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I’m so excited to share my San Miguel de Allende Travel Guide!
Our trip to San Miguel de Allende was absolutely magical AND delicious. This colonial-era city in Mexico’s central highlands is known for its baroque Spanish architecture, thriving arts scene, and cultural festivals. The cobblestoned streets will lead you to endless adventures and fantastic restaurants all over the city!
If you love to travel and you love food, make sure you put San Miguel de Allende at the top of your list of places to go. I’ve always been told of its magical vibes and delicious restaurants, and I have to say, it exceeded all of my expectations! My entire family loved our visit, and we cannot wait to come back.
As I mentioned, the city is filled with delicious restaurants around every corner, so I obviously wasn’t able to eat at each of these spots. However, with recommendations from foodie friends that visit San Miguel de Allende often and from asking you all about your favorite spots, I’ve compiled everything into one San Miguel de Allende Travel Guide! There is an abundance of delicious restaurants in San Miguel, so if I am missing your favorites, please let everyone know in the comments below!!
WHERE TO EAT + DRINK
Breakfast + Coffee:
- Mamma Mia – breakfast cafe
- Lavanda Cafe – well-known local joint with breakfast and coffee (worth the wait)
- Cafe Rama – great breakfast, reservation needed (next to the Rosewood)
- Cumpanio – great pastries and delicious breakfast
- Panio – great coffee and breakfast (can get food to go and enjoy in the park)
- Kibok Coffee SMA
- Marsala – perfect Sunday brunch spot
- Rosewood Hotel – great Sunday Brunch
- Garambullo
- San Agustin – great coffee and churros
Lunch/Dinner:
- Inside Cafe
- La Unica – nice scene and party music; ask for the rooftop to enjoy the sunset. More of a party restaurant on the weekends, weekdays are quieter.
- Luna – great rooftop on top of Rosewood Hotel with tapas; be sure to book around sunset
- Quince – voted the best rooftop in the world, another to make sure to book around sunset!
- La Posadita – great Mexican food and views, right next to Quince rooftop
- Tostevere – amazing tapas
- Atrio – more upscale but fantastic food and ambiance
- Don Taco Tequila – cute cocktail bar with vegan tacos and bites
- Mercado Del Carmen – awesome food hall with a ton of choices (closed on Mondays)
- Aperi – chef’s table is amazing
- La Parada – great Peruvian cuisine, known for their ceviche
- La Grotta San Miguel – great pizza, atmosphere, and rooftop
- Casa Nostra – Italian spot
- Restaurante del Parque – best mole, great lunch spot
- Fatima – Mediterranean food, cool rooftop for lunch or dinner
- Zumo – amazing view of the city, great dinner spot and rooftop (great for just drinks and apps)
- Carajillo San Miguel – our nanny, Martha’s, favorite
- The Restaurant– an upscale vibe, more formal. Thursday is the casual night and they have a great burger menu! Every night is great though.
- Zibu Allende – Mexican-Thai fusion
- Mi Bistro 300
- Antonia – great view up on the hill
- Raices Restaurante SMA – amazing modern Mexican food
Night Out/Post-Dinner:
- Bekeb Artisanal Mixology – rooftop bar for cocktails
- DUKE – a fun nightclub recommended by friends; great on Fridays and Saturdays
- Don Benjamin – a more typical Mexican cantina that if you go with a large group can be really fun! The owner, Benjamin, plays on the weekends on a small stage with his guitar and people jump on stage and sing along, which is fun to see.
- La Garrafa Nieves Ice Cream – not a bar, but a fun stop for post-dinner ice cream!
WHERE TO VISIT
- El Jardin – San Miguel’s central plaza. Explore the lively town center, stop into Parroquia de San Miguel Arcangel which can be seen from most parts of town, walk into the side streets for unique and authentic shopping.
- Shopping: The entire city of San Miguel de Allende is filled with amazing artisan shops where you can pop in as you walk around the city. Here are some beautiful shops we stopped into:
- Take a Cooking Class – Sazon Cooking School is a great option as all classes include a tour of the San Miguel Market with their chef and gourmet tasting session.
- Tequila Tasting – Casa Dragones
- Wineries:
- La Santisima Trinidad (winery tour and lunch) – about 15 minutes by car from downtown, you can stop in Atotonilco town to see the church
- Tres Raices (winery tour and lunch)
- Art Galleries: The city is also filled with beautiful art galleries. A few include:
WHERE TO STAY
San Miguel de Allende is filled with beautiful hotels, but it is also known to have outstanding AirBnB rentals, so keep that in mind!
- Rosewood San Miguel – this is where we stayed on our trip and it was hands down one of the most beautiful hotel properties I have ever stayed in! Incredible rooms and even more incredible service — incredible everything!
- Casa No Name
- Matilda
- Dos Casas
- Nena
- Casalinda
- Clandestino
- Casa Colibri
- Casa Nare
GENERAL TIPS
- San Miguel is very casual, so you can dress accordingly. Don’t even bother packing heels or wedges, as you would look like a fool walking through the cobblestone streets and you’d likely sprain an ankle. But, if you are booking at one of the more higher-end restaurants, do keep that in mind with any dress code requirements.
- Have some pesos ready, you’ll need them for small shops, taxis, and items around the plaza!
- There are sometimes Uber, but your best option is walking and taxis.
- Airport: We flew in to BJX (Leon) because we went to a wedding in Leon before we went to San Miguel. It’s about 1.5 hour drive from BJX. I do know that there is a little bit closer airport Santiago de Querétaro (QRO) that is another option. You will need to book a car service from the airport to San Miguel, which we booked through our Hotel.
I hope this helps as you plan your own visit to San Miguel de Allende and if you have visited, please share any additional recommendations in the comments below!
Would you recommend making dinner reservations or can you walk in places?
You can walk in to a lot of restaurants, but I would try making reservations to be safe if you are planning ahead.
Absolutely love San Miguel! My husbands grandfather lived on the Art Institute property for many years.
I fell in love with the city: the doors, the history, the food, the people, the beautiful pottery and art we saw everywhere we went. It was delightful and so many x-pats live there along with a language school.
Truly an incredible Mexican city.
It’s such a charming, beautiful city!
How many days/nights are enough to explore SMA? How long were you there? Planning for April – thanks!
Hi Elaine,
we were there 3 full days, 2 nights– I wish we would have at least 3 nights! San Miguel is one of those places you can do in 2 nights, or you’d be happy and content staying for a full week to relax and chill, eat, drink, and be merry! Can’t go wrong. But i’d do 3 nights next time 🙂
Thanks for sharing this! Do you think this would be a good trip to take with a baby? (8mo)
Wonderful list of all things SMA! My in-laws retired there years ago and we love it! The secret of how wonderful it is has been out for a few years now. 😉
Cien Fuego and Bastardo restaurants are some of our favs too. They are right next to each other a little outside of Centro. Casa Dragones is 100% the best too. We are going back in February and I can’t wait. Going to try a few places you listed that we haven’t been to yet.
amazing, thank you so much for sharing!!
I am curious what airport you flew into and how you got to town?
Hi! so I flew in to BJX (Leon) because we went to a wedding in Leon before we went to San Miguel. It’s about 1.5 hour drive from BJX. I do know that there is a little bit closer airport Santiago de Querétaro (QRO) that we would likely fly into next time.
Great guide, thank you Alex! How did you get there? Did you flew to Mexico City and then drove to San Miguel?
Hi! so I flew in to BJX (Leon) because we went to a wedding in Leon before we went to San Miguel. It’s about 1.5 hour drive from BJX. I do know that there is a little bit closer airport Santiago de Querétaro (QRO) that we would likely fly into next time.
You missed cooking with Paco! It is so fun!!! One of my favorite things to do in San Miguel!