Restaurants in Mexico City
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Hip Kitchen
At the stylish bistro of Condesa’s Hippodrome Hotel, star chefs fuse Mexican and international cuisine in exciting ways: slow-cooked ribs get brushed with hoisin sauce, and baked prawns are served with risotto and wild mushrooms. Dining is in a narrow, romantic space with a wall-length sofa and art deco fixtures. Reservations recommended.
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Klein’s
Just what you need in a neighbourhood apothecary: candles, rare scents and unguents from far and wide. Stock ranges from the utterly indulgent (L’Artisan Perfumes) to the totally practical (Weleda lip balm). Staff will recommend the perfect gift (and are especially knowledgeable about perfume) and wrap even the most modest purchase with style.
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La Rauxa
Here’s an interesting twist on the comida corrida concept, featuring uniquely created Catalan-influenced fare by chef/owner Quim Jardí. Instead of a printed menu, Quim describes what’s being served, with at least one vegetarian main course option daily. Pleasant terrace seating under a big tree is usually filled by 2:30pm.
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El Hidalguense
Slow-cooked over aged oak wood in an underground pit, the Hidalgo-style barbacoa (mutton) at this family-run eatery is off-the-charts delectable. Get things started with a rich consommé or queso asado (grilled cheese with herbs), then move on to the tacos. Top it off on a warm and fuzzy note by sampling the flavored pulques.
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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 a range of tasty variations on Mexican standards. Balcony seating lets you observe the street activity. A nearby street-level branch, the Restaurante Vegetariano (Filomena Mata 13), displays the day’s offerings out front.
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Taquería Los Paisas
This corner taco stand southeast of the Zócalo offers overstuffed steak, sausage and pastor (spit-roasted pork) tacos or campechano (mixed meat) tacos. Help yourself from the heaping trays of garnishes: mashed potatoes, pico de gallo (chopped tomato, onion and chili), cactus paddles and habanero-spiked onions, among others.
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El Zorzal
Run by Buenos Aires expats, this is the best of many options for Argentine fare, with imported cuts, as well as fresh pasta and generous salads. The parrillada (M$460), a mixed grill served on a chopping board, feeds at least two. The small, unpretentious dining room is adorned with photos of Argentine songbird Carlos ‘El Zorzal’ Gardel.
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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.
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Meridiem
At the northern end of the lake, the Meridiem has soothing lake and fountain views and a bumper daily buffet (1:30pm to 5pm) with plenty of hot and cold choices; the latter generally including dishes like pescado de ajillo (fish with garlic). Lesser appetites can eat relatively inexpensively here by ordering the tacos, which are well prepared and filling.
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Hacienda de Los Morales
Often the setting for banquets and receptions, the 400-year-old former silk-producing hacienda serves sumptuous variations on Mexican and Spanish classics in its regally luxurious dining room, surrounded by lush gardens. Recommended dishes include chiles en nogada and the mango flambé. Reservations are essential and the dress is bib-and-tucker formal.
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Péndulo
A small restaurant located within a classy bookshop. Come here for a breakfast omelette Juliette with spinach, tomato and goat cheese in the elegant downstairs café, surrounded by books and cosseted by classical music, which is live on Sunday mornings. More substantial fare includes fresh pasta and fish dishes, plus there is a cut-price children's menu.
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12:30
Located at the heart of the gay nightlife district, 12:30 is good for sandwiches, salads and other ‘ munchis’. In fact, the relaxed, social atmosphere may appeal to exhausted clubbers – the electronica soundtrack is usually low enough for actual conversation. Go upstairs to dine on a terrace overlooking Amberes. Service can be a challenge.
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Pujol
Famed Mexican chef Enrique Olvera offers a contemporary take on classic Mexican dishes in this smartly minimalist room. Delectable offerings include the robalito al pastor (marinated sea bass) and the costillas de mole de olla (braised short ribs). Indecisive eaters can sample five of Olvera’s signature dishes by ordering the menu degustación.
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Breadhaus
Everything costs M$59 on this menu, including baguettes, paninis, ciabatta and fat focaccias stuffed with a nine-filling choice like serrano ham, roast beef and salmon. If you want to lay off the dough, go for one of their mixed-leaf salads. The space is inside-outside and attracts local business types with limited lunch breaks and expansive appetites.
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El Lago
This restaurant is more famous for its fabulous views and who’s who clientele than (of late) for its food, which is good, rather than exceptional. Push the boat out with a seafood dish like grilled sardines with a arugula salad and grab a pew next to the picture window overlooking the lake. The dining room is seriously grand and the service predictably efficient.
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Chalet Suizo
Dating from 1950, this 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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Otto
The duck-egg blue and burgundy two-tone paintwork equals a fashionable look at this bistro-style restaurant where white-smocked waiters serve up dishes like risotto with fish and mushrooms, salmon with couscous and pineapple, and crema de flor de calabaza con coco (soup of squash flowers with coconut). Breakfast goodies include bagels with salmon and cream cheese.
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Sanborns
Although not as splendid as the Sanborns original in the historic district, the interior here is still magnificent with ivy-twined columns, looming stained glass windows and a lofty vaulted ceiling. The food is, sadly, only average – aside from the breakfast, order chilaquiles (crushed soft corn tortillas covered in green chili sauce and topped with cheese).
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El Cuadrilátero
Owned by luchador (wrestler) Super Astro, this shrine to lucha libre features a wall of wrestlers’ masks. 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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Supertacos Chupacabras
Named after the mythical ‘goat sucker’ (something like the Loch Ness monster), this mega taco stall stands 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 and other tasty toppings that fill six clay casseroles in front.
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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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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 Manchego cheese. There’s an excellent wine list with riojas.
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Café Mangia
Enjoy an uncomplicated menu of panini with fillings such as pesto and smoked cheese, roast beef, cheese and herbs and smoked salmon with cream cheese. There’s a healthy salad and breakfast choice, plus fresh juices and seriously good coffee. The atmosphere is boho-arty with white-painted brick walls, challenging artwork and an outside terrace. All the vegetables are organically grown.
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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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La Fonda del Hotentote
In the wholesale-paper district, this lunchtime-only comedor (dining room) brings a touch of class to Mexican standards without putting on airs. Standouts include red snapper tamales, nopales in chile guajillo sauce (cactus paddles in a sweet, mild chilli sauce), and pollo tocotlán (chicken steamed in maguey leaves with aromatic herbs). Desserts are equally enticing.
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