5 Best Restaurants in San Miguel de Allende and the Heartland, Mexico

Clean, bright, and charming, this Italian restaurant has an inviting location on pedestrian-only Andador Cinco de Mayo, just steps away from Plaza de Armas. Customers return again and again for the creative thin-crust pizzas, pastas, and cheese and charcuterie plates served in a historic old home converted to a three-story restaurant.

A favorite destination for romantic date nights and special occasions, this elegant restaurant is set within the grand high-ceiling salons and elaborately landscaped terraces of a 17th-century hacienda a short drive north of the city center. The upscale cuisine borrows heavily from France and Italy—consider foie gras with fig compote on a baguette and roasted beets with labneh and pistachios to start, followed by fish of the day with a puttanesca sauce or beef filet with a rich tarragon-butter sauce.

Here, in the shadow of La Parroquia, you'll find some of the best-prepared traditional Mexican food in town. The guacamole is great, as are any of the enchiladas, the chiles rellenos, and the Yucatan specialty, cochinita pibíl (slow-roasted pork). Top it off with the homemade flan, a delicious preparation of an old standby, and celebrate another fabulous San Miguel day with one of the well-prepared margaritas. The sweeping cityscape, backed by mountains, is another enchantment.

A sound track of light jazz plays in the background at this quaint, small restaurant facing Plaza Vasco de Quiroga. Sit at the outdoor tables under the arcade—or indoors, which feels like a shop from bygone days, with shelves packed with liqueurs, nuts, cookies, jams, candies, candles, and other items for sale. Coffee is made fresh from the espresso machine, but you can still get a free refill. The friendly and knowledgeable waiters will patiently explain the unusual dishes, such as huevos tarascos (fried eggs on a corn tortilla topped with corn kernels, thick melted cheese, and a dark chile negro sauce). For lunch or dinner get trout any style, salmon in four-cheese sauce, or mushrooms sautéed in garlic, chili, and tequila. The menu is refreshingly varied and the service refreshingly attentive.

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.