11 Best Restaurants in Polanco and Bosque de Chapultepec, Mexico City

The architecture here is just as impressive as the food, with the restaurant housed inside a Californian colonial-style mansion built in 1940. Diners can choose from an international menu with Mexican flourishes (like the tacos de lechon confit) or an impressive tasting menu. Blanco Castelar has a sister restaurant in La Roma, Blanco Colima.

Named after a wild green herb often found in milpas, a Mesoamerican crop-growing system, Quintonil was opened in 2012 by chef-owner Jorge Vallejo. Today, Vallejo eschews fussiness to let the local ingredients shine: smoked trout from nearby Zitácuaro or a salad of greens and herbs from the floating gardens of Xochimilco. The discreet, refined restaurant is locally focused all the way up to the rooftop garden.

At Siembra Comedor, the diverse dishes are elevated and delectable, with both the decor and the menu heavily centering around corn. Whether you choose tacos, octopus, or a rib eye, your meal won't disappoint. A few doors down from the restaurant is Siembra Taqueria (Newton 256), a good spot for a quick bite if your time is more limited.

Both a café and a restaurant, Aúna turns locally sourced ingredients into fantastic meals with an international flair. It's an impressive collaboration between chef Fernando Torres and chef Jorge Vallejo from famed Polanco restaurant Quintonil.

Quite a few CDMX restaurants do upscale Italian food well, but this romantic, warmly lighted trattoria stands out for serving some of the finest pizzas around. Each thin-crust pie is crisped to perfection in the wood-fired oven on view at the front of the dining room—the pie layered lavishly with burrata and prosciutto is worth the splurge. You'll also find plenty of other contemporary Italian offerings of note, including beef carpaccio with white truffle oil and lobster risotto.

This beef-lover's dream is popular with everyone from businessmen to young families. Everything is grilled, from the Argentine beef and Australian lamb to the whitefish in a mild chile sauce. Desserts are large and inventive—try the riff on an alfajor, a typical dulce de leche sandwich cookie. The low-ceiling, wood-beam dining room is hung with nostalgic pictures of Buenos Aires. Menus in Braille are also available.

Emilio is a popular all-day eatery in Polanquito, combining Italian, Mexican, and Spanish influences. The sidewalk seating is matched with a casual menu of imaginative shared plates and cocktails (try the tacos de pato confitado) while a classic European menu is served on the pleasant terrace upstairs.

Built in the 17th century on the site of a mulberry farm, this hacienda has been transformed into one of Mexico's most elegant dinner spots. The atmosphere outclasses even the food, which consists of both Mexican classics and more experimental dishes that incorporate Spanish and Mediterranean influences. Live music in both the dining and bar areas, which might take the form of a string quintet, a lone pianist, or a strolling mariachi band, adds to the experience.

Named after the Mexican dictator whose 31-year reign sparked the Mexican Revolution, Porfirio's does classic Mexican steak and seafood dishes very well. The service and atmosphere are quiet during the day, with DJs taking over after dark. The Polanco branch is one of many dotted across Mexico.

The internationally acclaimed chef at Pujol, Enrique Olvera, continuously reinvents traditional Mexican dishes and their presentation, and is largely responsible for the country's gastronomic revolution. The dining experience here can be described as educational and hedonistic, and the seven-course menus are designed to create a holistic flavor experience. There is also a 10-course taco menu available, with drink pairings included. Despite the rave reviews it receives from critics, Pujol has fallen out of favor locally after many accusations of terrible labor practices.