Best Mexican Modern Restaurants Around the World

Pujol ★ 4.9

Pujol in Mexico City is Enrique Olvera's two-Michelin-star Polanco room on Tennyson, the kitchen that put modern Mexican on the world map with its mole madre.

OrderThe Mole Madre Mole Nuevo, served with fresh tortillas.

TipBook at least four weeks ahead via the website; lunch is shorter and slightly easier to land than dinner.

Quintonil ★ 4.9

Quintonil in Mexico City is Jorge Vallejo and Alejandra Flores' two-Michelin-star Polanco kitchen on Newton, ranked number three on the World's 50 Best.

OrderThe tasting menu; the charred avocado tartare is the room's signature.

TipClosed Sundays; book six weeks out via the website. Lunch is the easier window.

Mixtli ★ 4.9

Mixtli is San Antonio's first Michelin-starred restaurant, where chefs Diego Galicia and Rico Torres build a rotating tasting menu around one Mexican region.

OrderWhatever region the rotating tasting menu is exploring this season.

TipThe menu changes every several weeks and focuses on one region of Mexico at a time. Book on Tock well ahead; seats are limited.

Alcalde ★ 4.8

Alcalde in Guadalajara is Paco Ruano's one-Michelin-star Avenida Mexico tasting-menu room since 2013, a Lafayette anchor for modern Mexican plates.

SignatureTuetano asado, Short rib taco, Mole negro

Sazon ★ 4.8

Fernando Olea, 2022 James Beard Best Chef Southwest, has cooked in Santa Fe since 1991; Sazon opened on Shelby Street in 2015 with a Degustacion menu.

SignatureChef's Degustacion nine-course menu, Seabass in mole verde, Duck with mole poblano

Californios 2 ★ ★ 4.8

Californios in San Francisco is Val Cantu's two-Michelin-star modern Mexican tasting in SoMa, with masa from heritage corns nixtamalised in-house.

Book4 to 6 weeks ahead

TipThe wine pairing is a strong commit; the agave pairing is the move if you want sotol and mezcal.

ELEMI ★ 4.7

ELEMI is the James Beard Award semifinalist restaurant of chef Emiliano Marentes in east El Paso, centred on daily-ground heirloom corn masa and craft.

OrderChef's selection of masa-based dishes with heirloom corn tortillas, or the braised short rib taco

TipWalk-ins welcome but dinner can fill on weekends; arrive at 17:00 for best selection.

Origen ★ 4.7

Origen in Oaxaca is Rodolfo Castellanos's Benito Juarez flagship since 2011, a Michelin-Guide-listed room where modern technique meets criollo corn and mole.

Book1 to 2 weeks ahead

TipThe duck enchiladas in mole and the catch-of-the-day with clam risotto headline the a la carte; book the small inner courtyard.

BOCA Tacos y Tequila ★ 4.7

BOCA Tacos y Tequila on North 4th Avenue is chef Maria Mazon's modern Mexican room, a Top Chef finalist, with 26 tacos and 40-plus tequilas in Tucson.

Signature26 taco varieties, Salsa flight

Suerte ★ 4.7

Suerte in Austin is Fermin Nunez's masa-driven East 6th room, a Michelin Bib Gourmand kitchen serving heirloom-corn tortillas and suadero tacos.

OrderThe suadero tacos on heirloom blue-corn tortillas; the masa is ground in-house each morning.

TipBeverage director Celia Pellegrini won the Michelin Texas Sommelier Award 2025; let her route the pairings.

Quetzal ★ 4.7

Quetzal on College at Bathurst earned Toronto's first Mexican Michelin star in 2024, a wood-fire kitchen under chef Steven Molnar with an agave-driven bar.

OrderThe wood-fired sharing plates and a flight of mezcal at the counter.

TipWednesday and Sunday seats book the fastest. Walk-ins from 18:00 at the bar window if you arrive on time.

Pancho Maíz ★ 4.6

Pancho Maíz on Parque de la Mejorada in Mérida is chef Xóchitl Valdés's native-corn antojería, Bib Gourmand and 2026 Michelin Young Chef Award winner.

SignatureNative-corn antojitos, Tlacoyos, Quesadillas, Nixtamalized masa

Ambar Restaurante ★ 4.6

Ambar Restaurante at the Plaza Hotel Pioneer Park in El Paso grills over open wood flames, holding over 1,100 agave spirits behind a two-story amber bar.

OrderWood-grilled whole asado with handmade tortillas, or the fresh ceviche

TipThursday 19:00-21:00 live jazz; Saturday and Sunday brunch with live music 11:00-14:00. Book via Resy.

Ambar Restaurante Weekend Jazz Brunch ★ 4.6

Ambar Restaurante at the Plaza Hotel Pioneer Park runs a weekend jazz brunch Sat-Sun 11:00-14:00 with live music, wood-grilled plates, agave cocktails.

OrderWood-grilled brunch plate with a mezcal bloody mary

TipReservation strongly advised for the weekend jazz brunch; the room fills fully on sunny weekends.

María Dolores ★ 4.6

María Dolores, inside ATELIER Playa Mujeres beyond Cancún's Hotel Zone, is in the MICHELIN Guide, with a tasting menu from chef Edgar Núñez.

OrderThe signature tasting menu, or à la carte the tempura shrimp taco and mole coloradito with quail.

TipThe room is reservation-led and open 18:00 to 23:00 daily; guests must be 16 or older.

Comedor ★ 4.6

Comedor in Austin is Philip Speer's modern Mexican room on the corner of Colorado and 5th, with an Olson Kundig design and a focus on sourcing through Texas.

OrderThe bone-marrow tacos with smoked butter and hoja santa-pecan gremolata.

TipThe guillotine garage doors open in good weather; ask for the indoor-outdoor counter when you book.

El Barrio ★ 4.6

El Barrio on 2nd Avenue North in Birmingham runs a modern Mexican menu downtown, called best Mexican restaurant in Alabama by the convention bureau in 2024.

SignatureSpicy chicken tostada, Mole de pollo, Chunky guacamole

Comal ★ 4.6

Michelin Bib Gourmand. Oaxacan-leaning Mexican: three-day mole negro, heirloom tortillas, mezcal cocktails. Fire-pit patio, packed on weeknights.

Topolobampo 1 ★ ★ 4.6

Topolobampo presents Mexican cuisine through a contemporary, fine-dining lens, with a new tasting menu every six to eight weeks that never repeats a dish.

TipPastry Chef Jennifer Enyart and the chef de cuisine have both cooked beside Rick Bayless for decades, as he learned from cooks all over Mexico.

Apoala ★ 4.5

Apoala on Parque Santa Lucía in Mérida is chef Sara Arnaud Gómez's Oaxacan-Yucatecan fusion in a colonial portal, opened by the Arnaud siblings.

SignatureFilete con mole Apoala, Taco de pulpo Apoala, Crudo de jurel kampachi, Salmón enfrijolado

Hueso ★ 4.5

Hueso in Guadalajara is Alfonso Cadena's bone-walled installation on Efrain Gonzalez Luna, a Colonia Americana tasting-menu room with a Mexico-Guide listing.

SignatureAguachile, Octopus, Short rib in mole

Los Danzantes ★ 4.5

Los Danzantes Oaxaca on the Andador is Alex Burgos's open-courtyard room with one Michelin star (2024, retained 2025) and a Green Star, with a mezcal program.

SignatureChichilo, Chiles en nogada (Jul-Sep), Mezcal flight

El Destilado ★ 4.5

El Destilado on Cinco de Mayo is Julio Aguilera's tasting-menu room, with a nine-course menu and a mezcal and Mexican sake pairing programme since 2016.

SignatureTasting menu, Mezcal pairing, Mexican sake pairing

Moyuelo ★ 4.5

Moyuelo is a 2026 Michelin Bib Gourmand on 7 Poniente in Puebla, a first-floor cocktail bar under a bright upstairs room of seasonal Pueblan plates.

OrderHuauzontles tempura upstairs, with a cocktail from the ground-floor bar first.

TipThe kitchen closes at 18:00 on Sunday and does not open on Monday, so plan around a Tuesday to Saturday dinner.

Penca ★ 4.5

Penca on East Broadway in downtown Tucson serves Patricia Schwabe's Mexico City menu, with mole poblano, cochinita pibil and a mezcal-led bar.

SignatureMole poblano, Cochinita pibil

Paloma ★ 4.5

Paloma cooks fresh, handmade Mexican plates and pours an extensive agave spirits list a block north of Tomasita's in the Guadalupe district.

SignatureTacos al pastor, Aguachile verde, Mole negro

NOL ★ 4.4

NOL on Parque Santa Lucía in Mérida is chef Erick Bautista Chacón's contemporary Mexican kitchen, Michelin-recommended in the 2026 Mexico guide.

SignatureLonganiza de Valladolid, Chilmole, Sikil pak, Contemporary tasting

Allium ★ 4.4

Allium in Guadalajara is the seasonal-garden tasting room on Avenida Providencia by Adolfo Galnares, a vegetable-forward kitchen sourcing from a rooftop.

Book1 to 2 weeks ahead

TipThe seasonal tasting at 19:00 is the easier seating; the rooftop-garden produce drives the rotating menu.

La Cabrona ★ 4.4

La Cabrona on Crockett St in Fort Worth brings Monterrey-inspired modern Mexican food and murals to the West 7th corridor with handmade tortillas.

OrderHandmade tortilla tacos with guisado de puerco; creamy elote topped with cotija.

TipThe Sunday brunch menu closes at 15:30; the handmade tortillas are pressed and cooked to order.

Barrios Fine Mexican Dishes ★ 4.3

Barrios Fine Mexican Dishes in Oklahoma City pairs high-quality margaritas and mezcal pours with a refined bar program alongside bold Mexican cuisine.

OrderSignature margarita; queso fundido

TipReservations are smart for dinner, but walk-ins can usually secure bar seats to enjoy the cocktail menu.

Mestís ★ 4.3

Mestís sits beside the Santa Catalina market in Palma, folding Baja California and Mexican cooking into Mallorcan produce in a colourful room.

OrderTuna tostadas to start, then the octopus with mole.

TipWeekends open at 10:00 for brunch. Midweek it is a dinner-only kitchen from 16:00.

El Catrin Destileria ★ 4.3

El Catrin on Tank House Lane in the Distillery District runs Mexican tapas with Canada's largest mezcal and tequila collection, plus a Sergio Sanchez mural.

OrderThe cochinita pibil tacos and a flight of mezcal espadin.

TipThe 400-seat patio is the largest in the Distillery District. Brunch service Saturday and Sunday.

Tamayo ★ 4.3

Tamayo in Denver is Richard Sandoval's modern Mexican dining room on Larimer Square since 2001, a rooftop patio anchor for upscale tacos, ceviche and tequila.

OrderThe tableside guacamole and the cochinita pibil with Yucatan-style achiote; flight of mezcal to pair.

TipThe rooftop patio runs March through October with mountain views; book it three weeks ahead. The bar is open for walk-ins.

Porfirio's ★ 4.2

Porfirio's at Boulevard Kukulcán km 14.2 in Cancún is a contemporary Mexican restaurant on Nichupté Lagoon, with esquites, quesabirria and aguachile.

OrderQuesabirria on a blue-corn tortilla, esquites tiernos, or the aguachile verde de camarón.

TipOpen daily 13:00 to 01:00; the terrace faces the lagoon, and live mariachi plays at dinner.

OSO Paseo ★ 4.1

OSO Paseo in Oklahoma City serves Baja-style tacos and signature tiki cocktails in the Paseo Arts District with a patio for warm Oklahoma evenings.

OrderBaja fish taco; frozen margarita

TipWalk-ins only, the patio is especially appealing during First Fridays art walks in the Paseo.

Santóua ★ 4.0

Santoua works a grand Centro building on 2 Sur in Puebla, running Pueblan regional plates and international dishes from a nine-in-the-morning start.

OrderBreakfast from nine, before the Centro tour groups reach 2 Sur.

TipThe dining room is grand enough for an occasion but the nine-in-the-morning start makes it a workable everyday breakfast too.