Azul Histórico

Chef Ricardo Muñoz Zurita has several restaurants in the Mexican capital, and the best of them is Azul Histórico, located in the Downtown México hotel and retail complex in the Centro Histórico neighborhood. The setting is atmospheric: rough-hewn wooden tables sit on a stone courtyard of the 17th-century building, surrounded by trees draped with lights. Nearby, women prepare tortillas by hand within the view of diners and servers bring baskets of the still-warm tortillas to tables, where they'll accompany dishes such as cochinita pibil (pit-roasted pig that's made in the traditional style of the Yucatán Peninsula), and one of several moles, including one named "manchamanteles" (literally: "tablecloth stainer"). The restaurant is a favorite among locals, who make reservations here for special celebrations and business meetings, as well as out-of-towners in the know.