Mexico's Michelin-Starred Delights: The CBX Travel Guide 2025

A New Era for Mexican Gastronomy: The Arrival of the Michelin Stars

Mexican cuisine is one of the richest and most diverse in the world, renowned for its complexity and variety of flavors. Its foundation lies in ingredients such as corn, beans, chiles, and a vast array of herbs and spices. Furthermore, Mexican gastronomy is a fusion of indigenous traditions with European, African, and Asian influences, a result of centuries of cultural intermingling. This culinary heritage has not only conquered palates worldwide but has also been recognized as an Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity by UNESCO.

Mexican cuisine stands out for its ingenious use of local ingredients and its ability to innovate without losing its roots. The Michelin Guide has acknowledged this richness, highlighting restaurants that not only preserve traditional techniques but also reinvent them in surprising and sophisticated ways.

Below, we present some destinations and their most outstanding restaurants that you should visit.

Mexico City: 7 Restaurants with Michelin Stars

Pujol: 2 stars

The renowned restaurant of chef Enrique Olvera is a contemporary and bustling space. While some opt for the omakase taco, the seasonal tasting menu is the highlight, combining tradition and innovation in dishes like scallop ceviche and grilled sea bass. The star dish is the mole madre, a profound celebration of Mexican cuisine. The wine list features impressive regional and exclusive bottlings.

Quintonil: 2 stars

The captivating restaurant of chef Jorge Vallejo and his wife Alejandra Flores, named after a native Oaxacan herb, offers an impressive, chic, and unpretentious experience. Its elegant cuisine combines local products, impressive technique, and creativity in refined dishes. The constantly evolving tasting menu may include delights such as crab tostadas with green pipián (enhanced with unexpected ingredients) and a balanced finale of crème fraîche, caviar, and Melipona honey sorbet.

Taquería El Califa de León: 1 star

El Califa de León has thrived for over 50 years thanks to its exceptional Gaonera taco. Thinly sliced beef fillet, seasoned simply with salt and lime, is cooked to order and paired with freshly made corn tortillas. Other excellent options include steak, chop, and rib. The high quality of the meat and tortillas make the house sauces almost superfluous.

Rosetta: 1 star

Chef Elena Reygadas's Rosetta is a popular spot serving creative Mexican cuisine with global influences. Dishes are designed for sharing, such as the ingenious cabbage tacos with pistachio purée and romeritos, or the sweet potato tamal with buttermilk sauce and salsa macha. The honey gelatin with brown butter ice cream is a perfect ending.

Esquina Común: 1 star

Chef Ana Dolores González and her young, talented team create impressive dishes with solid technique and quality ingredients. The tasting menu, with portions for two, includes notable items such as the fish of the day, which may be grilled cod in a delicious green mole with crushed ripe plantain, fava beans, and pumpkin seeds, and a fish tamal with dough and plantain filled with red chile-dyed fish with a tasty salsa macha.

Sud 777: 1 star

Chef Edgar Núñez offers a tasting menu and an extensive à la carte menu. Starters include kampachi tostada and Oaxacan tamal soup. Main courses include red snapper al pastor and local turkey with mole amarillito. The tasting menu highlights vegetables, such as beet tartare, avocado with foie gras, and spinach with almond and garlic purée.

Em: 1 star

Start the evening with a cocktail at the 686 Bar before dining in chef Lucho Martínez's intimate ground-floor restaurant, Emilia. His contemporary Mexican cuisine, often focused on seafood, offers dishes like carrot fritters with roe and grilled sea bass with garlic foam. The star dessert, mamey, is presented as a fine and delicate tart, a light tiramisu, and a refreshing ice cream. Both the à la carte menu and the tasting menu overlap enough, so there's nothing to worry about. Both offer refined and bold flavors.

Quintana Roo: 3 Restaurants with Michelin Stars

HA': 1 star

Reaching this Hotel Xcaret restaurant takes time, but it's worth it. Chef Carlos Gaytán's French-influenced cuisine confidently incorporates Mexican flavors and ingredients. Expect bold and creative combinations, and solid technique. Highlights include the mushroom beignet with truffle and mint sauce and the seared filet mignon with potato mille-feuille and house-cured ikura. Opt for the Mexican wine pairing.

Cocina de Autor Riviera Maya: 1 star

Within the opulent Grand Velas resort, guests enjoy an immersive experience with live music, attentive service, and singular cuisine. Chef Nahúm Velasco's sophisticated tasting menu emphasizes novel flavor combinations and textures. Dishes may include spider crab with jackfruit, roasted pork with black garlic, and honey textures from the resort's Melipona bee hives. The constantly changing menu offers a constant element of surprise.

Le Chique: 1 star

Located at the Azul Beach Resort, Le Chique offers a delightful and theatrical dining experience. The sleek space, service, and presentation complement the creative tasting menu. Impressive bites like the green passion fruit filled with foie gras parfait and bone marrow with escamoles give way to seafood and heartier dishes. The dessert course is equally tempting.

Oaxaca: 2 Restaurants with Michelin Stars

Levadura de Olla: 1 star

Chef Thalía Barrios Garcia's vibrant courtyard restaurant showcases creative Oaxacan cuisine. Vegetables are prominent, seen in dishes like tomato salad with beet puree. Her grandmother's meatless tamales, like the duo of moles with squash blossoms, are exceptional. Comforting machucados and ancestral beverages complete the experience.

Los Danzantes Oaxaca: 1 star

This Oaxaca favorite, with over 20 years of history, continues to innovate. Its dazzling open-air patio boasts a friendly staff. Must-haves include the holy leaf stuffed with goat cheese, the mole tasting, and the pork ribs with drunken sauce. Save room for the guava cheesecake with mamey cream. The restaurant even makes its own mezcal for its cocktails.

Nuevo León: 2 Restaurants with Michelin Stars

Pangea: 1 star

Chef Guillermo González Beristáin's flagship restaurant, with 25 years of history, remains a benchmark of haute cuisine in Monterrey. His skillful cuisine combines Mexican, Asian, and French influences. Diners can choose from the à la carte menu or a tasting menu, which offers balanced and flavorful dishes, such as pumpkin tamal with caviar and quail with foie gras. Desserts, like the Pavlova with raspberry and lychee and white tea sorbet, provide an elegant ending.

KOLI Cocina de Origen: 1 star

The Rivera-Río brothers' restaurant represents the new face of northern cuisine. Its inventive and playful menu celebrates local ingredients and traditions, from suckling pig with Neolonese mole to a reinvented version of cabrito with plum and foie gras. Cocktail pairings, with or without alcohol, enhance the immersive tasting menu.

Baja California Sur and Baja California: 4 Restaurants with Michelin Stars

Cocina de Autor Los Cabos: 1 star

Located in the Grand Velas hotel, this sophisticated beachfront restaurant offers a luxurious atmosphere and a formal dress code. The terrace and views of the koi pond are a plus. The Mexican tasting menu incorporates global influences, showcasing bold flavor combinations. Standouts include scallop with miso butter and beef tenderloin with celery root purée. The cheese course features shaved Comté and honey ice cream.

Animalón: 1 star

Animalón truly transports diners. Its seasonal open-air setting, under a centuries-old oak tree, is both tranquil and exciting. Owner Javier Plascencia's contemporary Mexican cuisine draws inspiration from across the country. Dishes like the beer-braised barbacoa (wrapped in banana leaf and steamed in a pork bladder) and the tomato broth with chocolate clams offer spectacular tableside presentations.

Damiana: 1 star

On the Viñedos de la Reina property, Damiana offers a stunning setting with a shaded patio for dining. Chef Esteban Lluis's contemporary Mexican cuisine tasting menu celebrates local produce with creative presentations. Bold and well-executed dishes include crispy duck with pickled cabbage and duck confit. Memorable desserts include pumpkin crème brûlée and guava flan.

Conchas de Piedra: 1 star

This rustic-chic collaboration between Deckman's and Casa de Piedra combines seafood and sparkling wine. The cozy open-air space features communal tables and café lights. The compact menu offers impressive aguachiles, ceviches, and hot dishes like seared abalone. The clam ceviche and crispy oyster taco are highlights. The cucumber sorbet served in an abalone shell is an ingenious touch.

Mexico offers a diversity of gastronomic destinations and exploring them is now easier thanks to CBX. Cross the border quickly and conveniently through our terminal, which connects directly to Tijuana International Airport. From there, you can easily access the main cities and regions of Mexico where these award-winning restaurants are located.

Enjoy an exceptional culinary experience and discover the rich gastronomic heritage of Mexico with the comfort and efficiency that CBX offers. Bon appétit!