Rosetta in Mexico City is Elena Reygadas' one-Michelin-star Roma Norte room in a 1920s townhouse on Colima, the kitchen that earned the World's Best Female Chef title in 2023.
Must order: The hoja santa ravioli; the seasonal pasta of the week.
Tip: Closed Sundays; book the second-floor balcony tables. Sister Panaderia Rosetta is across the street for morning conchas.
Address: Colima 166, Roma Norte, Cuauhtemoc, 06700 Ciudad de Mexico, Mexico City
Masala y Maiz in Mexico City is chefs Norma Listman and Saqib Keval's one-Michelin-star Juarez room on Marsella, a kitchen that bridges Mexican, Indian and East African larders.
Order: The garam masala mole; the plantain dosa.
Tip: Closed Mondays and Tuesdays; lunch only Sundays. Small dining room books out two weeks ahead via Resy.
Merotoro in Mexico City is chef Jair Tellez's Condesa room on Amsterdam, the Baja-California-rooted kitchen ranked on the Latin America 50 Best list that opened in 2010.
Order: The whole grilled fish for two; a Valle de Guadalupe bottle from the wine list.
Tip: Closed Sundays; the bar counter facing the open kitchen books first.
Nicos in Mexico City is chef Gerardo Vazquez Lugo's family-run Azcapotzalco kitchen on Cuitlahuac, the slow-cook Mexican room ranked on the Latin America 50 Best list since 2014.
Order: The mole almendrado; the sopa seca de natas casserole.
Tip: Closed Sunday dinner and Monday; lunch is when the slow-cooked moles peak.
Alcalde in Mexico City is chef Paco Ruano's Polanco room on Masaryk, the Guadalajara-import tasting kitchen that brought modern Jalisco cooking to the capital in 2021.
Order: The seasonal tasting; the chile en nogada when in season July to September.
Tip: Closed Sundays. The bar pours strong Mexican wine and mezcal; the open kitchen seats are the move.
El Tajin in Mexico City is the Centro Veracruzano Mexican kitchen inside the Centro Veracruzano on Miguel Angel de Quevedo in Coyoacan, the room that runs Veracruz cuisine at fine-dining depth.
Order: The arroz a la tumbada; the mole xiqueño.
Tip: Closed Sundays after lunch. The garden patio is the seat; the Veracruz seafood menu changes weekly.
Pujol in Mexico City is Enrique Olvera's two-Michelin-star Polanco tasting room on Tennyson, the kitchen that built modern Mexican fine dining around mole madre poured over mole nuevo.
Order: The Mole Madre Mole Nuevo at the dining-room table; taco omakase at the bar.
Tip: Lunch is the easier service to land than dinner; the bar runs an a la carte taco omakase for walk-ins on quieter nights.
