Mexican food has become loved all over the world. As with any international cuisine, there are some differences between the real thing and what you get in a Mexican restaurant in, say, London or Singapore. The basic ingredients, preparations and flavours hold up – but naturally – there’s nowhere you can enjoy it quite as well as in the motherland of Mexico City.
The bustling capital of Mexico and a city that dates back to the time of the Aztec Empire, at least in some form, Mexico City is full of authentic culture, and part of that culture is the cuisine. So to set you on your way towards experiencing Mexican culture through your taste buds, here are some of the best places to eat during a trip to the city.
Quintonil
© Quintonil
It’s good to start with Quintonil because it quickly dispels common narratives and notions about Mexican food. Around the world many have the impression that this cuisine is all about cheap and easy preparations that happen to have good flavour, and in many cases that’s the true.
However, Quintonil gives you a very different experience – it’s a high-end, 10-course, fine dining affair that nevertheless takes full advantage of local ingredients and flavours. Nothing much more needs to be said after acknowledging it was listed as number 22 on a countdown of the best restaurants in the entire world!
Website: www.quintonil.com
Churreria El Moro
Calling this a restaurant may be a bit of a stretch, but this is technically about the best places to eat – not the best restaurants.
Churreria El Moro originally opened in 1935 and is the most legendary churro shop in Mexico City, and though it was destroyed by a fire nearly a decade ago, it was popular enough to merit a rebirth.
For those who aren’t familiar with the dish, a churro is a fried doughnut-like pastry arranged as a long, thin strip, and sold either plain, with powdered sugar, or with another topping like chocolate sauce. Here you can enjoy some of the best and most authentic ones in the world, and also watch as they’re being made.
Website: www.elmoro.mx
El Vilsito
I implied above that Mexican cuisine has been more or less co-opted around the world, and this is especially true regarding the humble taco.
Taco trucks have taken over street food from California to London, and have even become a sort of cultural representation. This is a restaurant that actually emerges from an auto repair shop at night and serves food until about four in the morning, with employees carving meat right off of giant trompos and straight into your tacos. It can change your whole perception of a dish the whole world thinks it understands.
La Docena
La Docena is another pricier option, and a little bit of a more formal one, somewhat in the vein of Quintonil.
However, as a big lover of seafood it needed to be included in the list. Seafood isn’t usually an aspect of Mexican food that gets as much attention but La Docena know exactly what they’re doing.
The restaurant actually has a little bit of a New Orleans theme going on, so it’s not distinctly Mexican in terms of its cultural approach. However, a menu full of fresh seafood exposes you to some of the best local ingredients in a country that, after all, is bordered by two different oceans!
El Penulo
Love food and books? Then El Penulo in Zona Rosa is the place to go when you’re in Mexico City.
As you would imagine from a cafe/restaurant that doubles up as a bookshop, it’s ambience is super inviting – the perfect place to have a break from sightseeing.
If you’re here in the morning order the chilaquiles, warm corn tortilla chips smothered in eggs, sauce, and cheese – the city’s most iconic breakfast. El Penulo also has a rooftop space that plays host to readings, concerts, and (best of all) silent film screenings with live musical accompaniment.
La Merced
It almost feels like cheating to mention La Merced, because this isn’t a single restaurant or food stand but rather an entire market featuring various eateries and small shops.
Eating your way through La Merced takes some preparation and an exploration should always start on an empty stomach as it’s truly a massive market with lots to try. If you have a good plan going in and pick a few places to try different foods, you’ll enjoy some of the best flavours in all of Mexico. From fresh corn and chiles, to local soups, to meat delicacies and more. It can be somewhat intimidating, but you won’t be disappointing in the tastes, nor in how much you learn about local cuisine.
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