CDMXGuide
Where To Eat In Roma, Mexico City
In Mexico City, every path leads to Roma. Located in the heart of the city, and adjacent to other hot areas like Condesa and Juarez, this neighborhood is more bustling than ever. Sure, you'll see digital nomads from LA and part-time hot yoga instructors at cafes speaking English, but you’ll also find some of the best restaurants and bars in town. And while that certainly includes places like Contramar and Rosetta, there’s also plenty of taco spots, cafes, and even excellent bibimbap.
If you're looking to explore beyond Roma, here's our list of the best restaurants in Mexico City and a guide to the best tacos.
THE SPOTS
This probably isn’t the first time you’ve heard of Contramar, and it won’t be the last. It’s legendary for its seafood-focused menu, and you should absolutely make a point to come here for the tuna tostadas and whole fish covered in red and green sauce. Make a reservation for lunch, when the sprawling dining room becomes an all-out party. If this is your first time in CDMX, a meal at Contramar is essential dining.
photo credit: Guillaume Guevara
Plaza Rio de Janeiro could easily be considered the heart of Roma—it’s home to two of the colonia’s most iconic landmarks, La Casa de las Brujas and the statue of David—and it’s also where you’ll find some really great restaurants. This includes Marmota, which might just be the best of the bunch. All of their meat is farm-raised, most of their produce is sourced locally, and just about everything on the hearty menu will be cooked in a wood-fired oven and come out nice and smoky. Their cocktail menu is impressive, but we usually stick with one of the many hard cider options, which go great with all that char.
Chicken is a key ingredient in enchiladas, mole, and chilaquiles, so a restaurant entirely focused on poultry is a welcome addition to CDMX. The options here are varied: you can get a Middle Eastern-inspired grilled flour tortilla sandwich slathered with labneh and shredded chicken, as well as the city’s most famous dish, tacos al pastor, with chicken subbed in for pork. We like to come here for a late lunch and get the whole roasted chicken with a side of rice, potatoes, guacamole, and freshly-pressed corn tortillas. The team behind this fun spot runs Mexico’s most famous churros chain, El Moro, so they’re no strangers to excelling at a short menu.
photo credit: Guillaume Guevara
You probably already know that Orinoco has some of the best tacos in town, and even if you’ve been two or three times before, you should still prioritize at least one late-night visit during your trip. Definitely get a round of the tacos de chicharrón—instead of crispy, potato chip-like slices of fried pork rinds, Orinoco’s are soft on the inside and seared on the outside, resulting in a fun mix of textures. And, yes, you should also try their tacos al pastor, which are arguably the best in all of CDMX. In other words: Orinoco is exactly what you’re looking for after a few rounds of mezcal, especially since they’re open until 3:30am during the week and even later on the weekend.
photo credit: Andrew Reiner
Rosetta is a beautiful restaurant inside a townhouse, with a menu that’s predominantly Italian with a Mexican twist. Expect things like pillowy ricotta-stuffed ravioli swimming in a creamy lemon sauce, and tagliatelle punched up with some chile de árbol. Our favorite time to be here is lunch when the room fills with light, but if you’re traveling with a significant other and looking for a romantic night out, dinner at Rosetta should be at the top of your list.
Canton Mexicali looks like a pretty straightforward Chinese restaurant. And that’s because up until a few years ago, it was. New owners have kept the very mid-’90s feel, but now serves Mexicali-style Chinese food to cool kids and a few loyal holdovers. The camarones chipotle (fried shrimp in a sweet and sour chipotle salsa) are an essential order, and the perfect introduction to what’s happening here. Add the spicy cucumber salad, dan dan noodles, and a round of Tsingtaos for the full experience.
photo credit: Bogar Adame Mendoza
Loup was one of the first natural wine bars to open in Mexico City, and it’s still one of the best for unexpected, funky wines—their list is well-curated, with small-batch bottles from all over Europe. The food menu is small, but you can definitely have a full meal here: the juicy wagyu flank steak with perfectly creamy mashed potatoes is the standout entree. If you’re only sort-of in a wine mood, ask for a vermouth spritz with a splash of pet nat.
photo credit: Alicia Vera
El Hidalguense should be your tacos de barbacoa stop on a Friday, Saturday, or Sunday—and that’s because those are the only days they’re open. These are hands-down the best slow-cooked lamb tacos in Mexico City. Their only location is intended to look and feel like a country ranch in the state of Hidalgo, and is most busy in the mornings (barbacoa is one of Mexico’s most beloved hangover cures) so come closer to lunch to avoid the crowds.
photo credit: Guillaume Guevara
Noodles are the focus at this newish spot from a chef whose grandfather invented one of Mexico’s most coveted snacks, cacahuates Japoneses, or Japanese peanuts. Following this family tradition, Fideo Gordo fuses traditional Mexican flavors with well-executed Asian dishes. The lamb obi udon—which mixes barbacoa with serrano chiles and handmade udon noodles—is a standout on the focused menu. Don’t just stick to noodles, though: the make-your-own tuna and kampachi taquito is a perfect appetizer.
photo credit: Guillaume Guevara
Dooriban’s Korean homestyle cooking took Mexico City’s Korean food scene by storm after the chef started making “Kimchi Mama Park” out of a ghost kitchen in Colonia Juárez. (Now, it’s a proper restaurant in Roma.) The kimchi bokkeumbap—bacon fried rice with that excellent fermented cabbage—is the main event, but it’s nearly eclipsed by the Korean fried chicken wings served in a delightfully messy gochujang sauce. If you’ve spent the day walking around Roma, this is a great way to refuel at lunchtime.
photo credit: Guillaume Guevara
There might be more excellent tacos per square block in Mexico City than anywhere else in the known universe. And while most of them are filled with delicious meats and fish, we’re pretty confident that there are no better vegan tacos than those at Por Siempre Vegana. The taco de milanesa, served with avocado, is incredible, and worth the almost constant wait for a table here during peak hours.
Hugo feels like a Lower East Side transplant with a Mexican twist, which we guess is what happens when two former New York residents relocate here and open a place. Their wines, of course, are a highlight—they’re mostly natural, and many of them come from Mexico’s wine region in Valle de Guadalupe. Food-wise they keep it simple, with small plates of things like kampachi crudo and fennel with fava beans (though they also make a fantastic roasted chicken). Reserve a table in advance, or plan on showing up as early as your grandparents would to get a seat.
photo credit: Natalie Cohen
Máximo Bistrot is a restaurant that’s kind of French, kind of Mexican, and one of the best spots in town for a hot date or group dinner. It’s a fun, atrium-like space with great cocktails and an equally fantastic wine list, and they do delicious spins on dishes you’ve seen before, like a caesar salad with homemade headcheese. You can go à la carte, but there’s also a tasting menu with an optional wine pairing. And if you’re looking for a meal earlier in the day, they operate a breakfast/brunch spot called Lalo! that’s just a few blocks away.
photo credit: Alicia Vera
True to its namesake, this is a standing-room-only taquería, and a perfect spot for a mid-afternoon snack. The tacos de chile poblano con queso is a must-order (and only costs around $2.50 for an order of two) and their specialty—machitos de carnero, or finely chopped and perfectly cooked goat tripe—is equally as good. Try them both with their salsa morita and some sliced onions with lime from the condiments station. Even though you rarely see desserts at taquerías, Los Parados makes an incredible arroz con leche that’s not too sweet and incredibly satisfying.
photo credit: Guillaume Guevara
Cafe Trucha is cute space you might mistake for somewhere in Brooklyn. The small plates are really good, and pretty unique for Mexico City—the “picnic tapas,” as they’re called, include things like smoked Portuguese sardines with capers, green garlic and radicchio focaccia, and heirloom tomato toasts. It gets busy at breakfast, when they serve strong coffee made from beans sourced in Chiapas (one of the Mexico’s coffee capitals) and freshly baked goods. Even still, it’s generally a casual spot, so you can bring your laptop in the late morning and enjoy a few hours at one of their outdoor tables.
photo credit: Guillaume Guevara
Sartoria offers something that’s actually pretty rare in Mexico City: a pasta-forward spot that’s casual enough for a long lunch, but also perfect for impressing whoever you decide to bring here for dinner. There’s a great slightly smoky cacio e pepe on the menu, plus one huge raviolo stuffed with short rib and a runny egg yolk, served in a pool of hazelnut butter, and topped with a mushroom ragu.
photo credit: Guillaume Guevara
Butcher & Sons makes the best burgers in CDMX, especially the Bowie with roasted poblano peppers and fried tortilla. For vegetarians, the plant-based Yorke burger with vegan cheese is as close to a classic cheeseburger as you can get without, you know, actually eating a cheeseburger. They also collaborate with local chefs on a unique monthly burger (chefs from Pujol and Contramar have both participated before). Add an order of bacon-wrapped french fries, and a s’mores pie if you’ve somehow left any room in your body for dessert.
POWERED BY
More restaurants in Mexico City have become increasingly international over the past decade, and this Thai spot is another example of that. You’ll see familiar noodle dishes on the menu, but the standouts here are the “platos fuertes,” or entrees, like the khao soi and the khai paloh with egg and pork belly. Add on a plate of gai tod golae, which will be some of the best fried chicken wings you'll ever try, and wash it all down with one of their mezcal cocktails. They also have an extremely photogenic outdoor terrace that’s great for big groups.
There’s always a line at Churreria El Moro, whether you show up first thing in the morning, around lunchtime, or right after dinner. And for good reason—this local chain (with 12 locations around the city) makes some of the best churros in existence. You can get a four-pack fresh out of the fryer and covered in cinnamon sugar with a side of hot chocolate dip for around $5. If you need to cool down after walking around all day, take yourself and a consuelo—El Moro’s churro ice cream sandwich—to nearby Plaza Rio de Janeiro for some shade.
