Because of the regular influx of wealthy tourists, both foreign and domestic, San Miguel de Allende has an abundance of fine restaurants. I found it difficult to decide which to omit from my itinerary; there were so many tempting options. Since I prefer to explore local cuisine as much as possible, I passed over Peruvian and Italian restaurants, among most other non-Mexican choices. In addition, I wanted to make sure that all the selections had a memorable atmosphere. San Miguel is blessed with too much historic architecture and too many panoramic roof terraces to waste time in banal spaces.

In addition to the Cuna de Tierra winery and the fine restaurants at The Essentia Hotel and the Hotel Casa Blanca 7, these were my favorite culinary discoveries on this visit to San Miguel de Allende.

Áperi

It makes sense that such a resolutely contemporary restaurant would make its home in Dos Casas Hotel & Spa, a member of Design Hotels. We had a table in the minimalist courtyard beneath a tree, and I ordered a tasty cocktail of Montelobos Mezcal (one of my favorite brands) with tamarind purée and mint syrup to sip as I considered what to order. Rather than sit through a tasting menu — I wasn’t feeling patient enough for eight courses — I made à la carte selections. The beef tongue taco with red onion marmalade and mustard greens was delectably tender, but the spaghetti caponata was a disaster, with overcooked pasta adjacent to unincorporated eggplant and tomato. I ordered a glass of austere Bodegas Henri Lurton Sauvignon Blanc from Mexico’s Guadalupe Valley to steel myself for the next course: sustainably farmed mojarra with squash blossoms, zucchini, pumpkin and a sauce of hoja santa, a local herb. Fortunately, this pretty dish was much better, with savory fish and brightly flavored vegetables. A dessert of carrot Tatin with guanabana ice cream was a fine finish to a mostly delicious meal. Closed Tuesday.