{"id":351120,"date":"2026-06-08T01:16:43","date_gmt":"2026-06-08T01:16:43","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/351120\/"},"modified":"2026-06-08T01:16:43","modified_gmt":"2026-06-08T01:16:43","slug":"the-best-places-to-eat-and-drink-in-mexico-city-according-to-sf-restaurant-pros","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/351120\/","title":{"rendered":"The best places to eat and drink in Mexico City, according to SF restaurant pros"},"content":{"rendered":"

From centuries-old landmarks to boundary-pushing restaurants and bars, CDMX never stands still. | Source: Alejandra Rajal for The Standard<\/p>\n

Published Jun. 7, 2026at6:00am<\/p>\n

If you\u2019ve visited Mexico City, then you know that some of the best memories have to do with food. The smell of pork sizzling on the street-side trompo. The way the first sip of milky-fizzy-sour pulque makes your mouth pucker. The warmth of a fresh, pillowy concha from a panader\u00eda.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Mexico City \u2014 CDMX for short \u2014\u00a0is home to 573 square miles of centuries-old architecture, scores of museums, and a food-and-drink scene that never stops evolving. There are Michelin-starred restaurants, award-winning Japanese bars, booming mercados, and street vendors steaming, roasting, and frying unforgettable tacos, tlayudas, and tamales. You can\u2019t eat everywhere in one \u2014 or even 100 \u2014 trips, but that\u2019s part of the appeal. \u201cEvery time I\u2019m at the airport leaving Mexico City, I catch myself making the same promise: I\u2019ll be back soon,\u201d says Heena Patel, chef at San Francisco\u2019s Besharam.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

Needless to say, there\u2019s a lot to love beyond the usual spots recommended for first-timers. To narrow the options, we asked San Francisco chefs who have lived in, worked in, or simply fallen for CDMX to share their favorite places to eat and drink.<\/p>\n

Val Cantu, chef and owner, Californios\"ARestaurante Nicos. | Source: Alexandra Farias for The Standard\"AA sunny weekend afternoon at Parque M\u00e9xico in the Condesa neighborhood. | Source: Alejandra Rajal for The Standard<\/p>\n

Favorite spot: Restaurante Nicos, Claver\u00eda, Azcapotzalco\u00a0
When he was growing up in Texas, Cantu would travel with his dad on business trips to CDMX. \u201cHe wanted to expose me to as much of our Mexican heritage as he could,\u201d Cantu says. Old-school institutions like Restaurante Nicos are some of his favorites. Cantu makes the 20-minute trek outside of El Centro, the historic center, to this unassuming joint for breakfast. He orders \u201cas much as humanly possible,\u201d including popular items like cafe de olla prepared tableside with a 15-minute bean-grinding and spice-and-sugar mixing process; molletes with beans, manchego, and salsa; and enchiladas Nicos, stuffed with shredded chicken breast and bathed in salsa verde and crema. \u201cIt\u2019s not super fancy, but the dishes here are absolutely what you should be eating,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n

Laura Ozyilmaz, chef and owner, Dalida and Maria Isabel\"AEsquites at Jowong. | Source: Courtesy Jowong\"AThe Angel of Independence, a landmark in Mexico City. | Source: Alejandra Rajal for The Standard<\/p>\n

Favorite spot: Jowong, Condesa
Ozyilmaz swears she would recommend Jowong even if her sister weren\u2019t one of the owners. \u201cIt\u2019s genuinely one of the most exciting places to eat in the city right now.\u201d This is high praise from Ozyilmaz, who was raised in CDMX, attended cooking school there, and keeps close tabs on the city\u2019s evolving food scene via annual visits. Jowong infuses Korean flavors into familiar Mexican dishes \u2014 and vice versa \u2014 for a dining experience that feels singular to Mexico City. Get the esquites, Ozyilmaz says, which add an elevated Asian twist to the Mexican snack via stracciatella, cotija cheese, and Sichuan peppers.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Heena Patel, owner and chef, Besharam\"A<\/p>\n

Favorite spot: Masala y Maiz, Centro\u00a0
Patel has visited CDMX only twice, but the city left a mark. \u201cSomehow, this trip pulled me right back to the streets of Mumbai again. Mexico City is one of those rare places where you taste history and innovation in the same bite, and that\u2019s what makes it unforgettable.\u201d Led by Norma Listman and Saqib Keval, Masala y Maiz marries African, Indian, and Mexican spices and techniques into exciting new takes on traditional dishes. Classics like esquites get a Kenyan twist, simmered in coconut milk, masala, and mixed with mayo and cotija cheese, while juicy prawns are sauted in vanilla-infused ghee and a tongue-tingling chile morita. \u201cFor anyone visiting Mexico City for the first time,\u201d Patel says, places like Masala y Maiz \u201care where you understand how global and emotional the city\u2019s food scene really is.\u201d <\/p>\n

Brenda Landa, head chef, Outerlands\"HandsOrejas, a flaky, sugar-glazed pastry similar to a palmier, at Panader\u00eda Garc\u00eda Madero. | Source: Alejandra Rajal for The Standard\"HandsChocolate conchas. | Source: Alejandra Rajal for The Standard\"ASidewalk vendors are a staple of daily life. | Source: Alejandra Rajal for The Standard<\/p>\n

Favorite spot: Panader\u00eda Garcia Madero, Condesa
Landa stumbled upon this nondescript panader\u00eda during her first visit to Mexico City eight years ago. \u201cI\u2019m pretty certain I could smell the pan dulce before I spotted the space and booked it over immediately,\u201d she says. Pick from the modest display case, which is filled with a variety of pan dulce throughout the day. The bread is made with butter instead of vegetable shortening, and when Landa bit into her first almond concha, she instantly could taste the difference. \u201cI truly believe it is the best concha I\u2019ve had to this day. I get one every time I\u2019m in town!\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

Jacob Croom, chef and owner, My Friend Fernando<\/p>\n

Favorite spot: Bar Las Brujas, Roma Norte
If you like your bars \u201cdark and espooky,\u201d then Croom recommends Bar Las Brujas. The cozy, delightfully witchy bar, owned and operated by women, is lined with taxidermy bats and eerie black-and-white portraits. The kitsch extends to the menu, which Croom calls \u201cesoteric,\u201d featuring ingredients like sandalwood cordial and cotija-infused bacanora. If you\u2019re able to snag a stool (there are only 12), order La Matlazihua, a mezcal-based drink made with grasshopper brine and chamomile liqueur.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

Sincere Justice, owner and chef, Tacos Sincero<\/p>\n

Favorite spot: Gaba Restaurante, Condesa
Justice recommends getting lost and eating everything you come across: street-side camotes with condensed milk, conchas from El Cardenal in Centro, and quesadilla fritas at Mercado Coyoac\u00e1n. But if you\u2019re looking for a fine-dining experience, Gaba, helmed by Victor Toriz (an alum of L.A.\u2019s Bestia), is not to be missed. Justice raves about the cecina-inspired tartare featuring dry-aged wagyu beef and crunchy chicatanas, large leaf-cutter ants. \u201cThis spot is my No. 1 recommendation for a lovely meal in Mexico City.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

John Wesley, chef, Kiln\"AThe Strange Love, made with gin, olive oil, orange liqueur, and tequila, served with a tomato garnish, at Tokyo Music Bar. | Source: Alejandra Rajal for The Standard\"ABartender Alejandro Muci\u00f1o selects records from Tokyo Music Bar\u2019s collection. | Source: Alejandra Rajal for The Standard\"AFree salsa and bachata classes at Parque M\u00e9xico are a weekend tradition. | Source: Alejandra Rajal for The Standard<\/p>\n

Favorite spot: Tokyo Music Bar, Cuauht\u00e9moc\u00a0
Wesley has a rotating list of favorites he visits when he\u2019s in Mexico City, including Oropel for hard-to-find natural wines and vermouth cocktails, Mendl Delicatessen for a Jewish deli fix, and Tacos El Guero for any of the stewed meats, like cabeza and lengua. For a nightcap (or three), he typically hits up Tokyo Music Bar, a dark, sleek speakeasy just north of Roma Norte. It\u2019s equal parts vinyl library, listening bar, and Japanese-inspired cocktail destination, serving drinks like Your Love, made with sake, prosecco, sakekazu, pear, and yuzu, or Strange Love, served up with gin, olive oil, tomatoes, orange liqueur, and a kiss of tequila.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

Ximena Williams, owner, Florecita Panader\u00eda\"TwoA vegetarian tlayuda at Tetetl\u00e1n, which swaps the classic toppings of beans, cheese, and cecina for cauliflower, chayote, carrots, and squash blossom. | Source: Alejandra Rajal for The Standard\"AThe restaurant, caf\u00e9, and library is housed in the former horse stables of Casa Pedregal, designed by renowned architect Luis Barrag\u00e1n. | Source: Alejandra Rajal for The Standard<\/p>\n

Favorite spot: Tetetl\u00e1n, Jardines del Pedregal
Despite moving away from Mexico City at age 3, Williams still considers it home. \u201cI spent most of my summers as a kid in Mexico visiting my grandmas.\u201d Now, she flies back at least once a year to visit relatives and stop at nostalgic spots like the local chain La Casa de To\u00f1o for pozole and flautas or family-favorite Tetetl\u00e1n for tetelas and tlayudas. The stunning interior of this restored horse stable boasts a restaurant, art gallery, boutique, library, and mindfulness center \u2014 and some of Williams\u2019 favorite conchas.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

Raquel Goldman, pastry chef, Norte 54<\/p>\n

Favorite spot: Pasteler\u00eda Ideal, Centro
Goldman, who spent childhood summers in Mexico City, never waited in line at the hot, new bakery. \u201cPan dulce was whatever was available from the local panader\u00eda across from my grandmother\u2019s place in the city,\u201d she says. It was only when she started her own baking journey in 2020 that she began to visit iconic spots like Pasteler\u00eda Ideal, a nearly 100-year-old institution with tables and display cases stacked high with flaky orejas, bite-sized garibaldis, and fruit-filled empanadas. Grab a tray, pick up a pair of tongs, and snag a gelatina, a few pasta seca cookies, and, whatever you do, a concha.<\/p>\n

Andrey Ivanov, beverage director, Nisei<\/p>\n

Favorite spot: Bar Nino, Roma Norte
Ivanov, who has lived in Mexico City part time for three years, calls Bar Nino \u201cone of the best-kept secrets for wine in the city.\u201d The charming Italian-Mediterranean restaurant is located on a picturesque, tree-lined street. The wine program is run by Gus Gosson, a recent transplant from New York City, who sources organically farmed and sustainable wines from Mexico and around the world. \u201cIt\u2019s the kind of place you end up wanting to return to multiple times during a trip,\u201d Ivanov says.\u00a0<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"From centuries-old landmarks to boundary-pushing restaurants and bars, CDMX never stands still. | Source: Alejandra Rajal for The…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":351121,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[30],"tags":[414,35067,2499,412,101,103,102,104,106,105,2422],"class_list":["post-351120","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-san-francisco","tag-chefs","tag-eat-here","tag-pro-tips","tag-restaurants","tag-san-francisco","tag-san-francisco-headlines","tag-san-francisco-news","tag-sf","tag-sf-headlines","tag-sf-news","tag-travel"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/351120","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=351120"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/351120\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/351121"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=351120"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=351120"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=351120"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}