3 Best Restaurants in Chiapas and Tabasco, Mexico

The presence of an authentic Argentine steak house confirms Tuxtla's status as a cosmopolitan city. The dark, elegant room is appropriate for the serious meat and wine list, which includes good Argentine and Mexican selections. Rich, tender mollejas (sweetbreads) are a good bet for starters. The steaks are grilled by parrilleros (grill masters) in the front of the restaurant.

Polished wood, crimson carpets, and hanging lanterns are the backdrop at this restaurant inside the Hyatt; some entrées, like tamarind duck, have an Asian flair. But the food here is better termed international, especially on Wednesday and Thursday. Start with the paper-thin carpaccio before the garlic shrimp.

This downtown spot has an outstanding variety of regional dishes, including pechuga jacuané (chicken breast stuffed with black beans and smothered with an herb sauce). Red-sashed waiters hoot and holler when someone orders pompo, a punch made with mineral water, pineapple juice, lemon juice—and lots of vodka. The big draw is live marimba music in the afternoon and evening. From 9 pm to 10 pm on weekends folk dancers take to the floor.