40 Best Restaurants in San Miguel de Allende and the Heartland, Mexico

Here, in the shadow of La Parroquia, you'll find some of the best-prepared traditional Mexican food in town. The guacamole is great, as are any of the enchiladas, the chiles rellenos, and the Yucatan specialty, cochinita pibíl (slow-roasted pork). Top it off with the homemade flan, a delicious preparation of an old standby, and celebrate another fabulous San Miguel day with one of the well-prepared margaritas. The sweeping cityscape, backed by mountains, is another enchantment.

A sound track of light jazz plays in the background at this quaint, small restaurant facing Plaza Vasco de Quiroga. Sit at the outdoor tables under the arcade—or indoors, which feels like a shop from bygone days, with shelves packed with liqueurs, nuts, cookies, jams, candies, candles, and other items for sale. Coffee is made fresh from the espresso machine, but you can still get a free refill. The friendly and knowledgeable waiters will patiently explain the unusual dishes, such as huevos tarascos (fried eggs on a corn tortilla topped with corn kernels, thick melted cheese, and a dark chile negro sauce). For lunch or dinner get trout any style, salmon in four-cheese sauce, or mushrooms sautéed in garlic, chili, and tequila. The menu is refreshingly varied and the service refreshingly attentive.

A huge favorite with locals looking for good value and consistently great food, Mestizo comes through again and again. The setting is rustic yet elegant, with original art throughout, and, in one room, ceramic pieces by the famous potter Capelo are for sale. The small bar is charming, and best of all, the super-tasty, unpretentious food is both well prepared and well presented. Service is formal and attentive. Check it out near the beginning of your stay; we bet you'll go back.

Within the gracious Rosewood San Miguel de Allende, Restaurant 1826 conveys both ease and sophistication. The upholstered chairs are comfortable enough to linger over various courses. Flavors represented on the international menu—a small but inspired collection of plates—are subtle, with unusual seasonings that truly please the palate. Sinfully large and calorie-laden desserts include a volcano of semisweet chocolate (in presentations from ground to molten), with a fig compote and rosemary ice cream. Almost-floor-to-ceiling windows frame the large, rectangular space, and the artwork of local luminaries like Marilo Carral grace the walls. A pre- or postdinner drink on the rooftop bar, La Luna, offers incredible 360-degree views of the city. Breakfast (starting at 7 am) and lunch offer more Mexican dishes. Cooking classes with chef Victor Palma and expansive Sunday brunchathons happen on the outdoor patio.

Although the seasonings don't seem fully Thai, or Japanese, or Filipino, the dishes from these countries (for example pad thai, edamame or seaweed salad, and pansit) are both healthful and flavorful. The small restaurant—within Portico Hotel Cultural near the Tarascan fountain and the beginning of the aqueduct—gets extra points for fresh, modern decor, hip house music, and attentive waitstaff. Lunch doesn't start here until 2 pm.

It's walking distance to the Contemporary Art Museum and the Bosque de Cuauhtémoc park.

Guanajuato natives and newbies in the know head to this family-run Santa Rosa hideaway for homemade dishes in a country atmosphere. The setting is rustic, with simple tile floors, metal folding chairs, and plain tablecloths, but the fresh, home-style chiles rellenos and chicken in mole more than make up for it. House specialties are mixiote de borrego (lamb baked in foil and served in a rich broth) and cecina seca de res (air-dried beef), both served with frijoles, salsas, guacamole, and fresh tortillas. It's an excellent place for breakfast, lunch, or a (very) early dinner en route to shopping at Mayolicas Santa Rosa. A few hundred yards off the highway, along a dirt road, it's about 15 to 20 minutes northeast of La Valenciana, en route to Dolores Hidalgo. Look for small signs announcing "Cabaña de Lolita" and "Puente de Barrilito."

This diner is trimmed with paintings and sketches given to the owner by famous people who've eaten here, including a small acrylic by Rafael Coronel. Sip a strong Turkish coffee while watching the locals flood in for breakfast. The chilaquiles verdes (fried tortilla strips smothered in tangy green sauce and white cheese) comes with a basket of pastries and bread. Mild enchiladas zacatecanas are filled with cheese, onion, and chili, and topped with cream. Traditional café fare like hamburgers, sandwiches, and fruity shakes is available for lunch.

Nothing fancy here, just some of the best traditional Mexican fare in the city since 1940—tacos, enchiladas, gorditas, pozole, guajalotes (sandwiches made from a hero roll and bathed in mild red sauce), homemade desserts, and wonderful agua de lima (purified water mixed with the juice of a tropical citrus fruit with a flavor all its own). Find a table among the Mexican families in the simply furnished, cavernous space, and enjoy! Open for dinner and late into the night for those sampling the clubs and bars on Cinco de Mayo.

This tiny open-air restaurant looking out onto the fields of La Trinidad's organic produce offers farm-to-table dining, literally. Gnocchi is tasty but too much for a main dish; it's better to share among your party so you can save room for one of the Korean lettuce wraps, a fresh green salad, or a pork loin sandwich. Absolutely not to be missed are homemade ice creams such as vanilla bean or coconut.

Go early for best selection; food is prepared fresh daily, and the kitchen usually runs out of some dishes by afternoon's end.

The farm is about 10 minutes outside of San Miguel.

A modern but tranquil sound track pervades this small, funky, and nonatmospheric sushi joint, which is just the ticket for travelers weary of Mexican food and pricey restaurants that are long on atmosphere but short on yum. For an inexpensive and healthful bento box, choose three, four, or five of the day's salads from the deli case, or have the sushi chef–owner, from Osaka, whip up a spicy tiger or a beautiful rainbow or spider roll. A large table outside in the pedestrian-only street seats larger groups or individuals willing to share their space.

Come early for the best selection of made-fresh-daily deli items.

Clean, bright, and charming, this Italian restaurant has a privileged location on pedestrian-only Andador Cinco de Mayo, just steps away from Plaza de Armas. Customers return again and again for the good pizza, great wine selection, excellent service, and creative and super-tasty entrées in a historic old home converted to three-story restaurant.

The Naples-style pizza is served upstairs.

At this innocuous looking, traditional, family-run restaurant you'll find some of the best examples of local cuisine. Look for the fish specials and the triangular tamale-like corundas with cream sauce, which are also great for breakfast, as are the Spanish omelet and the French toast. There are also several good coffee concoctions.

Huff and puff your way up the 40-plus steps to this restaurant's threshold for an exceptional view of downtown Guanajuato, as well as for the mouthwatering house specialty, filetto Claudio (beef fillet with olives, capers, herbs, and garlic). Save room for the velvety tiramisu. Weather permitting, have your aperitif on the terrace, which has an even more dazzling view, best as sunset tints Guanajuato's domes several different shades of gold. Lunch is served, but on the Mexican timetable: starting at 2 pm.

This restaurant, named after Querétaro's version of Robin Hood, is on the quiet Plaza de Armas. It's strong on regional dishes like goat-filled tacos and shrimp with nopal (cactus) and corundas (a kind of tamale from the neighboring state of Michoacán). Right next door, Restaurant 1810 offers much the same fare.

Locals in the know duck into this low-key restaurant on weekends to avoid annoying itinerant vendors or to grab a spiked cappuccino or glass of Mexican wine. Try the whitefish, pink trout, or pechuga de pollo (chicken breast) stuffed with huitlacoche and breaded in Parmesan cheese. For a snack go for a plate of quesadillas with a side order of guacamole. Breakfast is good, too.

This family-owned restaurant is known for its friendly service and casual atmosphere. It has great breakfast options, including eggs Benedict and waffles, which are available until noon to aid late risers. At lunch and dinner light fare predominates, including salads and sandwiches, but there are full meals as well, such as grilled chicken with lovely steamed veggies, and the popular chiles en nogada (mild chili peppers stuffed with an elaborate ground-meat mixture and topped with walnut sauce and pomegranate seeds). Desserts are all made in-house. Don't miss the new rooftop bar, up several flights of stairs, with exceptional downtown views.

On warm nights you can watch activities in the Plaza Vasco de Quiroga from a tiny balcony table at this second-floor restaurant. The brightly colored interior is warm and inviting, and the eclectic menu provides a break from typical Pátzcuaro fare: try the pear salad with goat cheese, walnuts, and watercress, or the chicken rolls stuffed with plantains, coconut, and almonds, topped with a mango sauce. For dessert try the mixed-fruit compote on phyllo dough drizzled with caramel and chocolate.

There are 25 steaming plates of traditional Mexican dishes to choose from at this rustic, full-buffet diner. Lunch will likely include Spanish rice, beans, pollo en mole (chicken in mole sauce), fresh salads, and aguas frescas (fruit water). Prices are reasonable. Hours are 8:30–12:30 for breakfast and 1:30–7 pm for lunch and early dinner.

The best bargain in town is also the place for the best home-cooked Mexican food, prepared in the immaculate little kitchen within the converted garage space. Along with tacos and quesadillas, try hamburgers, grilled chicken, full-meal salads, and shrimp wrapped in bacon.

One of the best-kept secrets in Guanajuato is this hole-in-the-wall across from the university whose bargain comida corrida at lunchtime—four courses for MX$65—is equally popular with students, faculty, and local workers. It starts with delicious fresh-baked bread, then continues with a starter such as crema de verduras (vegetable soup) with green chili, or a chipotle-spiked chicken soup. Tacos and an antojito (appetizer) then a meat will follow, plus dessert. The space is cute, with brick archways, knickknacks, and waiters dressed in black and white.

Across the street from the Teatro de la República, this sunny, colorful restaurant offers traditional Mexican cuisine such as arrachera, enchiladas queretanas (with cheese, potatoes, and cream), and pechuga fin de siglo (chicken breast filled with zucchini blossoms and cheese and topped with a zucchini-blossom sauce), all served with homemade corn tortillas hot off the griddle. On weekends there's an extensive buffet luncheon.

Much loved by locals, Doña Julia makes dozens of varieties of gorditas day and night—it seems there's nary an hour when the place isn't full of people, in part because of the rock-bottom prices. In the wide-open entrance to the simple shop, you'll watch a woman shaping your fresh tortilla with her hands before putting it on the open fire. Many fillings are available, such as delicious regional specialties like beef tongue, rice with mole (a rich dark sauce, not an underground animal), rajas con queso (chili strips with cheese), and cactus. There are other locations around the city, including one on Avenida 5 de Mayo.

Look beyond the lumpy wall with peeling paint behind the tiny exposed kitchen—that's fairly normal in buildings over 300 years old. At this tiny hole-in-the-wall you'll find healthful, vegetarian (mostly vegan) tabbouleh, falafel, hummus, and other delicious Middle Eastern dishes at bargain prices. The baklava and other honey-nut-phyllo desserts are also very tasty. You can also order small or giant falafel sandwiches and salads.

There are only five small tables and three bar stools, but if the place is full you can order to go and eat outside at one of Guanajuato's many lively little plazas.

The flower-filled grand patio in this perfectly restored hacienda just outside the city offers great outdoor dining (shaded by umbrellas). The house specialty is carnitas, pieces of pork stewed overnight and served with oodles of guacamole, beans, and homemade tortillas. There's live mariachi music Wednesday through Sunday from 4 to 5, and various musicians also stop in to serenade the bar crowd as well.

Note that this restaurant's hours might be a little awkward for some; while technically it is open for lunch and dinner, the hours are 1 pm to 6 pm. However, the bar also serves food and is open from 1 pm until at least midnight.

When locals, be they Mexican or expat, ask each other where to eat, the answer is very often, "Let's go to Hecho!" Both the service and the food are consistently good. Choose one of the side dishes (including onion rings, garlic mashed potatoes, cactus salad, green salad, and many more) when ordering a burger, or two side dishes for the well-prepared salmon fillet, ginger chicken, or tender arrachera steak. Favorite desserts include the monster brownie topped with vanilla ice cream, peanut butter pie, and crème brûlée. On weekends musicians often serenade diners on the pretty outdoor patio, which has a retractable roof high above the café tables. One of the two inside rooms—both of which open onto the plant-filled patio—has booths; the other, larger room has tables for four or six diners.

Go to the Hotel Posada Santa Fé for alfresco dining at the Jardín. Try the pozole estilo Guanajuato (hominy soup to which you can add onions, radishes, lettuce, lime, and chili peppers). The service and food are just average, actually, but the people-watching opportunities are excellent, and the restaurant has a "Distintivo H" award for cleanliness.

Well situated on the pedestrian portion of 5 de Mayo near El Centro's star attractions, this narrow, festive restaurant can accommodate most appetites for a casual nosh. The glass display case holds many desserts (including apple strudel, homemade flan, and ice cream), as well as soups and sandwiches and such typical Mexican snacks as tacos and gorditas (cornmeal cakes with a savory stuffing). From the ceiling, papier-mâché clowns hang from balloons and swing from trapezes. It opens at 10 am for a late breakfast and stays open until 10 pm (until midnight Thursday through Saturday), and no alcohol is served.

This restaurant overlooking the cathedral might not have the best food in Morelia, but it has the most iconic view. All-glass windows separate four-top tables from a wraparound balcony, where you can have a predinner drink. The menu is a bit stuffy, but not offensively so—its core is formed by Mexican dishes with some fusion touches. The tequila list is extensive, and you'll find a half-dozen high-end mezcals, too. Both the bar and restaurant close at 5 pm on Sunday.

This homey bistro offers what may be the best dining value in San Miguel, with a three-course pre-fixe menu at less than MX$200, including a glass of wine or beer. You'll start with a homemade soup or fresh salad, then choose a main course such as Mediterranean shrimp or tacos de alambre: steak, chicken, or fish grilled with onions, bell peppers, bacon, broccoli, and cheese. For dessert, there are classic French favorites, including flan, crepes, and chocolate mousse. The friendly owner personally supervises both the kitchen and the dining room—in fact she might wait on your table. La Brasserie shares space with the popular Café de la Parroquia, which serves traditional Mexican fare for breakfast and early lunch.

Dress warmly in the winter; it's in a covered outdoor courtyard.

This fresh fusion restaurant, in a 1673 building, is at once minimalist, eclectic, international, French-influenced, and tasty. Each dish is marked on the menu with its own nationality. A recipe for disaster? Not in the case of the arrachera fusión, a variation on the classic Mexican marinated steak that includes avocado, goat cheese, and a chipotle–red wine salsa. The menu includes a large selection of creative pizzas. The wine list changes every couple of months, each time featuring a dozen wines from Mexico and other countries. There's live music Friday and Saturday nights. It closes early on Sunday, at 7:30.