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We've compiled the best of the best in Condesa - browse our top choices for the top things to see or do during your stay.
With tables neatly arranged in one of Condesa's most romantic gardens, this trendy spot showcases the creative international cuisine of chef Alejandra Navarro, formerly of world-famous Quintonil. The menu changes regularly and reflects seasonal ingredients, but typical fare includes flame-roasted beets with a chimichurri sauce, mussels steamed in a coconut-lemongrass broth, and organic smoked and roasted chicken au jus with new potatoes and a robust green sauce.
The specialty of this trendy San Miguel de Chapultepec restaurant helmed by a veteran of famed eatery Pujol is food prepared with an open flame, such as grilled sirloin with an eggplant puree and roasted vegetables, but you'll also find a number of classic Mexican and Italian dishes, from shrimp aguachiles to house-made casarecce pasta with a hearty ragu sauce. Dining is inside one of the neighborhood's well-preserved 1930s homes, but there's also a pleasing sidewalk terrace bracketed by cacti and succulents.
Run by Santiago Muñoz, formerly of the famous regional Mexican restaurant Nico's, this casually stylish rooftop restaurant showcases the talented chef's devotion to traditional preparations and ingredients (including the centuries-old nixtamalization process of producing corn tortillas). Highlights from the creative menu include barbecue-duck tacos, huaraches (oval-shaped masa tortillas) topped with braised oxtail, and grilled striped bass with pasilla chiles and heirloom tomatoes. There’s always an interesting selection of pre-Hispanic-inspired desserts, too. Downstairs, an on-site shop sells salsas, handmade tortillas, and other delicious products, and a festive taco bar serves up big portions of sensational short-order snacks that you can embellish yourself with the bountiful array of salsa.
Legendary chef and Enrique Olvera, a devoted practitioner of making tortillas according to tradition and with only the highest-quality ingredients, opened this hole-in-wall shop and café, in part to expand his world-famous Polanco restaurant to the masses. The short menu is basically an ode to maíz, featuring elote and esquites, enmoladas (chicken mole enchiladas), avocado-hoja santa tacos, chilaquiles con mole, huitlacoche tamales, and other perfectly prepared botanas (for breakfast and lunch). You can even sip a glass of atole (a thick and warm masa-based beverage with Mesoamerican roots). Although this is undoubtedly the least expensive way to sample the cuisine of Enrique Pujol, there's often a wait—arrive early if possible.
