Foodies love to greedily consume the Michelin Restaurant Guide when planning a trip anywhere in the world—it's in the pursuit of getting a seat at a table where the food takes on heavenly attributes, the plated fare is a piece of art, the service is impeccable, and the establishment is consistent in what it's delivering to a diner. The star rating is: one star, 'high-quality cooking, worth a stop'; two stars, 'excellent cooking, worth a detour'; and three stars, 'exceptional cuisine, worth a special journey.' The stars are not permanent and must continually be awarded. Chefs may go into a ranting decline of hysteria if they lose a star or break out the best bubbly champagne if they receive a star. The pressure can be intense. A new trend is emerging for restaurants to hand back their earned stars, as they believe it inhibits their freedom of creativity. With such prevalent social media, not being a starred establishment is no big deal for many eateries.
But for the gourmand who loves to have bragging rights about where they have eaten, the Michelin Restaurant Guide is akin to a bible of decadent must-visit at any cost establishments. It was first published in 1900, but not in the form it takes today. The guide was a masterminded ploy to increase the sale of cars, hence the increase in Michelin tire sales. The innovative French Michelin tire brothers published a comprehensive guide of car trips that travelers could take. It wasn't until the 1920s that hotels and restaurants began to be listed, and in 1926, acknowledging the value of its restaurant recommendations, the Michelin Guide became a fully-fledged restaurant guide after a team of mystery diners were sent out to review eateries anonymously. Initially, restaurants were only awarded a single one-star rating, but five years later, the three-star system came into play. Today, the guide gives ratings to well over 40,000 businesses in more than 24 territories across three continents.
The Michelin Star guide only included Mexico in 2024. No restaurants received the coveted three-star rating, but two restaurants in Mexico City were awarded two stars, and sixteen attained a one-star rating within the five states that the award-givers visited: Mexico City, Baja California, Baja California Sur, Nuevo León, Oaxaca, and Quintana Roo.
Below are the restaurants of Mexico City where you can hobnob your taste buds with other aficionados of fine fare:
Mexico City's 2-Star Establishments
Pujol
Combine Mexican heritage with an incredibly talented and passionate chef who approaches his dishes with wild imagination and innovative contemporary techniques, and you have Pujol. One of the best-rated restaurants around the world, Chef Enrique Olvera's delicious dishes will transport you on a totally unique culinary journey. Deeply committed to sustainability, he only works with top-quality artisans and producers. Dining here creates a euphoric state: a feast for the senses of aromas and tastes presented perfectly on a plate.
Quintonil
Inventive and unconventional, Quintonil pushes culinary boundaries with a menu that takes Mexican cuisine to a new level of flavors and techniques. From an evolving tasting menu that may have tamales of duck pibil with elote cream or braised oxtail in traditional black recado sauce, to a well-balanced desert of crème fraîche sorbet, caviar and Melipona honey, you will go on a culinary journey that few get to experience. Each dish is a masterpiece of taste and presentation that compliments the restaurant's stunning interior.
Mexico City's 1-Star Establishments
Sud 777
Modern Mexican cuisine blending traditional flavors with contemporary techniques, Sud 777 is an inviting space under soaring ceilings in the upmarket area of Pedregal. There is a plentiful a la carte menu to choose dishes from, or if you want the meal to send you to heaven, try the multi-course tasting menu—local ingredients shine in flawlessly presented dishes such as soft-shell crab with surf and turf mayonnaise, kampachi tostada with fermented tomatoes and Oaxacan tamal soup with beans and black mole, or turkey with ‘mole amarillito.' Creative and beautifully textured, the dishes seduce you with the tantalizing plating before you take a mouthful.
Em
Unexpected and refined flavors on a plate that showcase seasonal produce, much of which has a seafood component that's literally still dripping with saltwater, it's so fresh. Em has an elegant venue with an a la carte menu and a tasting menu of about eight or nine courses to satisfy the most discerning food lover. The décor is super minimalistic, being a backdrop for the elegant picture on a plate. Must do: pre-dinner cocktail at the upstairs bar to prepare the taste buds for delicious mouthfuls.
Esquina Común
Once a secret haunt for locals in the know, Equina Común only opens on weekends. You must book your coveted seat at a table via Instagram DM. Situated in the Condesa neighborhood, the restaurant is a food fantasy world above the street on a rooftop swathed in greenery, draped with fairy lights, and adorned with quirky attributes. It's a young, fashionable crowd with plenty of international food lovers showing up to experience a tasting-style menu created for two people to share. Imagine mouthfuls of grilled cod on a green mole with crushed ripe plantain, fava beans, and pumpkin seeds to set your taste buds dancing in happiness. It's a distinctly different take on what fine dining is.
Rosetta
A packed establishment of diners savoring Chef Elena Reygadas’s inventive menu of Mexican dishes touched with global influences. Think cabbage tacos served with pistachio puree and romeritos. It’s a party in your mouth of textures and flavors, with many presented as sharing dishes. The best sweet dish is honey jelly in perfect cubes with a quenelle of brown butter ice cream and vanilla sauce. It's a festival of traditional Mexican fare that is shown in a new way.
Taquería El Califa de León
No fancy website with drool-worthy pictures for El Califa de León; it's a case of patiently standing in line at this famous taqueria that's been going for more than fifty years. A family-run affair with no English menu and no seating, it's a 12-minute walk from the Monument to the Revolution at Avenida Ribera De San Cosme 56, in the San Rafael neighborhood. The drawcard is a 'Gaonera' taco created from cooked-to-order thinly sliced beef splashed with lime and salted in a freshly cooked corn tortilla with housemade salsa. There are only four options: beef steak, beef rib, beef tenderloin, and pork chop.
Warning: Many of these restaurants should be booked months in advance—basically, when you book your flight, book your restaurant seat!
Gail Palethorpe, a self proclaimed Australian gypsy, is a freelance writer, photographer and eternal traveller. Check out her website Gail Palethorpe Photography and her Shutterstock profile.
