Mexican Cuisine Earns Michelin Stars And Eater Acclaim

Fish tacos, nachos or a carnitas plate can be amazing at the right time and place. But isn’t it about time you rewarded your palate with gourmet Mexican cuisine?

Scattered between California and New York City, the U.S. now boasts seven Michelin-star restaurants serving hand-crafted, upscale Mexican dishes.

Meanwhile, the French gourmet guides recently released their first Mexico restaurant reviews — including two eateries that earned double stars and 16 tasty enough for a single stellar badge.

What exactly is elevated Mexican cuisine?

It often entails regional dishes made with locally sourced organic meats and produce, prepared with love and care by some of North America’s best chefs, and presented in such an artistic fashion that you almost feel guilty diving in with a fork and knife.

Not only are [these restaurants] challenging the idea that Mexican food means cheap and fast,” writes Emily DeRuy in The Atlantic magazine. “But they’re trusting that Americans will pay top dollar for quality ingredients prepared in novel and creative ways.”

Below are some of the best.

Valle (Oceanside, California)

A long-time hangout for Marines from neighboring Camp Pendleton, Oceanside is going upscale thanks to a redeveloped downtown area with offerings like Valle restaurant at the Mission Pacific Beach Resort.

Lured away from his native Ensenada by the prospect of introducing contemporary Mexican cuisine to Southern California diners, chef Roberto Alcocer earned his Michelin star in the summer of 2024.

And deservedly so. Valle offers an out-of-this-world, eight course tasting menu that revolves around meat and seafood dishes prepared over a woodfire grill or inside a charcoal oven.

Among the revolving dishes that can flavor the tasting menus are Carne Apache steak (Snake River Farm Wagyu beef), Coctel de Almejas (Baja clams, smoked grapes, and tomato consommé with charred chile oil), and Chilpachole (spiny lobster with confit potatoes and tomato broth).

Dishes can be paired with premium tequilas from Reserve de la Familia Jose Cuervo or wines from Alcocer’s own Monte Xanic winery in the Valle de Guadalupe near his hometown. There’s also a selection of creative tequila cocktails.

Diners can choose from the main dining room with its Pacific Ocean views or the Chef’s Table in the kitchen. Before or after dining, be sure to check out the 1888 wooden Victorian-style home in the courtyard — the Top Gun House from the original Tom Cruise movie.

A time trip back to olden days in Baja California, Drew Deckman’s celebrated restaurant offers al fresco dining on a patio around an open-air, live-fire kitchen fronting a vintage adobe building surrounded by the vineyards of Cavas del Mogor.

After earning kudos (and his first Michelin star) at European eateries like Restaurant Vitus in Germany, Deckman decided to open his own culinary sanctuary in Mexico. The main focus is locally sourced seafood and produce grown on Deckman’s three farms in the valley.

Among the dishes that appear on the seven-course tasting menu or a la carte are Chocolate Clam Aguachile, Sea Bass Crudo, Baja Oysters, Tempura Fried Soft Shell Crab, and Beef Bone Marrow with kimchi and a tortilla crumble.

Deckman’s commitment to genuine sustainability — nurturing bee colonies on the three farms, recycling mollusk shells into fertilizer and chicken feed, composting all organic waste — earned the restaurant a Michelin Green Star in 2024.

FYI — Drew Deckman is also the host of Ingrediente: Mexicoa six-part culinary series that debuted last year on Amazon Prime.

In bestowing this Denver restaurant with a Michelin star in 2024, Michelin remarked that chef and owner Johnny Curiel “revisits dishes and flavors from his upbringing with creativity and finely honed technique . . . Resist the temptation to fixate on any one item, as the menu is littered with treasures.”

Like Birria de Borrego (lamb shank), Enmoladas De Pollo (roast chicken with molé sauce), and Lenguado A La Veracruzana (halibut). Even the more familiar Mexican dishes stray from the norm: tacos with black angus ribeye or brisket, heirloom corn tostadas topped with smoked tuna and guacamole, and frijoles flavored with chorizo sausage and chile de arbol sauce.

Diners can choose from a wide selection of Mexican tequilas, mescals, and beers, as well as wines from around the globe and innovative cocktails like the Avocado Margarita and Oaxacan Old Fashioned.

In addition to the coveted star, Curiel earned the Michelin Guide Colorado “Young Chef Award” for 2024.

Born and raised in Guadalajara, Curiel earned his stripes in the kitchen of his father’s restaurant and working at top restaurants around the U.S. before launching his own venture in Colorado. Alma is named for his mother, a connoisseur of fonda-style Mexican soul food.

Hueso (Guadalajara, Mexico)

It may not have earned a Michelin star just yet. But this quirky restaurant in Mexico’s second largest city personifies the offbeat ambience and culinary artistry that makes Guadalajara one of the leading south-of-the-border foodie destinations.

Hueso means “bones” in Spanish, a name that reflects both the decorative whitewashed animal bones that decorate every inch of wall space and a menu spangled with carnivorous delights like Jabali (wild boar), Pato Confit (duck with truffle oil and raspberry syrup), and Costillar de Cerdo (pork ribs). There are also vegetarian options.

Meals are served at a long wooden communal table in the art-gallery-like main dining room, although reservations can also be made for two private dining areas upstairs.

Other Mexican Epicurean Eats

The Michelin two-star Californios in San Francisco;

Corima on New York’s Lower East Side and Oxomoco in Brooklyn’s Greenpoint neighborhood;

Topolobampo in Chicago’s River North area;

El Cielo by Juan Manuel Barrientos in Miami and Washington DC;

Pujol and Quintonil in Mexico City’s trendy Polanco district;

Cocina de Autor in Los Cabos in southern Baja;

Fauna Restaurante in the Valle de Guadalupe of northern Baja.