10 Best Restaurants in Guanajuato, San Miguel de Allende and the Heartland

A huge favorite with locals looking for good value and consistently great food, Mestizo comes through again and again. The setting is rustic yet elegant, with original art throughout, and, in one room, ceramic pieces by the famous potter Capelo are for sale. The small bar is charming, and best of all, the super-tasty, unpretentious food is both well prepared and well presented. Service is formal and attentive. Check it out near the beginning of your stay; we bet you'll go back.

Guanajuato natives and newbies in the know head to this family-run Santa Rosa hideaway for homemade dishes in a country atmosphere. The setting is rustic, with simple tile floors, metal folding chairs, and plain tablecloths, but the fresh, home-style chiles rellenos and chicken in mole more than make up for it. House specialties are mixiote de borrego (lamb baked in foil and served in a rich broth) and cecina seca de res (air-dried beef), both served with frijoles, salsas, guacamole, and fresh tortillas. It's an excellent place for breakfast, lunch, or a (very) early dinner en route to shopping at Mayolicas Santa Rosa. A few hundred yards off the highway, along a dirt road, it's about 15 to 20 minutes northeast of La Valenciana, en route to Dolores Hidalgo. Look for small signs announcing "Cabaña de Lolita" and "Puente de Barrilito."

A modern but tranquil sound track pervades this small, funky, and nonatmospheric sushi joint, which is just the ticket for travelers weary of Mexican food and pricey restaurants that are long on atmosphere but short on yum. For an inexpensive and healthful bento box, choose three, four, or five of the day's salads from the deli case, or have the sushi chef–owner, from Osaka, whip up a spicy tiger or a beautiful rainbow or spider roll. A large table outside in the pedestrian-only street seats larger groups or individuals willing to share their space.

Come early for the best selection of made-fresh-daily deli items.

Huff and puff your way up the 40-plus steps to this restaurant's threshold for an exceptional view of downtown Guanajuato, as well as for the mouthwatering house specialty, filetto Claudio (beef fillet with olives, capers, herbs, and garlic). Save room for the velvety tiramisu. Weather permitting, have your aperitif on the terrace, which has an even more dazzling view, best as sunset tints Guanajuato's domes several different shades of gold. Lunch is served, but on the Mexican timetable: starting at 2 pm.

One of the best-kept secrets in Guanajuato is this hole-in-the-wall across from the university whose bargain comida corrida at lunchtime—four courses for MX$65—is equally popular with students, faculty, and local workers. It starts with delicious fresh-baked bread, then continues with a starter such as crema de verduras (vegetable soup) with green chili, or a chipotle-spiked chicken soup. Tacos and an antojito (appetizer) then a meat will follow, plus dessert. The space is cute, with brick archways, knickknacks, and waiters dressed in black and white.

Look beyond the lumpy wall with peeling paint behind the tiny exposed kitchen—that's fairly normal in buildings over 300 years old. At this tiny hole-in-the-wall you'll find healthful, vegetarian (mostly vegan) tabbouleh, falafel, hummus, and other delicious Middle Eastern dishes at bargain prices. The baklava and other honey-nut-phyllo desserts are also very tasty. You can also order small or giant falafel sandwiches and salads.

There are only five small tables and three bar stools, but if the place is full you can order to go and eat outside at one of Guanajuato's many lively little plazas.

Go to the Hotel Posada Santa Fé for alfresco dining at the Jardín. Try the pozole estilo Guanajuato (hominy soup to which you can add onions, radishes, lettuce, lime, and chili peppers). The service and food are just average, actually, but the people-watching opportunities are excellent, and the restaurant has a "Distintivo H" award for cleanliness.

This fresh fusion restaurant, in a 1673 building, is at once minimalist, eclectic, international, French-influenced, and tasty. Each dish is marked on the menu with its own nationality. A recipe for disaster? Not in the case of the arrachera fusión, a variation on the classic Mexican marinated steak that includes avocado, goat cheese, and a chipotle–red wine salsa. The menu includes a large selection of creative pizzas. The wine list changes every couple of months, each time featuring a dozen wines from Mexico and other countries. There's live music Friday and Saturday nights. It closes early on Sunday, at 7:30.

As you sit at umbrella-shaded tables in a gracious courtyard framed by bougainvillea, serenaded by Mexican music, you'll be transported back to a simpler Mexico. The margaritas are good, and the menu is interesting, from a well-developed pozole verde (a rich soup made with hominy) to juicy cochinita pibíl (pork baked in banana leaf) with black beans and the traditional pickled onions. The enchiladasMéxico Lindo and enchiladas mineras are also crowd-pleasers. The restaurant is out in the quiet residential neighborhood of La Presa de la Olla, a nice neighborhood for a walk, and it opens at 9 am for breakfast if you're out early.

It can get chilly in winter; make sure to wear warm clothing.

Totally local yet beloved by visitors, this place is the real deal, morning, noon, and night. Multigenerational Mexican families dine among a spattering of granola-crunchy tourists, all comfortably ensconced within several chummy spaces. At breakfast, egg dishes reign supreme, and enfrijoladas (corn tortillas layered with refried beans, cheese, and sour cream) are an excellent choice. It's also hard to go wrong with the traditional lunch plates, which include enmoladas (tortillas bathed in mole sauce and baked), enchiladas (the same, but in a spicier sauce), and chicken dishes. It's open later than most spots in town.