Where to Eat with Kids in Mexico City
Every meal—except a notorious one—on our first trip to Mexico City was a homerun. Seriously.
By our second visit to CDMX, our food satisfaction was near-perfect: we revisited our fave restaurants from our first trip, and also ventured to fantastic others!
Whether our family was eating tacos at the most casual establishment, or eating mole madre at the poshest of restaurants, we loved everything we ate. Plus the restaurants we loved are both kid-friendly and affordable, to boot!
We hope you enjoy eating your way through Mexico City as much as we did!
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Our Experience
- Destination: Tokyo, Japan
- age of our kid: 5 years
- Length of stay: 3 Days
- time of year: February
Quick Tips
When To Visit
You’ll likely have heard visits to Japan associated with cherry blossom season in April and May, which I’m certain is a pleasant time to visit, if it weren’t for the crowds.
In our opinion, any time of year is a wonderful time to visit Tokyo!
Before You go
- Possess valid passports
- Check the State Department’s travel advisories
- Book your tickets to the YAYOI KUSAMA Museum
- Order currency from your bank—cash is used widely, and we had a tough time using Apple Pay at almost every establishment save for convenience stores like 7-11.
- Bookmark sites in Google Maps or Wanderlog and download offline maps
- Buy an e-sim to save on cellphone roaming costs
Our Favorite Family-Friendly Restaurants in Mexico City
Sorted by neighborhood, then listed by preference. All price ranges in USD.
Popular Activities
- Walk through Shibuya Crossing >>
- Venture Up Tokyo Skytree, Sumida City >>
- Kiss the Clouds at Shibuya Sky >>
- Spend a Day at DisneySea, Urayasu >>
Hidden Gems
- Ride the Shinkansen >>
- Visit Sensō-ji, Asakusa
- Visit the YAYOI KUSAMA Museum, Shinjuku
- Enjoy the Outdoors at Ueno Park
Can't Miss
- Visit the Nintendo Store, Shibuya
- Cuddle with Critters at a Cafe, various locations
- Visit a Pokémon Center, various locations >>
Must Visit
- Visit a Sanrio Store or cute cafe, various locations >>
- Visit the Sailor Moon Store, Shibuya
Café Nin, Juárez
My absolute favorite cafe—in likely the world!
- ~$10-$20/person
- 2+ Hours
My kid was living her best life at Café Nin, and so was I. It is a gorgeous space, which seems typical of Chef Elena Reygadas’ style (see Restaurante Rosetta and Panadería Rosetta), and I would love to embody it in my own dream cafe I hope to run one day: plants, brick, vintage and modern, a mix of outdoor space, and a loft, plus amazing food and drinks, to boot! It’s no wonder we’ve found every excuse to grab brunch or lunch there on each of our visits to Mexico City so far! On our recent trip with my extended family, some of the group ate breakfast here almost every day! It helped that our hotel was only a couple blocks away (strategy, my friends!).
Since Café Nin is a sister restaurant of Panadería Rosetta, they get all the same yummy pastries (so yes, we bought our third rol de guayaba of the trip there). We also enjoyed the tamal and chilaquiles. The eggs benedict pastry was a cute presentation, but didn’t have the flavor to back it up. No changing tables in their tiny little restrooms, unfortunately.
Tacos de Canasta Los Especiales, various locations
Simple, no-frills, delicious tacos from a basket. DROOL.
- ~$1-$5/person
- 15-30 minutes standing room-only
The menu might be limited, but trust us, you will crave nothing more than the four types of tacos de canasta (basket tacos) they offer: papa (potato), frijoles refritos (refried beans), chicharrón en adobo (marinated pork), and chicharrón en salsa verde (pork in green sauce), all slathered in oil or butter. Bonus points that two of the four menu items are vegetarian! Our kid loved the bean tacos, and I was all about the potato. For every one of our visits to Mexico City, we have eaten at Tacos de Canasta Los Especiales at least twice!
Pay at the front in exchange for tokens you will use to order your food; we recommend their special, which is any combo of five tacos plus a drink for $2.50 USD. If you snake your way down their narrow restaurant, you’ll find bar seats and standing-room-only counters, as well as all the fixins to take your tacos from delicious to unforgettable. We went to their Centro location near Zocalo Square before and immediately after our #travelfail at Mercado Centro.
Contramar, Roma Norte
Great for beautiful dishes al fresco
- $30+/person
- 2 hours
My partner became a big fan and follower of Chef Gabriela Cámara because of her Masterclass on Mexican cooking, and I’m so glad he did because her food is bomb, and her restaurant is beautiful. Plus, service is quick. We were seated out on their sidewalk patio at 2 pm with no wait, even without a reservation! We all loved the tuna tostadas (our kid, surprisingly so!), the house special fish dish of pescado a la talla con chile rojo y perejil, but the quesadillas were just so-so. Our kid also loved the fluffy strawberry meringue cake for dessert.
La Casa de Toño, various locations
Great for no-frills group dining or late-night Mexican eats
- ~$5-$15/person
- 30-45 Minutes
If you’re looking for Mexican food favorites in a casual restaurant setting, look no further than La Casa de Toño. There are various locations throughout the city and some are even open 24 hours for anyone looking for a late-night fix. Everything we had was delicious: the vegetarian “pozole sin carne,” mushroom tostada, flautas, horchata, and their house michelada.
Book a Cooking Experience!
Great for those who want an immersive experience with local chefs
- $75+/person
- 3+ Hours
Our family loves Mexican food and thought it would be a treat to learn how to cook more than just the basics in the cuisine’s home country.
We booked a cooking experience through Traveling Spoon—my first experience with the site— with chefs and food stylists, Geraldine and Mariana, who were fantastic hosts and guides. We had a blast learning to cook cochinita and preparing tortillas, one of my kid’s favorite pastimes, out of a home in the quaint and quiet neighborhood of San Angel, where we feasted on our homecooked meal al fresco.
We loved our experience so much that we had to do a round-two with our entire extended family on a subsequent visit. If you love to cook, this one’s for you!
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Café Ruta de la Seda, Coyoacán
Gorgeously plated and delicious pastries and brunch
- ~$15-$25/person
- 60-90 minutes
Lovely roadside organic cafe with unique baked goods and breakfast/lunch. Even mid-week it took a while to be seated, but we eventually got a chance to enjoy our jamaica concha and their beautiful and tasty omelette de flores de calabaza y ricotta (zucchini flowers & ricotta omelette). No changing tables in the bathroom, though.
Milk Pizzeria, Roma Norte
Great for pizza and cocktails
- $20-$35/person
- 60-90 minutes
If you for some reason need a break from all the delicious Mexican food Mexico City has to offer, dining at Milk Pizzeria is a great alternative. Our whole family enjoyed the seasonal mushroom pizza (their pies range from $10-$20), as well as the burrata c. coles (crispy brussels sprouts with burrata, $20). The cocktails were fresh and artistic. The churro ice cream sandwich was good in theory, but can only be fully enjoyed fresh from the fryer/freezer, which is a tough ask. The space has both indoor and outdoor seating. No changing tables in the bathrooms, unfortunately.
El Pescadito, various locations
Great for seafood tacos
- ~$5-$15/person
- 15-45 Minutes
A pescetarian’s dream! Order a variety of seafood tacos and a staff member will top them with your choice of any combination of sauces from their arsenal. A very easy grab-and-go or dine-in casual restaurant.
Terraza Cha Cha Cha, Tabacalera
Great for upscale group dining with a view
- ~$20-$30/person
- 45-90 minutes
As the name suggests, the trendy Terraza Cha Cha Cha has patio seating on two sides of its fifth floor restaurant with a view of the Monument to the Revolution. Service is awesome and the food comes out quickly in this airy and modern-styled space. This was where our kid tried chapulines (fried crickets) for the first time, and they were a hit! They also have changing tables in the bathroom—score!
Places to Skip!
Terrazas at Mercado Centro
If you haven’t already heard our rant, please do yourself a favor and avoid the terrazas at Mercado Centro at all costs! Check out our viral video on how a beautiful view from a terrace left a sour taste in our mouths.
Where to Eat Dessert in
Mexico City with Kids
Panadería Rosetta
Chef Elena Reygadas’ popular cafe and bakery also offers brunch at their flagship location in Colima, which features a gorgeous patio and facade. Our favorite pastries were the rol de guayaba (guava cheese roll), mil hojas de frutos rojos (berry mille-feuille), and rol de ricotta y limón amarillo (lemon & ricotta roll). Skip the envuelto de estragon (tarragon roll) unless you’re really into the taste of licorice-y tarragon (which we realized we are not).
Finca Don Porfirio
This café on the eighth floor of the Sears department store in Centro serves up pastries and coffee drinks galore for you to enjoy on the terrace overlooking the iconic Palacio de Bellas Artes. After a 20-minute wait to be seated (snag a bar seat facing the Palacio, if you can!), we ordered a brownie which our kid gobbled up, as well as afternoon coffee.
Churrería El Moro
This churrería has been in business since 1935 and now has numerous locations to choose from. We crunched happily on our churros from our rocking chairs on the patio of their Roma Norte location, where their signature blue and white interior design is bright and airy. They have the cutest bathrooms with changing tables that I’ve seen!
Wishlist for our Next Visit
- Tacos, tacos, and more tacos of the vegetarian variety
- I would love to venture out and try some pescetarian-friendly street food—any recs?
Final Thoughts
I can’t wait for our next opportunity to revisit these restaurants and try out some new ones. What else would you add to our list of essential kid-friendly restaurants in Mexico City?
