The best restaurants Northern Mexico

This excellent meat restaurant is located in a large house. The house specialty is the Rib Eye Añejo, unless you prefer a small chateaubriand or a New York Steak. Here, there is something for every language. Wherever your heart (and your appetite) takes you, you'll have a nice piece of meat on your plate with perfectly cooked meat. Small vegetables and baked potatoes on the side. No chance of being disappointed: this is one of the best restaurants in town.

In its newest setting, this restaurant, owned by successful chef Guillermo Gonzalez, offers a contemporary style and menu that has won several awards, including the best wine list in Mexico. It frequently appears on lists of the best restaurants in Latin America. Pangea offers a very innovative, nouvelle cuisine style menu with a unique combination of flavors. The tasting menu will give you an overview of the chef's talents. One of the most beautiful restaurants in the city, without a doubt.

Carolina's home, where several generations are often busy in the kitchen, is where you'll find some of the best family food around. In addition to the hearty breakfasts, don't skimp on the tacos or the trout caught in the white water. Decoratively, it's hard to get more typical: on the colourful walls, sombreros sit alongside shotguns and a few handmade trinkets. The terrace, just at the entrance of the restaurant, is very pleasant. Family and authentic atmosphere guaranteed.

Just a few blocks from the Palacio de Gobierno, this is a refreshing and bright place. It offers delicious coffees (espresso, cappuccino, latte, it's up to you!) and smoothies with natural fruits, as well as some home-made pastries. Mostly frequented by students, this little café is perfect for a lunchtime stopover. You can eat light, the desserts are prepared with love and fresh products. On the menu: a wide variety of sandwiches, burgers and bagels, accompanied by chips or salads. Nice.

Away from the hustle and bustle of the village, here is a very nice restaurant with a pleasant palapa terrace and a breathtaking view. It overlooks the bay and offers all the delicious fish and shellfish that it contains. On the menu, you can choose between excellent fresh seafood tostadas and jaibas (crab), grilled fish served whole, shrimps sautéed with sauce, fish tacos, etc. Also some meat dishes. Must visit, both for the view and for the freshness of the products.

During the 20th century, the building successively hosted a popular cantina (the Moritas bar, opened in 1939), a boxing club, cockfights and a billiard room. This trendy place, soberly decorated with period furniture and objects, is the inspiration of three young chefs who prepare traditional and sophisticated dishes, with a certain know-how to exalt the flavour of vegetables. You can taste at the bar, in the dining room or on the terrace, small dishes to be placed in the centre of the table and shared.

Excellent attention in this small family restaurant with exposed wooden beams, which does not pay mine, but which welcomes you in a warm and relaxed atmosphere. The establishment invites you to taste good small dishes of typical regional cuisine. These are essentially made with good meat, since the first hours of the day. As is often the case in Mexico, the portions are extremely generous, so don't get carried away when you see the menu, you won't be able to eat everything...

The Mansion de Los Orrantia is the most elegant restaurant in town, specializing in fish and seafood, located in a pleasant old house whose central element is the patio. We can only recommend theaguachile de camarón (shrimp cooked in lemon and chili juice) or the César Alejandro fish fillet. The menu also includes a number of meat dishes, both grilled and in sauce. The dishes are refined and colourful. All this is enjoyed in the pleasant patio filled with plants, we love it.

Baker, cheesemonger, delicatessen and restaurant, this is the winning combination. Let's not talk about the setting, which is simply perfect: an old-fashioned house with various spaces: you enter the shop, where the stalls make you salivate, then you can sit in the large room with its exposed beams or, for a private moment, in a smaller room that is just as pretty; those who love hot weather can always sit under the trees in the courtyard. And after the croque-monsieur for breakfast, you can have a waffle and a fresh fruit juice for a snack.

It's the village classic, pampered by its owners for over thirty years. Upstairs you'll find a lovely covered terrace, and here you can try a little curiosity from Sinaloa, where Urique is actually relatively close: el aguachile de camarón . This is a dish of marinated shrimps cooked in lemon juice, traditionally accompanied by chillies. In the sierra, it is prepared with oregano andari, a kind of gum produced by ants and patiently collected in small quantities.

Come on, we won't hide it, it's our favorite place for the local breakfast: freshly squeezed orange juice and, above all, pork meat in tacos (including a very nice cheek) or in barbacoa (spicy sauce), all to be accompanied by quesadillas and nopals. Not to be missed under any circumstances. The sign has other more central branches, but this one is by far the most pleasant: a small wooden hut with a tree on the roof around which it is built. Charming and tasty.

This is a place whose terrace offers a unique view of Machado Square and its garden. The cuisine here is a little more sophisticated than elsewhere, although it is based on regional products; its recipes are a contemporary adaptation of local gastronomy, while others are more oriented towards urban gastronomy. Of particular note are the original suckling pig confit(lechón), the squid tatemado or the chilorio de cangrejo (crab). Fresh fish, soups and salads for the timid. Excellent wine cellar for an elegant dinner.

The restaurant La Misión is located in the town centre. In the dining room of this nineteenth-century finca, which also doubles as a hotel, you will find a slightly more varied cuisine than in other places in the village: the Chile Relleno Doña Toya and the La Misión salad are among the most popular. Unless you are tempted by a nice grilled meat. You can enjoy all this in a pleasant setting, with a historical flavour, set between the old stone fireplace and the arches that line the walls. Place your bets!

The restaurant serves meat dishes and specialities from the region. We are far from gourmet cuisine, but the dishes are rich and very good for the price. You can taste cabrito (goat meat), dried meat and more classical dishes, such as steak T-bone and Rib Eye. Thematic evening around mariachi on Thursdays and on Saturdays on Saturdays. 

This restaurant-cantina offers a unique, warm and hearty regional cuisine. The dishes are prepared with simple flavours drawn from the popular tradition. Earth, sky and sea are on the program. You won't go wrong with the grilled artichokes(alcachofa asada), the rib-eye a la sal or the pescado al pastor (fish) tacos ; and there are even dishes presented in molcajetes, the traditional stone bowls. Tasty desserts and an excellent selection of drinks. The setting is very pleasant.

Another taco restaurant, to break with the El Fogón chain. The cuisto boasts about preparing the best in the city— they all say that. One thing is certain: his own are not the least fat. A very friendly atmosphere.

Located in the inner courtyard of a beautiful 19th century building, this restaurant never ceases to be a sensation, partly because of its exceptional dining room, with its arcades, art objects and cupola. But on the plate, the result is not bad either: it is the most sophisticated cuisine in the region, with dishes of local and international inspiration. After a beautiful onion soup, the juicy pieces of regional meat will leave you breathless... Don't miss the escamoles (ant larvae), known as the Mexican caviar.

Another address to remember in Mazatlan! Located on the basin where ferries, boats and cargo ships set sail, the restaurant naturally evokes the sweetness of the sea. The fish and shellfish that arrive in the kitchen are of the freshest, and the proposals are infinite, as it should be; you can even find oysters and scallops in their natural state. While you're here, take the opportunity to visit the dozens of trawlers anchored a little further on, the owners are very friendly and will gladly let you visit their boats.

It has been 100% Mexican fuel to run the shop for more than three decades now: the decoration from floor to ceiling, the products and the culinary techniques, everything is done here in respect of the national dogma. It looks like the famous Zacatecas restaurant Los Dorados de Villa, since it seems to have been inspired by it even in the presentation of its menu. On the plate, the portions are generous and your visit is the occasion to discover or revise your classics, with some regional suggestions in bonus.

Don Artemio is a very good restaurant of contemporary cuisine in a setting that is no less so. It serves Mexican and fusion dishes, much more original than in most of the establishments in the area, such as the shrimps with butter and shallots, the lasagna with dried tomatoes, or the peppers filled with tuna and coriander. The dishes are refined; special mention for the meats, of good quality. To accompany everything, you can opt for one of the regional wines or a homemade infusion made from desert herbs..

This restaurant sells itself as «the home of the good taco» in Saltillo. But we must admit that the quality of meat is far higher, which justifies higher prices. On the menu: a wide variety of taco, more Mexican specialities, such as pozole and enchiladas.

More traditional and local, there is not in the region! Here, the room is not folklorized, and you are welcomed as at home from morning to evening. In the evening, as the temperatures drop fiercely, there's nothing like a good big bowl of soup or meat soup to start the feast. Then why not go for something typical: quesadilla, entomatadas, enchiladas, chilaquiles with a little guacamole to refresh the palate. The burrito de deshebrada is also to die for. Excellent address.

In the historic centre, this is the most popular place to eat fish and seafood al estilo sinaloense. Tourists are as numerous as locals. This traditional restaurant serves, among other things, various preparations based on octopus. For those who like it! Otherwise, the freshwater fish are highly recommended. Don't miss the Callo de Lobina, a dish based on sea bass fished in the river El Fuerte, which is served right here. You can hardly get more local than that! A must in El Fuerte, no more and no less.

Here is a cafeteria whose decor evokes the great North American spaces: you sit on good swivel chairs and the colour palette is cheerfully 1970s. There are no surprises on the menu, all the classics are there: tacos, American-style meat dishes, more traditional Mexican dishes and the unshakeable machaca con huevo. It's not the most refined cuisine, but it does the trick.

If you didn't see the façade, many people would make the mistake of passing by without stopping. If you come in the early morning, you can already see a few silhouettes waiting impatiently for the opening. The workers come here to take strength based on burritos and montados that could not be more unctuous and copious, with the soda that goes well. Plenty of animal protein. It's tasty and extremely cheap, so don't hesitate.

This is a very charming place, made of stone and wood, where you can sit outside as well as inside, depending on the seasons. Here, Señora Vanesa concocts a real local cuisine, including a memorable breakfast: choose between beans with cheese, egg dishes or chilaquiles, coffee and juice included. After such a meal, you'll be ready for a good day of walking! During the day or in the evening, you can enjoy enchiladas, fish, stuffed peppers and chicken cutlets on the menu.

Elegant restaurant on the heights, whose terrace offers a magnificent view of the bay. On the plate, one can easily enjoy regional and seasonal specialties: fresh oysters, clams, callo de hacha and other seafood platters to share, prepared au naturel or in aguachile. Shrimp and other local fish dishes are prepared in the local style. You don't have to be a mind reader to know that at Stanley's, you can also find some Americanized dishes such as the burger, the nuggets and the Caesar salad. Very good food.

As you go up the coast after the Monumento al pescador, there are still a few small palm-roofed gargotes installed on the beach, the last vestiges of what this stretch of beach was before the urbanization of the whole area. This one stands out for its decoration and its charming spaces that make us feel like we are on the seaside: restaurant space on small coloured wooden tables, beach club and bar. The typical preparations of the coast are enjoyed with the sound of the waves; the place is also pleasant to drink a small cocktail based on mezcal.

This is a bistro with a slightly contemporary decor, set up in an old house in the centre. The cuisine is attractive, with typical brasserie dishes such as beef carpaccio, bavette(vacio de res) with salad (organic, please), pork chops, pasta and salads. On the seaside, the dishes are rather neat and of international inspiration: grilled octopus in aïoli and ginger sauce or salmon with dried tomato pesto. The desserts, such as red fruit panna cotta or chocolate cakes, are a pleasant surprise

Santiago, as a day-trip destination for Monterrey residents, offers every imaginable cuisine - like this cozy restaurant that offers most of the local and national cuisine, including the famous asado de puerco (pork in sauce), and small desserts like pay de elote (corn cakes) are very well made. The advantage is that you can order your dishes in half portions if you have a small appetite or if you just want to try several and share them.

Doña Aleja started preparing the famous gorditas (corn cake filled with different preparations) in 1957, before leaving us in June 2019, at the age of 89. A true icon of the city, the state of Durango and the entire country, people hurry from far away to taste his legendary preparations, since his family has taken up the torch: picadillo cerde o rojo (minced meat), huevo con chile, chihcarrón prensado... everything is very spicy but absolutely delicious. A small restaurant that is worth a visit on its own.

This is a very good little restaurant, located in a house with exposed stone walls, which allows you to see the country through traditional dishes: asado de puerco (typical of the region), albondigas (meatballs) in sauce, chicken with mole, tostada de tinga, fish fillet and nopal salad, among other rather classic proposals, but very well prepared. You can't get enough of it, as the menu changes every day. Warm and authentic atmosphere guaranteed, we love it (and the locals too!).

A walk by Veronica, who is French. The speciality of the house, the Bulgarian crepe, consisting of yahourt, fruits, nuts and honey, is largely sufficient (and calories) for two. The coffee is very correct. There is dinner and the wine list is honest.

It is a (real) old house and its patio that welcomes you for breakfasts and lunches of Mexican and Spanish inspiration. Don't hesitate to stop by for a hearty meal before heading out for the day. The food is traditional but nevertheless neat and original: ahogados a la torres (a treat!), fruit salads, fajitas de pollo, machaca with vegetables... Also some sweets, notably waffles. Settled in the shade, in the patio, you feel rested and satisfied at the end of the meal.

A beautiful old house that offers the specialities that characterize the north of the country: grilled meat. Delight yourself.