Mexico City Restaurant Tips by Laura_Mexico Top 5 Page for this destination

Cafe El Popular: Good & cheap food in downtown

I got very good reviews about this place from other 2 VTers, but whenever possible I try not to write one of my own until I go and see the place by myself. I once stopped for cake at this place but I didn't think that was enough to write a review. Back then I thought the cake was so-so only, and so was the service.

So I finally got the chance to have dinner at this small restaurant in downtown and yes, I think it's a nice place to eat for a very decent price. I saw other foreigners here (besides the VTers I was with and who fell in love with this place) so apparently it's a tourist favorite as well, although it's not a touristy place at all. Since it's not a chain restaurant, you will only find mexican home-made food for breakfast, lunch or dinner, in combos or "a la carte". The place is not too big, but they have an adjacent local (even smaller I think) which is open 24/7. The "bigger" part of the restaurant closes at 10:30 - 11 PM.

I still think that the service isn't great and the place is just a small cafeteria where you can have some local food with lots of local people and pay a very reasonable price for it. So don't expect gourmet stuff or anything like that, just a regular home-made meal (but I know that, as a foreigner, one does appreciate this kind of place a lot while traveling).

Favorite Dish: I had some tamales, which weren't the best I've had but were OK. One of the VT visitors had "tacos dorados" which she loved (hard/crispy tacos filled with beef, topped with cream & cheese & guacamole on the side). They did look good.

Address: Cinco de Mayo street

Comparison: less expensive than average

Directions: Close to the Zocalo square

Price: less than US$10

Rating: 3

Theme: Local

Villa Maria: 100% Mexican environment, a tourist favorite! Villa María Review

This is a nicely decorated Mexican restaurant, with a little bar attached to it. The atmosphere is nice, and the people who visit it are mostly middle to high class people who live or work nearby, as it's located in a wealthy zone of town. The prices are pretty decent, though, you can have a great meal for about 30-35 USD per person (drinks included)...

The quality of the food and the drinks is guaranteed! You might want to make a reservation, as it's usually full of people during the regular meal times (2-4 PM, 8-10 PM)! Also, there's no particular dress code but you might want to wear something nice -- at least not blue jeans!

At night they play live music -- typically Mexican, of course! The mariachi in particular is cool -- they've been there for at least 10 years! The environment is really joyful -- Mexican style fiesta! It has become a little touristy, but we the locals continue to enjoy it very much.

Two of our VT meets have been held here, and people have liked the place. The latest pics were taken in 2011 and some of them are courtesy of VTer BETSKA!

Favorite Dish: Try any of the entries (they're not a lot of food and it's a good start), especially the "Cuerazos" (tacos stuffed with chicharron = pork rinds), you'll love them. Recently they've added a LOT of different options to their menu, so apparently the entries have become really popular as they are all very typically Mexican.

As main course, try a dish that includes beef meat, I think those are the best! They have "Medallones al agave azul" which is beef cooked with a Tequila sauce... nice! They used to have a dish called "Cazuela de la abuela" (a mix of seafood with a slightly spicy red sauce and white rice on the side) which was great but apparently has been removed from the menu.... it's a pity, it was a good option for seafood lovers.

And last but certainly not least... don't forget to have a little dessert after your meal, they're delicious too... I've tried most of them, and I love the Flan with cajeta and the strawberry bowl with creamy mascarpone cheese sauce... The "Pastelillo de la hermana Engracia" is a small corn cake/muffin with rompope (eggnog) on top to die for... another favorite & classic of this place!

Another must at this restaurant: the Tamarindo Margaritas.... they're HUGE and refreshing! They have many other flavor choices (lemon, strawberry, mango, piña colada, coconut) which are really good as well! Be sure to ask for the "medium" size, because the big one is like a whole litre of margarita LOL I prefer to have medium sized ones so I can taste more than one flavor per visit ;)

Address: Homero street, Polanco

Comparison: more expensive than average

Directions: This is on the corner of Homero and Galileo streets, in the Polanco neighborhood, quite close to POLANCO metro station.

Phone: +52 55 52030306

Price: US$31-40

Rating: 5

Theme: Mexican

Salon Luz: A typical mexican "Cantina"

This isn't exactly a pub but has a very similar concept: a typical place to go drink alcohol and eat some finger food, and these are called cantinas in Mexico.

This place has been working since 1914. You can find Mexican food in here, but they are specialized in German dishes (especially Frankfurt sausages). You can also have some fine meat cuts, seafood, etc. Right now (summer/autumn) they have some seasonal traditional Mexican dishes which are quite good and will only be available for 3-4 months. These "specials" change according to the season, but you can eat their typical dishes all year round.

They also have special offers on Wednesdays and Fridays, like 50% off the second drink you order, combos with soup + main course + dessert, etc. The decoration of the place is simple but cozy and they usually display football matches on their TVs. They also have a few tables outside (on a sort of terrace) in case you want to smoke -- which is not allowed inside the bar -- and it's very nice to sit down to have a drink here during a hot spring/summer evening.

Favorite Dish: The sangria (prepared with red wine and vodka) is quite good but it gets to your head QUICKLY! But it's refreshing and tasty. My hubby and a friend's husband had a mezcal called Gusano rojo which was also very good according to them.

We had some Tostadas (crunchy/hard tortillas) with Zick de venado (cold deer meat) on top: this is a dish originary from Yucatan state (in the south east of the country, where Chichen-Itza ruins are located) which is rare and therefore expensive but good. Also, the Frankfurt sausages should not be missed when visiting this place.

Address: Gante street no. 21

Comparison: about average

Directions: In the corner with Venustiano Carranza street (on a pedestrian street where the "terrace" is located).

Price: US$11-20

Rating: 4

Theme: Pub/Brewery

TGI Friday's: TGI Friday's TGI Friday's Review

This isn't really a fast food place, but rather an international style food restaurant, and a quite good one by the way (many of you may already know it - another similar place which I am fond of is Chili's). This restaurant is 100% american, so the atmosphere is and the whole style, but it's a cool site with a good service. The prices are high for our standards though, but it's a high quality place. Handsome waiters & bartenders by the way (not in all venues, but yeah I've seen some)!! ;-)

Favorite Dish: EVERYTHING is cool here! I particularly enjoyed the Cheese Cream (soup).

Comparison: more expensive than average

Directions: Pabellon Altavista (Ave. Revolucion y Altavista, San Angel), another one in Satelite (north of the city in the outskirts), another one in Villa Coapa (south), etc.

Price: US$21-30

Rating: 4

Theme: American

La Esquina del Viejo Barrio / El Kiosko: YUMMY ice cream in a GREAT place!

This is a recent discovery I made while strolling Coyoacan (please see my THINGS TO DO tips!), I believe it's been there for a bit more than a year now and it has become really popular.

Anyhow, I decided to go in because it was crowded on Saturday everning (the weather not being particularly warm) and because the people coming out from there with their big ice creams made me and my companion crave for one, LOL.... They looked really delicious. My companion was a Banana Split lover so we thought we might as well have one.

There are very few tables inside and they were all occupied, as there is also a section of this same shop where they serve coffee & donuts, so it was the perfect place to relax and either drink something refreshing or warm yourself up with a hot coffee and chat while looking at the people passing by. So it's very recommendable if you want to make a pause during your touristic visit to this nice area of town!

Favorite Dish: We finally took a seat and ordered our banana split (this is self service, you go and pay and then pick up your stuff at another counter), and I must say it was REALLY GOOD. The price was very reasonable, the size of the portion was MORE than enough for the 2 of us, the taste of the ice cream was really good and you're allowed to choose your own combination of flavours in whatever specialty you ask for, and they have A LOT of different flavours to choose from!!! So we were both very pleased with our visit to this new place and he agreed it would be a good idea to let everyone on VT know about this place.... go have an ice cream if you have the chance!! My favorites are CHEESE (just cheese, nothing added although there are other flavors which mix cheese + fruits) and MARACUYA (passion fruit)...!!!

Check this out: the place has different names -- inside it says it's called La Esquina del Viejo Barrio but on the outside you might see Cafe del Viejo Barrio or even El Kiosko painted on the wall. It's the same place though!

Address: Felipe Carrillo Puerto Street, Coyoacan

Comparison: less expensive than average

Directions: Right on one of the corners of the main square of Coyoacan (Plaza Hidalgo), across the street from the big church

Price: less than US$10

Rating: 4

Theme: Ice Cream

Bar La Opera: One of the oldest cantinas in town....

This is one of the oldest cantinas in town, a very traditional place which is also very beautiful and has a good environment and food. They claim that Pancho Villa came here at the beginning of the XX century and shot his gun during his visit, leaving a hole in the ceiling which all the waiters will proudly point out to you.

Favorite Dish: On my last visit I had a roast beef with mashed potatoes which was REALLY good, and a chef suggestion: it wasn't on the regular menu so you may not find this particular dish but one of my friends asked for something else (a Tampiqueña beef dish) and he said the quality and taste of the food was excellent as well. The flan for dessert is also very good.

Address: 5 de Mayo street

Comparison: about average

Directions: Right in downtown, very close to Bellas Artes Palace

Price: US$11-20

Rating: 4

Theme: Eclectic/International

Cluny: A place for crepes

Cluny is specialized in crepes (yummy!!!) and French cuisine. The prices are somewhat high but affordable for special occasions or a treat. The atmosphere is very quiet and nice and European; it looks like a small place but sits many people and the attention is fair (although the waiters can sometimes be REAL SLOW and the service has gotten worse lately). There are tables in the terrace too (the restaurant is placed in a small shopping mall though, not on plain street).

They have seasonal specials and also a 3-course meal + beverage [wine] at a fixed price (at lunch time, on week days). It is open everyday from noon to midnight (they close a bit earlier on Sundays).

This used to be my very favorite place to eat although I've made some other cool discoveries in the recent years, but I highly recommend it to those who like French food and especially CREPES... like me!

Favorite Dish: 3-Cheese crepes, or Bechamel (chicken-mushroom-white sauce) crepes. For dessert, try the Melba crepes or the 3-berry crepes. Cider is good for beverage.

Address: Ave. de la Paz, 57

Comparison: more expensive than average

Directions: Almost on the corner with Ave. Revolucion, in the San Angel area.

Phone: (55) 5550-7350

Price: US$21-30

Rating: 4

Theme: French

Website: http://www.cluny.com.mx/index1.html

Konditori: Italian & International food

This is a pretty quiet place with tables both in the inside of the restaurant and outside on the sidewalk, which makes it quite european (like many other restaurants in the Polanco area). The prices are high but acceptable and the atmosphere and service are very good. Recommended for a date (that's how I got to know it, LOL)

Update 2010: I had not been to this place in YEARS. This time I visited the one located in the Zona Rosa area (my first experience had been in Polanco). It was a TOTAL disappointment and I wouldn't recommend it anymore for people to go there. Unfortunately another VTer (Diageva) was with me and I felt very bad that she had to witness the bad quality & service of this place nowadays. Ok, the damage was done but I decided I had to come and update my tip in order to warn others.

We just came here for coffee & cake. They brought me a tray full of cake slices that looked very yummy and I picked one. When they brought it I found out there was some fungus growing on one of its sides.... ughhh!!! And when I told the waiter he said it was not true... I refused to eat it and he took it away, and then had to offer me a different kind of cake since apparently this was the last slice of the kind I had requested at first -- no wonder!!! Who knows how long it had been standing there...... I also ordered a coffee and when I asked for some milk to put in it they brought me a little cup with SPOILED, sour milk. I was lucky to try it before I added it to my coffee (was already afraid after the cake thing LOL)! They changed it and apologized saying that the weather had been too hot and maybe that's why the milk spoiled fast outside of the fridge... DUH. Then put it inside the goddamn fridge!!!!

Anyway, my friend asked for a struddel cake with vanilla ice cream, and the ice cream was completely melted. When she complained about it the waiter said that was its "optimal" consistency.... WTF?!?!!?! They didn't even offer to change it. She didn't want to make a big fuss about it so she ate it like that, but she wasn't pleased, of course -- it looks like they forgot to put EVERYTHING inside the fridge and then they blamed the hot weather....

We obviously didn't get any kind of freebie to make up for this or a discount in our bill.... Not nice. So even though the 2nd cake I asked for was great, I wouldn't really recommend that you come here! There are many other cafes to choose from in this area......

Favorite Dish: Spaghetti Alfredo, it's delicious!!

Their Konditori cake (made with goat cheese, yoghurt and berries) is also VERY good..... but be careful with ANY food here (read section above if you haven't yet).

Comparison: about average

Directions: Euler No. 120, in the Polanco area (almost next to Mariano Escobedo Ave.). There are others scattered around the city, though! But this is the one I know and had liked before my last visit.

Price: US$11-20

Rating: 2

Theme: Buffet

Cafe Bar Genova: One of many cafes in Zona Rosa

After our bad experience at the Konditori restaurant (look for that one on my other tips if you want to get a recent review -- and not a very positive one, at that), VTers Diageva, cinthya_in_victoria and myself decided to go elsewhere for our 2nd VT meet during Diageva's stay in Mexico City. We were still in the Zona Rosa area so we entered another cafe with tables on the sidewalk (just a block away from Konditori or so) and crossed our fingers for it to be a decent place LOL.

We were pleasantly surprised with the quality of the food here. The service was good, the food was yummy and the portions quite generous. The prices are reasonable for the area and kind of restaurant (not too classy but not too modest). I would definitely recommend it for a coffee break or even lunch/supper/dinner if you're visiting or staying nearby.

Favorite Dish: The Flautas (hard shell / deep fried tacos) were VERY good. Flautas can be stuffed with either barbacoa, chicken or beef; these had chicken inside, cream & grated cheese on top, guacamole and refried beans on the side. They were VERY yummy and the plate was fairly big!

Cakes are also good here, they don't have a huge variety but I had a mil hojas (millefeuilles) which was VERY tasty.

Address: Genova street, Zona Rosa

Comparison: about average

Directions: This is a pedestrian street with several restaurants, cafes and other shops; this cafe is located between Liverpool and Londres streets.

Price: US$11-20

Rating: 4

Theme: Local

Cafe El Jarocho: Mexican coffee at a Mexican traditional shop!

This tiny coffeeshop called Cafe El Jarocho was founded in 1953 and has grown quite a bit ever since. From its original and unique location in the central area of Coyoacan (see my Things to do tips) it has grown to 7 shops in the southern part of town and it continues to expand itself. A family business managed by 3 generations now, it has evolved to a very well known place to stop by, buy a coffee and a donut and take them with you while strolling the surrounding area.

As per an article read in one of our national newspapers online (El Universal), this coffeeshop used to sell 20-30 coffees a day, while nowadays the number has raised to 1,000-2,000; also, they sell around 200-500 donuts a day. The quality of the coffee is excellent (as well as the bread/pastries sold there) and the prices are surprisingly low. You will hardly find a cheaper coffee in town. And as per the same article, even a Harvard survey has stated this to be one of the places not to be missed while visiting Mexico City! This is the only place where you will find these shops!

Favorite Dish: Besides the regular coffees, they also sell tea (wide variety), chocolate, sweet bread (especially donuts) and ground coffee for you to prepare at home, which they roast & grind on site. My favorite is the cappuccino with a good hearty chocolate doughnut.

This has become a very traditional place for people who visit the Coyoacan area, where most of the shops are located. The original location is in the corner of Cuauhtemoc and Allende streets, a couple of blocks away from Plaza Hidalgo in the heart of Coyoacan. You will not find chairs & tables to sit down and drink your coffee, but rather a bar to shop-&-go and a bench or two out on the sidewalk where you can sit and relax while drinking your coffee -- or just take it to go and enjoy it somewhere else!

Comparison: least expensive

Directions: Several locations in the south of the city, mainly in the Coyoacan district.

Price: less than US$10

Rating: 4

Theme: Coffeehouse

Website: http://www.cafeeljarocho.com.mx/