Merotoro in Mexico City is chef Jair Tellez's Condesa kitchen on Amsterdam, the Baja-California-rooted room that put Ensenada produce on the Mexico City fine-dining map since 2010.
Signature dishes: Whole fish, Wagyu carpaccio, Tasting menu
Must order: The whole grilled fish for two; the seasonal Valle de Guadalupe wine list.
Tip: Closed Sundays; the high counter seats face the open kitchen and book first.
Address: Amsterdam 204, Hipodromo Condesa, Cuauhtemoc, 06100 Ciudad de Mexico, Mexico City
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 served past 2000 days.
Signature: Mole Madre Mole Nuevo, Taco omakase, Tasting menu
Order: The Mole Madre Mole Nuevo, served with fresh tortillas.
Tip: Book at least four weeks ahead via the website; lunch is shorter and slightly easier to land than dinner.
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 Restaurants 2025 list.
Signature: Cactus salad, Tasting menu, Charred avocado tartare
Order: The tasting menu; the charred avocado tartare is the room's signature.
Tip: Closed Sundays; book six weeks out via the website. Lunch is the easier window.
Contramar in Mexico City is Gabriela Camara's lunch-only Durango Street seafood room in Roma Norte since 1998, the kitchen that made the tuna tostada Mexico City's most-copied dish.
Signature: Tuna tostada, Pescado a la talla, Fish tacos
Order: The tuna tostada and the pescado a la talla, split red and green down the middle.
Tip: Open lunch only; arrive by 13:00 or expect a 45 minute wait. Half the dining room books out for the same lunch every Wednesday.
Maximo Bistrot in Mexico City is chef Eduardo Lalo Garcia's one-Michelin-star Roma Norte room on Alvaro Obregon, the seasonal Mexican kitchen with a French bistro spine since 2011.
Signature: Seasonal tasting, Market vegetables, Hand-rolled pastas
Order: The seasonal tasting menu; whatever vegetable arrives that morning from the chef's farm.
Tip: Closed Mondays; book three weeks ahead. The taller dining room moved to Alvaro Obregon in 2021 from the original Tonala location.
Rosetta in Mexico City is Elena Reygadas' one-Michelin-star Roma Norte room in a 1920s townhouse on Colima, the kitchen where Italian technique meets Mexican market produce.
Signature: Hand-rolled pastas, Hoja santa ravioli, Tasting menu
Order: The hoja santa ravioli; the seasonal pasta of the week.
Tip: Closed Sundays; sister Panaderia Rosetta is across the street for morning conchas. Reygadas was named World's Best Female Chef 2023.
Em in Mexico City is chef Luis Lucho Martinez's one-Michelin-star Roma Norte tasting room on Tonala, the contemporary Mexican kitchen with Japanese influences that earned a star in the 2024 first Mexico guide.
Signature: Tasting menu, Wagyu carnitas, Smoked fish
Order: The full tasting menu; the wagyu carnitas course is the room's signature.
Tip: Closed Sundays and Mondays; tasting menu only. Book three weeks ahead via OpenTable. Originally opened as Emilia in 2018 before relocating.
