I have devoured Mexico City a hundred times over. Each new journey alters my list. CDMX is not an only food city. In my opinion, it is the food city. There is no other place where $1 tacos and $250 tasting menus can be compared.
There are detailed accounts of Mexico City fine dining to late night taco runs, neighborhoods, booking techniques, and the stuff that most guides do not tell. When you are planning on coming to Mexico City and you ask yourself where to eat in Mexico City, this is your starting point.
Fine Dining That Actually Lives Up to the Hype
Fine dining Mexico City market has burst in the past 10 years. There are two restaurants that have two Michelin stars. Several locations appear yearly in the lists of the best of the world. And no jest, the prices remain, by far, much lower in comparison with Paris or Tokyo of the same quality of cooking.
Pujol: The One Everyone Asks About
Pujol is the brainchild of chef Enrique Olvera who opened it in 2000 at Tennyson 133 in Polanco, and has since then been the general entity of modern Mexican cuisine. The head of the dish is the Mole Madre, a pair of concentric rings of old mole (more than 4,500 days old at the moment) and a fresh mole nuevo, all in addition to hand-pressed tortillas.
The tasting menu runs about 3,500 to 4,400 MXN ($190 to $245 USD). It also serves a taco omakase in the 12 seat bar counter at an approximate price of 2,900 MXN. Pujol is a two-star Michelin chef, and at present, he is ranked 60th in the World 50 Best extended List. There is a reason why it remains the best restaurant in Mexico City but be honest with me: it loses some of its magic when one visits there frequently.
Quintonil: The One That Should Be #1 on Your List
Quintonil is one of the restaurants that I would only have the opportunity to eat in Mexico City. Chef Jorge Vallejo studied at Pujol and Noma and then started this establishment at Av. Isaac Newton 55 in Polanco. His 11 courses in his tasting menu are founded on hyper-local and seasonal ingredients foraged. We are discussing such dishes as blue-corn and crab tostada, avocado tartar with escamoles (ant larvae) and duck confit in achiote.
Later in 2025, Quintonil has advanced to the 50 Best Restaurants in the World to place number 3, the highest appearance of a Mexican Restaurant on the list. Two Michelin stars. The tasting menu costs about 4,500 to 4,950 MXN ($250 to $275 USD). Worth all the pesos, deliberately.
Rosetta: Italian-Mexican Magic in a Roma Norte Mansion
Rosetta is operated by chef Elena Reygadas who was named the World’s Best Female Chef in 2023 and operates out of a gorgeous mansion in the Porfirio era in Roma Norte on Colima 166. Rosetta is la carte as opposed to the tasting-menu-only locations. A meal of three fantastic courses costs approximately 1,000 MXN ($55 USD). Sample the huitlacoche risotto or potato triangoli with pot.
Rosetta has been rated at position 46 in the best 50 international restaurants in 2025 and has one Michelin star. You should also not pass Panaderia Rosetta over the road, the guava roll can be found there but it is low key the best baked good I ever had.
More Fine Dining Worth Your Time
Sud 777 (Chef Edgar Nunez, Pedregal) has a 12 course tasting menu at only 1850 to 2350 MXN ($100 to $130 USD) which is the best value in fine dining in Mexico City. One Michelin star. The catch? It is approximately 30 minutes south of central CDMX. Nevertheless, the volcano ambiance and vegetable-based food justify the Uber.
Chef Eduardo Garcia (Maximo Bistrot, Roma Norte) earned his debut- Michelin star in 2025, and was ranked 30th on Latin America 50 best. Garcia is an ex-migrant farm full of Pujol training. One only needs to read about his story itself. Abalone tostada and beet tartar are exquisite. Contramar, owned by Chef Gabriela Camara, Roma Norte, was awarded a Bib Gourmand because of its well known dish, the Pescador a la talla (whole fish halfed in red chili and green parsely sauce). Around 400 to 700 MXN per person. It is among the hardest among the city reservations.
Quick Comparison: Top Fine Dining Restaurants in Mexico City
| Restaurant | Neighborhood | Price Range (per person) | Stars / Awards |
| Pujol | Polanco | 3,500-4,400 MXN ($190-$245) | 2 Michelin Stars |
| Quintonil | Polanco | 4,500-4,950 MXN ($250-$275) | 2 Stars, #3 World’s 50 Best |
| Rosetta | Roma Norte | ~1,000 MXN ($55) | 1 Star, #46 World’s 50 Best |
| Sud 777 | Pedregal | 1,850-2,350 MXN ($100-$130) | 1 Michelin Star |
| Maximo Bistrot | Roma Norte | 1,500-2,000 MXN ($83-$110) | 1 Star, #30 LatAm 50 Best |
| Contramar | Roma Norte | 400-700 MXN ($22-$39) | Bib Gourmand |
| EM | Roma Norte | ~3,400 MXN ($187) | 1 Michelin Star |
| Expendio de Maiz | Roma Norte | ~300-500 MXN ($17-$28) | 1 Michelin Star |
Every Michelin Star in Mexico City (Updated 2025)
Mexico The Michelin Guide was introduced in Mexico on May 2024. It was the first Latin American country to get covered. Published June 3, 2025, the 2025 edition added 23 starred restaurants around the country and increased the list of recommended restaurants in Mexico to 181. It will further be expanded to Jalisco, Puebla and Yucatan in the year 2026.
The complete breakdown of CDMX is as follows. There are two positions which have two stars (Pujol and Quintonil). Another seven have one star: Rosetta, Sud 777, EM, Esquina Comun, Expendio de Maiz, Masala y Maiz, and Maximo Bistrot. And here Taqueria El Califa de Leon also received a star. A taco stand. The first one in history to get a Michelin star. More on that below.
| Restaurant | Stars | Year Awarded | Cuisine Style |
| Pujol | 2 Stars | 2024 | Contemporary Mexican |
| Quintonil | 2 Stars | 2024 | Seasonal Mexican |
| Rosetta | 1 Star | 2024 | Italian-Mexican |
| Sud 777 | 1 Star | 2024 | Vegetable-Forward Mexican |
| EM | 1 Star | 2024 | Japanese-Mexican Omakase |
| Esquina Comun | 1 Star | 2024 | Contemporary Mexican |
| Expendio de Maiz | 1 Star | 2025 (new) | Corn-Based Traditional |
| Masala y Maiz | 1 Star | 2025 (new) | African-Indian-Mexican |
| Maximo Bistrot | 1 Star | 2025 (new) | Farm-to-Table Bistro |
| El Califa de Leon | 1 Star | 2024 | Tacos (Street Food) |
Street Food and Taquerias That Hit Different
Check, the gourmet in CDMX is of the global level. However, you are missing the whole point in case you do not have the street food. The best restaurants in Mexico do not necessarily have to be restaurants. Plastic tables at a roadside at two in the morning contain some of the life-altering bites.
El Vilsito: A Mechanic Shop by Day, Taco Legend by Night
It is not a gimmick. El Vilsito in Narvarte is literally a functioning auto repair shop in the daytime in Peten 248. At nightfall here come the trompo and folding-chairs. The al pastor here was sculpted by a fellow by the name Marcos whom he has been doing the al pastor a lot more than 18 years. The avocado salsa is light-green and unreal.
Tacos run 15 to 25 MXN (under $1.50 USD). Closes at 3 AM during the weekdays and at 5 AM during weekends. It appeared in Netflix Taco Chronicles and Somebody Feed Phil. In earnest, this establishment altered my thoughts in regard to tacos.
Tacos El Califa de Leon: The Michelin-Starred Taco Stand
This tiny stand in Calle de Las Heras 265 in San Rafael has only four options, gaonera (steak sliced to a thinness of no more than four centimeters and no additional ingredients beyond salt and lime), bistec, chuleta and costilla.
The grill is operated by Chef Arturo Rivera Martinez who has served 20+ years. He even turned down wearing(chef coat) claiming it was too hot when he received Michelin star.
A taco costs between 80 and 90 MXN (the cost of a taco is 4.5 to 5 USD), which is not cheap as a street food item. However, this is the first taco booth in the world to be rated by Michelin. Cash only. Long queues are to be expected, particularly during weekends.
More Taquerias You Should Not Miss
Taqueria Orinoco introduces Monterrey tacos into Roma Norte (Av.). Insurgentes Sur 253). This trompo could perhaps be the largest in the city. Place an order of flour tortillas and order the cilantro pesto salsa. Tacos run 25 to 45 MXN. Open until 3:30 AM.
Tacos al pastor are said to have been invented in CDMX by El Huequito at Ayuntamiento 21, Centro Historico, in 1959. The move is the Pastor Especial plate that comes with guacamole. At this place, Anthony Bourdain dined on No Reservations. Los Cocuyos at Bolivar 57 presents suadero, lengua and cabeza out of a vast simmering fat tub. Bourdain visited here, as well as the crew continued to do so. Peak experience: 3 AM to midnight. Tacos are 15 to 25 MXN.
Neighborhood by Neighborhood: Where to Eat in Mexico City
The greatest part of the strategies of most guides and the largest aspect is that they are attempting to place the entire CDMX in the same location. Each neighborhood is unique, and it has its own spirit, cost range, and specialization. This is how I consider the dining experience in Mexico City, area-wise.