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Mexico restaurants
Cast aside your preconceptions when approaching Mexico's restaurant scene: It's far more exciting than your average taqueria. Chefs in Mexico City, Puerto Vallarta, and Acapulco blend international, regional, and pre-Hispanic ingredients and techniques, creating an ever-evolving nouvelle Mexican cuisine. Check out Izote and Aguila y Sol in Mexico City and chef Thierry Blouet's Café des Artistes in Puerto Vallarta for innovative fare, and look for cafés around any city's main plaza or historic center for authentic Mexican regional dishes.
Indeed, there is no such thing as "Mexican food," given the variety of regional differences: In the Yucatán, seafood is baked in banana leaves; in Zihuatanejo, it's wrapped in corn tortillas to make fish tacos. In Acapulco, chefs use a sweetish cocktail sauce in their ceviches instead of the simple lime and cilantro marinade used elsewhere. Look for posole (a hominy stew) on the Pacific Coast and cochinita pibil (marinated pork) on the Caribbean. Be sure to sample at least one dish prepared with traditional mole, a concoction containing Mexican chocolate, cinnamon bark, nuts, seeds, several types of chiles, and often raisins. Most restaurants in tourist areas use purified water for food preparation. If you're wary, stick with fully cooked dishes.
Worship the sunset with a frosty margarita while nibbling on feather-light chips with lime-infused salsa. Segue to shrimp rubbed with achiote (a pungent...more
see the Riviera Maya guideChef José Mejia has given the Méridien's formal Mediterranean restaurant some nouvelle Mexican flair, adding dishes like sea bass ceviche marinated in...more
see the Cancún guideFish is an afterthought at many restaurants in Mexico City—not a surprise, as the capital city is hundreds of miles from either ocean. Chef José...more
see the Mexico City guideThough it's been around a few years, the cliff-top Baikal has a continually hip vibe as well as a consistently excellent menu. Just getting to the dining...more
see the Acapulco + Zihuatanejo guide
A hot spot for surfers, supermodels, and the generally hip, Bar La Esquina, a Mexican–Mediterranean restaurant inside the Bahia Hotel, is more than just a...more
see the Baja California guideThis place is above the competition—literally. To reach it, you take a private elevator from the row of high-end restaurants that cuts through the mostly...more
see the Mexico City guideIn-the-know expats congregate for morning meals at Café de la Parroquia (11 Jesús; 52-415-152-3161) and El Correo (23 Correo; 52-415-152-4951). The...more
see the San Miguel de Allende guide
Chef Thierry Blouet's multiroom fantasia, Café des Artistes, is the fanciest restaurant in Puerto Vallarta, with some fancy prices to match. From the...more
see the Puerto Vallarta guideThe jury's still out on star chef Eduardo Osuna's elegant San Miguel restaurant. It's certainly well dressed, with several dining rooms filled with linen-draped...more
see the San Miguel de Allende guideIf you can't take the time for a complete escape on Isla Mujeres, sail to serene Casa Rolandi aboard the Cocoon I for a leisurely Italian lunch or sunset...more
see the Cancún guide
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