The Best Walk-in Restaurants in Mexico City

Expendio de Maiz Sin Nombre is a relaxed sidewalk restaurant in Mexico City that centers its cooking around corn. There’s no fixed menu; dishes keep coming until you decide you’re satisfied. With an open kitchen and communal tables out front, it offers a casual spot to watch the cooking unfold.

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Gilberto Briceño Gómez

Cook

In the bustling heartbeat of Mexico City, you might stumble upon a sidewalk sanctuary: Expendio de Maíz Sin Nombre. Here, the theatre of an open kitchen unfolds before you, orchestrated by culinary alchemists dancing with wood fire, prime ingredients, and boundless imagination. This establishment defies tradition. There's no menu to peruse; instead, you're invited to surrender to the maestros at work. With every dish, you're drawn deeper into their narrative, beckoning more with just a raised hand until satiety sets in. Many inquire about my frequent sojourns to Mexico City, and it's places like this - where raw passion and talent stoke my own creative fires - that I hold up as my reasons. Expendio de Maíz Sin Nombre is not just a dining spot; it's an immersive tale of Mexico's culinary tapestry.

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Restaurante Taquería Los Cocuyos Cdmx is a hole-in-the-wall in Mexico City’s center where people gather at all hours for affordable, flavorful tacos. The laid-back atmosphere and late-night scene invite both locals and travelers to experience a true neighborhood favorite.

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Jorge Vallejo

Chef at Quintonil

This truly amazing late night taqueria, called Los Cocuyos, is in the city center. It's basically a hole in the wall. You go and stand in line outside in the middle of the street at 2:00 AM in the morning. They have tacos with cooked tongue, brains and other amazing offal tacos.

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Hugo in Mexico City has a relaxed, welcoming vibe and a focus on natural wines. People appreciate the attention to detail, along with the friendly atmosphere that makes it easy to settle in and enjoy your time.

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Ali Kurshat Altinsoy

Brand Director

Awesome vibes, natural wines and delicious small plates. This is one of my favourite places in the city - awesome vibes, natural wines and delicious small plates, elegant detailing…

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Jenni’s Quesadillas in Roma Norte, Mexico City, is known for preparing tortillas fresh on the spot, giving customers a close-up view of the city’s street food culture. It has a simple setup and friendly atmosphere that make it easy to step into local flavors. Whether you’re just visiting or a longtime resident, this laid-back stand offers a genuine taste of the neighborhood.

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JR Ryall

Head Pastry Chef

The best quesadillas in Roma Norte, CDMX. Jenni makes the very best quesadillas using purple corn masa, preparing each tortilla to order, cooking them fresh on the comal in front of you. There are many fillings to choose from, I particularly like the squash flowers, “Flor de calabaza”. A great stepping stone into the vibrant world of street food in the city.

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Mi Compa Chava Marisquería is a seafood restaurant in Mexico City with a focus on fresh, high-quality ingredients inspired by Sinaloa flavors. The space can get busy, so there might be a wait, but customers often appreciate the energetic vibe once they’re seated. With friendly service and a casual setting, it’s a popular choice for anyone craving authentic seafood.

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David P. Leja

@thegastrojourney

Fish and seafood restaurant inspired in Sinaloa. We had heard mixed reviews about this place, but we still had a good feeling and decided to give it a try on this last visit to the city, and we are very glad we did because it ended up being our favorite meal of the trip in CDMX. First of all, the restaurant is mostly walk in only, we arrived at 15:15 and had a 1 hour waiting time to get seated. Once you get seated you get served a very generous “botana” and we recommend you order some micheladas because they are delicious here. The service is super friendly and attentive, and the only negative point for us is that they serve everything at once leaving you without space on the table and making it a bit stressful, but we can also understand when you see how many people wait to get seated. Now, focusing on what we ate, we had the following: * Black Aguachile of prawns. * “Costra de camarón”: taco with a cheese crust and prawn. * Taco with fried “botete” (blowfish) and black mayo. * Ceviche with scallops, prawns (cooked and raw) and octopus. * Tostada with crab, scallop, raw and cooked prawns and avocado. We really enjoyed every single dish except for a clam dish which isn’t pictured. The seafood was nice and fresh, nice flavors, with a nice acidity when needed, and a good level of spicy, just very enjoyable overall. All this food plus two more dishes came out for a little over 100€, which we felt is super cheap, especially in current times in the city we all prices have considerably gone up. Definitely a place we will go back in the future.

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Siembra Taquería is a small but well-kept spot in Mexico City where you can enjoy street food made with extra care. The owners bring their fine dining background to ensure everything is fresh and handled with high standards of hygiene. It’s a relaxed, welcoming place for anyone who wants an easy, worry-free meal.

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Jorge Vallejo

Chef at Quintonil

Siembra is a beautiful taqueria only four blocks away from our restaurant. It's run by a lovely couple that used to work in the fine dining scene before. They do beautiful guisados and they make their own masa for the tacos.

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Taquería Revolución in Mexico City serves traditional recipes made with just a few condiments. The relaxed atmosphere makes it a good spot to enjoy local flavors without any fuss. It’s a straightforward place where simplicity and taste come together.

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Bernardo Galindo

Chef

Great Pastor Tacos and Tortas made of a pastor recipe with just a few condiments.

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