Mexico City

The new highest ranking food in La Ciudad de Mexico. El Rey de La Birria is quite literally heaven on earth. I feel at home every time I am here, and I am confident you will feel the same. Absolutely everything on this menu is fantastic but it is the king of birria for a reason. Their birria(a slow cooked beef) is legendary. While their birriaramen, birria sope, and everything else on this menu is absolutely amazing because I mean come on this place is ranked sixth overall. So clearly you cannot go wrong on this menu, however there is one special item that is a must order. 

The quesabirria here is an absolute must, the consomé( a stock that the birria is cooked in) that comes with it is simply glorious. All of the salsa goes beautifully with everything here, along with the dipping the quesabirria in the consomé. Quesabirria is a crispy taco with cheese and this amazing birria. Here has the best quesabirria of my life and the highest ranking mexican food I have had in my life, so please make sure to stop here while you are in the city.

Of course, you know, the Mexican food in CDMX will be unparalleled, but Maizajo somehow manages to blow those expectations out of the water!

Everything here is fantastic; I cannot stress that enough. Nothing will disappoint you, but the Suadero tacos take the cake here. In Mexican cuisine, Suadero refers to a smooth and thin cut of meat taken between a cow’s lower flank and sirloin. This beef varietal is not commonly found in the United States, making it a delicacy particular to Mexico and one perfected at Maizajo!

The meat is simply mind-blowing and is complemented by the tortillas' perfect taste. Bursting with flavor, this beef is just outstanding. Maizajo’s salsa bar here is another highlight, and they all go so well with the Suadero. Simply put, this is the best Mexican food I have had in my life.

Oh my! Clearly you are going to be enjoying suadero tacos in your time in Mexico City if you listen to me. And if you come here you will be inspired to continue listening to my recommendations, guaranteed. Their orange salsa that goes with the suadero simply takes this meat that by itself is glorious to another level. Additionally, these tortillas complement these fantastic tacos beautifully, and finally they are only $14 pesos. They only serve suadero and pastor here, and while the pastor is tasty as hell, the suadero is why you come, and why you stay. 

With two Michelin Stars and a laundry list of accolades, Quintonil is easily the most acclaimed and most expensive restaurant on my site so far. The steep price is not without merit, as Quintonil offers some delicious grubbing.

Everything here is amazing, and I recommend you take the wine pairing. For me, the highlight was the meat, all the various meat dishes were phenomenal from the taco made of grasshopper, to the salsa made with stink bugs. The flavors here are incredibly unique.

I dined with a vegetarian, and they were less than impressed with their meal. So, if you are a vegetarian, maybe you skip Quintonil. But, if you are a meat lover like me, the aged ribeye will probably be the highlight of the meal for you too. It is simply bursting with flavor , and the salsa that comes with it is a perfect pairing.

Entremar is home to one of the best seafood dishes I have had in my life, and that is the Pescado a la talla. This fish  is smothered in both a magnificent red sauce and a green sauce on each side (pictured above). While the salsa and tortilla accompaniments round out the dish, the fish itself is the highlight. Chewing is optional, as this savory, melt-in-your-mouth fish is simply to die for. I am confident everything on this menu will leave you satisfied if something other than the red and green fish calls to you on Entremar’s menu.

Noteworthy shrimp tacos right next to El Rey de La Birria is a blessing and a curse. I walk out after stuffing my face at one restaurant and the other restaurant is right there, taunting me. And man does La Playitas always taunt me. The marlin tacos here rocked my world and they would do the same for you. These tacos are my favorite on the menu, but the shrimp tacos are a close runner-up as my second favorite item on this menu. If you are looking for cheap and great seafood, look no further than Playitas. 

This street stand is my highest ranking street food in the city and is such an amazing place to get tacos. All of the tacos here are fantastic but my favorite is the longaniza here, though everything is great. Another fantastic attribute for this taco stand is there are free appetizers(?) and sides at the front of the taco stand. Putting their french fries on the tacos is a great call, adding cheese to the fries, free pasta, and other great sides all free and can be added to the tacos, just elevating these tacos even more. A cash-only amazing joint that will always leave a smile on your face when you are leaving.

A michelin star restaurant that just asked if you want to keep eating or not. And every time there will be a different menu with different options. So I can never say what you will get exactly, but I am confident you will love it. Every dish I had was noteworthy, and I highly recommend just going with an empty stomach and eating simply as much as you can. You will not be disappointed in anything that comes your way here, so be prepared for a beautiful feast. 

This restaurant might be the most family style restaurant I have been to in my life. When you walk in you feel like you are in their kitchen eating with them. And many times the workers do eat with you, and often the same thing they are cooking (always a good sign). While the menu often changes, and you really don’t have a menu here I love the chicken mole, consomé, and I very much know everything you eat here will be absolutely fantastic. So definitely stop in here if you want to feel right at home, and have amazing Mexican food. 

There are three Azul restaurants around Mexico City, and while I was only able to get to one of them during my time there, I am confident all three would easily make my Grub Guide. Here at Azul Condesa, you will find a wide variety of amazing Mexican food. This is one of those places where I need not recommend anything specific, because I had three different dishes and all were noteworthy. 

The highest ranking pizza in Mexico City is also coming in fairly high in my list. This pizza at Pizza Felix is absolutely heavenly. Death in Venice was my favorite of all the pizzas I have tried, and I recommend skipping over the sides and just honing in on the pizzas. This pizza has mozzarella, pickled chilis, pepperoni, oregano, salami, and tomato based sauce. If that does not sound like a pizza you would like, (I am sorry for you) but there are other great options here for you as well. Death in Venice is my go-to here though this combination of toppings are absolutely fantastic and the crust is simply the perfect combination of crunchy and fluffy. These pizzas have everything you are looking for, and the Death in Venice is the clear highlight. 

La Casa de Los Tacos Cayocan is an amazing taco stop, with my favorite being the Quesabirria taco. It is simply phenomenal quesabirria. This quesabirria is exactly what you are looking for in terms of amazing birria. The broth it is cooked in is so delicious I drank everything that was left after dumping the tacos in it. The tortillas here are damn good as well, served on blue maize tortillas that just compliment quesabirria so well.

Whew! A late night and a long line reach a satisfying conclusion at Tacos del Valle. The Chicharron was superb, and is just reward after waiting in Tacos del Valle’s significant queue. Speaking of the restaurant’s demand, they open at 1PM and sell fast, so there’s a chance they will sell out of some options by the time you arrive. If you want pick of all their delicious offerings, make sure you don’t save it until too late in the evening.

Marquesitas are a dessert that is from Yucatan and is similar to a crepe. It is a rolled up crepe that can be stuffed up with a number of things. Here my favorite is being stuffed with cheese, nutella, and bananas, but there are so many options for you here that can please your fancy. You can have a savory or a sweet Marquesita but I highly recommend you get whatever suits your fancy in the moment and you will not be disappointed. 

The more suadero the merrier is what I say. And here we have yet another cash-only taco stand that serves simply glorious suadero. Everything here is good, from their suadero to their tripa to their pastor. But at this point you probably should not be surprised that their suadero is my favorite, but simply put everything here will leave you wanting more, so please come and enjoy ASAP. 

These pizzas are all absolute gold, and here my favorite is the Gorgonzola y pera, it is blue cheese, apple, walnuts, honey, rosemary, and my god this combination is exquisite. The crust here is good, while not anything insane, the combination of the toppings on all these pizzas is really the home-run here. The crust and cheese are good, don’t get me wrong, but you come for the machination of amazing toppings and you stay for more. 

Another one of the most famous restaurants on my website is here at Tacqueria El Califa De Leon. A Michelin star, cash-only, street taco joint is certainly a one-of-a-kind, and it makes my list for how much flavor their meats have here . The meat is so juicy and tender. My favorite of the options is the Costilla Taco, however, there are no bad options here. The tortillas  are also absolutely fantastic. El Califa De Leon is a joint you have certainly heard of, so I do not have too much to say other than get here early, come with cash, and brace yourself for amazing tacos!

A Chinese restaurant finally joins the array of amazing food options that Mexico City has for you. While I do not have any specific recommendation for you, it is simply because everything I had here was noteworthy, and I believe that you will enjoy whatever your heart desires when you arrive to Conton MexiCali. 

El Cardenal has a few locations around Mexico City, and I came for breakfast and had an absolutely fantastic time. I had the Huevos Rancheros, and they were fabulous, however, this whole menu is filled to the brim with amazing options! I guarantee everything here will leave you wanting more.

Coming in during breakfast also leaves you with a great vibe of waiters walking around with large dishes of mouth-watering Mexican pastries. So, I highly recommend you come in during breakfast to experience El Cardenal in full!

Finally, we start getting into the beautiful breakfasts! Chilaquiles are one of my all-time favorite dishes to wake up with, and Chilekillers represent the best of the best. I highly recommend you come here for an amazing start to your day in Mexico City. I am a massive fan of green chilaquiles, but you will undoubtedly enjoy whatever suits your fancy here. I guarantee it will be one of the best breakfasts you can have in the city.

Back-to-back chilaquiles is never a bad thing. Chalupitas is yet another exceptional joint for chilaquiles. Of course, I got the green chilaquiles (pictured above), with the beans and the salsa standing out as particular highlights of the dish. My plate was entirely dry after devouring this breakfast, and I guarantee the same to you when you come here. 

Backing out of the breakfast realm, it’s time to visit a wonderful cash-only hole-in-the-wall that will surely knock your socks off. Here is another place where I don’t recommend anything specific, because I can simply guarantee you will love the variety of tacos and the tortas. Simply put, Tacqueria El Turix has some of the best tacos and tortas in the city, and, therefore, the world. The citrus-cooked pork is the basis for both the tacos and tortas; it’s simply fantastic, and literally dripping with flavor (pictured above).

The highest ranking burger I have had so far in Mexico City is a round of glorious smashburgers for all. There is not a specific one I recommend, simply always get double meat and prepare yourself for an amazing journey here. Who doesn’t love a simply fantastic smashburger? 

My god, Las Polas del Valle is amazing! I ordered as many tacos as I could here, with the Arrachera con Recado serving as a particular standout. However, everything here will have you simply craving more.

My mouth is watering as I write this up and remember the tremendous meat offered at Las Polas del Valle. I also want to note that their green salsa packs a punch and was the spiciest thing I had in my time in the city. Naturally, I smothered my tacos in the green salsa, but those of a lower spice tolerance should be cautious.

I absolutely love huevos rancheros, and Café de Tacuba is a glorious place to visit for a memorable breakfast!  While the menu is chock-full of amazing options, coming in early, getting breakfast, and beating the crowd that will pack in later is the move.

These Huevos Rancheros (pictured above) are amazing! The red salsa on these eggs has the perfect hint of spice with it’s tomato flavor as well, making Café de Tacuba another place where I left a once-salsa-covered plate completely dry after I was through. I am sure the whole menu is fantastic, but I know for a fact these huevos rancheros will make your day!

Not only is Las Dieteicas another amazing cash-only joint to add to the list, it’s also the most hole-in-the-wall spot visited in Mexico City. All my lists include places where you won’t find many tourists, but none more than here. Las Dieteicas is in a food market in Coyoacán, and I must recommend the Quesadillas here . That was my favorite thing on the menu, and I believe you will be in the same boat upon sampling some food here.

I view Tacos las Chulas as a sort of “Mexican In-N-Out”: open until the wee hours of the morning, serving amazing and affordable grub. No shade to Southern California, but unlike In-N-Out, Tacos las Chulas is noteworthy! A place open this late has no right being as good, but, my god, it is fantastic and I love it. I ordered pastor, costilla, and arrochera but I have no specific recommendations for you here. Just come enjoy the amazing tacos after a night out of dancing salsa like I did.