The walkable heart of contemporary Mexico City, a 1900s Porfirian neighbourhood of art nouveau townhouses with Contramar, Rosetta, Maximo Bistrot, Meroma and the densest cafe network in the city.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
El Hidalguense in Mexico City is the Roma Sur weekend-only barbacoa pit on Campeche, the Hidalgo-style maguey-pit lamb that fills the room from Friday.
Signature: Barbacoa de borrego, Consomé de borrego, Pancita
Order: The barbacoa de borrego with consomé; the pancita stew on the side.
Tip: Open Friday to Sunday only, 07:00-18:00. Arrive by 09:30 Sunday or the consomé runs out by noon.
Expendio de Maiz in Mexico City is chef Jesus Salas' tiny no-reservations heirloom-corn counter on Yucatan in Roma Norte, the kitchen that built its name.
Signature: Heirloom-corn tortillas, Tlacoyos, Quesadillas de masa azul
Order: Whatever the daily handwritten menu lists; the blue-corn tlacoyo with squash blossoms.
Tip: No reservations; only ten counter seats. Open Wed-Sun 13:00-19:00; arrive at opening and bring cash.
Em in Mexico City is chef Lucho Martinez's one-Michelin-star Roma Norte tasting room on Tonala, a contemporary Mexican kitchen with Japanese fermentation.
Order: The full tasting menu; the smoked-fish course is the signature.
Tip: Closed Sundays and Mondays; tasting menu only. The 12-seat counter is the room.
Maximo Bistrot in Mexico City is chef Eduardo Lalo Garcia's one-Michelin-star Roma Norte room on Alvaro Obregon, seasonal Mexican cooking with French bistro.
Order: The seasonal tasting; whatever vegetable arrived that morning from the farm.
Tip: Closed Mondays; the dining room moved to the larger Alvaro Obregon space in 2021. Book three weeks ahead.
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.
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.
Contramar in Mexico City is the Gabriela Camara-run Durango Street seafood room in Roma Norte since 1998, the lunch-only kitchen that built its name.
Signature: Tuna tostada, Pescado a la talla, Fish tacos
Order: The tuna tostada and the pescado a la talla, half red half green down the middle.
Tip: Open lunch only; lines start at 13:00. Walk-ins land easier on Mondays than mid-week.
Meroma in Mexico City is Mercedes Bernal and Rodney Cusic's Roma Norte room on Calle Colima 150, a converted 1980s motel with oval windows and a rooftop.
Signature: Wood-fired short rib, House-cured trout crudo, Pasta with seasonal Mexican vegetables
Order: The wood-fired short rib; a pasta plate; a cocktail on the rooftop terrace at golden hour.
Tip: Closed Mondays. Book ahead via OpenTable for the rooftop. The seasonal tasting changes monthly.
El Parnita in Mexico City is the Roma Norte antojitos kitchen on Yucatan since 2010, a casual modern Mexican room with hand-rolled tortillas and a tight.
Signature: Tacos de pescado al chipotle, Pulpo a la brasa, Tamales
Order: Tacos de pescado al chipotle; pulpo a la brasa; the tamal of the day.
Tip: Closed Sundays. Lunch service runs the heaviest; the patio is dog friendly. Walks-ins land most days.
El Hidalguense in Mexico City is the Roma Sur weekend barbacoa pit on Campeche, the maguey-pit lamb that fills the room from Friday through Sunday morning.
Signature: Barbacoa de borrego, Consomé de borrego, Pancita
Order: Barbacoa de borrego with consomé and pancita on the side.
Tip: Open Friday to Sunday only, 07:00-18:00. Arrive by 09:30 Sunday or the consomé runs out before noon.
Expendio de Maiz in Mexico City is chef Jesus Salas' tiny no-reservations heirloom-corn counter in Roma Norte, the kitchen that built its name on native masa.
Signature: Heirloom-corn tortillas, Tlacoyos, Quesadillas de masa azul
Order: The daily handwritten menu; the blue-corn tlacoyo with squash blossoms.
Tip: Ten counter seats; no reservations. Open Wed-Sun 13:00-19:00; arrive at opening with cash.
Fonda Fina in Mexico City is the Roma Norte modern fonda on Medellin from chef Juan Cabrera, a daytime Mexican kitchen that updates traditional Mexico City.
Signature: Sopa de mariscos, Pescado a la veracruzana, Mole de la casa
Order: Sopa de mariscos; whichever guisado fills the chef's plate that day; the daily mole.
Tip: Lunch is the move; the dining room runs more festively on Saturdays. Closed Monday.
Buna in Mexico City is the Roma Norte specialty coffee bar on Orizaba, the in-house Mexican-roasted operation with Nahuatl-named blends and an almond.
Signature drink: Flat white
Almanegra Cafe in Mexico City is the Roma Norte third-wave specialty roaster on Tabasco, the minimalist room with a single-origin V60 program and Mexican.
Signature drink: V60 filter
Quentin Cafe in Mexico City is the Roma Norte cafe on Avenida Alvaro Obregon, the all-day room with a pull-down vintage espresso machine and a slow.
Signature drink: Cortado
Boicot Cafe in Mexico City is the Roma Norte specialty coffee bar on Alvaro Obregon, an indie roaster with single-origin Chiapas and Veracruz beans.
Signature drink: Filter coffee
Panaderia Rosetta in Mexico City is Elena Reygadas' Colima bakery cafe across from Rosetta, where the guava-rose roll and concha drive Sunday-morning queues.
Signature drink: Espresso with concha
Cardinal Casa de Cafe in Mexico City is the Roma Norte specialty roaster on Cordoba, a converted-house cafe with Mexican single-origin beans and a slow-pour.
Signature drink: Cortado
Cafe Toscano in Mexico City is the Roma Norte Italian cafe and restaurant on Orizaba 42 across from Plaza Rio de Janeiro, an all-day room pouring Illy.
Signature drink: Illy espresso macchiato
Panaderia Rosetta in Mexico City is Elena Reygadas' Roma Norte bakery on Colima since 2012, the bakery counter where the rose-guava roll and the concha drive.
Worth the queue: Rol de guayaba (guava rose roll)
Panaderia Rosetta Puebla in Mexico City is the second Roma Norte Reygadas bakery on Puebla, a larger room with the same conchas and laminated pastries plus.
Worth the queue: Concha de vainilla
Pancracia Panaderia Artesanal in Mexico City is the Roma Norte takeaway bakery on the corner of Orizaba and Chiapas, a small counter that puts out sourdough.
Worth the queue: Vigilante (small double-butter croissant)
Delirio in Mexico City is chef Monica Patino's Roma Norte cafe, bakery and deli on Monterrey, a Mediterranean-Mexican daytime room with daily baked pastries.
Worth the queue: Croissant mantequilla
Pancracia on Orizaba in Roma Norte is a tree-lined takeaway artisanal panaderia, with naturally leavened sourdough loaves, a rotating focaccia.
Worth the queue: Focaccia of the day
Buna in Mexico City is the Roma Norte in-house specialty roaster on Orizaba, the operation that sells Mexican single-origin Chiapas, Veracruz and Oaxaca.
Sources from: Chiapas, Veracruz, Oaxaca
How they serve: Espresso, Filter, Pour over, Whole bean retail
Almanegra in Mexico City is the Roma Norte third-wave roaster on Tabasco, a single-origin specialty operation with rotating Mexican coffees and a small bar.
Sources from: Chiapas, Oaxaca, Veracruz
How they serve: Espresso, V60, AeroPress, Whole bean retail
Boicot in Mexico City is the Roma Norte indie roaster on Alvaro Obregon, an independent operation with Chiapas and Veracruz single-origins. Family-friendly.
Sources from: Chiapas, Veracruz, Oaxaca
How they serve: Espresso, Pour over, Whole bean retail
Quentin in Mexico City is the Roma Norte cafe-roaster on Alvaro Obregon, a vintage-machine pull-down specialty operation that runs Mexican single-origins.
Sources from: Chiapas, Oaxaca
How they serve: Espresso, V60, Whole bean retail
Cumbe Coffee Roasters in Mexico City is the Roma Sur specialty operation on Monterrey, a Melbourne-style roaster that supplies Roma and Condesa cafes.
Sources from: Chiapas, Oaxaca, Veracruz
How they serve: Espresso, Filter, Subscription
Cardinal Casa de Cafe in Mexico City is the Roma Norte house-roaster on Cordoba, a converted-house cafe with Mexican single-origin beans and a slow-pour bar.
Sources from: Chiapas, Oaxaca, Veracruz
How they serve: Espresso, Pour over, Whole bean retail
Loup Bar in Mexico City is the Roma Norte natural-wine room on Tonala beneath Maison Artemisia, a narrow candle-lit counter pouring Loire and Rhone naturals.
Signature pour: Loire natural pours by the glass
Wine focus: Natural European and Mexican wines
Food: Small plates and charcuterie
Hugo el Wine Bar in Mexico City is the Roma Norte natural wine room on Avenida Veracruz, a low-intervention bottle list across French, Italian and Mexican.
Signature pour: Mexican Valle de Guadalupe orange wine
Wine focus: Natural, biodynamic and skin-contact wines
Food: French-New York bistro small plates
Blanco Colima in Mexico City is the Roma Norte wine-and-Spanish kitchen on Colima, a converted-mansion room with multiple dining spaces, a wine cellar focus.
Signature pour: Rioja by the glass
Wine focus: Spanish and Mexican wines
Food: Mexican-Spanish dishes
Licoreria Limantour in Mexico City is the Roma Norte cocktail flagship on Avenida Alvaro Obregon, one of the World's 50 Best Bars regulars since 2014.
Signature drink: Margarita Al Pastor
Food: Snacks
Rayo Cocktail Bar in Mexico City is the Roma Norte mansion-bar on Salamanca, a North America's 50 Best Bars regular with a Mexico-made cocktail program built.
Signature drink: Mexican spirit cocktails
Food: Snacks
Tlecan in Mexico City is the Roma Norte pre-Hispanic agave-spirit bar on Alvaro Obregon, North America's 50 Best Bars 2025 No. 3, focused on rare Mexican.
Signature drink: Mexican fermented beverages and agave distillates
Food: Endemic ingredient snacks
Tlacoyos Dona Jose in Mexico City is the Roma Norte breakfast comal on Cordoba, the comal-griddle counter that puts out blue-corn tlacoyos filled with frijol.
Try: Tlacoyos
Order: Two tlacoyos de haba topped with nopales, queso fresco and salsa verde.
Tip: Cash only and weekday mornings only; the queue forms around 09:00 with neighbourhood regulars. Last sale is when the masa runs out.
Tamales Dona Emi in Mexico City is the Roma Norte morning tamal cart on the corner of Alvaro Obregon and Cordoba, the weekday breakfast stand that wraps.
Try: Tamales and atole
Order: A guajolota (tamal in a torta) with atole de fresa; one tamal mole on the side.
Tip: Open until the masa is gone, usually by noon. Cash only; the regulars start queueing at 07:30 on weekdays.
Cru Cru Brewing in Mexico City is the La Romita craft brewery in a 19th-century mansion off Plaza Romita, one of the early modern Mexico City craft breweries.
Falling Piano Brewing Co in Mexico City is the Roma Norte American-style craft brewery and taproom on Coahuila, a converted warehouse with hazy IPAs.
Morenos Tasting Room in Mexico City is the Roma Norte multi-tap craft beer hall on Chiapas (formerly The Tasting Room), a 20-plus tap rotating room.
Mercado Roma in Mexico City is the Roma Norte gourmet food hall on Queretaro, a three-floor market with 50-plus vendors covering Mexican, Italian, Venezuelan.
Mercado Medellin in Mexico City is the Roma Sur Latin American import market on Campeche, the pan-Latin grocery hall with Cuban, Colombian and Argentine.
La Ola Festival Vegano is the annual two-day plant-based gathering at Centro Urbano Juarez in Roma Sur, with 80-plus vegan producers and Mexican kitchens.
Eat Mexico's Private Cooking Class is the Roma Norte hands-on Mexican class led by Lesley Tellez's team, with a market shop followed by a home-kitchen.
Tamales Dona Emi in Mexico City is the Roma Norte morning corner cart where a guajolota (tamal in a torta) with atole de fresa runs about 35 pesos.
Try: Guajolota with atole
Expendio de Maiz in Mexico City is the Roma Norte heirloom-corn counter where a single blue-corn tlacoyo runs about 70 pesos, hand-pressed daily on a comal.
Try: Two blue-corn tlacoyos
Forte in Mexico City is the Roma Norte all-day bake-and-coffee room on Queretaro between Orizaba and Cordoba, a specialty-coffee counter by day that turns.
Order: Huevos turcos on house-baked bread or chilaquiles with organic eggs and a tascalate cold brew.
Panaderia Rosetta in Mexico City is Elena Reygadas' Roma Norte bakery with the larger Puebla branch that supports counter brunch, the morning stop.
Order: Rol de guayaba; concha de vainilla; cafe de olla.
Patrick Miller in Mexico City is the Roma Norte Italo-disco dance club on Merida Street, the two-decade-plus Friday-night institution where dance-off circles, 80s synthpop, robotic lights and a glitter ball draw a mixed crowd from across the city.
M.N. Roy in Mexico City sits in a renovated terraced house on Calle Merida in Roma Norte, a temple to electronic music with timber and basalt walls by Picault and Godefroy, programming nu-disco, deep house and techno on a strict-door weekends-only schedule.
Departamento in Mexico City is the first-floor walk-up on Avenida Alvaro Obregon in Roma Norte, a converted apartment that runs as the city's most music-first electronic room, peaking after midnight with minimal techno and deep house on a high-end rig.
Bar Oriente in Mexico City on Calle Durango in Roma Norte runs a vanguardist electronic-music club with a full VOID Acoustics rig, hosting national and international DJs and live acts alongside private karaoke rooms for groups.
Mama Rumba in Mexico City on Calle Queretaro in Roma Norte is the city's long-running Cuban salsa club, with a live band most weekends, salsa classes on the floor and a crowd of dancers from across the metropolitan area.
Foro Indie Rocks! in Mexico City on Calle Zacatecas in Roma Norte opened in 2011 as the venue arm of the Indie Rocks! magazine, programming emerging Mexican and international indie acts in a 600-capacity room near Metro Hospital General.
Multiforo Cultural Alicia in Mexico City on Avenida Cuauhtemoc in Roma Norte is the long-running countercultural rock space founded by Ignacio Pineda, the alternative source for the city's ska, surf and rockabilly scenes with four bands a night minimum.
Pulqueria Los Insurgentes in Mexico City on Avenida Insurgentes Sur in Roma Norte is the four-floor pulqueria where flavoured pulques run alongside jazz on Wednesdays, salsa weekends and a rooftop terrace stage for emerging local bands.
Licoreria Limantour in Mexico City on Avenida Alvaro Obregon in Roma Norte is the two-storey art-deco cocktail room overseen by Jose Luis Leon, a fixture on the Worlds 50 Best Bars list since 2014 and No. 32 in 2024, with a new backroom drinks-library called Licoreria.
Tlecan in Mexico City on Avenida Alvaro Obregon in Roma Norte is Eli Martinez Bello's agave-spirits room, the name meaning place of fire in Nahuatl, sourcing mezcal, bacanora, sotol, pox and raicilla direct from producers, ranked No. 23 on the 2025 Worlds 50 Best Bars.
Maison Artemisia in Mexico City sits above Loup natural-wine bar on Calle Tonala in Roma Norte, a 2013 cocktail room in a 19th-century townhouse specialising in absinthe, botanical spirits and Mexican distillates with house-bottled Absinthe Maison Artemisia from France.