Mexico is home to a vibrant dining landscape, where there’s no shortage of restaurants that champion local flavors or draw inspiration from around the world, with many establishments doing a little bit of both. In 2019, the country’s wine-and-dining scene reached a new level of prestige when Alfredo Di Roma Mexico became Mexico's first Wine Spectator Grand Award winner. Along with world-class destinations like Alfredo Di Roma and exceptional Mexican establishments, this roundup of Wine Spectator Restaurant Award winners include an eclectic Asian spot, a trendy French café, classic Italian eateries and local spots focused on regional ingredients and cooking techniques.
To discover more wine-and-food destinations, see our more than 3,700 Restaurant Award–winning picks, including all 77 Restaurant Award winners in Mexico and the 94 Grand Award recipients that hold our highest honor.
Mexico City
Alfredo Di Roma Mexico
Presidente InterContinental Mexico City, Campos Eliseos 218
Telephone (52) 55-5327-7766
Website alfredodiroma.rest
Grand Award
Jutting out of the Mexico City skyline and overlooking the Bosque de Chapultepec park, the luxury Presidente InterContinental hotel, in the trendy Polanco neighborhood, houses a world-class collection of wines offered across multiple Restaurant Award–winning restaurants, including Alfredo Di Roma Mexico. Spearheading the 2,110-selection wine list in Mexico City is wine director Luis Morones, who emphasizes Old World picks from France (particularly Bordeaux and Champagne), Spain and Italy, alongside celebrated bottlings from Argentina, California, Chile and Mexico. Morones recently expanded the program, adding verticals from powerhouse Italian producers such as Antinori, Masseto and Ornellaia. Chef Mauro Chiecchio prepares traditional Italian dishes, each listed on the menu alongside a suggested wine pairing: Pinot Noir with mushroom risotto, Brunello with beef tenderloin, Chardonnay with the signature fettuccine Alfredo.
Al Andalus
Av. Insurgentes Sur 2475-Piso 1, Tizapán San Ángel
Telephone (52) 55-9180-7725
Best of Award of Excellence
In southern Mexico City’s quieter, less-traveled San Ángel neighborhood, Al Andalus offers traditional Lebanese fare from founder-chef Mohamed Mazeh. The restaurant is one of six locations, each highlighting the culinary traditions of Mexico City’s Lebanese community. (Tacos al pastor, with pork carved from a trompo—a vertical rotisserie commonly used to slow-cook shawarma—are a well-known result of this cultural blend.) Mazeh serves mezes such as tabbouleh, kibbe and labneh, as well as larger plates of alambre (chopped meat served with vegetables and tortillas), shawarma and several different guisados (a type of stew that can be made with a variety of ingredients). Wine director Sogeyly Rodriguez Ramirez’s 565-selection, 1,500-bottle wine program also champions Lebanon and Mexico, with red and white verticals from leading Lebanese winery Chateau Musar, as well as wines from Mexican producers Bodegas Henri Lurton and L.A. Cetto. Spain is also strongly represented, with picks from Bodegas Cepa 21, Bouza Do Rei and Vega Sicilia. After dining, guests can stroll the campus of nearby National Autonomous University of Mexico, which was designated a UNESCO World Heritage site in 2007.
Chapulín
Presidente InterContinental Mexico City, Campos Eliseos 218, Polanco
Telephone (52) 55-5327-7700
Website chapulinrestaurante.com.mx
Best of Award of Excellence
On the second floor of the Presidente InterContinental Mexico City is Chapulín, a Best of Award of Excellence winner offering contemporary interpretations of traditional Mexican fare. The restaurant’s new executive chef, José Luis Sánchez Ronquillo, reimagined the menu, dividing dishes into three categories: cold bar (think ceviche, tuna tartare and oysters), wood fire (large-portion dishes, such as dry-aged steaks and half chickens) and comal (named for the flat griddle used to prepare traditional Mexican cuisine—in this case, a variety of tacos and proteins). Wine director Luis Morones manages the 2,060-selection, 39,000-bottle program, which includes notable Champagne producers Jacques Selosse, Lanson and Louis Roederer, while Château Lynch Bages, Château Palmer and Clos Fourtet stand out among the Bordeaux options. Expect a few Napa Valley Cabernets from Beringer, Paul Hobbs and Robert Mondavi, with Mexico being represented by producers such as Bodegas de Santo Tomás, L.A. Cetto and Monte Xanic. Combine your meal with a visit to the nearby National Museum of Anthropology or a stroll through the expansive Chapultepec Park, or save a little time to peruse the hotel’s permanent and rotating art exhibitions.
Sepia
Sinaloa 170, Colonia Roma, Alcaldía Cuauhtémoc
Telephone (52) 55-3009-6914
Website cocinasepia.mx
Best of Award of Excellence
In Mexico City’s central Roma Norte—a hip, walkable neighborhood punctuated by boutique shops, wine and cocktail bars and picturesque parks—Best of Award of Excellence winner Sepia serves Italian cuisine in a contemporary space with checkerboard tile floors, low warm lights, velvet seating and art on every wall. Chef Julián Martínez—who previously worked with star Italian chefs Massimo Bottura and Enrico Crippa—opened Sepia in 2017 with a focus on using Mexican ingredients to create traditional Italian dishes. Notable appetizers include an artichoke carpaccio with anchovies and oxtail croquettes with asiago fondue. For mains, there is a selection of homemade pastas, risottos and fish and meat entrées. Sommelier Hiepei González offers a wine list of 820 labels, with strengths in Italy and Mexico. Some wines on offer include Giacomo Conterno Barolo, Giuseppe Quintarelli Valpolicella and Masseto Toscana, alongside a thorough selection of Mexican Nebbiolos.
Sud777
Blvd. de la Luz 777, Jardines del Pedregal
Telephone (52) 55-5568-4777
Website sud777.com.mx
Best of Award of Excellence
Tucked away in southern Mexico City’s Pedregal district—an area flush with gardens, universities and shopping opportunities, including the nearby Perisur mall—Sud777 is a vegetable-forward, fine-dining restaurant that has held a Best of Award of Excellence since 2020. Owner-chef Edgar Nuñez opened the spot in 2008 and draws inspiration from local produce, including what’s grown in the restaurant’s own garden, for his multicourse tasting menu. A recent menu included combinations such as anchovies with smoked chocolate, endives with grapefruit and tomatoes with vanilla, with a catch-of-the-day fish option also on offer. Aisha Moreno oversees the 715-label, 2,100-bottle wine program, which shows strengths in California, France, Italy and Spain. Mexican wine is another highlight of the program, with picks from Casa Madero in Valle de Parras (the oldest continuously operating winery in the Americas), Vena Cava in Valle de Guadalupe and Santa Elena in Aguascalientes.
Eloise Chic Cuisine
Av. Revolución 1521, San Ángel, Álvaro Obregón
Telephone (52) 55-5550-1692
Website instagram.com/eloise_rest
Award of Excellence
Off Avenida Revolución in Mexico City’s San Ángel neighborhood, also containing the Carrillo Gil art museum and the former home of late artists Frida Kahlo and Diego Rivera, Eloise Chic Cuisine is an Award of Excellence winner that has been serving fine French cuisine since 2010. Chef Abel Hernández serves traditional bistro fare (think beef short rib bourguignon and duck confit) alongside dishes such as red curry mussels with shoestring potatoes, a blackberry salad with guava paste and a signature Eloise burger topped with sheep cheese. The food is served in a deep-blue dining room with large illustrations of plants and animals lining the walls. Curated by wine director Eduardo Gonzalez, the wine program comprises 140 labels sourced primarily from France. Expect to see notable names such as Bordeaux’s Château Haut-Brion and Latour, Burgundy’s Moreau Père & Fils and Champagne’s Louis Roederer and Taittinger.
Romina
Homero 716, Colonia Polanco
Telephone (52) 55-4432-4432
Website romina.com.mx
Award of Excellence
For Italian dining in Mexico City’s Polanco neighborhood (a prime area for luxury shopping), head to intimate Award of Excellence winner Romina, which has been offering handmade pasta and an Italy-focused wine list since 2010. (Romina’s sibling restaurant, Romina Pizza e Vino, is less than a mile away on Avenida Homero.) In addition to year-round mainstays such as spaghetti with clams and rigatoni cacio e pepe, guests can choose from chef Alejandro Guillén’s monthly specials and a five-course tasting menu ($61 per person). Owner and wine director Mario Magaña compiled the 300-label list of predominantly Italian wines, with notable Bordeaux and Champagne sections as well. Tuscany is the star region, with picks from Antinori (including several vintages of Tignanello going back to 2005), Brancaia and Isole e Olena, and Piedmont is represented with bottles from producers such as Luciano Sandrone, Pio Cesare and Vietti. As for Champagne, look to options from Moët & Chandon, Piper-Heidsieck and Taittinger, while standout Bordeaux labels include Château Hosanna, Château Léoville Barton and Château Monbousquet.
Baja Peninsula: Los Cabos
Arbol
Las Ventanas al Paraíso, Km. 19.5 Ctra. Transpeninsular, San Jose del Cabo, Baja California Sur
Telephone (52) 183-322-41926
Website rosewoodhotels.com/en/las-ventanas-los-cabos
Best of Award of Excellence
Looking out onto Los Cabos, Best of Award of Excellence winner Arbol serves dishes with East Asian and Indian influences inside Las Ventanas al Paraíso, a luxury beachfront resort operated by the Rosewood Hotels & Resorts group. The dining space is accented with pink lights that shine against white walls, while lanterns hang from sculpted trees. Chef Khampan Pukdangpan’s menu champions seafood and spices, with sashimi and sushi selections as well as larger platters of lobster, prawns, oysters and clams. Also on offer are curries, tandoori dishes and wok-prepared entrées, including lobster fried rice and stir-fried Wagyu beef. Wine director Genevieve Rioux’s 870-selection wine list, which pulls from a cellar of nearly 19,000 bottles, shows strength in France, Italy and Mexico. This includes seafood-friendly Champagnes such as Salon’s Brut Blanc de Blancs Champagne Le Mesnil 2012. Among the reds are Antinori Toscana Solaia 2019 and Château Rayas Châteauneuf-du-Pape Réservé 2000. For more mature bottles, look to 1945 vintages from Château Margaux and Château Mouton-Rothschild.
Don Manuel’s
Camino del Mar 1, El Pedregal, Cabo San Lucas
Telephone (52) 624-172-0374
Website waldorfastorialoscabospedregal.com/culinary/don-manuels
Best of Award of Excellence
In the Waldorf Astoria Los Cabos Pedregal, backdropped by the sea-facing mountains of the southern tip of Baja California Sur, is Best of Award of Excellence winner Don Manuel’s. The restaurant’s airy dining room and outdoor patio look out over turquoise waters and the nearby beach. (Best of Award of Excellence winner El Farallon is also inside the hotel.) Chef Gustavo Pinet’s menu blends Mexican culinary traditions with inventive ingredients—cured amberjack is served with cucumbers and a hibiscus sauce, while slow-roasted chicken comes with beets and a charred habanero aioli. The restaurant also hosts special Culinary Weekends, where diners can try exclusive appetizers and entrées from guest chefs. Wine director Jhonatan Adame oversees the 1,050-label wine list and cellar of more than 7,250 bottles. California is a primary strength, with wines from Napa’s Bond, Dominus Estate and Harlan Estate. Bordeaux also stands out with verticals from châteaus Calon-Ségur, Cheval Blanc and Pape Clément. The Waldorf Astoria also boasts a Pedregal Collection of wines that are exclusive to the hotel, with each wine made in collaboration with an acclaimed producer, including DAOU and Domaine Drouhin.
Bar Esquina
Bahia Hotel & Beach House, Av. El Pescador, Cabo San Lucas
Telephone (52) 624-143-1889
Website bahiacabo.com/bar-esquina
Award of Excellence
Off Medano Beach inside the boutique Bahia Hotel & Beach House, Award of Excellence winner Bar Esquina offers seasonal Mediterranean- and Mexican-inspired fare from chef Andrés Bracamontes. Recent menu options have included an open-face calzone with burrata and prosciutto, tuna tartare with an avocado mousse and lobster sliders on brioche. Wine director Nizuniro Altamirano’s 250-label program celebrates Mexico, with picks from Valle de Guadalupe producers such as Henri Lurton and Paoloni. Representing France are picks from labels such as Burgundy’s Joseph Drouhin, Languedoc’s Gérard Bertrand and Bordeaux’s Château Lynch-Bages, while Antinori, Gaja and Piedmont’s Mirafiore are among the Italian offerings.
Sunset Monalisa
Carretera Transpeninsular Km. 5.5, Colonia Misiones del Cabo, Cabo San Lucas, Baja California Sur
Telephone (52) 624-105-8970
Website sunsetmonalisa.com
Award of Excellence
Award of Excellence winner Sunset Monalisa offers expansive outdoor seating on the coast of Cabo San Lucas, with panoramic views of the Pacific Ocean and, true to the restaurant’s name, sunsets framed by the Arch of Cabo San Lucas rock formation. The restaurant serves Mediterranean cuisine across three- and six-course prix fixe menus and a four-course Ocean Terrace Experience tasting menu. Dishes that have appeared on recent menus include seared octopus with shishito peppers, duck confit with fermented peaches and homemade fettuccine with Parmigiano-Reggiano and black truffles. Wine director Manuel Herrera oversees the 225-selection wine list, which shows strength in Mexico and features by-the-glass options from Pedroncelli in Sonoma, Ferrari in Trentino, Italy, and Familia Zuccardi in Mendoza, Argentina.
Puerto Vallarta
Café des Artistes
Calle Guadalupe Sánchez 740, Centro, Puerto Vallarta
Telephone (52) 322-226-7200
Website cafedesartistes.com
Best of Award of Excellence
In the coastal resort city of Puerto Vallarta is chef Thierry Blouet’s colorful Café des Artistes, a Best of Award of Excellence winner since 2019. Diners can choose to eat in the warmly lit dining room or on an expansive patio adorned with palms, statues and string lights. For the menu, think French cuisine with Mexican influences, with local produce and ingredients highlighted in dishes such as roasted pork belly with various colors of cauliflower, smoked beef cheek tacos with green pipián (a pureed sauce traditionally made with leafy greens and squash seeds) and grilled octopus with chicatanas (flying ants native to Mexico). Wine director Javier Mendez oversees the 400-label wine list and an inventory of approximately 2,000 bottles. The list’s main strengths lie in Mexico and South American countries such as Uruguay and Argentina, with Malbecs from Alta Vista, Catena Zapata and Familia Zuccardi on offer.
Restaurante Tintoque
Aquiles Serdan 445, Puerto Vallarta
Telephone (52) 322-104-1691
Website instagram.com/tintoque
Award of Excellence
Restaurante Tintoque, an Award of Excellence winner from chef-restaurateur Joel Ornelas, nods to the traditional recipes of Mexico’s Banderas Bay region and has become a landmark of Puerto Vallarta’s fine-dining scene. Its sun-filled dining room is a warm, welcoming environment, with large windows, terracotta-tiled floors and a ceiling with exposed wood beams. From Tintoque’s deck and covered patio, guests can enjoy views of the Cuale River and its namesake island, Isla Cuale. The menu shows culinary influences from Asia (particularly Japan and Vietnam) in addition to Mexico, with recent standout items including the red curry aguachile (a spicy riff on ceviche) with fresh coconut and a dish of fish and chorizo shawarma with cucumbers and tomatoes. Ornelas also oversees the 255-label wine list, which focuses on California, France and Mexico. Well-known producers on offer include Gut Oggau in Austria and Ridge in the Golden State.
Yucatan Peninsula: Isla Mujeres, Cancun, Riviera Maya, Tulum and Sian Ka'an
Cilento
ATELIER Playa Mujeres, Condominio Playa Mujeres, SM3, MZ1,LT13, RTH4, Zona Continental Isla Mujeres, Quintana Roo
Telephone (52) 99-8500-4848
Website https://atelierdehoteles.com/atelier-playa-mujeres
Best of Award of Excellence
ATELIER Playa Mujeres is a sprawling resort designed in homage to traditional Mexican art and architecture, mixed with pastel hues and midcentury modern furniture. Hotel rooms boast views of the Caribbean Sea or the well-manicured Playa Mujeres golf course. Best of Award of Excellence winner Cilento is one of 14 dining establishments at the resort, alongside fellow Restaurant Award winners Los Abrazos and María Dolores. Cilento specializes in Italian cuisine and seeks to celebrate the flavor combination of tomatoes, basil and olive oil through salads, wood-fired pizzas and handmade pastas (think fusilli with lobster and farfalle with fresh white fish). Overseen by wine director Ivette Vargas, the 390-selection wine list represents Mexico but is strongest in Italy, featuring Italian producers such as Alto Adige’s Alois Lageder and Tuscany’s Tenuta San Guido.
Ku’um
Casa Chablé, Reserva de la Biósfera Sian Ka'an, Carretera Tulum Km. 34.5, Sian Ka'an, Quintana Roo
Telephone (52) 998-387-0643
Website casachable.chablehotels.com/cuisine
Award of Excellence
In a secluded section of the Sian Ka’an Biosphere Reserve of the Yucatán Peninsula, 22 miles from resort town Tulum, Award of Excellence winner Ku’um at the Casa Chablé resort is only accessible by boat. The Sian Ka’an area became a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1987 and is protected for its sparkling teal waters, vibrant coral reefs and vast biodiversity. At Ku’um, which overlooks a tropical lagoon and palms, guests dine in an open-air room beneath a grass-thatched roof. The restaurant serves cuisine with Mexican and Caribbean influences, such as grilled octopus with roasted potatoes and mextlapique (wrapped, traditionally in corn husks, and grilled) fish with a quinoa and espelón (aka xpéelon) bean salad. Sommelier Michael González oversees a list of 105 wines, which focuses primarily on French and Italian producers. Notable selections include Bordeaux estate Château La Gravière’s Lalande-de-Pomerol and Tuscany producer Tenuta San Guido’s Bolgheri-Sassicaia Sassicaia.
Lumière
Le Blanc Spa Resort Cancún, Blvd. Kukulcan Km. 10, Punta Cancún, Zona Hotelera Cancún, Quintana Roo
Telephone (52) 998-881-4740
Website cancun.leblancsparesorts.com
Award of Excellence
With beamed ceilings, wall sconces and tufted chairs, Award of Excellence winner Lumière offers a relaxing yet elegant dining atmosphere at Cancún’s Le Blanc Spa Resort. (Lumière has an Award of Excellence–winning sibling location on the opposite side of Mexico, at the Le Blanc Spa Resort in Baja California Sur.) The restaurant serves French haute cuisine across a 14-course tasting menu and à la carte dishes. In addition to French staples such as beef bourguignon (with beef cheek) and onion soup (topped with aged Gruyère), the menu champions seafood in plates such as mussels cooked in white wine with shallots, a lobster and shrimp salad with celery mayonnaise and a langouste (spiny lobster) bisque with fennel. The 200-selection wine list spotlights Mexico and France, with noteworthy names such as Emile Beyer in Alsace, Louis Latour in Burgundy and Pascal Jolivet in the Loire Valley.
Mémories
Catalonia Grand Costa Mujeres, Punta Sam Lote 006, Carr. a Punta Sam, SM 006-MZA 002, Zona Costera, Zona Continental, Quintana Roo
Telephone (52) 984-151-0403
Website ebocarestaurants.com
Award of Excellence
Barcelona meets Isla Mujeres at Mémories, an Award of Excellence winner from Eboca Restaurants, a hospitality group noted for contemporary takes on classic Spanish dishes in luxury destinations, with locations in Catalonia, San Sebastián and the Dominican Republic. Inside the beachfront Catalonia Grand Costa Mujeres hotel, Mémories offers dishes that blend elements of Mexican and Catalan cuisine. Some items that appear on chef John de Sola Martinez’s menu include Wagyu beef fricandó (a traditional Catalan meat stew) with a salted almond crumble, red prawn suquet (a traditional Catalan fish stew) with a saffron foam and a catch-of-the-day fish entrée with sautéed spinach. The 115-label wine list is largely devoted to Mexico, with selections from Valle de Guadalupe and Santo Tomás Valley in Baja California and the small central state of Aguascalientes. The list also highlights producers from France, Italy and Spain, including names such as Champagne’s Ruinart, Piedmont’s Pio Cesare and Rioja’s Muga.
Woodend
Maroma: A Belmond Hotel, Carretera Federal Cancún-Tulum Km. 51, Solidaridad, Quintana Roo
Telephone (52) 984-370-0400
Website belmond.com/hotels
Award of Excellence
Within the luxurious Maroma resort, a property operated by the Belmond hospitality group, is Australian chef and TV star Curtis Stone’s Award of Excellence–winning restaurant Woodend. (Stone also co-owns Best of Award of Excellence winner Gwen in Los Angeles with his brother, Luke.) The Maroma hotel sits along the Riveria Maya between Cancún and Tulum, a short drive from Playa del Carmen and Xcaret park, and Woodend diners are treated to views of a sprawling sand beach and the vast Caribbean Sea. Known for his seafood-forward menus, Stone developed Woodend’s offerings to celebrate Yucatán cuisine prepared over a wood-fired grill or in a charcoal oven, sourcing produce from local farmers and seafood from certified sustainable fisheries. Signature dishes include grilled blue prawns with green mango, oyster crudo with a mint-cucumber granita and octopus maya (a four-eyed mollusk found around the Yucatán Peninsula) with a pineapple gastrique. The 400-label wine list pulls from a cellar of 1,500 bottles, showing breadth and depth in reds and whites from Mexico’s booming wine scene and regions in nearby California. This includes Golden State Chardonnays from leading wineries such as Kistler and Patz & Hall. Also on offer are white Burgundies from Chanson Père & Fils and William Fèvre.
Edited by Collin Dreizen, Chris Cardoso, Julia Larson, Olivia Nolan, Greg Warner and Megan Tkacy.
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