Mexico City is one of the great dining capitals of the Americas, and the upper end of it sits in a few identifiable places. These ten ideas cover them: Polanco for galleries and designer shopping, San Ángel for Saturday art markets and restaurants in colonial houses, and the markets where the chefs themselves buy.
Where to eat. The city's best-known kitchens cluster in Polanco, the Roma and San Ángel. The San Juan market, in the centre, is where professional cooks shop for specialist ingredients and is worth a visit in its own right. Dinner with a view or a show exists here too, in a format that is rarer than it should be.
Art and architecture. Polanco's commercial galleries, the Soumaya and Jumex museums side by side in Plaza Carso, and the Bazar Sábado in San Ángel, which has been running every Saturday since 1960.
Practical notes. Book the well-known restaurants well ahead, especially for Friday and weekend evenings. The Mexican lunch hour is 14:00 and dinner starts late. Polanco and San Ángel both have scarce, expensive parking; arriving by taxi is simpler.


