Explore the Best Women-Led Restaurants in Mexico City for 2019

At OpenTable, we love to honor women for their culinary entrepreneurship, and that’s why we’re sharing the love just in time for International Women’s Day. Mexico City brims with innovative chefs like Martha Ortiz at Dulce Patria, cuisine-preserving chefs like Lucila Molina de Merlos at Casa Merlos, and food-sharing chefs like Elena Reygadas at Rosetta and Lardo. Other women like Laura Santander, Gabriela López, and Daniela van Beuren show their exceptional talent through inclusive business management. The women at these restaurants inspire others around them to savor flavors and share stories across culture and time. We invite diners to learn their stories and book a table in support of their dedication to all things food!

The OpenTable Team

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Updated February 03, 2023

Maximo

Price: Very Expensive

French

Condesa / Roma

4.7

2343 reviews

Co-owner Gabriela López is passionate about local food, so when she and husband-chef Eduardo Garcia opened Maximo Bistrot in 2012, they made sure that fresh produce featured prominently on the menu. She also wanted sustainable furnishings and supplies, sourcing out secondhand or Fair Trade finds wherever possible. López works hard to welcome all customers, inviting them to a restaurant that made the list for one of Latin America’s 50 best restaurants in 2018. Maximo Bistrot has simple, chic decor and an international menu offering a taste of French, Spanish, and Mexican dishes.

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Carmela y Sal

Price: Very Expensive

Mexican

Lomas / Reforma

4.7

1813 reviews

A childhood spent in Tabasco surrounded Gabriela Ruiz Lugo with plantains, cacao, tropical fruit, and coconuts. When she opened her first catering restaurant, Gourmet MX, in 2012, she stepped away from hyperlocal cuisine to offer inventive Mexican cuisine on a broad scale. Chef Ruiz Lugo moved to Mexico City in 2017 but couldn’t keep Tabasco off her mind, opening her second restaurant, Carmela y Sal, with Southeastern Mexican cuisine as the focal point. Receiving the award for Best Chef in Mexico 2019 highlighted her immense talent, inspiring her to continue spreading her love of simple yet elegant ingredients.

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Casa Merlos

Price: Expensive

Mexican

Poniente

4.2

76 reviews

Lucila Molina de Merlos knew from a young age that cooking was in her blood. She ran a sandwich catering service before delving into her true passion — restaurant ownership — in 1985. Merlos was determined not to create cuisine that customers could find in neighboring restaurants. At her restaurant, she would bring back the past, and she asked her father-in-law to guide her journey in creating authentic, 18th-century, Puebla-focused dishes. Merlos’ culinary efforts earned her the 2016 Silver Molcajete and the Universal Excellence Award from the Government of Puebla. Casa Merlos has an upscale yet intimate atmosphere, where herbs and spices bring out depths of flavor, and casserole stews are a meal by themselves.

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Dulce Patria en Las Alcobas

Price: Very Expensive

Mexican

Polanco/Nueva Anzures

4.7

889 reviews

Martha Ortiz has made a name for herself as a chef unafraid of inventive and edible works of art. A childhood watching her mother, artist Martha Chapa, take on food as art, and vice versa, showed Ortiz that women, artistic beauty, and cuisine went hand in hand. She opened her first restaurant, Águila y Sol, in 2003, moving on to open Dulce Patria in 2011. From the outset, Ortiz wanted Dulce Patria to be dynamic, colorful, and innovative, where the decor was boldly feminine and the food was sensual and full of history. It placed in the top 50 Best Latin American restaurants in 2015 and 2016, also earning Best Restaurant in Mexico City for the 2016 Food and Travel Magazine Readers’ Awards. Dulce Patria pays homage to authentic Mexican cuisine, elevating it to such a degree that the dishes welcome all the senses.

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Casa Virginia Mónica Patiño

Price: Very Expensive

Comfort Food

Condesa / Roma

4.7

709 reviews

Mother–daughter duo Mónica Patiño and Micaela Miguel have long shared a love of food and intimate conversation, and that’s why they fell in love with the 1920s building that would become Casa Virginia. Chef Patiño, who trained in France at L’École de Cuisine, wanted to bring European and Mexican cuisines together. Along with Micaela, she created Casa Virginia to celebrate rustic French dishes and local Colonia Roma cuisine, welcoming guests into a bright, airy restaurant with high ceilings and a South France ambiance. Patiño is passionate about local and seasonal ingredients, sourcing some of their fresh produce from the rooftop garden.

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Meson del Toreo - Parque Toreo

Price: Very Expensive

Mexican

Satelite / Naucalpan / Lomas Verdes

4.4

38 reviews

Daniela van Beuren is proud of her family’s history of restaurant ownership, which began when her grandmother, Judith Ortega de van Beuren, first opened Fonda el Refugio back in 1954. Daniela took over ownership before moving on to open her own restaurant, Mesón del Toreo, in 1977. Along with head chef Gabriela Bernal, she creates a menu of traditional Mexican dishes with bold presentation. Guests at Mesón del Toreo can expect authentic flavors as they dine in an elegant, upscale setting.

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La Taberna del León

Price: Very Expensive

Mexican

Altavista / San Angel / San Jerónimo

4.8

657 reviews

As the first restaurant of Chef Mónica Patiño, La Taberna del León opened in 1978 to unveil a menu of traditional Mexican cuisine with a hint of international flair. In 1994, Patiño moved her restaurant to a 1916-era house, completed with dark wood paneling and European charm. After opening La Taberna del León, Chef Patiño went on to experience a successful culinary career. She later took part in several international gastronomic festivals and authored a cookbook that won the Gourmand World Cookbook award in 2004. The menu at La Taberna del León celebrates Mexican cuisine, but Patiño’s French training makes European dishes likewise plentiful.

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Eloise

Price: Very Expensive

Contemporary French

Altavista / San Angel / San Jerónimo

4.7

963 reviews

Partner and certified sommelier Laura Santander is a vibrant part of the Eloise team. She brings superior wine knowledge to the restaurant, which opened in 2014, and is proud of her 2012 award for Best Nose in Mexico. Santander loves sharing her wine recommendations with guests, helping bring their dining experience to a new level. She invites guests to dine on haute French cuisine in a dining room reminiscent of upscale New York City. Eloise Chic Cuisine has earned the Mexico Food and Travel award for Best New Restaurant in 2014 and Restaurant of the Year in 2014, 2015, and 2017.

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Loretta Chic Bistrot

Price: Very Expensive

Mediterranean

Altavista / San Angel / San Jerónimo

4.7

804 reviews

As the second restaurant Laura Santander opened with her two business partners, Loretta Chic Bistrot — which took shape in 2017 — takes a dramatic swing away from French cuisine to highlight elegant Mediterranean and Middle Eastern fare. Traditional Greek, Turkish, and Israeli dishes enter a dining room clad in stark contrasts — white, black, and copper. Santander once again displays her wine knowledge, proving why Wine Spectator bestowed her with the Award of Excellence in 2014, 2015, and 2016.

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Lardo

Price: Expensive

Mediterranean

Condesa / Roma

4.6

1058 reviews

A childhood cooking with her grandmother taught Elena Reygadas the basics she needed to delve into a fruitful culinary career. After training at NYC’s International Culinary Center, she moved back to Mexico City with endless enthusiasm for Italian cuisine. Lardo, which opened in 2015 as her second restaurant, puts its focus on sharing plates full of Italian and Mediterranean fare. Reygadas wants to inspire guests to share not only food but conversation as well, and she often stops by to inquire how they liked each dish.

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Suntory Del Valle

Price: Very Expensive

Japanese

Del Valle / Nápoles / Narvarte

4.7

389 reviews

First opened in 1970, Suntory now has several locations around Mexico City that create fine dining experiences rich in traditional Japanese cuisine and culture. As director of the Suntory restaurant group, Yoko Kase stresses the importance of authenticity for every diner who comes to a Suntory location. In addition, she took the lead in introducing Healthy Life, a lighter menu for guests interested in eating a reduced-calorie diet. At Suntory, diners experience an intimate connection with the food, watching chefs prepare their dishes at the table.

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Shu - Santa Fe

Price: Very Expensive

Japanese

Santa Fe / Bosques

4.8

235 reviews

A modern take on Japanese cuisine, Shu is an intriguing addition to the Suntory Group’s restaurants in Mexico City. Yoko Kase, as director of the restaurant group, takes a hands-on role in Shu’s operations as well. As at Suntory, she incorporated Healthy Life menu options to help guests make healthy dietary choices. Shu is a bold departure from Suntory’s warm color scheme, with glamorous lounges and dining areas, decorative lighting, and a water feature. Guests experience a fusion menu featuring haute cuisine of an international and Japanese blend.

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Rosetta

Price: Very Expensive

Mexican

Condesa / Roma

4.5

3104 reviews

Rosetta first welcomed customers into the converted grand townhouse in 2010, inviting them to enjoy an extensive menu rich in Italian and Mexican flavor. This menu has changed with the seasons, since chef and owner Elena Reygadas knew she wanted to focus on local ingredients from small-scale producers. In 2014, Reygadas earned the prestigious Veuve Clicquot for Latin America’s best female chef, putting her name on the list of chefs to watch.

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