The 22 Essential Restaurants of Monterrey, Mexico

January 07, 2020 Admin 0 Comments

Beef is king and grilling is elevated to the point of fine art in this Mexican city

Despite its stunning location in the beautiful Sierra Madre Oriental mountain range, Monterrey hasn’t yet attracted too many tourists. But out-of-towners do come here — it’s a well-known commercial hub and university town — and a vibrant restaurant scene has sprung up to cater to the influx. Between the tables of raucous students and suits toasting business deals, though, you’ll still find a lot of local families sharing heaping orders of ribeye tacos and grilled vegetables.

With hot weather nearly year-round, Monterrey long ago developed a deep barbecue tradition. Chefs venerate open-fire cooking, diners regularly get together around steak, and grilled beef and cabrito (baby goat) have become synonymous with eating in the city.

While that tradition runs strong, vegetarians shouldn’t be discouraged. The restaurant scene has grown immensely in the last two years, both in the restaurant hub in San Pedro García Garza and elsewhere, as a few chefs branch out with exciting concepts across town. Steakhouses make room for ramen spots, taco joints join artisanal bakeries, fine dining stalwarts meet French bistros.

So settle in beside the automotive execs and Tecnológico de Monterrey kids, order up a steak (or escargots or eggplant chicharrón), and really get to know Monterrey. Here are the city’s essential restaurants.

Prices per person, excluding alcohol:
$ = Less than 176 pesos (Less than $9 USD)
$$ = 196 - 490 pesos ($11 - $25 USD)
$$$ = 510 - 981 pesos ($26 - $50 USD)
$$$$ = More than 1,000 pesos ($51 USD and up)

Liliana López Sorzano is a food and travel writer based between Mexico City and Bogotá, Colombia, where she contributes to local and international media. She is a former editor-in-chief at Food & Wine in Spanish.