Roma is easily one of Mexico City’s best and most interesting neighbourhoods, with a variety of hipster places to eat and drink including some of the capital’s best cocktail bars – not to mention a wealth of street art and green spaces alongside niche museums and galleries. If you fancy exploring the culinary offerings of the neighbourhood first though, these are the ten best restaurants in Roma, Mexico City that you need to check out.
Not to be confused with the equally delicious Panadería Rosetta, Roma’s Rosetta restaurant, spearheaded by acclaimed Chef Elena Reygadas, specialises in quality seasonal cuisine and a regularly updated menu. While some favourites are to be found year-round, albeit with small, season-dependant tweaks, you can rest assured that each dish at Rosetta features excellently sourced ingredients, served up in the idyllic setting of a sprawling Roma townhouse.
Known for exquisite artisanal pizzas, Zapote is a great option for food-fan travellers looking for Italian cuisine with a twist. They really take their dishes back to basics, overloading you not with choice nor with sheer quantity of ingredients, but with pure flavour and pitch-perfect execution. Plus, Zapote is run by a slow-food proponent, so you’re pretty much guaranteed a leisurely, laidback lunch in a beautifully ambient environment. Don’t miss out on their aguas frescas.
The brainchild of Chef Eduardo García, who’s also known for the equally recommendable Roma restaurant Lalo!, Máximo Bistrot has been a staple of Mexico City’s dining scene for years. While it’s not the cheapest option, this eco-conscious, seasonal-menu serving spot is highly worth visiting if your budget can stretch to it. With a menu that changes daily according to products that can be found that day in the local markets, you’re in for both a surprise and a treat on every visit. Reservations are recommended.
Regularly described as a must-visit, not just of the Roma neighbourhood, but of Mexico City as a whole, Blanco Colima is a delightful find situated in a historic mansion which actually consists of several locales. The fine-dining restaurant is known as Lázaro, and while it’s not the most budget-friendly spot, the creativity evident in each seasonal dish made with locally-sourced produce makes it a worthwhile investment if you’re a food fanatic. After dinner, head to the lounge and cocktail bar, Blanco Colima.
Choose from the off the menu dishes, which change day to day depending on the seasonally availability of their locally sourced products, or pick a speciality or gourmet dish instead at Roma’sBroka Bistrot. The dishes themselves are an eclectic combination of Asian with Mexican cuisine, yet they all gel together surprisingly well and are best enjoyed, if possible, in the tucked away courtyard, accompanied by a refreshing cocktail.
Despite only opening in February 2017, making it undeniably one of the hottest restaurant openings of the year in Mexico City, Lorea easily secures its spot on this guide to the top restaurants in La Roma. Known for innovative dishes made from locally-sourced produce, and a seasonal menu formed of nothing but tasting menus (ranging from nine to a whopping 14 dishes, for if you’re feeling hungry), reservations are not just advisable but obligatory.
Situated within the Roma neighbourhood’s popular and highly recommended Mercado Roma, Seneri is another recent addition to the dining scene in this part of Mexico City. From Fernando Martínez Zavala – the same chef responsible for Yuban (also located in Roma) – Seneri is a restaurant which specialises in Mexican dishes from the state of Michoacán in particular. Combine the pared down aesthetic of the restaurant, with the excellently put-together and highly unique menu, and Seneri is a must-visit for Mexican food lovers.
If you’re looking for top notch Asian cuisine, be that Japanese, Chinese, Vietnamese or Thai, then Roma’s MOG Bistro has a wide range of delectable options for you to dig into. Regularly filled with Asian food fanatics, MOG serves everything from ramen to sushi, fried rice to noodles and although the service sometimes suffers from the sheer volume of customers, the fusion flavours are worth the wait. Don’t necessarily expect complete authenticity, but rather a blended Asian experience.
With a name that evokes the uniqueness of legendary musician David Bowie, La Roma’sBowie is a restaurant with a singular selling point that it adheres to at all times and executes to perfection – everything is smoked. From corn dish starters and guacamole to heavily cured, succulent meat mains, everything here tastes (and smells!) divine. The smoked s’mores dessert is apparently unmissable and the service is excellent, so if you’re in Roma and want a different dining experience, then this is the place to be.
Headed up by prolific chef Daniel Ovadía, alongside Salvador Orozco, Nudo Negro principally combines Asian cooking techniques and flavours to offer an innovative and arguably unique Asian-Mexican fusion menu in the heart of Mexico City’s Roma neighbourhood. Each and every dish is a creative whirlwind of flavours and textures, of which you’re unlikely to find elsewhere and combined with the service and outdoor seating, Nudo Negro is easily up there as one of the best restaurants in the city.
