Where to Eat and Drink in Roma Norte, Mexico City

Here’s my hit list of the best places to eat when visiting Roma Norte in Mexico City. In Roma Norte you don’t have to compromise on aesthetics when seeking out good food. Some places are definitely gringo-tourist-coded, and that’s fair. I was a tourist! And my Spanish is horrible. I am just so grateful that Mexico City shared her beauty with me, I can’t wait to go back.

*Asterisk indicates places on my list for my next trip, 3 days was too short for all the meals I wanted to try!

The Rosetta Trinity

Panadería Rosetta

Gorgeous pastries and sandwiches that live up to the 30 minute wait. Our favorite hands-down was the Guava Roll but everything was excellent. The sandwiches were massive, a perfect order would be to share a sandwich and a pastry and buy a second pastry to-go! Get a beautiful tote bag with a pastry illustration and gorgeous interior ticking stripes while you’re there or drop in to Mesa Rosetta a block down the street for some beautiful linens and home goods for your table.

Restaurante Rosetta

Elevated Italian with a distinct Mexican Influence and a hefty price tag, but not too horrible that you couldn’t calculate your way around it. A lovely alternative to higher-end fine dining like Pujol or Blanco Colima while still getting a fantastic experience. Comfy, cozy, and delicious. Easy to split a couple plates with your group and indulge in some lovely cocktails. I went before the Michelin Star, so I have no advice on reservations but I’d recommend contacting them well ahead of your trip.

Salón Rosetta

A low key and somewhat-secret bar above Restaurante Rosetta. Ask your server or a hostess at the door and they’ll lead you up a flight of tiny stairs to this gorgeous and luxe perch above Roma Norte. My favorite drink was the Matcha cocktail.

Food

Taquería Álvaro Obregón

Our favorite Taco we tried wasn’t the popular Taquería Orinoco, but Taquería Álvaro Obregón. AMAZING Al Pastor straight off the spit to order at about $1 USD per taco. Don’t skip out on the Campechano – even if it isn’t their house speciality it blew me away. The tacos are small and street style with wonderful tortillas. This place is a great way to get that street-style taco without risking it all with our weak American little sad gut biomes at a cart. Chill vibes, not crazy busy, you can sit here and drink beers and eat tacos until you have to roll home for a nap.

If your gut biome isn’t as destroyed as mine, definitely try the food carts. I would have loved to try Birria Estilo Jalisco - Food Stand,

Pigeon

Lovely Mediterranean food with a fun drink menu. Beautiful dining room and outdoor patio on the park made for a peaceful evening. Easy jumping off point for a night out, the energy here is fun. Get the fig cocktail!

La Buenavida

We stopped in here on a whim and were blown away. We only had room for a small taco and some chips and guacamole when we were here, but it was all amazing. The star of this pit stop were the absolutely massive passion fruit margaritas. My sister is a passion fruit aficionado, and these were the best passion fruit cocktails we’ve ever had. Check out that chamoy and tajin straw, insane.

Wabi Sushi*

We didn’t make it to Wabi Sushi, if I could do it over I’d switch our first night at Gin Gin which was kind of a dud for Wabi Sushi. We walked past and it looked amazing, cool vibe with low light and gorgeous looking sushi. Moody interiors and the fish looked fab.

Marmota*

We walked by Marmota on our way to Plaza Río de Janeiro and it looked adorable. We didn’t make it to a lunch here as it was a little spendy and we had been spending liberally up to that point, but it looked amazing. I think I would go here for lunch over dinner.

Mari Gold*

Excellent reviews intrigued me to this small hall of a restaurant, but we didn’t have time to stop by.

Contramar*

I tried to get a reservation here and I failed by about 3 months advance. Iconic restaurant with Pescado a la Talla. Reservation Required. Their sister restaurants have that famous fish, but the style and options at Contramar look fantastic.

SARDE*

We walked by Sarde coming back from a market and it looked very cute. A newly developed area near the university seems like an area to watch, would be worth a try for oysters and drinks at the least.

Broka*

The incredibly high Mexico City elevation mixed with unusual February highs of 85 degrees was kicking our asses so we didn’t make it more than a few blocks outside of our main vicinity, if the weather was around 72 degrees we would have made it to Broka. Lovely courtyard restaurant that looks like it would be fun for lunch.

Coffee

Jacinto Café y Pan

Super cute little home store mixed with a coffee shop. Skip pastries here, but the coffee is excellent. I loved my Espresso Tonic, the preserved honey lemons in it changed my life.

Hule*

We had coffee at our hotel or at breakfast, so we didnt get to make it to Hule. Their breakfast and coffee both look excellent.

Churrería El Moro Condesa*

A big regret of mine is not making it to Churrería El Moro Condesa! I wanted to go early in the morning before the crowds but it just didn’t happen. It definitely is a tourist destination, but that’s OK, we’re tourists. I liked the look of the Condesa location the most because the architecture looked awesome, and if it was too busy to sit inside we could have walked to the park to enjoy our churros and chocolate underneath the jacarandas.

Drinks

Bar Las Brujas

An insane and amazing bar. Go here. If you don’t have a reservation, go at opening and you should be able to get a table for a small group easily. We had SO much fun here. The staff was amazing and helped us order, every drink was an experience. I loved their message and all-female staff. The small plates were also excellent. I’m glad we only made it here on the last night, because if we went on the first night we would have only gone to Bar Las Brujas all 3 nights. The perfect bar!

Bar Felix

Unassuming brutalist garage-like structure by day, cool girl bar by night dripping in tall candles and low light with a pizzeria in the back. Absolutely gorgeous, everything you want for a Mexico City bar. They specialize in well done basics like Negronis and Margaritas and have guest DJs. A fun time.

Franca Bistro

Fun stop for drinks! Great vibe, dark and moody, good prices. Funny european vibe inside but it was solid and an easy stop when bar hopping in the area.

686 Bar*

I’m sad we didn’t make it here, looks amazing. Stylish, dark, elevated mixology.

Balmori Roofbar*

If your hotel doesn’t have a rooftop, this would be a great place to get in some views of Roma.

Casa Franca*

Next to Franca Bar, this place looked awesome and the line didn’t stop. Live jazz and speakeasy vibes inside.

Polpo*

Wine bar recommended by my cool wine friend, so sad we didn’t make it here.

Hugo*

Wine bar also recommended by my cool wine friend