Rooftop Balcón del Zócalo in Mexico City

Balcón del Zócalo: the Plaza de la Constitución below

At the top of the Zócalo Central hotel

You enter through the Zócalo Central hotel, on Avenida 5 de Mayo, right next to the Catedral Metropolitana; at reception, the staff point you to the lift up to the restaurant. The dining room features a long dark marble bar and cement tile floors, then opens onto a partly covered terrace, lined with plants and fitted with braziers for cool evenings. From here, the view plunges down onto the Zócalo: the cathedral bell towers seem within arm's reach, the Palacio Nacional closes off the square and the rooftops of the historic centre stretch out beyond.

Mexican cuisine reinvented

The menu plays with the country's produce: octopus tostadas, cochinita pibil gyozas, tlayuda with escamoles, duck tacos, avocado risotto or mole. For a longer evening, a thirteen-course tasting menu changes with the seasons and can be paired with wines and spirits. The bar offers seasonal cocktails based on mezcal, tequila or gin, a few classics such as the espresso martini, and a wine list. Musicians sometimes accompany the meal, and a breakfast menu completes the offer.

Practical information

Open every day from noon to 11pm. Booking recommended, especially at weekends and at sunset, on the official website or on +52 55 5130 5134; casual dress accepted. Allow 120 to 1,350 pesos per dish à la carte and 1,850 pesos for the tasting menu. Zócalo/Tenochtitlan metro station (line 2), a three-minute walk away.