prices.
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V Zona Rosa
This justifiably popular restaurant is fronted by a taco stand with freshly prepared fillings. Inside, the decor is of the Formica-style school with three TVs, efficient (elderly) service, a congenial English-speaking manager and a great-value three-course lunch menu. Enchiladas, tortas , soups, chicken chilaquiles and fresh fruit salads are a taster of what's on offer.
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Vegetariano Madero
Despite the austere entrance, there's a lively restaurant upstairs where a pianist plinks out old favorites. The meatless menu includes tasty variations on Mexican standards. Balcony seating lets you observe the street activity.
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Villa María
A large spread with an invariably celebratory atmosphere, the Villa María makes a good choice for that special meal a la mexicana . Original recipes like infladitas (mini quesadillas) and sopa capilla (with local cheese, squash flowers and corn) incorporate regional styles from around the Republic. Megamargaritas come in 10 flavors.
