Let me just start this post by saying that my husband and I LOVE food. We especially love Mexican food, so needless to say it was one of the highlights of our 4 day trip to Mexico City (at least, until my husband got sick). We ate at many places, but there were a few stand outs I feel are worth mentioning. If you’re paying a visit to Mexico City, I recommend trying out at least one of these places. Also, eating in Mexico is VERY cheap. Even at the most expensive/fine-dining experience (La Gruta) on this list, the total cost was $75 for 4 people, roughly $18 a person. Something to remember: Tipping in Mexico City is 10%.
We ate here pretty much first thing after landing in Mexico City. It is a chain with many locations, but we dined at the one located in Centro Historico and it was stunning.
After spending the day wandering Chapultepec Park, we were tired and very hungry. A quick google search of ‘Places Near Me’ led us to Los Panchos, and let’s just say we got really lucky. Los Panchos is actually pretty well known, and has 4.4 Stars from Google out of 3,111 reviews. My friend we were visiting in Mexico City said it was the most authentic food we had eaten the whole trip, and her friend said the mole tasted ‘just like her mom made’. Is there any praise higher than that? I don’t think so. Bottom line: Eat here.
Also located in Centro Historico, this place is not a restaurant but a bakery. And it was PACKED to point that on occasion we couldn’t even move. We got ourselves a little box of galletas (cookies) to take home.
4. La Gruta
Yes this restaurant is ‘expensive’. Yes it is a total tourist trap. But it’s one of those things you’ve got to do when visiting Mexico City! It’s like visiting the West Coast and not eating at In-N-Out, although a much cooler experience since you are literally eating in a cave. Something to note, the food here was good but not my favorite that we ate and it made my husband sick. However it was a fun experience as a whole and we felt it was a great way to end our trip.
Honorable Mentions
- Street Food (Elote and Tamales)
These can be found everywhere, do yourself a favor and get them. Many people are wary of eating street food but we had no problems. Ironically enough my husband did not get sick until he ate at the gourmet restaurants.
2. Molletas
This was my favorite thing I ate in Mexico City, and my friend made them! Not only that, but it was her first time. Hopefully my cooking will compare one day…
The recipe is actually pretty simple: Toasted bread (similar to Cuban bread), re-fried beans, Oaxaca cheese, and pico-de-gallo (with jalapeño peppers). It’s typically eaten at breakfast, but I would probably eat this any time of day.
Overall the food in Mexico City was as delicious as we hoped, but there were definitely places that stood out more than others. While planning your trip to Mexico City, I recommend planning out the places you want to visit first, and then deciding where you want to eat based on where you will already be. For example:
Centro Historico – Sanborns and Pasteleria Ideal
Chapultepec Park – Los Panchos
Teotihuacan – La Gruta
Have you visited Mexico City? What food/restaurant was your favorite?
