Ups, I did it again. Yes, I am calling this post “a foodie’s guide on where to eat in Mexico City”, and I already know someone will complain. However, please just take it with a grain of salt. I very well know that five days are not enough to adequately eat my way through a city and write about it with any kind of authority.
This article shall be a work in progress, as it was my first time in CDMX. For now, if you are keen to find out about places to eat in Mexico City that I enjoyed, read on. I am also sharing a great food tour and some useful (hotel)tips for first-timers in one of the most fabulous capitals of the world.
Where to eat in Mexico City – my personal favorites & tips for your trip
What to eat in Mexico City
First things first: what to eat in Mexico City? Of course, I am poking into another potential hornet’s nest if I am trying to tell you what to eat in Mexico City or try to explain certain foods.
So, I won’t, and instead I will just give you a very brief overview of some dishes and drinks I came across that I thought were interesting or novel to me. They didn’t necessarily originate in CDMX, nor are they the best of the best or everything you will find to eat in Mexico City. It is simply a little albet incomplete list of Mexican food you may come across often.
For anything else, read on and book my Mexico City food tour recommendation below…
- Tacos al Pastor / A corn tortilla with marinated pork that is shaved from a spit and served with pineapple, cilantro, and onion.
- Birria / A stewed meat, either goat or beef, and often served in tacos with a side of consommé or as a quesobirria, which is basically the quesadilla version (and insanely delicious).
- Cochinita Pibil / Slow-roasted pork, marinated in citrus.
- Sope / Am I allowed to call it a thick corn tortilla?
- Chilaquiles / Tortilla pieces cooked in red or green salsa and served with various toppings – a great breakfast dish if you add an egg or two.
- Tamales / Masa dough that is shaped into little parcels and steamed in corn husks or banana leaves. It can be filled sweet or savory.
- Huitlacoche / Also called corn smut or, way nicer sounding, Mexican truffle. It is a fungus grown on corn and similarly used like a mushroom.
- Nopales / The leafy part of the prickly pear cactus and a beloved vegetable in Mexico.
- Horchata / A drink traditionally made from rice and water, usually served with a lot of sugar and cinnamon.
- Pulque / Looks like horchata but is so much better! That is, if you like fermented drinks as it is made from fermented agave sap and can have up to 8 % alcohol.
The best food tour in Mexico City
If you want to try some of the best authentic food in Mexico City, a food tour is the way to go. It is also a great option if you are a solo traveler and don’t want to eat on your own, or if you are a bit scared of street food.
Like many other cities that I love (think Bangkok, Hanoi, or Kuala Lumpur), street food is at the heart of a city’s culinary delights. However, knowing where to find safe and delicious street food is not so easy if you are new to town. That is why I do a food tour in most cities I travel to, as I think it is a great introduction to a city’s cuisine and to get the lay of the land.
There are plenty of Mexico City food tours on offer, and I had a hard time deciding which was the right one for me. Then I came across a YouTube video by a creator I unfortunately don’t remember and wrote down the food tour they did, as it included a home-cooked meal.
- This is the one: México City: Food Tour with homemade food (mi casa es tu casa)
The tour is run by Yibran and his wife, Daniela, and is truly one of a kind (that says something coming from me). First and foremost, both of them are delightful, lovely people, and know a lot about their city and its cuisine. Yibran also offers bike tours through Mexico City, so you will not only eat a lot but also learn a lot about the city’s sights and history.
What’s on the menu? Local neighborhood favorites, of course! You won’t find any Michelin-starred tacos on this tour, but rather experience authentic places that are the go-to places for locals. Birria tacos and consommé, fish tacos, blue corn sope with chicken, and so much more…
Yibran will also take you to a market to show you the produce (and the piñatas) and give you tips for other restaurants in Mexico City you should visit. Best of all, however, is a meal of homemade tamales and hot Mexican chocolate at their home, as well as a fruit tasting of indigenous Mexican fruit (I had never tried any of them). Daniela is such a Masterchef, and both, tamales and hot chocolate were delicious.
You can also book an additional mezcal tasting at their home – the perfect introduction to Mexican spirits.
I cannot stress this enough: do not eat breakfast before doing this food tour and wear stretchy pants.
- Book Mi Casa es Tu Casa food tour in Mexico City: GetYourGuide / Viator
The best restaurants in Mexico City
By now, Mexico City has no shortage of Michelin restaurants. Unfortunately, I was too late to get a reservation at the 2 star restaurants Quintonil and Pujol.
Still, star or no star, there are so many great restaurants in Mexico City. What most of them have in common is that you will either need to make a reservation or be prepared to wait. And yes, that even goes for some street food places like Taquería El Califa de León, the first ever taqueria to get a Michelin star.
As I already mentioned, this is by no means a comprehensive list of Mexico City restaurants but simply a recount of the places I ate at and enjoyed. This list will be a work in progress because that was definitely not my last visit to CDMX.
Masala y Maíz
Masala y Maíz was the first restaurant I visited in Mexico City and one that had immediately caught my eye. As the name implies, you will get Indian-Mexican fusion, and after my recent trips to Jaipur and Mumbai, I was already missing Indian flavors.
First things first: the cocktails come with a clear message, and one that I approve. If you don’t think food is political, think again. That aside, the cocktails were as good as they were strong.
Lunch started strong with a ceviche and uchuva served with a giant popadom, followed by the most morish prawns with vanilla ghee. It was one to remember. The lovely staff didn’t need to remind me to suck out the prawn heads to get to the most delicious bits (thanks to my friend Alice on our Vietnam trip, I know how it works).
After, I was still peckish, and since I am not a fan of samosas, I went for the gordita filled with lamb. I was equally tempted by the paratha quesadilla, though… as you can see, the menu is a beautiful and very delicious merge of two culinary powerhouses. Come hungry.
Expendio de Maiz
Expendio de Maiz is one of the coolest restaurants in Mexico City and the one I was most excited for. There is no menu, and the dining is communal. I got lucky because this little solo traveler can usually sneak a spot when dining alone. While I was prepared to wait, I was happy to slide onto the bench next to a Mexican couple and a Singaporean family and sip on my first cup of pulque.
The concept is deceptively simple: there is one open kitchen and the waiters bring you one plate of yumminess after the next. The food comes out in rounds, everyone gets the same thing; you can only choose between vegetarian and non-vegetarian. They will keep on bringing food until you say “no mas”.
Dishes are small and cost between $85 and $150 MXN. While you wait for your next round, you can watch the staff prepare the dishes, press tortillas, and make cocktails – have a mezcalita!
The lovely waiters will try their best to translate for you as well so you know what you are easting. I managed to eat four dishes before I had to say “no mas,” and I did skip the dessert.
On the menu, various tacos and tortillas with slow-cooked meat, pumpkin, and other vegetables… while they were all delicious, they ended up tasting quite similar in the end. This may have been part of the concept or my taste buds’ fault – still, the idea is so novel and fun, I’d be back here any day for a lunch in the sun.
- Tip: They don’t take reservations, so you will need to get there early, get lucky, or put your name on the wait list. They will WhatsApp you with enough warning to tell you when you have a spot, but I was told that it can take a couple of hours. They do not accept credit cards, but only cash (pesos or US$).
Mi Compa Chava
Mi Compa Chava was another Mexico City eatery that came up more than once during my research. As I wasn’t staying far, I took an early evening stroll to see if I could snatch a seat and got lucky. In a restaurant that was filled to the brim, they give solo diners a seat at the seafood counter.
Mi Compa Chava is mainly known for its ceviches, aguachiles, and giant seafood towers. While they look very Instagram-worthy, I have come to realize that I have a limit for raw, acidic seafood, and a whole tower clearly surpasses that limit.
To be honest, I was a bit stressed while ordering as they only have Spanish menus, and it just takes me a bit (or a lot) longer. In the end, I went for a tuna tostada and half a dozen oysters. The latter, I could have skipped because while they were nice, they were also very simple and quite expensive – my Spanish is not good enough yet to ask for prices…
That said, I made new friends at the counter who had the prawns and an octopus tostada, and both looked delicious.
- Tip: Mi Compa Chava closes early, last order at 7 pm. Plan accordingly and make a reservation if you are not dining by yourself.
Restaurante Rosetta
When I read about Rosetta, I was immediately keen. Chef Elena Reygadas was crowned best female chef in 2023, the restaurant has 1 Michelin star, and the menu focuses on local and seasonal ingredients, where veggies reign supreme.
While the ingredients are obviously Mexican, there are very few ‘typical’ Mexican dishes on the menu. Don’t go here for your birria tacos… Instead, clever and understated plates that really let the produce shine. Think rye sourdough and chicatana ants butter, Savoy cabbage tacos, and pink mole with smoked beets, but also plenty of pasta dishes, giving it a distinct Italian nod.
My meal, to be honest, was average. I started with the scallops, soursop, and avocado leaf, probably the star of the evening. Jerusalem artichoke, red romesco, Brussels sprouts, and purslane followed. Especially if budget is a consideration (and unfortunately it usually is when dining in a Mexico City restaurant), I like to opt for a vegetarian dish. And as it is, I am a huge fan of both Brussels sprouts and Jerusalem artichoke, but this was so uninspired and almost bland.
After this, my dessert of Tsitsilché honey jelly, peaches, and brown butter ice cream had no chance to change the course of the meal, unfortunately.
That said, maybe my choices were off that night?! I would give Rosetta another chance because the setup in an old Roma Norte mansion, divided into different rooms, is stunning. Equally stunning is Salón Rosetta, the upstairs bar. I had a cocktail with fig leaf and matcha that was good enough that I had to reorder it during my meal.
Máximo
And then there was Máximo, my probably all-around favorite meal in Mexico City. Máximo is another restaurant with 1 star, but it was easy enough to get a last-minute reservation for one.
The setting is lovely, and behind a somewhat austere facade, you will walk by the huge kitchen before entering the dining room. Lots of wood, high ceilings, and quite a few trees make you think you are sitting in a shady courtyard.
While they do have a tasting menu, you can also eat à la carte. Do start with a cocktail as they are divine. I had the Pink Peppercorn Sour and the Avocado Leaf Sour, but there is something for everyone, from local and innovative to classic, on the menu.
I started my meal with octopus ceviche, tostadas, and guacamole. The portion was pretty big for a starter, and the octopus was delicious and tender. I also loved the fact that you build your own bite with this dish: a piece of tastada, a dollop of guac, add some octopus, or the other way around – all up to you.
Afterward, I ordered the lamb quesabirria, which is unfortunately not on the menu anymore (maybe it will come back?!). While I learned that a quesabirria is a taco with birria and queso inside, this one was different: the taco itself was made from cheese and filled with lamb birria. Whoever thought of that was a genius because who doesn’t like a taco made of fried, burny cheese?!
I shouldn’t have been able to, but I managed to squeeze a dessert in, and yay for me because this dessert became one of the best dishes I ate in 2025: chaurand goat cheese ice cream, phyllo, guava, olive oil.
I have a hard time describing the joy of eating this dish, but for someone who prefers her desserts on the savory side, this was the perfect mix between a cheese course and a dessert. And yes, it is still on the menu, so I recommend you run, not walk, and order the dessert before you order anything else!
Panadería Rosetta
Doe-eyed and bushy-tailed – that was me on my first morning in Mexico City when I arrived at Panadería Rosetta just after they had opened. I was warned of long queues, and so my jetlag did me a favor: there was no queue in sight when I arrived.
Panadería Rosetta is the bakery of Restaurante Rosetta and is known for its fabulous pastries. They are famous enough that I ordered not only their famous guava roll but also a berry mille-feuille. I managed to get a table and make a crumbly mess right there and regret nothing.
They also make a really good matcha latte and have a full breakfast menu. That said, the old-fashioned bakery counter is definitely the star, and the service is so fast and efficient that a little queue shouldn’t deter you if you don’t want to get up at 7 am.
Churrería El Moro
Admittedly, my knowledge of churros is limited. This is probably due to the fact that I usually don’t like pastries with a sugar crumb. However, when you are staying next to an El Moro location, getting at least one churro seems to be the rule.
While I had to wait longer than I would have liked, I was a bit sad that I only got one single churro in the end. I couldn’t say if El Moro makes the best churros in Mexico City, but there should be a one-churro-is-not-enough kind of rule. If only to train my taste buds for the future…
Tips for Mexico City first-timers
Is it your first time in Mexico City? Whether you are a seasoned traveler like me or not, traveling to a new country and a big city like CDMX can be a bit intimidating. After living in Cape Town for many years, I dare say I am used to cities with a higher than average crime rate, but was still cautious when planning my Mexico City trip.
I focused my stay on being in Condesa and Roma Norte, areas that are pretty safe. I know gentrification is an issue, but I wanted to feel at ease, especially as a woman traveling on my own and as it was my first stay.
I had nothing to worry about, though. As soon as I arrived, my nervous system was at ease. That is not to say that CDMX doesn’t have any problems or that you should be reckless with late-night strolls or flashing your jewels around. I am just sharing how I felt, and that Mexico City’s reputation shouldn’t deter you.
Here are some tips for your stay:
Mexico City Airport
Mexico City International Airport Benito Juárez is quite close to the city center and, at the moment, unfortunately, under construction. That means there are detours and shortcuts, it is loud, and a bit confusing.
That said, immigration was fast enough, at least when I arrived, but unfortunately, it took almost an hour to get my luggage. How to get from the airport to the city center? Uber is the way to go! You can choose between 2 exits that are clearly shown on the app, and even in the evening, I felt safe driving to my hotel.
When flying, try not to spend too much time at the airport. Gate assignments always seem very short notice, and waiting areas are often cramped and very loud. A lounge pass will come in handy!
Also, don’t worry if you miss the immigration counter. As a tourist leaving, you will automatically be ‘signed out,’ and you won’t need to go through immigration or get an exit stamp.
Getting around Mexico City
I did a fair bit of walking in Mexico City, which felt both safe and pleasant in many neighborhoods. Unlike other cities, cars actually stop at zebra crossings too!
For longer distances, the metro and the bus are convenient, fast, and inexpensive. I will admit that I usually took an Uber, which was very affordable as well. That said, traffic can be a nuisance and add quite a bit of travel time to your trip. Just plan accordingly.
Money
In many places in Mexico City, you can pay either with Mexican pesos or US$. However, unlike places like Tulum, you should assume a price is shown in pesos and ask before whipping out your dollars.
Many restaurants and shops do accept credit cards these days, though, I was getting some cash as well. I tend to use my credit card that I can use without extra fees for ATM withdrawals. It does pay off to ‘shop around’ a bit, though, as I found machines were charging anywhere from 70 to 200 pesos for a single withdrawal. And even with a good card you won’t get these costs refunded.
Also make sure to choose Mexican pesos when paying with credit card. Many machines will give you a choice whether to pay in local currency or your home currency, and the local currency will always give you better conversion rates.
Language
Toto, we ain’t in Tulum anymore! I noticed that one quickly when it came to language. For better or worse, a lot more people spoke Spanish to me and handed me a Spanish menu in Mexico City. I honestly don’t mind, though my Spanish is bad. As in really bad. I vow to do better for my next trip… If your Spanish skills are equally dismal, get the Google Translate app, use the photo option if needed, and definitely don’t get mad if someone won’t speak English with you!
SIM card & wifi
The wifi at the airport, as well as in most restaurants and hotels, was pretty solid. That said, I don’t like to be without a connection anymore and always get a local SIM card or an eSIM.
While in countries like Thailand, a local SIM card is cheap and easy to get, I found the opposite was true in Mexico. While my friend had told me that it was easy to get a Mexican SIM card from the Telcel store at the airport, I opted for an Airalo eSIM this time around. It was reasonably priced and worked as soon as I landed in CDMX.
Hotels in Mexico City
In the name of research, I stayed at three different hotels in Mexico City during my five-night stay. All of them are located in Condesa and Roma Norte, two neighborhoods I can wholeheartedly recommend.
Hotel rates are not the cheapest in Mexico City, so if you want to spend less, check out Hostel Mundo Joven Catedral that my friend Viki recommended.
Casa Tonalá by Kukun
Casa Tonalá by Kukun was my first accommodation in Mexico City and is relatively new. It is an apart-hotel with various-sized flats in Roma Norte and within walking distance from Panadería Rosetta.
Check-in was a bit complicated as there is no reception as such, but a security desk and WhatsApp-only communication, but once I was in, all was well.
I had a cute studio with a big balcony overlooking an even bigger tree, a kitchen, a lounge/ bedroom area, and even a proper desk in front of a huge window. Downstairs, there is also a communal coworking space that looks rather nice.
A small downside: they only offer cleaning after a few nights. While I didn’t need cleaning for a 2-night stay, I would have appreciated the offer at this price point.
Hotel San Fernando
Ach, Hotel San Fernando… I really wanted to love this little boutique hotel in Condesa, and I kind of did. First of all, the location right by Parque México couldn’t be better. You can walk to Churrería El Moro and many other great restaurants in Condesa, and the hotel is housed in a beautiful Art Deco building. That said, it can get quite loud, so earplugs are a must.
Make sure to confirm your check-in time beforehand, as this was an issue during my stay. That said, rooms are beautifully designed and quirky, they have a fun lounge on the ground floor, and the staff is very nice.
Nido Condesa
If you wanted a proper little apartment instead of a hotel in Mexico City, Nido Condesa might be the choice for you. Another leafy Condesa street, a little market close by, as well as a fantastic cheese shop and a cute cafe next door – the neighborhood is a vibe.
Nido Condesa offers different-sized apartments that are all well-appointed and nicely furnished. If you want to forgo eating out or simply reheat food leftovers, they even have a decent-sized kitchen.
The only minus for those who mind: there is also no daily cleaning service offered.
Pin for later!
