Restaurants in Roma, Mexico City: Where to Eat from Roma Sur

Colonia Roma splits into two neighborhoods: Roma Norte and Roma Sur, divided by Avenida Coahuila. Roma Sur runs down to the Viaducto, between Insurgentes and Avenida Cuauhtémoc, and it is quieter and more residential, with tree-lined streets and small squares. Roma Norte is the bigger one, with galleries and most of the restaurants and bars. Máximo México Roma is in Roma Sur, at Manzanillo 47. These are the six restaurants the house recommends, each one with its neighborhood, because not all of them are in Roma.

In Roma Sur

Voraz

Voraz is at Aguascalientes 93. It is the only Roma Sur pick, in the same neighborhood as the house. The building was a mechanic's workshop for 60 years. Today it is a gastrocantina: a cantina with restaurant cooking. Chef Emiliano Padilla runs the kitchen. He blends northern Mexican flavors with international technique. The salted churro comes with chaya, cotija cheese sauce and chilhuacle chile powder, and the machaca salad with French lettuce, avocado dressing and cured egg yolk. There is also a griddled taco of pork belly confit, cooked for eight hours, and pollo pibil to share. At the bar, the Maíz Old Fashioned is built on whisky, popcorn and corn. Book ahead.

In Roma Norte, North of Coahuila

Contramar

Contramar opened in 1998. The address is Durango 200. Gabriela Cámara wanted to bring a beach palapa to the city. The specialty is seafood. The tuna tostada is its most famous dish. The signature pescado a la talla, a whole fish, arrives seasoned differently on each side, and there is Galician-style octopus. Desserts rotate. They are served at the table. It is one of two restaurants in "A Tale of Two Kitchens," a 2019 Netflix documentary. The Michelin Guide lists it. Reserve.

El Tigre Silencioso

El Tigre Silencioso is at Colima 159, inside Casa Balta, a building from the era of Porfirio Díaz. The restaurant describes itself as a northern Mexican cantina for any hour of the day. The room has double bars and an open kitchen at the back. Outside there is a stone courtyard with old trees and a terrace that wraps around the dining room. Chef David Castro Hussong cooks. Dishes include norteño empanadas filled with pressed chicharrón and smoked fish, and an octopus stew topped with crunchy menudo, or tripe. To drink, there is vermouth, wine by the glass, mezcal and cider. The Michelin Guide includes it.

Varde

Varde is at Córdoba 146, in a restored house from the Porfirio Díaz era. A place for the night. Vinyl plays soul, jazz and funk. The cocktails are classic, with herbal notes. The short menu, from chef Alexis Ayala, is made for sharing.

In Colonia Juárez

Juárez lies north of Roma Norte. Two of the six are there.

Taller de Ostiones

Taller de Ostiones is at Versalles 113. It serves oysters and shellfish from Bendito Mar, a regenerative aquaculture project in Baja California Sur. The menu follows the daily Pacific deliveries. It changes with each one. One specialty is the almeja coqueta.

Taverna

Taverna is at General Prim 34, in a house from the early twentieth century. The cooking is Mediterranean. Fire and charcoal do the work. The plates are for sharing and go in the middle of the table. There are small dining rooms, a central patio and a bar with mezcals and agave spirits.

Two Markets

Roma Sur has the Mercado de Medellín, with food stalls from all over Latin America. Roma Norte has Mercado Roma, which opened in 2014 on Calle Querétaro, where the legendary Bar León once stood. Its stalls sell artisanal cheeses, tapas, cuts of meat, pastries and dishes from many cuisines, and the upper floors have mezcal bars, cocktail bars and open terraces. Mercado Roma is a 12-minute walk from the house.

How to Choose

Seafood: Contramar and Taller de Ostiones. Northern flavors: Voraz and El Tigre Silencioso. A long dinner by the fire: Taverna. A late cocktail: Varde. If you would rather not leave Roma Sur, Voraz is the only one on the list in the neighborhood.

Hours change a lot. Confirm before you go.

Breakfast at the House, and a Sister House

Máximo México Roma includes breakfast with your stay. It is served by Amand Delicatessen, the sister house on the ground floor of the same building, with its own kitchen and entrance, and with which we have a direct partnership. Breakfast is a main dish of your choice, juice, and coffee or tea. The concierge is on from 7:00 am to 11:00 pm and arranges outings in the neighborhood. For a walk after dinner, the house is 20 minutes on foot to the Cibeles fountain, 25 to Parque España and 30 to Parque México. To check out what the rest of the Orchid House family serves, see the dining page.

You might also like

Máximo México Roma