🍴Mexico City: Top places to eat in Roma Norte

Want a hearty bowl of chicken soup at 3 a.m.? The best ham croquettes you've ever tasted? A multi-course meal prepared by an award-winning chef? You'll find them all in Roma Norte. Tacos, too.

Roma Norte is bursting at the seams with an incredible array of restaurants and bars of all kinds, and more are opening every month. And while we don’t list individual street food stands here, this neighborhood also has more than its share of these options, too. Taken together, this makes Roma Norte the epicenter of Mexico City culinary scene. It has more of our favorite places than anywhere else in the city.

OK, yes, we live in Roma Norte. But we are still constantly amazed by the incredible number of high-quality choices we have here. It really is something special.

This is an excerpt from our book, Eternal Spring: Our Guide to Mexico City.

Our rating system for restaurants and bars

⭐️ Must-see

Pricing for a meal for one person:

💲 MXN $200 or less (USD $10 or less)

💲💲 MXN $200 to $400 (USD $10 to $20)

💲💲💲 MXN $400+ (USD $20+)

🍸🍴 Café Tacobar 📲 ⭐

💲💲 Coffee, tacos, cocktails

This is the original location of one of our favorite bar/restaurants in Mexico City, 🍸Café Tacobar del Sur in 🍸Roma Sur, and it provides a nearly identical experience with some of the best cocktails around and the very best tacos we’ve ever had.

We eat at Café Tacobar del Sur at least once a week because it’s so close to our apartment. Owner Khristian de la Torre invented the salmoncito, a cocktail you’ll find on menus all over Mexico City and beyond. Give it a try, or one of the many other custom and classic cocktails they offer.

Most importantly, go to Tacobar hungry. It offers a small selection of tacos, but each is exquisite. Our favorites are the the chilorio (pork) and the champiñones (mushroom). But you can’t go wrong. Everyone we bring here agrees these are the best tacos they’ve ever had.

Café Tacobar is our happy place. We can’t recommend it enough.

🍴 Caldos de Gallina “Luis” 📲

Price: 💲
Cuisine: Caldos (chicken soup)

At a glance
💲 Caldos (chicken soup)
👍 Friendly staff
💠 Indoor and outdoor seating
✨ Popular with locals and expats
📅 Open 24/7
📋 No reservation required
🗣️ English menu

Caldos de Gallina “Luis” makes a fantastic chicken soup with rice and chickpeas, plus whatever kind of chicken you like, from breast or thigh to sweetbreads or feet. Soup is the reason to come—plan to spend $50 to $70 MXN ($2.50 to $3.50 USD) for a large bowl served with enormous tortillas. You won’t leave hungry. Add onions, cilantro, hot sauce, and lime at the table if you like.

Plain broth with rice and chickpeas, $30 MXN ($1.60 USD) is a great choice if too much spicy and unfamiliar Mexican food is making your digestive system act up.

In early 2025, Caldos de Gallina expanded its menu to include other foods, like quesadillas, flautas, and even a couple of dessert items. This is obviously good news, but especially given that this spot is open 24 hours a day, every day. So you can get some great food cheaply any time you have a hankering.

🍸🍴 Carmel 📲 ⭐️

Price: 💲💲
Cuisine: Tapas bar

At a glance
💲💲 Tapas bar
👍 Friendly staff, good vibe
💠 Indoor and outdoor seating
✨ Popular with locals and expats
📅 Open Sunday, closed Monday
📋 No reservation required
🗣️ English spoken

Located on Córdoba one-half block north of Avenida Álvaro Obregón, Carmel was originally a hole-in-the wall restaurant with a big menu and an accomplished chef. But it changed formats in recent months to focus on its strengths, so it’s more of a bar than restaurant now. Those strengths? Homemade vermouth, out-of-this-world Barcelona-style tapas, and a fun, casual hang-out atmosphere.

This was clearly the right decision, but it hasn’t changed our experience. Carmel still makes the best croquetas de jamón (ham croquets) we’ve ever had. We always order at least three each, and we always pair them with the huevos rotos con jamón (broken eggs with ham) and patatas bravas (cubed potato with olive oil and paprika). And at least two light and delicous vermut (vermouth) and tonic cocktails.

There are several vermouths to choose from, but we always go with the homemade house vermouth that’s good enough to drink straight up. But if a vermouth cocktail or shot isn’t your thing, there’s a solid but small selection of wines, sodas, and other drinks too. And Carmel is open for breakfast, assuming you don’t mind waiting until noon—the tapas are great at any time, day or night—so there are good espresso and coffee choices too.

Carmel has seating inside and out. It can even sit several people at its bar, which is unusual in Mexico City. This is one of our favorites, and we’ve quickly become repeat customers.

Carmel derives its name from El Carmel, the neighborhood in Barcelona, Spain where one of the restaurant’s three owners grew up. It’s the highest point in that city, and the inspiration for the phrase “del Carmelo al cielo”—“from Carmel to heaven”—that Carmel now uses as its slogan. And they may be on to something, too: The croquets really are heavenly.

🍸🍴 La Chicha 📲

💲💲 Mexican

We visit La Chicha multiple times during every trip to Mexico. It’s close to our apartment, but that’s not it’s only selling point. Their menu has something for just about everyone, from guacamole, dips, and fries if you just want a snack, to sandwiches, full meals, and even fish and chips, which you don’t find very often here.

The pear and apple salad is a great choice, especially if you feel like you’ve been eating nothing but tacos for a few days, and you’re ready for some veggies. Their arrachera (skirt steak) is also outstanding, and it’s available as a platter, a baguette-based sandwich, or as tacos.

You don’t have to eat, of course. La Chica is also a terrific place to go if you just want a quick drink with some people watching.

We’re fans of the tinto de verano, a refreshing, red wine-based cocktail similar to sangria without the fruit, but there’s a nice selection of cocktails and other drinks. The house lemonade and orangeade are great alcohol-free options.

🍴 Em 📲

💲💲💲 Upscale Mexican

Em is a fine-dining restaurant with a seafood focus that earned a Michelin star in 2024. But we’ve been going to Em since we first arrived in Roma Norte. And it’s always been a favorite for birthdays or other occasions where an upscale experience is called for.

Em offers an a la carte menu plus an eight-course tasting menu for $3,800 MXN ($190 USD). We usually go with the a la carte option and share a few dishes so we can enjoy more of the flavors and combinations.

Em used to operate a secret speakeasy, the 686 Bar, next door, and it was notable for its terrific cocktails and curated snack menu. But it closed 686 in early 2025, and it’s not clear if it will reopen.

But you won’t be disappointed in the cocktails at Em. Like everything else at this well-run eatery, they’re excellent, and there are great wine choices as well.

🍴 Gin Chan 📲 ⭐️

Price: 💲💲💲
Cuisine: Sushi/Japanese

At a glance
💲💲💲 Sushi/Japanese
👍 Friendly staff, good vibe, quiet
💠 Indoor and outdoor seating
✨ Popular with locals and expats
📅 Open Sunday (lunch only), closed Monday
📋 No reservation required
🗣️ English spoken

It’s a happy coincidence that the best sushi restaurant in Mexico City is a 7-minute walk from our apartment, but Gin Chan is worth a visit even if you’re not staying nearby. It offers indoor and outdoor seating, friendly and attentive staff, and a welcoming vibe.

The food is next level, thanks to the quality and variety of the seafood and the artistic talent of chef Juan and owner Silverio. They offer a multi-course omakase meal for the uninitiated, but you can also choose between many à la carte sashimi, nigiri, maki, temaki, oysters, and hot dishes. There’s a small but creative cocktail menu, and several beer and saki choices. If you’re somehow not full, you can wind down with a panna cotta or another light dessert.

Sit at the bar if possible. There, you get dinner with a show as Juan and his team prepare sushi and various hot dishes, including a different ramen selection every Thursday night. And be sure to ask about their occasional bluefin tuna master class.

Our favorites include the chirashi maki (a mix of salmon, yellowtail, tuna, avocado, and cucumber), ostion preparado (oyster with a quail egg, tobiko, ponzu sauce, and other accoutrements), and the ramen. But you can’t go wrong here: Everything is fantastic.

🍴 Nican Nican 📲

💲 Mexican

Nican Nican is a cozy, cheerful spot for breakfast and lunch. The owners and staff are wonderful and are always delighted when visitors and expats find their restaurant.

We’ve been several times for lunch, where they offer a nice selection of a la carte items, plus a menu del dia. The daily menu is similar to what you’ll find at a cocina economica—a multi-course meal with flavored water, a choice of soups, either rice or salad, and three or more main courses to choose from.

It’s a little bit more expensive than a cocina economica, $130 MXN ($6.50 USD) for the daily menu. But it’s a step-up in quality as well, with crisp veggies in the soup and a green salad rather than a plate of shredded carrots and jicama.

🍴 La Oliva Tapas Bar 📲

Price: 💲💲
Cuisine: Tapas and raciones

At a glance
💲💲 Tapas and raciones
👍 Friendly staff, good vibe, quiet
💠 Indoor and outdoor seating
✨ Popular with locals and expats
📅 Open Sunday and Monday
📋 No reservation required
🗣️ English menu

When friends stayed in our apartment a couple of years ago, they tried La Oliva Tapas bar and recommended it to us. It’s been part of our regular restaurant rotation ever since.

They offer more than 20 tapas (single pieces) and raciones (three to five pieces) for $40 to 50 MXN ($2 to 2.50 USD) or $99 to $199 MXN ($5 to 10 USD). You can get shareable plates of vegetables, cheese, meat, or a mix for $269 to 689 MXN ($13.65 to $35 USD).

Our favorite is the mixed meat and cheese plate, which is a work of art, as you can see above. We’re also fans of the buttered mushrooms and the grilled asparagus.

We almost always sit outside at the small, street-side tables set apart from the road with greenery and string lights. Inside, there are only a couple of tables, but we sat there on a chilly and rainy recent visit and discovered how cozy and inviting their indoor space is.

It’s a nice place to go with a group, because there are so many shareable options on the menu, plus vegetarian and pescatarian options. And, they’re open on Sundays and Mondays, when a lot of Roma Norte’s smaller restaurants are closed.

Plus, while you’re there, you can check out their featured exhibit by a local artist—it changes once a month or so.

🍴 Pargot 📲 ⭐

💲💲💲 Upscale Mexican

We’ve been going to Pargot for years, literally since it first opened. But in January 2025, it moved from a tiny spot with no indoor seating and limited outdoor seating to a newly built indoor/outdoor location across the street. And what was already nearly perfect—Pargot was recognized by the Michelin Guide for its quality—is now somehow even better.

The new spot isn’t just beautiful, it’s spacious and well-designed, with plenty of indoor and outdoor seating, a larger kitchen, and a bar. The owner, Alexis, and his staff have always been warm and welcoming, but now there are much more of them. And Pargot has been elevated: The setting and ambiance now match the quality of the food.

The food really is that good. We eat out a lot—every day when we’re here in Mexico City—and even the best dining experiences leave room for some criticism. But that’s never been the case at Pargot. This is the rare, perhaps unique example of a perfect dining experience, one in which the food, drinks, timing, and people all combine to create something truly special.

The Pargot menu is designed for sharing. But this could be awkward if you’re not quite familiar with the others in your group.

Some dishes, like the clam stew, are served in a bowl that is perhaps best for couples. Other dishes are presented imaginatively, like the crochets that arrive on a small metal tree that’s ideal for photographing.

We’ve never had a bad dish at Pargot. The chefs combine ingredients and cooking techniques in interesting ways, so the dishes are unexpected, in a good way. That clam stew is terrific, for example, but it doesn’t taste much like clams and is absolutely not a stew. The flatbread, likewise, is neither flat nor bread.

Our favorite dish is the crab risotto, which had been on the menu since day one. But Chef Alexis Ayala told us he was replacing it and, sure enough, on our next visit, it was gone. We hope to see its return, but everything is so good, we never struggle to find something new and interesting to try.

Pargot is a special restaurant, and it’s popular with locals and expats alike. Reservations are required. We visit at least a few times every time we’re in Mexico City and always look forward to the next meal.

Note that Alexis also owns and operates Tacos Los Alexis, which is located across the street from Pargot.

🍴 Porco Rosso 📲

💲💲 Barbecue

We had plans to get dinner with friends one night and we suggested Porco Rosso, a local barbecue restaurant. They said they had eaten there for the first time the night before. We were ready to pick another place, but they wanted to eat there again—it’s that good.

The BBQ options include short ribs, pork belly, brisket, pulled pork, baby back ribs and more. If you go with a group, you might want to try the eight-item sampler. It’s way too much food for two people (trust us).

In addition to BBQ, Porco Rosso has solid hamburger and ramen options, and some great desserts. And there’s a decent selection of cocktails and mocktails, too.

🍴 Rosetta 📲

Price: 💲💲💲
Cuisine: Upscale/fine dining

At a glance
💲💲💲 Upscale/fine dining
👍 Friendly staff, quiet
💠 Indoor and outdoor seating
✨ Popular with expats
📅 Open Monday, closed Sunday
📋 Reservation required
🗣️ English spoken, English menu
💚 Vegan, vegetarian, or pescatarian options

Our first experience at Rosetta, in July 2023, was not what we had hoped for. It was our “big dinner out” with friends who were visiting for a week. But from the table with a view of the bathroom to the plants that were practically seated at our (indoor) table and full of mosquitoes to the “meh” food, it was disappointing.

But, lured by Rosetta’s new Michelin star, we gave it another try in July 2024. This time, we were more impressed by the service, setting, ambiance, and even the food. We could at least see the appeal—the tucked-away rooms in the old mansion have their charm, and we couldn’t ask for a more attentive wait staff.

The food was excellent, though we think some of the other top restaurants have more creative preparations and presentations. It’s a solid choice if you want to find something comfortable and familiar on the menu. But if you’re feeling adventurous, you might want to try someplace else.

🍴 San Taco 📲

💲 Tacos

This affordable, no-frills, highly rated taco restaurant offers more than a dozen different kinds of meat tacos and, surprisingly, nearly as many vegan options. You can also find Mexican standards like tortas (sandwiches), queso fundido (cheese dip), and more.

We wouldn’t suggest making a special trip just to eat at San Taco—there are great taco restaurants throughout the city—but it’s worth a stop if you’re in the area.

The best part: Somewhat uniquely in the area, San Taco adds french fries to many of its tacos. It’s an excellent combination, and we’re surprised more taco spots don’t do this.

San Taco is also a good choice if you’re looking for a good vegetarian or vegan selection, or just want a change from the usual.

🍴 Tacos Los Alexis 📲

💲💲 Upscale tacos

This tiny taco spot is limited by design. It has a small menu with three tacos, two volcanes, and three costras, plus a special weekend taco. It has even fewer drink options, with just a few waters, sodas, and juices, beers, and one (red) wine offering. And there are just three or four seats inside next to the grill, plus several tables out on the sidewalk.

It’s worth experiencing, as everything at Tacos Los Alexis is top-notch. Most of the menu is centered around carne asada (grilled beef) and taurino (a mix of meats). But even if you’re a carnivore, give the vegetarian taco a try—it might be the best in the city.

Tacos Los Alexis was recognized by the Michelin Guide for the quality of the food, and it lives up to that hallowed status.

But this means it could be crowded with expats when you visit, so reservations are recommended. Our only complaint is the drinks: They need more wine and at least a few cocktails.

🍴 Tacos Atarantados 📲

💲 Tacos

This Monterrey-based chain of taco stands is a relative newcomer to the neighborhood: It opened its first Mexico City location in 2024. This wouldn’t be particularly noteworthy, but we immediately noticed locals lined up waiting for tables just about every time we walked by.

The draw? Tacos Atarantados offers five different types of spit-roasted meats served in tacos, volcanes, Arabes (similar to gyros), and more.

This is a trend we’re starting to see elsewhere in the city, too, where the al pastor is no longer the only spit-based meat offered by taco sellers.

Tacos Atarantados is also unique in that it offers several different salsas, and not just two or three. They also serve tortilla strips along with the salsas. These are a nice little snack and a good way to figure out which salsas fall below your heat threshold. (Not many of them, in our case.)

We’ve been to Tacos Atarantados several times now, and we think it’s worth a visit if you can get in. We wouldn’t stand in a long line and wait for a table. After all, 🍴Taqueria Alvaro Obregon is right around the corner.

🍴 Taqueria Alvaro Obregon 📲

💲 Tacos

This low-key taqueria is one of our favorites for a quick, inexpensive meal. You’ll see the al pastor meat roasting on a spit when you enter, and you can’t go wrong with those tacos.

We also like the envueltos, which use fried cheese to wrap the filling instead of a tortilla. They’re a nice option if you’re watching your carbs. But there are also terrific tortas (sandwich) choices for those who are not.

The chicharron de queso is another favorite—that’s a potato-chip-thin, warm and crispy piece of cheese. It’s a nice, shareable appetizer.

Tacqueria Alvaro Obregon used to have the block its on to itself. But now there two other major new taco restaurants, 🍴Tacos Atarantados around the corner and yet another overrated Taquería Orinoco just a few doors down. But this place is still a favorites, and we visit frequently.

🍸🍴 El Tigre Silencio 📲

💲💲💲 Upscale Mexican

El Tigre Silencio earned a listing in Mexico’s Michelin Guide and we were lucky enough to grab a table when we were walking by one night, unsure where we would land.

It’s a stylish place with a pretty, enclosed courtyard and indoor seating, and there is a mix of Mexican and foreign clientele. It’s tucked back a bit from the street, and there are other restaurants in the same little area, so we had a little bit of trouble figuring out where it was exactly.

The creative but expensive menu includes snacks like croquettes and pate, hot and cold starters like shrimp over noodles and ceviche, and main dishes like calamari milanese and New York strip steak.

We enjoyed our meal there, but we can only fit so many pricey dinners into our budget, so we haven’t been back.

🍴 Torteria Los Gueros 📲

💲 Tortas (sandwiches)

We were slow to come around to the magic that is tortas in Mexico City. Sandwiches aren’t our favorites, and there’s so much excellent food in this city we figured we could skip them.

We were also slow to come around to Torteria Los Gueros in particular. We must have walked by this place dozens of times, but to us, it looked like it was a place for workers, mostly men, to grab lunch. We felt intimidated.

We were wrong.

Torteria Los Gueros has about the friendliest staff you’ll find, and in Mexico City, that’s saying something. And they serve a wide range of delicious tortas, with various meats, cheeses, and more. Try the Cubana, with chicken thigh, ham, and two kinds of cheese, topped with avocado and veggies if you get it “con todo” (with everything).

Torteria Los Gueros also offers several fresh aguas frescas that shouldn’t be missed. We love this place. But we especially love the staff.

🍸🍴 Vigneron 📲

💲💲 Wine bar

This charming wine bar is a local secret but you should make reservations because of its limited indoor and outdoor seating. The wine list is exclusively European, and terrific, and the food is spectacular.

Vigneron offers a small menu with dishes designed for sharing, and the menu items change frequently, which keeps us coming back to see what’s new.

The Polenta with stone crab is exquisite, as is the roasted half chicken, and we’ve ordered both multiple times. They’ve recently added a prix fixe meal on Tuesdays and Saturdays for $1,700 MXN ($85 USD) that we’re looking forward to trying.

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We’d love to get your feedback as we expand and update our guidebook. Please ❤️ if you like what you see here or 💬 with any thoughts or suggestions.