Mexico City has thousands of restaurants fighting for your attention. I ate at dozens of them. Here are the five best, ranked. My number one is Broka in Roma Norte.
1. Broka | Zacatecas 126, Roma Nte., Cuauhtémoc
Broka earns the top spot because no other restaurant in this city manages the same range. The menu jumps from gnocchi to soft shell crab without flinching. The mezcal list runs deep (and with mezcal taking over cocktail culture across CDMX right now, that matters more than ever). The courtyard seating works for everything from a first date to a Saturday blowout with friends. Over 1,500 reviews at a 4.4 rating means Broka has survived years of hype and kept delivering. Closed Tuesdays. Late-night hours Thursday through Saturday, open until midnight. What puts Broka above #2 is breadth. El Sol cooks traditional Mexican food at a higher peak, but Broka does everything well, from the drinks program to that dulce de leche dessert that will ruin all other desserts for you.
2. Restaurante y Banquetes El Sol | C. Valentín Gómez Farías 67, San Rafael, Cuauhtémoc
San Rafael is not where tourists end up. Good. El Sol sits on a quiet block in this residential colonia, turning out traditional Mexican cooking that demands your full attention. The chiles en nogada are the signature. If you visit during nogada season, you order them, no debate. The pork shank and chamorros are slow-cooked until they fall apart. The pibil snapper brings Yucatán heat to a neighborhood that runs on Mexico City classics. Open Tuesday through Sunday, noon to 7 PM, closed Mondays. A 4.6 rating from over 300 reviews at mid-range prices. El Sol could be #1 on a different day. The only reason it's not is Broka's versatility.
3. LOS COMPAYES COAPA | Armada de Mexico 1494, Coapa, Cafetales, Coyoacán
If birria is what you want, stop looking. LOS COMPAYES does it better than anywhere in the south of the city. The consomé is the kind you drink slowly, letting it warm you from the inside out. Pork ribs come out massive. Tacos, nachos, asada, beer, the whole spread, and every single dish falls under MX$100. The Coapa neighborhood sits well south of the tourist zone, which means you eat alongside local families who have been showing up here for years. A 4.6 rating from 365 reviews. Opens at 10 AM on weekends, 1 PM on weekdays. The downside? Getting here from Roma or Condesa takes some effort. Worth the ride. Where #2 wins on technique, #3 wins on soul and portion size.
4. Pipiris Fries | Calle A Mz. VII Local D, Educación, Coyoacán
A fries spot at #4 on a best restaurants list. I know how that sounds. But Pipiris Fries has the highest customer rating here: 4.7 from over 700 reviews in Coyoacán. The macho fries are the signature order. Pulled pork, jalapeño poppers, milkshakes, and boneless options that keep regulars coming back every week. Everything under MX$100. They open at 3 PM daily, making Pipiris the best afternoon stop between exploring Coyoacán and wherever dinner takes you. No tablecloths, no gimmicks. Pipiris doesn't compete with Broka on atmosphere, but on pure food quality per peso, nothing on this list beats it.
5. Martina Fonda Fina | Calle Gral. Juan Cano 61, San Miguel Chapultepec, Miguel Hidalgo
The breakfast pick. Martina opens at 8:30 AM and does chilaquiles better than places charging twice as much. Reviewers come back for them week after week. The vegetarian plates and the health-conscious menu pull in a different crowd, one that pays attention to what goes into their food. Everything under MX$100 here too. San Miguel Chapultepec is a calm, residential colonia near the park, and Martina fits the neighborhood. The weakness is the schedule: closed Sundays, and Saturdays they wrap up by 2:30 PM. Plan around it. A 4.5 rating from 530 reviews makes this the best weekday morning meal in western CDMX.
If you only eat at one place from this list, go to Broka on a Thursday night. Order the soft shell crab. Get a mezcal cocktail. Sit in the courtyard.
