Mexico
Thirty-two states, each with a kitchen that thinks it is the real one.
Mexico rewards going one state further than planned. The coast fills up; the highlands and the south stay honest.
Places in Mexico
Merida
A pastel colonial capital that calls itself the safest city in Mexico, with cantinas older than the claim.
Mexico City
Too large to see in one trip, so most people pick a neighborhood and live in it for a few days.
Oaxaca
Seven moles, a market that smells of chocolate and chillies, and mezcal from people who will show you the still.
San Miguel de Allende
A hill town smaller and quieter than its postcard pink church spire suggests, with a food scene out of proportion to its size.
Zapopan
Guadalajara's northern neighbor, treated as overflow but drawing its own crowd for the taquerías alone.
Logged in Mexico
Archivo Maguey - Mezcalería
Oaxaca, MexicoA mezcal archive with a serious kitchen attached, serving contemporary Oaxacan plates alongside rare bottles.
El Gallito Cantina
Merida, MexicoA dim, tiled neighborhood cantina in Centro, unhurried and mostly local.
Hotel Los Amantes
Oaxaca, MexicoAn art-curated boutique hotel in Centro, named for Oaxacan lovers — and their mezcal.
La Cueva
Oaxaca, MexicoA former wine bar on Hidalgo street reborn as a candlelit cocktail and mezcal den.
La Negrita Cantina
Merida, MexicoMérida's first bar, pouring since 1917 among vintage bottles and a crowd of regulars.
Los Danzantes
Mexico City, MexicoContemporary Mexican cooking in a leafy Coyoacán garden, from the mezcal house behind the Oaxaca original.
Pulquería Las Duelistas
Mexico City, MexicoA century-old pulque hall in Colonia Centro, covered in painted murals and full of regulars.
Sobrio by Mezcal Speakeasy
Oaxaca, MexicoA speakeasy behind an unmarked door in Centro, pouring small-batch mezcal to a mostly local crowd.
Tacos Don Luis
Zapopan, MexicoA birria taquería pulling steaming, soup-soaked tacos from a colossal pot, fast and cheap.
Tostévere
San Miguel de Allende, MexicoA one-menu chef's table inside a quiet Zona Centro courtyard, easy to walk past entirely.
Mentioned in
Los Danzantes
Mexico City, MexicoContemporary Mexican cooking in a leafy Coyoacán garden, from the mezcal house behind the Oaxaca original.
Pulquería Las Duelistas
Mexico City, MexicoA century-old pulque hall in Colonia Centro, covered in painted murals and full of regulars.
Oaxaca
Seven moles, a market that smells of chocolate and chillies, and mezcal from people who will show you the still.