The Best Mexico City Restaurants for Eating Dairy-Free

Blanco Colima is one of the top restaurants in Mexico City’s Roma Norte neighborhood. Located in a historic mansion, it’s a spot that delivers on ambiance and amazing upscale food and drinks.

Neighborhood: Roma Nte.

What I Ate: Crudo de Hamachi (Hamachi Crudo), Ensalada de la casa (House Salad)

One of the most popular restaurants in town, Contramar is particularly great for dairy-free dining as it serves up a seafood-focused menu.

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.

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

Neighborhood: Roma Nte.

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

What I Drank: Vino Pelón

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.

After verifying with my server that most of the menu is in fact dairy-free, I dug into the Gai Pad Med Mamuang, or rather, the stir fried chicken with dry chilis, cashew, pineapple, carrot, pepper and mushrooms.

With it, I paired a glass of orange wine from Dominio de las Abejas. 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“.

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).

Neighborhood: Roma Nte.

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

What I Drank: Dominio de las Abejas Naranja

If you’re on the hunt for great tamales, look no further than Tamales Madre in Condesa. The restaurant’s menu makes dairy-free ordering a bit easier in that it labels which dishes are vegan or vegetarian.

While the vegetarian options do include cheese, the restaurant serves at least two vegan (dairy-free) tamales. And depending on the time you visit, you may even be able to order a dairy-free monthly special.

Neighborhood: Juarez

What To Order: Frijol y Hierba Santa (Beans and Holy Herb), Mole y Plátano Macho (Banana and Other “Mole”)

Neighborhood: Condesa

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

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

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 my meal off with the Ensalada De Arugula and the restaurant’s complimentary spiced and oiled flatbread. Paired with the Bichi La Gorda Yori 2022, a natural orange wine from Tecate, Mexico, my meal was off to a fantastic start!

The menu had lots of delicious looking pizzas, but since I had already indulged so much during my trip, I opted for the delicious Pulpo (Octopus), Red Curry and Chilacayote entree. I also swapped my orange wine for a natural Malbec, specifically the Mas del Périé’s La Roque 2020 from Cahours, France.

Neighborhood: El Centro

What I Ate: Tostada de Atún, Tamal de Berenjena

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

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.

Being a seafood restaurant, there were so many dairy-free dishes to choose from. I ended up ordering 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.

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