Gabriela Cámara's Contramar has been the most coveted lunch reservation in Mexico City for two decades. The room is bright, white, and almost always full of well-dressed media and political types; the menu is short and never changes. The signature dish — the tuna tostada, a slice of raw tuna on a thin tortilla with avocado, chipotle, and crispy onions — has been imitated worldwide and rarely matched.
The other not-to-miss is the pescado a la talla: a butterflied red snapper grilled with red mole on one side and parsley-garlic salsa on the other, served whole for two to share. Lunch service only; reservations needed days ahead.