🍴Mexico City restaurant review: Pujol
Pujol is probably the most highly acclaimed restaurant in Mexico City. Here's what to expect if you dine there, from the food to the ambiance to the cost.
At a glance
💲💲💲💲 Fine dining
👍 Friendly staff, quiet
💠 Indoor seating with outdoor options weather permitting
📅 Open Monday, closed Sunday
📋 Reservation required well in advance
🗣️ English spoken, English menu
💚 Vegan, vegetarian, and pescatarian options
Pujol is the most famous restaurant in Mexico City, a celebrated fine dining experience that’s won every award imaginable. By the time Michelin Guide finally deigned to come to Mexico in 2024, it was understood that Pujol, already world-famous, would receive some recognition from the organization’s anonymous inspectors. The only question was how much.
Pujol is one of just two restaurants in Mexico City that Michelin awarded two stars, its second-highest honor. 🍴Quintonil also won two stars, and no restaurants in the country rated three stars.
This feels a bit like a snub, honestly, but perhaps Michelin was simply giving Pujol something to which it could aspire. Regardless, this is without a doubt the top fine-dining experience in Mexico City and probably the entire country.
It’s not just the food, though Pujol delivers in that regard. What sets this restaurant apart from Quintonil, its only real competitor, is the total experience. Where Quintonil is in a relatively small place with no outdoor space at all, Pujol sits in the property of a former mansion, surrounded by a lush garden with outdoor seating.
If there’s one area in which the two are indistinguishable, it’s availability. Anyone who wishes to put Pujol at the center of a Mexico City trip is advised to book this restaurant first, and then the flights and hotel.
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📲You can make a reservation on Pujol’s website, but the nearest availability for dinner is typically over a month out. You can also try 📲WhatsApp if you would like to try to squeeze in if a table opens up, have a large group, or need help. We recommend booking a reservation at least two months in advance.
Availability varies by meal type, which you will want to pick before booking. There are three types of meals, each of which lasts between two and three hours:
Tasting menu. A seasonal, multi-course meal with an optional wine pairing. We’ve been to Pujol twice so far and have chosen this experience each time.
Taco omakase. A lighter bar-based menu. Omakase is a Japanese term that translates as “to entrust,” and it’s commonly used in sushi restaurants. At Pujol, the taco omakase option is a tasting menu of nine tacos, each featuring seasonal ingredients from Oaxaca and Baja California. It’s served at the gorgeous linear bar in the center of the restaurant with a total capacity of 10.
Private salon. If those other options aren’t exclusive—or expensive—enough, Pujol also offers well-heeled clients a private seasonal dining experience with an optional wine pairing.
When you arrive at Pujol, proceed up a few stairs into the building and not the garden on the right: Weather permitting, you’ll likely end up in the garden after your meal.
A host will ask whether you prefer Spanish or English and will then show you to your table—or, if you chose the taco omakase option, to the bar—where you can take in the gorgeous, modular dining room.
After confirming whether you want a wine pairing—you can also choose drinks a la carte as you go—the snacks courses begin.
This varies by visit, but we had a Pujol classic on both of our visits: A smoked baby corn dipped in powdered ants and chili mayonnaise. This is an exquisite start to the meal and a highlight of the experiences we’ve had.
The second course is typically seafood. We’ve had crab and quelites greens, served on a tostado, and an incredible sea bass ceviche with a tangy, table-served sauce, both a nod to Pujol’s ties with Baja California.
The third course is usually a more substantial fish offering, and here, we’ve had rock fish with clams in a white bean broth and shrimp with rice. Meat and vegetables are next, and the standout here was an incredible slice of wagyu steak with a full blood dressing.
Then it’s time for the main attraction: Pujol’s famous aged mole madre, which is served with a younger mole nuevo. The mole madre is a deep brown with complex flavors—it was 2371 days old on our first visit in 2021 and 3539 days old on our second visit in late 2024—and it handily outshines the light brown, almost ketchup-like mole nuevo. Start with the mole nuevo, enjoy both with the provided hoja santa tortillas, and try not to lick the plate.
Finally, it’s time for two or three dessert courses. These range from sorbets and sherbets to homemade churros and other snacks, and if the weather permits it—it usually does—you’ll be directed to seats in the garden for this part of the meal.
The service at Pujol is less heavy-handed than at Quintonil, another plus, and the wait staff often recedes into the background so you can converse and compare notes with your tablemates.
Pujol is expensive, of course, and the prices have gone up a lot over time. Our first experience there cost $2395 MXN (about $120 USD) per person before drinks in 2021, but the cost rose to $3495 (about $175 USD) by the end of 2024.
We think it’s worth it, especially if you’re looking for what might be a once in a lifetime, world-class culinary experience. But we also can’t wait to go back.
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I have had the pleasure of dining there twice! Exquisite!
Fabulous! The photos alone are drool-worthy. I look forward to trying it out when I eventually make it back to CDMX.