Where to Drink The Best Natural Wine in Mexico City

I’ve grown quite fond of drinking natural wine in recent years, especially while traveling. There’s nothing quite like sampling the flavors and textures of an organic red or a biodynamic orange wine in a new and beautiful place – without the fear of a hangover. When I visited Mexico City, a place with a growing natural wine scene, I knew I couldn’t pass up the opportunity to treat myself. Here’s all my favorite spots for Where to Drink the Best Natural Wine in Mexico City:

Caracol de Mar

Tuna Tostada, Fried Tortillas with dip and a glass of red wine near a bottle of Mr. No Sulfite Beaujolais-Villages on a table at Caracol de Mar in CDMX

Neighborhood: El Centro

What I Drank: Mr. No Sulfite Beaujolais-Villages and Alessandro Viola Note di Bianco

What I Ate: Tostada de Atún, Tamal de Berenjena

Secret Tip:

Most shops and restaurants in El Centro tend to close around 8PM. Staying out after that can be a bit dodgy, safety-wise.

Plan for an early dinner and/or plan to Uber back to your hotel after you eat.

Located in the same building as Círculo Mexicano, the hotel’s reception recommended Caracol de Mar to me before my arrival.

I was a bit skeptical at first, thinking the recommendation may just be out of proximity, but my skepticism immediately proved fruitless.

I ordered an amazing bottle of organic wine: the Mr. No Sulfite Beaujolais-Villages, which had notes of cherry, strawberry and strangely enough, balsamic!

Normally, I’d have paired my wine with roast chicken, but given the restaurant’s seafood menu, I instead opted for the Tostada de Atún (tuna tostada) and the Tamal de Berenjena (eggplant tamale). The tostada was the perfect welcome dish to CDMX, reminding me how joyful even the most simply prepared foods can be.

Where To Drink The Best Natural Wine In Mexico City: Caracol de Mar in CDMX
Natural Wine In Mexico City: Travel Blogger Jordan Gassner with a glass of red wine on the Circulo Mexicano rooftop above Caracol de Mar Restaurant

Salon and Restaurante Rosetta

A glass of red wine next to a bottle of Vino Pelón at Restaurante Rosetta in Mexico City's Roma Norte neighborhood

I visited Restaurante Rosetta on my third day in Mexico for a Monday lunch. Helmed by Elena Reygadas and sitting in a former colonial mansion, Rosetta primarily serves Mexican food with an Italian flair. And Rosetta’s wine list is equally, if not more robust in its types and regions, while still feeling carefully curated for the restaurant’s elegant dishes and flavors.

I started my culinary adventure with a quick stop at Salon Rosetta, the soft blue and pink bar above the restaurant. Arriving at noon, I had the whole space to myself and definitely took advantage of the Bridgerton-esque vibes, treating myself to a negroni and lounging on the salon’s beautiful pastel loungers.

After sipping on some of my drink and enjoying the exterior views of Roma Norte, the restaurant’s hostess came up to get me – my table was ready.

The full restaurant is decorated like you’re at a secret botanical garden party in the middle of the city. I ordered the Tomato and eggplant starter, the Pappardelle pasta with chicken sausage, and last but not least, a natural Mexican wine: Vino Pelón.

An few empty wooden table and chairs with colorful china inside Restaurante Rosetta, one of the best places to drink natural wine in Mexico City
An empty wooden table and chairs with colorful china surrounded by green plants inside Restaurante Rosetta in Mexico City
Green plants trickling up the staff staircase at Restaurante Rosetta in Mexico City

Rosetta’s wine list has separate sections for wines by the glass and wines by the bottle – and each have plenty of natural options to choose from. I chose Vino Pelón because it was available by the glass, perfect for fellow solo travelers! I loved that it was a local mix of Syrah, Merlot, Grenache and a little Moscato Giallo.

Neighborhood: Roma Nte.

What I Drank: Vino Pelón

What I Ate: Tomatoes and Eggplant Starter, Pappardelle, and Chicken Sausage and Sage

Hugo

A lit candle and a wine list in front of a shelf with multiple bottles of natural, organic and biodymanic wines at Hugo Wine Bar in Mexico City
A glass of orange wine and the charred cucumber starter at Hugo Wine Bar in Mexico City

Hugo is an cosy and completely natural wine bar situated in the middle of Condesa. During my visit, I opted for interior barstool seating to get out of CDMX’s rainy July evening weather.

I started with a glass of the Alfredo Maestro Consuelo 2019 orange wine, enjoying the lemon and oak flavors while placing my dinner order.

The menu was intimate just like the space, but even with limited dairy-allergy friendly options, I was still able to enjoy a few of their dishes. The Charred Cucumber, Butter Beans and Saffron starter was my favorite.

A glass of Kikiriki red wine with a cauliflower dish at Hugo Wine Bar in Mexico City

Along with my next two dishes, I decided to change up my wine pairing for a red: the Clos Lentiscus Kikiriki 2018 from Spain. I loved this wine’s savory and earthy flavors combined with its subtle cranberry and blackberry notes.

Neighborhood: Condesa

What I Drank: Alfredo Maestro Consuelo 2019 and Clos Lentiscus Kikiriki 2018

What I Ate: Charred Cucumber, Boqueron Toast and Cauliflower with Almonds

Loup

Where to drink the best natural wine in Mexico City: Loup Wine Bar's exterior patio

Located in the heart of the Roma Norte neighborhood, I wandered over to Loup after some lunch and light shopping through some of the neighborhoods many boutiques.

What drew me to this bar was its focus on working with environmentally-friendly wine and food producers as well as its fun logo. I wasn’t able to make room for more food here, but I did enjoy a few glasses of natural orange wine.

Multiple wine bottles and glass stemware adorn a shelf at Loup Wine Bar in Mexico City's Roma Norte neighborhood

This is a wine bar that primarily serves wine by the bottle, so if you’re looking for a glass, the bar will serve you their “wine of the day“. I didn’t catch the names of the wine I drank here, but they had two bottles of orange wine opened for the day, so I tried both flavors.

Before closing my tab, I also made sure to grab one of the bar’s branded canvas tote bags to take with me to the farmer’s market back in LA.

5 bottles of natural wine sitting on. a shelf at Loup Wine Bar in Mexico City's Roma Norte neighborhood

Neighborhood: Roma Nte.

What I Drank: Orange Wine of the Day

Where to drink the best natural wine: Loup Wine Bar's interior parlor

Lardo

A glass of orange wine, a serving tray with flatbread and a red and white china plate sit on top of a Lardo Restaurant menu in CDMX

Neighborhood: Condesa

What I Drank: Bichi La Gorda Yori and Mas del Périé’s La Roque 2020

What I Ate: Flatbread, Ensalada De Arugula and Pulpo with Red Curry and Chilacayote

After the amazing meal at Restaurante Rosetta, I knew I had to try Elena Reygadas’ other restaurant, Lardo.

Most of the wines at Lardo are more traditional, but their menu very clearly notates the ones that are natural, biodynamic or organic.

I started with the Bichi La Gorda Yori 2022, a natural orange wine from Tecate, Mexico with quite the interesting label. It paired quite nicely with my Ensalada De Arugula and the restaurant’s complimentary spiced and oiled flatbread.

A plate with fried octopus and a side salad sit on top of a Lardo Restaurant menu in CDMX

Next, I swapped orange for a natural Malbec, specifically the Mas del Périé’s La Roque 2020 from Cahours, France. The menu had lots of delicious looking pizzas, but since I had indulged so much during my time in Mexico, I opted to pair my glass with the delicious Pulpo (Octopus), Red Curry and Chilacayote entree.

Galanga Thai

Gai Pad Med Mamuang and See Sai Hai entrees on top a table with blue and white china at Galanga Thai Restaurant in Mexico City
Where to drink the best natural wine: Galanga Thai Restaurant's garden courtyard in Mexico City
6 Thai Royal Dumplings, including one that looks like a chicken, from Galanga Thai Restaurant in Mexico City
Where to drink the best natural wine: Galanga Thai Restaurant's blue and white bar area in Mexico City

Now I eat Thai food quite often, but Galanga Thai is quite possibly the best and most extravagant that I’ve had to date.

The evening I went to the restaurant was a bit chilly, so I was seated inside Galanga’s beautifully renovated Roma Nte. mansion instead of outside in their garden courtyard. I sampled a glass of orange wine from Dominio de las Abejas, a winery located in the Ojos Negros Valley in Baja, Mexico. The wine had notes of pineapple, citrus and, of course, honey – which was very appropo since the winery’s name literally translates to “Dominion of the Bees“.

This natural wine also paired perfectly with the Gai Pad Med Mamuang I ordered, or rather, the stir fried chicken with dry chilis, cashew, pineapple, carrot, pepper and mushrooms.

I also ate See Sai Hai which is a vegetable stir fry and Galanga’s famous Thai Royal Dumplings with the wine. The dumplings came in three types: Chor Muang Gai (Organic Chicken), Jeep Nkok Sai Tau (Yellow Mung Bean) and Pun Sip Neung (Shrimps).

Where to drink the best natural wine: Galanga Thai Restaurant's green and white interior colonial dining room in Mexico City
A glass of wine next to a bottle of the natural Domino de las Abejas orange wine at Galanga Thai

Neighborhood: Roma Nte.

What I Drank: Dominio de las Abejas Naranja

What I Ate: Gai Pad Med Mamuang, See Sai Hai, Chor Muang Gai, Jeep Nkok Sai Tau and Pun Sip Neung.

Local 1

A light up neon sign showing a brain that looks like it's crying from Local 1 Bar in Mexico City

Local 1 was the last, but certainly not the least of the wine bars that I visited in Mexico City. Located in Roma Norte, Local 1 offers patrons a completely natural wine menu and on-site mezcals.

Local 1, which also acts as a local art residency space and reminded me of a place I might find in LA’s Arts District. I was immediately made to feel quite at home not just by my server but also by Sergio Bromberg, the Local 1 artist/gallerist who helped me book a table a few days prior.

While here I tried two wines to start: Lammidia Miscela Orange and Claus Preisinger Fruit Loops.

Miscela is a natural, blended orange wine from Abruzzo, Italy. It tasted punchy, with tropical notes and an apple cider vinegar undercurrent. The Fruit Loops wine was a very fruit forward biodynamic wine, with notes of citrus, grapefruit and white peaches.

Neighborhood: Roma Nte.

What I Drank: Lammidia Miscela Orange and Claus Preisinger Fruit Loops Blanc