A Table At
Rosetta
The dining room at Rosetta, with a tree growing right through it.
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The dining room at Rosetta, with a tree growing right through it.
You walk in through a carved wooden door on Colima, and the city noise simply falls away. Inside, it’s all weathered beams, soft light and walls painted with vines and little birds, with a tree growing straight up through the middle of one dining room. If you can, ask for a table beside it; in the evening, there are lights strung through its branches.
This is Elena Reygadas’s restaurant, opened in 2010, and the woman behind it was named the World’s Best Female Chef in 2023. Rosetta earned its Michelin star in 2024. Her cooking is Italian technique with a Mexican soul: seasonal, built around small farms in and around the city, and quietly brilliant.
I booked a lunch table about three weeks out and went on my own, which turned out to be a lovely way to do it. My server suggested half portions so I could taste more of the menu, and that’s my first tip for you: order halves and share as much as you can.
Start with the Savoy cabbage tacos in pistachio sauce. They were a revelation: little herb-filled parcels, bright and green and completely unexpected.
Then the pasta, which is where Rosetta really shines. The pappardelle with chicken livers and sage was the dish of my trip: rich, almost foie gras-like, the pasta cooked perfectly. The tagliatelle with Italian sausage and chile de árbol was beautifully balanced too, but if you only order one, make it the pappardelle.
The sea bass, baked in sea salt with herbs and samphire and served over greens with olive oil, was clean and lovely, exactly what you want between richer plates.
Save room, because dessert is the grand finale. The Melipona honey jelly with brown butter vanilla ice cream was nothing short of spectacular. And on your way out, walk down the street to Panadería Rosetta, Elena’s bakery, for the famous guava roll.
A few insider notes. Lunch or an early dinner is the sweet spot, for the light and for getting a table. Upstairs, Salón Rosetta is a moody little bar; I’d order a glass of wine there rather than the signature cocktails. And the menu changes often with the seasons, so ask your server what’s best that day.
Rosetta tables go fast. When I plan Mexico City for clients, I take care of the reservations that are hard to get, here and at the city’s other great tables, and build the days around them. My agency, Coco Tran Travel, can do the same for you.
Inquire about a Mexico City food itinerary
Pair it with a slow morning at Biblioteca Vasconcelos, or see where Rosetta fits into my three days in Mexico City.
The pappardelle with chicken livers and sage.
Finishing touches at the table.
Sea bass baked in sea salt, over greens.