Roma Norte is perhaps my most frequented neighborhood in Mexico City. The main reason for that is because it’s home to amazing bars and restaurants and this is a list of what I think are the absolute best Roma Norte restaurants worth checking out.
Roma Norte used to be a haven for creatives, artists, musicians, and bohemians thanks to it’s once low rent prices.
Now it’s solidly gentrified and rent prices are some of the highest in the city.
You’ll still find so many cool things to do in Roma from small boutique stores, art galleries, cool museums, and amazing coffee shops, but expect to pay a bit more than you do elsewhere in the city.
These are my current favorite restaurants in Roma Norte that you don’t want to miss.
Best Roma Norte Restaurants Mexico City
1. Tacos Alvaro Obregon
This is one of my go-to taco spots in Mexico City. It’s where you head at night to satisfy your “I want a taco, but I don’t know what kind” craving, because they have them all.
My personal favorite option here is the pastor taco. I usually get a few pastor tacos and one order of the envueltos with pastor.
Envueltos are made by melting a piece of cheese on the flat top grill. It is then filled with pastor meat and the cheese is wrapped around it. The cheese gets a little bit crispy and it’s utterly delicious.
The envueltos are served with two flour tortillas. Top it with their chipotle salsa and a little bit of the spicy guacamole and you’re in heaven. I always recommend this dish to visitors when I take them here.
Hours: Monday to Saturday 1pm-5am, Sundays until 10pm
This is the envuelto with Luke’s arm reaching for more salsa. He’s having an alambre of Pastor, which is pastor meat cooked with onions, bacon, peppers, and served with tortillas.
2. Taco Mio
For more delicious tacos, head to the tianguis or covered market that comes to the Fuente de Cibeles in Roma Norte on Wednesdays, Saturdays, and Sundays.
The tent area has several entrances. You want to walk into the entrance on the far right where all of the food stalls are. Walk about halfway back and keep your eyes peeled for a neon sign on the wall that says Taco Mio.
Grab a seat and order some of their mixiote tacos. They have a few other options, but I can never look past these mixed-meat, slow-cooked, flavor-packed tacos. I usually put nopales (cactus) and the spicy habanero onions on top.
The mixiote taco from Taco Mio!
3. Tacos Los Juanes
Los Juanes is serving up the best pastor tacos this side of Avenida Chapultepec.
I usually head here if I’ve had a beer or two at the nearby Jardin Chapultepec, a great local craft beer bar in Mexico City that I perhaps frequent and little too frequently.
I digress. The bar is about a 5-minute walk to the taco stand and you’ll see the crowd around the stand as you approach.
If you’re feeling adventurous, they also make one of the best lengua tacos in town. It’s a cow tongue taco and if you’re not too squeamish it’s utterly delectable.
Hours: Monday to Thursday 8pm-1am, Friday and Saturday until 5am, Sundays until midnight
4. Orinoco
To round off this list of the best tacos in Roma Norte, you won’t want to miss late-night tacos at Orinoco.
This is a restaurant that started originally in Monterrey, a city to the north of Mexico. I’m so glad they decided to bring their chicharron and flour tortillas south to CDMX.
There are three meats on the menu here: trompo (pastor), arrachera (steak), and chicharron (pork skin with pieces of pork). I usually opt for the chicharron and arrachera tacos, all of which are delicious.
I also love the pirata here. This is like a steak quesadilla that has been grilled. The food is always served with a few smashed potatoes and tons of delicious salsas.
Hours: Sunday to Thursday 1pm-4am, Friday and Saturday until 5am
The beef tacos from orinoco with lots of little crushed potatoes and plenty of salsa to go with them!
5. Lorea
Up there with Pujol, Quintonil, and Sud 777 in quality and creativity, Lorea is one of my favorite restaurants in Mexico City.
This isn’t an experience for picky eaters, but if you love unique menus and want to see what some of the other amazing chefs in Mexico City are cooking up, I highly recommend booking a table here.
They don’t have an a la carte menu. They only have a tasting menu that changes seasonally. When I went we had incredible house-made sourdough bread that I still think about as well as fish dishes, slow-braised lamb tacos, and a dessert made of fruit that tasted just like chocolate.
The restaurant has fewer than 10 tables and the kitchen is open so that you can watch everything that’s being made. It’s truly an amazing experience.
Hours: Tuesday to Saturday 7:30-11pm, closed Sunday and Monday
6. Expendio de Maiz
This is one of the newer Roma Norte restaurants, but it has quickly gained a reputation as an outstanding spot for Mexican flavors.
You can come and learn to make your own tortillas, or simply grab a table and choose from their different corn options.
One of the things that make Expendio de Maiz so fantastic, is that they are using native Mexican corn, they are preparing it and grinding it themselves into fresh masa dough and they are using native Mexican ingredients to go along with all of their dishes.
Hours: Tuesday to Sunday 9:30am-6:30pm, closed Mondays
7. Páramo
This is both an amazing bar and an outstanding restaurant. It is busy every single day of the week, but especially on Thursday, Friday, and Saturday nights.
Be prepared to wait, but luckily you can do so with an ice-cold beer or delicious cocktail in hand.
There’s no sign outside, but just an open door that leads to a set of stairs where you go up to the restaurant. You can’t miss it because everything else around the restaurant is closed.
The best things I’ve eaten here are the wild boar (jabalí) rib tacos and the chamorro (pork shank) tacos. While there are some seafood options, I didn’t love the ceviche. I thought the meat tacos were absolutely outstanding, though.
Hours: Daily 7pm-2am
8. Panaderia Rosetta
This little cafe is serving up some of the best pastries, not just in Mexico City, but genuinely some of the best I have EVER EATEN.
Their most famous pastry is the guava roll. It’s delicious, but if you love citrus, be sure to try the lemon roll. The almond croissant is also a winner.
You can come just for a take-out coffee and a bag full of pastries, or you can sit down and have a sandwich on their freshly made bread.
Hours: Monday to Saturday 7am-9pm, Sundays until 7pm
Enjoying a concha with rosemary at Panaderia Rosetta
9. Patisserie Dominique
I used to rave about Panaderia Rosetta on social media and I once got a message from someone saying if you like Rosetta, you’ll absolutely LOVE Patisserie Dominique. It’s run by French chefs and all of the French expats go there.
That was enough for me to want to check it out. And the person who recommended it to me was right.
I went here with a friend for breakfast and the first thing that made me fall in love with this spot was their coffee. The flat white is utter perfection here.
Then we had the Huevos Francheros, which not only has a clever name, but it also tastes delicious. We left with a huge bag full of pastries and devoured them all within a few hours.
The eclair was particularly decadent and delicious. I also loved the almond croissant which was filled with marzipan.
Hours: Sunday and Tuesday 9am-2pm, Wednesday to Saturday 8:30am-5:30pm, closed Mondays
10. Belmondo
If you get a hankering for a sandwich, there’s no other Roma Norte Restaurant to go to besides Belmondo.
They have amazing bread, the meats that they use are packed with flavor and perfectly cooked. I have tried just about every sandwich on their menu, but my personal favorites are the French Dip sandwich (their gravy is AMAZING) and the short rib sandwich.
They also do quite decadent breakfast like French toast or bagels (which are hard to find in this city). Their coffee is fantastic as well.
Hours: Monday to Saturday 8:30am-midnight, Sundays until 10pm
The crudo topped with tons of fried parsley at Meroma
11. Meroma
This little bar and restaurant in Roma Norte is a great place to come for cocktails and a pre-dinner snack. Or make a reservation and have it all on their outdoor patio.
The food is somewhat Italian in style and flavor, but there is a bit of Mexican fusion happening as well. The menu is heavily seafood-focused.
My personal favorite dish is the crudo. The fish is cured in a lemon dressing made with serrano chilies and pecans and topped with a pile of fried parsley.
I usually get a mezcal cocktail and share a bunch of their starters with friends. The pasta dishes are also spectacular.
Hours: Tuesday to Saturday 1:30-11pm, Sunday until 6pm, closed Mondays
12. Fonda Fina
Fonda Fina is something of a Roma Norte restaurant institution. The team of chefs here have been trained by Jorge Vallejo, head chef of Quintonil. So the quality and creativity are alive and well in this spot.
The idea of this small fonda is that you choose your meat, your sauce, and your side dish separately. It allows you to have a mole sauce with the roasted chicken or with the filet of beef.
You can have the peanut sauce with the slow-cooked pork and potatoes while your friend has the pork with a spicy tomato sauce and rice.
It’s a fun concept and the starters like the spicy tamales are well worth saving room for, too.
Hours: Monday to Wednesday 1-11pm, Thursday to Saturday until midnight, Sunday until 7pm
The chiltamal at Fonda Fina – a seriously spicy and delicious appetizer that I usually share before the main course
13. Mog Bistro
This Japanese restaurant has the longest wait-list of perhaps any Roma Norte restaurant. It draws huge crowds week after week and continues to be known around Mexico City for it’s outstanding Japanese food.
The ramen is one of the biggest draws to this restaurant, but they also do juicy barbecue meats with vegetables and rice or noodles, depending on what you would prefer. They have sushi rolls, tempura shrimp, and beautifully made (and delicious) nigiri.
Be sure to book a table ahead of time, especially if you want to come on a weekend.
Hours: Monday to Thursday 1pm-midnight, Friday and Saturday until 12:30am, Sunday until 11pm