Restaurant in Mexico City, Mexico
OAD-ranked cochinita pibil, no reservation needed.
El Turix is one of Polanco's most consistently recognised value picks, ranking #52 on Opinionated About Dining's Cheap Eats North America list in 2025 — its third consecutive appearance. With a 4.3 Google rating across more than 5,000 reviews and a walk-in format, it earns its place as a reliable, low-overhead meal in a neighbourhood where most good options require planning.
The common assumption about El Turix is that it's a casual Polanco pit stop — the kind of place you stumble into once and don't think much about again. That reading undersells it. El Turix has ranked on Opinionated About Dining's Cheap Eats in North America list three consecutive years running (ranked #86 in 2023, #87 in 2024, and climbing to #52 in 2025), which puts it in a different conversation entirely. This is not an accident of location. If you've been once and moved on, there's a case for going back with more intention.
Walk into El Turix during a weekday lunch and the energy is immediate: tables turning, conversations overlapping, the kind of low-level noise that signals a room full of regulars rather than tourists working through a list. The atmosphere is canteen-warm rather than formal, which is part of the point. Polanco has no shortage of venues that ask you to slow down and dress up. El Turix moves at a different pace, and that's a feature, not a compromise.
For a first return visit, the goal is to get past whatever you ordered the first time. The cuisine is Mexican, rooted in the kind of cooking that doesn't require a tasting menu to make its point. The menu isn't documented in our data, so specific dish recommendations would be guesswork — but the OAD ranking trajectory (three consecutive placements, moving upward) signals consistent kitchen execution, not a one-year fluke. That consistency is worth testing across visits.
On a second visit, shift your timing. El Turix runs Monday through Friday from noon to midnight, with Saturday and Sunday closing at 11 pm. The room reads differently at different hours. The lunch crowd tends toward people who live and work nearby. Evening brings a slightly different mix. If your first visit was midday, an early evening return gives you a different read on the space , and potentially a different pace of service.
A third visit is where El Turix earns its place in your Mexico City rotation versus being a one-off. By then you have enough reference points to judge the consistency that OAD's repeated rankings imply. At the cheap eats price tier, the bar for value is easier to clear , but the bar for repeat relevance is higher. The fact that it keeps appearing on that list suggests the kitchen isn't coasting.
Google's 4.3 rating across 5,371 reviews adds a volume layer to the OAD signal. A high rating on 500 reviews means something; on 5,371 it means considerably more. The two signals together , specialist critic recognition and sustained public approval , suggest El Turix is doing something consistently right at a price point where consistency is often the first casualty.
If you're building a Mexico City itinerary and want to map El Turix against your other meals, it sits at the practical, high-value end of the spectrum. It is not competing with Pujol or Em for occasion dining. It's competing for the slots in your week where you want food that's worth eating without the planning overhead. For more on building a Mexico City restaurant week, see our full Mexico City restaurants guide.
Worth noting for broader Mexico planning: if El Turix represents the casual, value-anchored end of your trip, the fine-dining counterweights elsewhere in Mexico include Animalón in Valle de Guadalupe, Le Chique in Puerto Morelos, and Levadura de Olla in Oaxaca , all operating at a very different price and format register.
Booking difficulty here is low. El Turix operates as a walk-in-friendly venue in Polanco, open seven days a week from noon onward. No reservations system or booking method is listed in our data. The address is Av. Emilio Castelar 212, Polanco III Secc, Miguel Hidalgo , direct to reach from most Polanco hotels. For where to stay nearby, see our Mexico City hotels guide.
For after-dinner options in the area, our Mexico City bars guide covers the full range. If you're planning a broader trip, our Mexico City experiences guide and wineries guide are useful companion reads.
Quick reference: Walk-in, Polanco, open daily from noon (midnight close weekdays, 11 pm weekends), cheap eats tier.
See the section below for a full peer comparison.
| Venue | Cuisine | Price | Awards | Booking Difficulty | Value |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| El Turix | Mexican | Opinionated About Dining Cheap Eats in North America Ranked #52 (2025); Opinionated About Dining Cheap Eats in North America Ranked #87 (2024); Opinionated About Dining Cheap Eats in North America in Ranked #86 (2023) | Easy | — | |
| Pujol | Mexican | $$$$ | Michelin 2 Star, World's 50 Best | Unknown | — |
| Quintonil | Modern Mexican, Contemporary | $$$$ | Michelin 2 Star, World's 50 Best | Unknown | — |
| Rosetta | Italian, Creative | $$ | Michelin 1 Star, World's 50 Best | Unknown | — |
| Em | Mexican | $$$ | Michelin 1 Star | Unknown | — |
| Lorea | Modern Mexican, Mexican | $$$ | Unknown | — |
What to weigh when choosing between El Turix and alternatives.
Lunch is the stronger call. Walk-in crowds are highest midday, which is a reliable indicator of kitchen momentum at a venue like this. El Turix is open from noon daily, and the OAD Cheap Eats recognition — ranked #52 in North America for 2025 — applies to the full operation, not a specific service. That said, the venue runs until midnight Monday through Friday, so a later visit is workable if midday doesn't fit your schedule.
If you want to stay in the affordable, high-conviction category, El Turix sits at the sharper end of Mexico City's casual Mexican scene, backed by three consecutive OAD Cheap Eats rankings. For a step up in format and spend, Pujol and Quintonil are the obvious moves — tasting menus, reservations required well in advance, and a fundamentally different experience. Rosetta works if you want something between the two: chef-driven, sit-down, but not full omakase territory.
El Turix is walk-in only with no documented reservations system, which makes large groups a practical risk during peak lunch hours. Smaller groups of two to four should have no trouble getting seated; larger parties should aim for off-peak times — mid-afternoon on a weekday is the safest window given the noon-to-midnight Monday-Friday hours.
Not in the conventional sense. El Turix is a high-quality casual venue — OAD Cheap Eats ranked, walk-in format, no listed reservations — which makes it a poor fit for celebratory dinners where atmosphere, pacing, and table certainty matter. For a special occasion in Mexico City, Pujol or Quintonil are the practical alternatives. El Turix earns its visit as a deliberate eating decision, not a celebration backdrop.
Bar seating availability at El Turix is not documented in the venue record, so this can change. Given the walk-in, casual format and the consistent crowd volume the OAD recognition implies, counter or bar-adjacent seating is plausible — but arrive with flexibility on where you'll sit rather than counting on a specific spot. Check the venue's official channels for the latest details.
Keep this venue in your Pearl passport, rate it after you visit, and track it alongside every other place you collect.
