Quintonil

When it comes to fine dining in Mexico City, two options typically come up: Pujol, which is nearly impossible to get into, and Quintonil, which is an easier reservation to snag (though certainly not one you can grab at the last minute). The two restaurants are inherently intertwined: the chef at Quintonil also worked at Pujol, and Pujol’s most famous dish—the mole madre that’s been cooking since 2013—is also on the menu at Quintonil. 

The most all-in way to do a meal here is the tasting menu at the kitchen counter, which’ll run you around $260 per person, or $400 if you add the wine pairing. It’s a fun, showy experience, and the highlight is the mid-meal “Entomophagy Festival:” a smattering of small bowls filled with insect-forward dishes like charred avocado tartare with escamoles. If you really want to geek out with your server over ingredients, origin stories, and Mexican geography, book this. But if you’re less interested in all that pomp and circumstance, do a la carte. You’ll have an equally great time, and likely one of the best and most interesting meals of your entire trip. Just avoid playing it safe—Quintonil’s best dishes are its most experimental, like the bluefin tuna that’s served with a heap of frozen wasabi powder.