Eat at Azul Condesa

"Eating in Azul is eating history," proclaims Ricardo Munoz Zurita, one of Mexico's most highly regarded chefs and author of theDiccionario Enciclopedico de la Gastronomia Mexicana.

Azul Condesa is one of four restaurants overseen by Zurita in Mexico City, each designed to showcase the traditions of the country's best-loved dishes. It also sources almost everything--from the embroidered napkins to the carved gourds that are used to drink mezcal--from indigenous communities.

Order the standout tortilla soup, rich and velvety, with plump pieces of chicken and creamy avocado. If you only have room for one other item, make it the traditional Pueblan dish chiles en nogada, popularly eaten to celebrate Mexico's independence: poblano chiles stuffed with meat and fruit, spiked with pomegranate seeds, and topped with walnut-based cream sauce.

Nuevo Leon 68; AzulCondesa.com