This tiny restaurant on Roma’s outskirts is only open from Thursday to Sunday with limited hours, but it’s worth adjusting your plans and making a reservation via Instagram. It excels at well-executed Mediterranean-Mexican small plates for lunch or dinner. Here, the beauty is the simplicity of each dish—they take a handful of ingredients and make them shine, like their famous avocado tostadas topped with just furikake and homemade salsa matcha.

Máximo Bistrot in Roma is 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, like a caesar salad with homemade headcheese. You can go à la carte, but there’s also a nine-course tasting menu, and definitely add that wine pairing.

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.

Voraz claims the title of Mexico’s first “gastro-cantina,” and has quickly become the go-to spot for dinner in Roma. The industrial space is energetic. This is where to see and be seen. The eclectic, always-changing menu has unmissable dishes like a fried oyster flour gordita with celery salad and cilantro mayo, and a salty churro topped with cotija and chipotle salsa. Voraz has only about eight tables, so booking ahead is key.

Taverna may just be the most beautiful restaurant in all of CDMX. It’s housed in a historical hacienda from 1905 that’s recently been restored and the lighting is dim, as much of the restaurant is lit by candlelight. Most of the Mediterranean-inspired dishes are roasted in a wood-burning oven, and standouts include dates stuffed with chorizo and wrapped in jamon serrano, fried sardines, and a beet carpaccio with a pistachio dressing that should be bottled and sold everywhere.

When you tell someone you’re visiting Mexico City, there’s a 75% chance they’ll respond by saying, “Oh are you going to...what’s that place called?” If you feel like talking to this person, finish their sentence with “Pujol.” This high-end Mexican spot in the middle of Polanco is one of the best-known restaurants in the world, and one of the hardest to get into—reservations open a year in advance, and you’ll need to plan months ahead to get a table.

In the less touristy Azcapotzalco is Nicos, a longstanding institution that's been around since 1957. Traditional Mexican food is gussied up with creative twists that make dishes feel refreshingly new, and keep us proudly carrying an “I’m a regular here” card. Their menu is a celebration of Mexican ingredients, like a super decadent bone marrow sope with the perfect green salsa, their famous Tijuana-style caesar salad prepared tableside, and arguably the best chiles en nogada in town.

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.

Orinoco has some of the best tacos in town, and prioritizing it for a late-night meal is always a great idea. 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 go for their tacos al pastor, which are arguably the best in all of CDMX.

Sud 777 in chic Jardines del Pedregal has improved over its 15+ years in existence, reaching the top of the list of “effortlessly cool restaurants that work for any occasion.” The garden-like setting has plants everywhere and lots of stone and leather. It’s the ideal backdrop for memorable dinners, whether you’re on a date and planning to drop a nice chunk of cash or with a group of friends.

If The Godfather had a Mexican sequel, this hacienda-like San Ángel institution would be the setting for the wedding scene. It’s in a former monastery with a stunning, kid-friendly courtyard in the center that’s full of fountains and the greenest grass you’ve ever seen. Gobble down steak tacos, puff on a cigar, and sip on a margarita that’s shaken right at your table. This spot is popular and slightly touristy, so make sure to snag a reservation before you go.

This wooden-walled spot on Avenida Amsterdam in Condesa has all the trappings of a fine dining restaurant but without the stuffy service and white tablecloths. Prices are high, and the music is low, making it feel fancier right off the bat. The predominantly fish- and meat-heavy menu inspired by Baja California is delightfully eclectic, and we’d expect nothing less from the chef behind the standout Amaya.

This restaurant in Lomas is an in-the-know power meal destination. It’s classy yet laid-back, slightly corporate even, with white tablecloths, cozy low ceilings, and blue velvet chairs. So it’s no surprise that the weekday lunch hour is typically filled with locals in Patagonia vests and Swiss watches, planning weekend trips to their homes in Valle de Bravo. Coincidentally, a Valle de Bravo farm is where Bakéa grows most of the vegetables used in the Basque, French, and Mexican fusion dishes.

Estoril has perfected the art of blending French food with Oaxacan flavors, so you’ll find butter-sautéed escamoles, and chipotle meatballs that are slightly too spicy but still incredible, paired with Mexican rice and corn tortillas. Many dishes on the menu start at $15-$20, which is surprisingly affordable for a Polanco restaurant that makes us feel like we’re in a rich, old-school grandmother’s house.

Orinoco has some of the best tacos in town, and prioritizing it for a late-night meal is always a great idea. 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 go for their tacos al pastor, which are arguably the best in all of CDMX.

Quintonil and Pujol have a lot in common. They’re both in Polanco, the chef at Quintonil also worked at Pujol, and Pujol’s most famous dish (the mole madre that’s been cooking for a decade) was initially made to celebrate the one-year anniversary of Quintonil. There’s also a similar focus on local ingredients, with a rotating tasting menu for about $240 per person or the option to order things à la carte. If you can’t get a reservation for dinner, then come for one of the city's best lunches.

You’ll wish Lindy was on every corner. This airy all-day restaurant is one of CDMX’s newer spots, overlooking Parque México, does comfort food with a fine dining edge, making it a place we want to spend quality time again and again. What gives this place staying power is a varied menu of salads, sandwiches, and pasta that’s New York meets CDMX.

In a city where you can easily find incredible Japanese or Spanish dishes, great Italian food is hard to come by. Enter: Sartoria, an always lively spot in Roma that fills the gap with perfectly executed homemade pasta and dedication to traditional Italian cooking. Classics like the most buttery cacio e pepe ever and a “twenty layer” lasagna might be on the menu, alongside less typical dishes like cauliflower milanese that pair well with a glass from their mostly natural wine list.

Thi restaurant, founded by the owner of Máximo Bistrot, is perfect for a leisurely meal after exploring the boutiques and galleries in Juárez or before going out to one of the many nearby cocktail bars or nightclubs. Try to grab one of the outdoor tables on the balcony overlooking the tree-lined Havre, the namesake street, and the most famous one in the neighborhood. The burger is amazing, the onion soup is decadent, and coming here for the fresh oysters is never a bad move.

Yes, we know there are a lot of seafood spots on this guide, but Bellopuerto isn’t a traditional limey/spicy seafood restaurant like so many others we know and love. Instead, this place serves things like a short rib and octopus burger, and while your brain might start to hurt just thinking about that, we promise it’s great. The roasted bone marrow with crispy octopus chicharron and salsa borracha is another thing you should prioritize.

Ticuchi is dark—as in very dark—and while that’ll make the experience feel sexy and mysterious, the real appeal here is the food. There’s a heavy vegetarian focus, and corn is the star (the people making fresh tortillas in the front kitchen should clue you in). The menu changes often, but it consistently includes impressive small plates like their outstanding tamal de esquite.

Comal Oculto has a lot in common with Mari Gold: they’re both relative newcomers to the San Miguel Chapultepec colonia, located near famous art museums, and are smaller spots where you’ll sit at communal tables (Oculto actually only has one table that’s set up in the street). What Comal Oculto lacks in space, it more than makes up for in cuisine. The focus is heirloom corn in its many iterations, from wild mushroom sopes to enchiladas ahogadas to lamb shank gorditas.

Not much has changed since Paris 16 opened in 1985. There are still linoleum tiles on the floor, Venetian blinds that keep CDMX’s busy Avenida Reforma outside feeling worlds away, and waiters clad in tuxedos serving lunch even if the vibe is fairly low-key. The food is a mix of general European-inspired dishes, like the outstanding pechuga parmesana, a thinly pressed chicken cutlet covered in a parmesan crust and served on top of mashed potatoes, and a tortilla española.

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).

The food at Tetetlán is very good, but it isn’t the main reason to stop by. It’s one of the most unique and eye-catching restaurants we’ve ever seen, and it’s located next to the Luis Barragan-designed Casa Pedregal (which you can and should visit). The huge space, formerly the property’s horse stables, is a blend of Barragan architecture and a more modern setup, with a transparent floor exposing the natural volcanic lava stones, and a mix of strange, perfect furniture.

There are two sides of Condesa: the touristy area between Parque Mexico and Parque España, and then there’s the more residential half. Superette is located in the latter, which also happens to be home to some of the neighborhood’s best neo-colonial architecture. Take a stroll and make a stop here for a galette and a hard apple cider. Like the area itself, it may not be the first place you visit in CDMX, but we can almost guarantee it’ll be one of your favorites.