3 Best Restaurants in Greater Mexico City, Mexico City

Renowned for birria, this unfussy restaurant popular with families and locals serves a few kinds of the spicy stew popular in western Mexico states like Michoacán, including surtida (goat and a mix of other meaty bits like ribs, tongue, skin, and such) and the less adventurous but still robustly flavorful maciza (with pork). Expect a crowd—and maybe a wait—on weekends, when there's also sometimes mariachi music. It's on the city's south side, about 1 mile from UNAM (it's a short Uber ride from Universidad metro).

Located in the Coyoacán delegación but about 2 miles (3 km) south of the historic area, this lively outpost of the popular Mexico City chainlet specializing in tasty and reasonably authentic U.S.-style barbecue is a fun lunch or dinner stop when visiting nearby Museo Anahuacalli or on your way back from Xochimilco or Tlalpan. Grab a seat at one of the communal picnic tables and tuck into platters of tender, slow-cooked baby-back ribs, brisket, and pulled pork, along with burgers, queso fries, and even pretty decent ramen. It's not close to the Metro, but it's a short walk from Las Torres stop for the light-rail commuter train that runs to Xochimilco.

It's worth making your way south to Cuidad Universitaria to dine at this distinctive and generally untouristy venue inside the UNAM faculty club, with a terrace that overlooks beautiful gardens and volcanic rocks. Open to the public and especially enjoyable for a late afternoon lunch, the restaurant serves a diverse, affordable menu of globally inspired dishes, such as penne pasta with a puttanesca sauce, panela cheese enchiladas with mole verde, and roasted rosemary chicken with a Chardonnay reduction. A buffet is offered on weekends.