Where to eat

It's not surprising in a city of this size to find hundreds of restaurants serving cuisine from around the globe. Mexico's affection for classic continental fare and increasing appetite for Italian and Mediterranean cuisine is apparent in the number of restaurants specializing in these types of dishes.

Don't miss the opportunity to try Mexico's own cuisine, especially out of fear that it may be too spicy. Many fine restaurants have opened in recent years that combine homegrown ingredients with sophisticated European cooking techniques and presentation. The happy outcome has been an increase in subtler, more refined, innovative dishes that retain their unique Mexican flavor.

What's more, Mexico's varied regional cuisines can all be sampled in Mexico City, including culinary fare from Puebla, Oaxaca, Yucatan and Veracruz.

Seafood

Tacos

International

Idian

Mexican

Chinese

Japanese

Spanish

Italian

French

Seafood	Crab House. Julio Verne 3, corner of Campos Eliseos, Polanco. Spacious setting for fish and seafood specialties. The menu features grilled whole red snapper, stone crab bred on the restaurant's own farm, tuna steak seared in black pepper, shrimps stuffed with Roquefort cheese and bathed in a chipotle chili sauce, and even crocodile fajitas a la diabla, served with a spicy tomato sauce. Also king crab, live lobster, and salmon
	El Danubio. Republica de Uruguay 3, downtown. Steeped in nostalgia, with old-fashioned photographs covering the walls, and praised for its fine fish and seafood dishes, this place has been a favorite with area bankers and businessmen for more than 50 years. Try the grilled crayfish, red or green fish soups, and Gulf of Mexico stone crabs.
Tacos	El Tizoncito. Tamaulipas 122, in Colonia Condesa; and other locations. People from all walks of life come here for Mexico's staple food, the taco, in its many variations. Favorite items are gyro-style tacos al pastor topped with shredded pork, and delicious quesadillas with cheese and vegetable fillings
	Tako's Takos. Edgar Allan Poe 14-A, Polanco. Unlike your more traditional taqueria, this upscale venue lets you accompany your tacos and quesadillas with a tequila or glass of wine and top off your meal with a cappuccino or espresso.
International	Cafe del Bosque. ChapultepecPark. Delicious international and Mexican dishes, good service and reasonable prices. Their popular weekend brunch buffets feature charcoal- grilled cuts of beef cooked to your exact order, fresh handmade tortillas with a variety of delicious fillings.
	Estoril. Alejandro Dumas 24, Polanco. Superb cuisine, it is housed in a beautifully decorated mansion. Mexican ingredients combined with French cooking techniques bring you such dishes as cuitlacoche mousse. Closed Sunday. Reservations recommended: 5280-3414.
	La Buena Fe. Altavista 43, San Angel. Fine international cuisine, with Spanish and Mexican specialties, served in an informal setting that's part Spanish tavern, part English pub and part Mexican cantina. .
	Los Irabien. Av. de la Paz 45, San Angel.This restaurant has distinguished itself for its fine food, impeccable service and select clientele, and has become a traditional favorite for power breakfasts. Enjoy gourmet Mexican and international cuisine in a lovely setting decked with classic works of art and a floor-to-ceiling window overlooking an interior garden. Live piano music at lunch, jazz at dinner.
	Outback Steak House. Seneca 349, Polanco. An informal "Aussie"-style steak house specializing in imported prime rib and steaks seared in 17 spices. Also offers grilled chicken breast in a honey-mustard dressing, delicious coconut shrimp, hamburgers and luscious desserts. Famed for its Bloomin' Onion, deep-fried and served with dip.
	Rincon Argentino. Presidente Masaryk 177, Polanco. Mexico City's leading Argentinean restaurant offers Argentinean home cooking and imported cuts of beef cooked to your exact order. The brontosaur-sized grilled steaks, ribs, sausages and other meat specialties are ideal for sharing.
Mexican	Fonda El Refugio. Liverpool 166, Zona Rosa. More than 40 years old and still one of the best restaurants in the city, featuring truly authentic Mexican food served in a charming setting decorated with folk art and handicrafts. The English menu and English-speaking staff can help you select the perfect dish. Winner of the Holiday Magazine and Dirona (Distinguished Restaurants of North America) awards.
	Hosteria de Santo Domingo. Belisario Dominguez 72, downtown. In business since 1860, the Hosteria claims to be the oldest restaurant in town. The traditional Mexican fare features pechuga ranchera, chicken breast in a cream sauce; delicious pollo en mole; and chiles en nogada, poblano peppers stuffed with ground beef and raisins, and covered in a walnut sauce.
	La Tecla. Moliere 56, Polanco; and Durango 186, Colonia Roma. Popular for its good Mexican food, reasonable prices, and attractive, intimate setting. Try the perejil frito, fried parsley with a cheese dip; pollo de leche en salsa de jamaica, tender baked chicken with a tangy sauce; and three-chocolate mousse.
	Los Girasoles. Tacuba 8, on Plaza Manuel Tolsa, downtown. An attractive restaurant with sidewalk tables serving creatively prepared and presented gourmet Mexican cuisine. Try their delicious Jalisco-style tacos (filled with shredded pork), coriander soup, and fish fillet in a garlic, parsley and basil crust served in a tomato and cucumber sauce. Colorful Mexican decor.
	Villa Maria. Homero 704, Polanco; San Jeronimo 801, in the south. The result of owner Jack Nakash's true admiration for Mexican cuisine and ambiance, these spots feature both successfully. Delicious Mexican fare and friendly, attentive service. Try their specialty cocktail, a sweet-and-sour frozen margarita made with tamarind juice. Very popular.
French	Les Moustaches. Rio Sena 88, a block from Reforma and the Maria Isabel Sheraton, near Zona Rosa. Outstanding restaurant, one of the city's leading dining establishments. Housed in a European-style mansion, it offers fine cuisine and impeccable service in an elegant yet informal setting–the intimate main dining room is a covered garden. Enjoy expertly prepared classics, including duck a l'orange (the house specialty) and, for dessert, light soufflés flavored with pistachio or amaretto.
	Maxim's de Paris. Presidente Inter-Continental hotel, Polanco. Under the supervision of executive chef Jacques Chretien, the kitchen expertly prepares crayfish carpaccio in creamed caviar, fine herbs salad with smoked duck and duck liver paté, lobster bisque, sole grilled in butter, and other specialties. Extensive wine cellar with more than 100 varieties of wine and champagne. Excellent service. Live string music. Coat and tie required.
Italian	Cappela. San Jeronimo 369, in the south of the city. Tuscan cuisine in an attractive plant-filled setting with a terrace overlooking a colonial chapel. Try the brick-oven baked salmon-and-Philadelphia cream cheese calzone, mozzarella cheese ravioli in a chunky tomato-and-spinach sauce, and homemade tiramisu.
	Scoozi. Av. de las Fuentes 9, Tecamachalco. Fresh-baked breads accompanied by an olive oil-and-vinaigrette dip gets the meal off to a delicious start. Ample antipasto bar, generous portions ideal for sharing, luscious desserts. Try their gourmet wood burning-oven pizzas.
Chinese	Mandarin House. Avenida de la Paz 57, San Angel; Cofre de Perote 205-B, Lomas de Chapultepec. Spacious, attractive settings for enjoying expertly prepared traditional Chinese specialties, like crispy chunks of Hunan chicken in a sweet sesame seed sauce, and a few Oriental dishes with a Mexican twist, like crab with cream cheese and chipotle chili sauce. Try the crispy Peking duck in a honey and plum sauce, carved at your table (for two or four people)
Indian	Tandoor.Copernico 156, near Polanco. This family-run restaurant has been serving favorite family recipes from India and Pakistan at very reasonable prices. Specialties include chicken or mutton cooked in aromatic spices, and a wide variety of mild or ultra-spicy meat or vegetable curris.
Spanish	Centro Castellano. Camino Real hotel, Polanco. A new branch of a Mexico City favorite since 1959, this spot serves classic Spanish cuisine in a setting evoking a cozy corner of Castille. Popular menu items include tender suckling pig roasted in a wood-burning oven, jumbo shrimp, baby lamb, and bacalao a la Vizcaina, codfish simmered in a spicy sauce. The tartaletas de arroz con leche, or rice pudding tarts, are a perfect way to end a meal.
	El Parador de Jose Luis. Campos Eliseos 198, Polanco. The food is great, the service impeccable, the Spanish specialties include garlic soup, stuffed crab, and paella Valenciana. Also good grilled meats.
Japanese	Fuji. Rio Panuco 128, corner of Rio Tiber, near Zona Rosa. A longtime favorite of the local Japanese community, and the only place to offer robatayaki, the grill-top cooking style that originated with Japanese fishermen. For a taste of everything try the Fuji Teishoku, a Japanese platter including misoshiru (soup), gohan (steamed rice), sashimi (thinly sliced fish), futomaki (sushi roll), yakitori (chicken brochette), tempura (battered shrimp and vegetables), and more.