6 Best Restaurants in Side Trips from Mexico City, Mexico

Downtown Cuernavaca is a bit lacking in trendy dining, but this casually fashionable open-air restaurant in stylish Las Casas B&B Hotel serves some of the most beautifully plated and delicious food in the city. It's a mix of contemporary Mexican and Mediterranean dishes, from sea bass risotto with roasted artichokes and kalamata olives to grilled chicken in a rich mole negro with caramelized bananas and hand-made blue-corn tortillas. There's also a selection of creative pastas, pizzas, and salads. Be sure to save room for the homemade desserts. 

Among the city's countless restaurants specializing in Pueblo-style mole sauces, this relaxing spot set in a gracious galleried building with wood-beam ceilings, soaring arches, and tile floors is one of the finest. The sampler plate with chicken or cheese enchiladas smothered under three different kinds of mole sauce are a delicious way to learn about the differences in preparation of these complex sauces. Other beloved dishes like Tacos árabes with shaved lamb and albóndigas (meatballs) with a slightly spicy jalapeño sauce are executed perfectly here. The friendly staff can help explain the differences among the many kinds of mole sauces offered. 

Walk a couple blocks south of Tepotzotlán's main plaza, which is lined with mostly unmemorable restaurants, to reach this beautifully designed modern Italian spot set in a handsome old building with towering windows and brick walls. The extensive menu features creative pastas, pizzas, and sandwiches served on house-baked artisan breads---try the linguine with shrimp and octopus sauteed in garlic or the Argentinean-style choripán sandwich, with chorizo, a mix of cheeses, and chimichurri sauce. 

The marvelous view of the Palacio de Cortés is a major draw of this rambling restaurant with sprawling patios, leafy plants, and traditional artwork. The menu mixes Mexican and international foods; you might try the breaded veal stuffed with Serrano ham and manchego cheese, the trout stuffed with shrimp and roasted red peppers, or the tacos filled with grilled cactus.

Tables at this casually stylish restaurant are centered on a partially open patio with grand views of the mountains. The varied menu includes contemporary takes on regional Mexican fare, including a fragrant soup of corn, zucchini, squash blossoms, and huitlacoche; spaghetti with duck ragu; and salmon cooked over a charcoal fire and served with cauliflower puree and grilled asparagus.

Easily the most famous---though also touristy---dining option in the area, this hulking restaurant dates to 1906 and is set within an immense cave with dramatic rock ceilings. The traditional Mexican fare served here is consistently good, including hand-made corn quesadillas filled with seasonal ingredients, tortilla soup, albóndigas (meatballs) in a tomato-chipotle stew, and traditional barbecue. There's a pretty good kids' menu, too. Reservations aren't required, but they're a good idea on weekends and holidays. Although open every day of the year, La Gruta closes at 7 nightly.