7 Best Restaurants in Xalapa, Veracruz

Locals recommend this steak house with large windows, high ceilings, and white linens, so the place is often crowded. The steaks and tacos are all tasty, served with roasted green onions and plenty of salsas. Out back there's a playground with tables where parents can enjoy a coffee and dessert while kids can run around.

The antique furnishings and lazily turning ceiling fans almost succeed in giving this popular restaurant the vibe of an old-fashioned hacienda, but the insistent street noise reminds you that you're in a busy capital city. Never mind: you'll be focusing on the generous portions of charcoal-broiled steaks and the succulent shrimp and fish dishes, served with frijoles charros (black beans cooked in a spicy sauce).

The place is known for its desserts, which include flan with caramel and bananas flambéed in brandy.

In contrast to the ho-hum meals served at the other cafeterias lining Avenida Zaragoza, La Casona del Beaterio dishes up fine local fare. The restaurant's two spacious rooms, surrounding a courtyard garden with a fountain, have stained-glass windows and plenty of hanging plants. Breakfast specials are a steal, but the house specialty—cazuela de mariscos—draws the crowds. This is java country, so the menu has a dozen different coffee and espresso concoctions.

For fine regional dishes prepared with a dash of creativity, try this rustic restaurant overlooking the tropical Parque Los Tecajetes. Inside it's cozy, always buzzing with diners feasting on cecina (paper-thin beef fillet) with slices of avocado, and crepas poblanas (crepes filled with chicken or spinach and topped with poblano chilies). The restaurant is tucked into a small strip mall, so it's tricky to find.

The entrance to this second-floor restaurant is hidden on a small pedestrian walkway off Calle Enríquez, a block from Parque Juárez. Bright streamers, baskets of paper flowers, and paintings enliven the little cluster of dining rooms. Breakfast starts at 8 am, and includes delicious Mexican dishes like mole and chilaquiles, toasted tortillas in a spicy sauce. Lunch features hearty northern Veracruz fare. Delicious nopales (cactus strips) and chipotle chilies are essential elements of almost every dish.

The three-course lunch special costs between $3 and $5—such a deal.

You can stop by for an early dinner, but the restaurant closes at 5:30.

You won't need your phrase book to translate such well-known French dishes as chicken with Roquefort at this adorable little bistro. Sip a crisp Bordeaux (there are several on the reasonably priced wine list) as you nibble the perfectly prepared pâté. Locals drop by to taste the city's only chocolate mousse and crème brûlée. On the gracefully crumbling walls of this colonial-era building hang etchings of Parisian sights. The back dining room, more intimate than the one facing the street, looks out on a flower-filled courtyard.

Bullfighting posters and mirrors in elaborate frames are some of the things that make stepping into this restaurant a little like stepping back in time. Main dishes include róbalo a la cazuela (sea bass in a tomato-based sauce with shrimp). The daily prix-fixe menu consists of a soup, a plate of pasta or rice, and an entrée. Sunday sees a tasty paella.