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Restaurants We have selected 25 restaurants, which we have divided into five categories: Gastronomic, Business, Trendy, Budget and Personal Recommendations. The restaurants are listed alphabetically within these different categories, which serve as guidelines rather than absolute definitions of the establishments. Restaurant prices are subject to 15% VAT (Value Added Tax). This is usually included in the price quoted. In Mexico, it is not common practice to include any service charges in a restaurant bill, so a tip of 10-15%, depending on the quality of the service, is expected. Payment of restaurant bills will usually be expected in Mexican Pesos. The prices quoted below are for an average two-course meal and for a bottle of house wine or cheapest equivalent; they include VAT but do not include tip. Gastronomic Au Pied de Cochon This fashionable 24-hour bistro in the Hotel Presidente Inter-Continental (see Hotels) has been a hit with Mexico’s beautiful people since it opened. Modelled closely on the Parisian original, the restaurant offers sumptuous seafood platters, including oysters and lobster, as well as steaks, pigs’ trotters and snails prepared by French chefs. The chocolate profiteroles are delicious. Decor is Art Nouveau and the service is pleasant. An extensive wine list is available. Hotel Presidente Inter-Continental, Avenida Campos Eliseos 216, Polanco Tel: (55) 5327 7756. Website: www.interconti.com Price: M$250. Wine: M$180. Bistro Les Amis This chic modern Polanco bistro has a stylish bar area and simple blue and burgundy decor. The food is contemporary French-Mexican, artistically presented. Signature dishes include baked artichoke with brie, lamb chops with couscous and sautéed tuna in green pepper sauce. The chunky apple pie with cream is to die for and there is an impressive wine list. Goldsmith 66, Polanco Tel: (55) 5280 0505 or 4900. Price: M$300. Wine: M$150. El Cardenal This classical restaurant is always busy thanks to its consistently good Mexican cooking. With formal wood-panelled decor, it offers a haven from the bustle of the Centro Histórico outside. El Cardenal serves hearty soups and steaks with fried beans, guacamole and enchiladas. Seasonal specialities include grilled Maguey worms and chile en nogada (chilli in a sweet creamy sauce with nuts and pomegranate). Palma 23, Centro Histórico Tel: (55) 5521 3080 or 8815. Price: M$150. Wine: M$100. Lando Grill This elegant bistro-style restaurant on Lincoln Park in Polanco attracts celebrities, politicians and businesspeople for its outstanding cuisine and discreet charm. With leather chairs, wood panelling and jazz in the background, the Lando exudes good taste. An impressive wine list accompanies sophisticated home cooking. Signature dishes are carpaccio of portabello mushroom and artichoke, exquisite lamb chops and an unparalleled chocolate bomb. A wide selection of seafood and steaks is also available. Emilio Castelar 121, Polanco Tel: (55) 5282 3052. Fax: (55) 5282 3053. Price: M$250. Wine: M$150. Les Moustaches Situated in Cuauhtemoc, just one block away from the central Monument to Independence, this restaurant has excellent Anglo-French food attentively served in an atmosphere of discreet elegance. The ground floor is an attractive plant-filled patio, while the second floor provides three elegant private rooms for banquets. The food is fresh and sumptuous. They are famous for their mussel soup, duck in orange sauce and spectacular pistachio soufflé. Río Sena 88, Cuauhtemoc Tel: (55) 5533 3390 or 5525 1265 (reservations). Fax: (55) 5207 7149. Website: www.lesmoustaches.com.mx Price: M$250. Wine: M$180. Business Chez Wok This classy Chinese restaurant, with its yellow and red minimalist decor, is a favourite with Chinese businessspeople. Service is discreet and attentive. The food, prepared by Hong Kong chefs, is superb and its presentation impeccable. Highlights include vegetable dumplings filled with shitake mushrooms, exquisite hot and sour soup, king prawns in black pepper, and duck with prawn sauce and sesame. The menu offers an extensive selection of wines, as well as champagne. Tennyson 117, Polanco Tel: (55) 5281 3410 or 2921. Price: M$350. Wine: M$150. La Cava La Cava is a popular restaurant in the south of the city offering high-quality food in relaxed and comfortable surroundings. The decor is predominantly colonial and the covered patio, with its central fountain, is particularly pleasant. The seafood is recommended, especially the trout and the Portuguese sardines (when in season). All the desserts are excellent. Avenida Insurgentes Sur 2465 Tel: (55) 5550 1106. Price: M$150. Wine: M$100. La Valentina On the first floor of a plush Polanco mall, this haute Mexican restaurant is always packed and animated. The colonial hacienda furnishings and the Mariachi musicians adding their voices to the general bustle of the place make this an authentic Mexican dinning experience. It serves one of the best chicken in mole sauces in town. Avenida Presidente Masaryk 393, Polanco Tel: (55) 5282 2812 or 2514. Price: M$150. Wine: M$120. Los Naranjos Los Naranjos offers upmarket, nouvelle Mexican cuisine in convenient Polanco. Service is good, while the food is original and flavoursome. Recommended starters are the smoked marlin on a crunchy tortilla or the taco of lobster with fresh avocado and coriander sauce. Signature dishes include tequila-marinated shrimps with ancho chilli and prickly pear, chicken rolls with curd cheese, and fried plantain with a red mole sauce, and, for dessert, guava stuffed with guanabana mousse. Lopez de Vega 334, Polanco Tel: (55) 5545 0755. Price: M$150. Wine: M$100. San Angel Inn This ex-hacienda with its pretty courtyard is one of the city’s most attractive restaurants. Situated in the southern colonial district of San Angel, it serves good Mexican and international food. Signature dishes include the trout, the prawns on a skewer and the huitlacoche (corn fungus – a Mexican delicacy) crêpes. The wine list is extensive and the margaritas are delicious. Diego Rivera 50, San Angel Tel: (55) 5616 0973. Price: M$250. Wine: M$150. Trendy Blu Located in the upmarket San Angel district in the south of the city, Blu is frequented by the ‘beautiful people’, who come to enjoy its exceedingly stylish decor and its fresh Mediterranean cuisine. The pasta and seafood are especially recommended. Signature dishes include red snapper in saffron sauce, salmon ravioli and the onion and mushroom focaccia. For dessert, the Big Mistake chocolate cake will leave you with no regrets. Avenida de la Paz 57, San Angel Tel: (55) 5616 4791. Price: M$150. Wine: M$100. Aguila y Sol This chic Polanco hangout is elegantly designed in a minimalist style with cool mint colours. The food is contemporary Mexican and combines delicious flavours in an original way. Eye-catching starters include foie gras with cacao and guava or squash-flower soup with a touch of curry and almond. Recommended mains include the blue crab enchiladas in a hazelnut and chilli sauce or tuna steak in pepperleaf. Moliere 42, Polanco Tel: (55) 5281 8354. Price: M$250. Wine: M$200. Estacion Central In the hip Condesa neighbourhood, Estacion Central offers tasty food in a funky modern setting. The decor is chrome and cream, while the chairs have long triangular backs. Exotic cocktails are served up alongside a tempting choice of international dishes. Starters include veal carpaccio or Roquefort and pear soup, followed by mains such as roast duck in a tamarind and sesame sauce or sea bass with coriander on a black bed of rice in squid ink. Service is helpful. Alfonso Reyes 108, Condesa Tel: (55) 5256 1133. Fax: (55) 5553 1722. E-mail: estacioncentral@starmedia.com Price: M$200. Wine: M$100. Ixchel This hip restaurant is a favourite haunt among Mexican media types and artists. Situated in a beautiful colonial mansion in the heart of bohemian Roma, it houses a terrace bar downstairs, a cool blue velvet lounge and an elegant restaurant upstairs. Presentation is artistic and the food tasty, fusing Oriental and Mexican styles. Recommended dishes are the Thai chicken salad, Oriental salmon fillet on bok choy and the crème brûlée. Medellin 65, Roma Tel: (55) 5525 0730 or 5208 4055. Fax: (55) 5525 0730. Price: M$200. Wine: M$100. Los Danzantes Enjoying a prime location on Coyoacán square, this pleasant, airy restaurant serves inventive nouvelle Mexican and international cuisine. The service is somewhat languid but it is a good place to talk and people-watch. The coconut-wrapped prawns in sweet and sour sauce make a good starter. An interesting main dish is the medallions of beef in mescal and chilli sauce. Plaza Jardin Centenario 12, Coyoacán Tel: (55) 5658 6451. Price: M$150. Wine: M$100. Budget Café Tacuba A Mexican institution in the Centro Histórico, Café Tacuba was founded in 1912 and has remained popular among Mexicans and tourists alike. The restaurant is a feast for the eye, with painted archways, colourful tiles, stained-glass windows and brass lamps. Prices are low for the traditional Mexican fare, which ranges from tacos and tamales to pork chops, mole and steak. Tacuba 28, Centro Histórico Tel: (55) 5512 8482. Price: M$100. Wine: M$100. Casa de Azulejos The ‘House of Tiles’, literally covered in Mexican blue and white tiles, is one of the most eye-catching buildings in the Centro Histórico. This 16th-century mansion is an ideal stop-off on the way to the Zócalo. The spacious interior is as impressive, with seating around a Moorish fountain in an airy courtyard enlivened by frescoes. Food is basic Mexican, with a good range of soups, salads, fajitas, enchiladas and steaks. Avenida Madero 4, Centro Histórico Tel: (55) 5518 0152 or 5521 6058. Fax: (55) 5512 7882. Price: M$100. Wine: M$100. La Casita de Ochun This tiny, colourful Cuban restaurant, tucked away in the quiet southern suburb of San Jeronimo, offers wholesome, authentic Cuban home cooking. The fried plantain with melted cheese makes a hearty and delicious starter. A house speciality is a chicken dish – Pollo Ochun – the recipe is the chef’s secret. The fish in garlic sauce is also very good. For dessert, the sweet, rich Flan Ochun must not be missed. Escolta 9, between Presa and San Bernabe, San Jeronimo Tel: (55) 5681 5846. Price: M$70. Wine: M$100. Oriental A funky, unpretentious new Chinese restaurant, with orange decor, bare bricks and low lighting, Oriental has become a hit with hip Condesa residents. The menu offers tempting starters, such as crab tostadas, pork dumplings and shrimp thai rolls. The crunchy red snapper bites in a sweet sesame sauce make a delicious main course, as do the glazed duck pancakes and shrimp brochete in black bean sauce. Service is attentive and the delicious margaritas slip down a treat. Nuevo Leon 137, Condesa Tel: (55) 5286 7526. Fax: (55) 5286 0988. E-mail: dinastiarest@aol.com Price: M$150. Wine: M$180. Saks This rustic vegetarian restaurant on the busy Avenida Insurgentes heading south of the city has vaulted ceilings and medieval paintings on the walls. Exotic fruit juices and enormous portions of healthy food, combining Mexican and international cuisine, are served up in a relaxed atmosphere. The Saks salad of artichokes, palm hearts, asparagus, portobello mushrooms and feta cheese is excellent, as is the chilli filled with squash flower, nopal cactus and mushrooms. Avenida Insurgentes Sur 1641, Florida Tel: (55) 5598 6433 or 5563 3402. Fax: (55) 5598 7258. Price: M$100. Wine: M$100. Personal Recommendations Bistro Charlotte This cosy, charming restaurant on a quiet Polanco street is lovingly run by its English owner. The changing menu offers interesting fusion options with an Oriental slant. Recommended dishes include the bay scallops in Hoisin sauce, the Vietnamese duck rolls and the prawn laksa. The dark chocolate bomb with mango and coconut ice cream is a mouthwatering dessert. Lope de Vega 341, Chapultepec Morales Tel: (55) 5250 4180. Price: M$200. Wine: M$100. El Bodeguita del Medio Named after Ernest Hemmingway’s haunt in Cuba and decorated with clients’ signatures covering the walls, a good night out is guaranteed at this characterful bar-restaurant in artistic Roma. The atmosphere is lively, with a Cuban band playing most nights, and the mojitos (a Cuban cocktail of rum, lime juice, sugar and mint) are the best in town. Specialities of the house include black beans and rice (moros y cristianos), shredded beef and tomato stew (vieja ropa) and fried chicken with banana. Cozumel 37, Roma Tel: (55) 5553 0246. E-mail: bdelmmex@prodigy.net.mx Price: M$150. Wine: M$100. El Mosaico This newly opened French brasserie-style restaurant is always packed. Located in the fashionable Condesa neighbourhood, El Mosaico is a place to while away an afternoon, enjoying superlative food and attentive service. The menu includes typical French fare, such as quiches, steak tartare and black pepper steak, as well as Moroccan dishes like chicken and carrot tajine (stew). Michoacan 10 and Amsterdam, Condesa Tel: (55) 5584 2932. Price: M$150. Wine: M$100. Kohinoor Indian restaurants are rare in Mexico City but this gem, in the new business district of Sante Fe in the north, will satisfy any curry craving with its delicious, rich dishes. The decor is bright and clean, with the focal point being the glass window allowing diners to watch chefs at work. The chicken tikka masala is very good, the tandoor-baked nan breads are delicious and there is a good variety of vegetarian options. Guillermo Gonzalez Camarena 999, Sante Fe Tel: (52 55) 5292 1291. Price: M$100. Wine: M$100. La Opera Bar Another gem of Mexican history, this saloon-style restaurant-bar, founded in 1870, has bullets lodged in its ceiling courtesy of revolutionary Pancho Villa, who rode into the bar on horseback – according to legend. Heavy carved wooden ceilings and booths, mirrors and red and gold wallpaper evoke the feeling of being on the set of a Western. The food is an eclectic mix from Spanish tapas, like sardines, to Mediterranean classics, like Caesar salad, and more interesting dishes, like red snapper with olive and tomato sauce. Avenida Cinco de Mayo, Centro Histórico Tel: (55) 5512 8959. Fax: (55) 5518 3514. Price: M$150. Wine: M$150. |
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