Mexico City is one of the most vibrant cities in the world! This bustling city mixes historical culture with modern twists. Here you will find skyscrapers next to Aztec temple ruins. It also boasts some of the best food in the world. That’s why Mexico is at the top of every foodie’s must visit list! There are so many incredible places to dine and drink in Mexico City and this list barely scratches the surface. But here are some of our favorite things we ate, drank, and did Mexico City.
To Stay:
Casa Emilia
Río Ebro 51, Cuauhtémoc, 06500 Ciudad de México, CDMX
An oasis in the city. We loved staying at Casa Emilia. Since Mexico City is so big we decided to split up our time in two hotels, in two different neighborhoods. Casa Emilia is located in “Little Tokyo” area and was in a central location, walking distance from lots of restaurants, bars, parks & museums.
We loved all the greenery in the middle of the building. With only 7 rooms this cute bed and breakfast was the perfect place to return to and relax after a long day exploring the city.
Ignacia Guest House
Jalapa 208, Roma Nte., Cuauhtémoc, 06700 Ciudad de México, CDMX
Our second stay was in Roma Norte at a beautifully chic hotel called Ignacia Guest House. Each room is decorated in a different color, ours was the green room. We loved the location of this hotel and especially loved the Roma Norte neighborhood. There are tons of lively bars and incredible restaurants around every corner here
Each morning we would have breakfast which changed daily in the cute little courtyard of the hotel. The chef made us breakfast sopes with beans, rice and fruit that was delicious.
To Eat:
Taquería Orinoco
Av. Álvaro Obregón 179, Roma Nte., Cuauhtémoc, 06700 Ciudad de México
Our favorite tacos of the trip were at this no frills taco shop! There are two locations which makes it a must-stop taco shop in Mexico City. They are famous for their chicharrón (fried pork belly) tacos which were insanely flavorful. We also loved the al pastor which is cooked on a giant spinning rotisserie. The salsas and cremas added the perfect kick of heat too. If we could recommend one taco spot this would be it!
Contramar & Entremar
Calle de Durango 200, Roma Nte., Cuauhtémoc, 06700, CDMX & Hegel 307, Polanco V Secc, Miguel Hidalgo, 11560 Ciudad de México, CDMX, Mexico
This ultra chic sister seafood restaurants are popular for good reason. They both have the same menu items, including their famous picture perfect tuna tostadas. They were one of our favorite bites of food on our entire trip, we loved the crispy onions and the tuna melted in our mouth! We also had the green aguachile which had fish, shrimp, octopus, scallops, pickled red onions and cucumbers marinated in a salsa verde broth. It was cold, crisp, citrusy and spicy. They are also know for their whole grilled red snapper which is half in a verde sauce and half in a red sauce. We made a reservation so we made sure we could get in but they also accept walk ins if you are willing to wait.
Pujol
Tennyson 133, Polanco, Polanco IV Secc, Miguel Hidalgo, 11550, CDMX
As soon as we booked our flights to Mexico City we made reservations at Pujol. Ranked the 9th best restaurant in the world in 2021, we couldn’t wait to dine here. The 7 course tasting menu by Chef Enrique Olvera was as beautiful as it was delicious; focusing on Mexican ingredients, history & gastronomy. The service was impeccable and we loved our table which gave us a glimpse into the kitchen.
The famous madre mole which was 2,660 days old was a highlight and to finish the meal was the most delicious churro we’ve ever had. We got a quick tour of the kitchen and the smiles in the photo below say it all. A meal we will never forget!
El Pescadito
C. Atlixco 38, Colonia Condesa, Cuauhtémoc, 06140 Ciudad de México, CDMX, Mexico
The best fish tacos we had were at this unassuming neighborhood taco spot near Parque España. We loved the fried fish and shrimp tacos with all the salsas and toppings which are self serve. We washed them down with some cold beers and afterwards walked through the park, a perfect cheap lunch spot.
La Opera
Av. 5 de Mayo #10, Centro Histórico, CDMX, Mexico
This beautiful historical restaurant can be found in the downtown centro area, near the Palacio de Bellas Artes. You will feel like you’ve stepped right back into the 1870’s when you walk inside and see the intricate tiled floors and ornate ceilings. They are known for their table-side shaken carajillo cocktails and a tequila shots with their spicy sangrita or tomato juice chaser.
Maximo Bistrot
Av. Álvaro Obregón 65, Jardín, 87330 Heroica Matamoros, Tamps., Mexico
We had a lovely dinner at Maximo Bistro. This farm to table restaurant served French inspired dishes made with Mexican grown ingredients. This is place is on all the Mexico City foodie lists and reservations aren’t easy to get. In the center of the low lit dining room is a large tree which is the centerpiece of the area surrounded by rustic farm tables. A perfect foodies date night out in Mexico City.
Rokai Ramen-Ya & Hiyoko Izakaya
Río Ebro 89, Cuauhtémoc, 06500 Ciudad de México, CDMX, Mexico
The second largest fish market in the world is in Mexico City which in turn means that there is some of the freshest fish served here, mainly some badass sushi. A restaurant group Edo Kobyashi from Japan has opened dozens of restaurants and bars in CDMX focusing on highlighting this abundance of fresh fish. We ate at Rokai Ramen-Ya and Hiyoko Izakaya and could have sworn we teleported to Tokyo. Incredible sushi isn’t something you expect to find in Mexico City but you will be missing out if you don’t seek it out.
Jenni’s Street Quesadillas
Merida 83, Roma Mexico City
This unassuming street food stall with a small flat top grill, table and umbrella sits on the corner of Merida & Colima streets and is famous for its gourmet quesadilla with homemade blue corn tortillas. The quesadillas are made fresh to order can can be filled with various toppings like chicken, pulled pork, mushrooms, salsa, guacamole & peppers.
Cafebrería El Péndulo
This bookstore and cafe in Polanco is a great place to stop for breakfast or a coffee to start your day while browsing the great selection of books.
Fonda Fina
We learned in our cooking class that a Fonda is a restaurant that has good homestyle mexican cooking. We ate here one night and enjoyed a great authentic Mexican meal. They have Chile En Nogada which is sometimes considered the national dish of Mexico. Chile En Nogada is poblano chiles stuffed with shredded meat and topped with a walnut-based cream sauce called nogada and pomegranate seeds.
Photo by Fonda Fina
Panadería Rosetta
This charming little pastry shop in Roma serves freshly baked traditional European pastries, breads, and desserts. Come early to avoid the lines and grab one of the most sought after pastries in Mexico City.
Photo by Panaderis Rosetta
Churrería El Moro
The famous churro chain has multiple locations around the city to find the most delicious churros.
Birria Colorado
We had the most mouth watering quesabirria tacos from this little taco stall. We loved the slow roasted shredded meat with melted cheese and the richly flavorful consomé broth to dip your tacos in. Absolutely delicious.
Los Cocuyos
The “Firefly” this unassuming hole in the wall taco shop has some of the best al pastor tacos around. It’s open 24/7 and is nicknamed the firefly because of how it lights up at night and is always swarmed with patrons.
To Do:
Taco Tour with Tengo Hombre
One of the best things we did in Mexico City was book the “After Dark Taco Tour” with Club Tengo Hombre. This tour took us around to some incredible little tacos spots that we wouldn’t have found on our own. Besides just eating tacos, we stopped at some fun bars with our newly made friends in our tour and learned a bit about the history of the Centro area. Would highly recommend for a fun night out in CDMX!
Cooking class at Casa Jacaranda
One of the best cooking classes we've ever done! We learned so much about Mexican cuisine and ingredients during the market tour and then had a fabulous day in the kitchen. We felt taken care of all day and were offered beers, water and snacks whenever we wanted. It was definitely an immersive experience. We cooked the most incredible dishes in the most beautiful kitchen. The highlight was the green mole tamales in banana leaves that we made from scratch. We would definitely recommend this cooking class to people who love to cook and want to learn more about Mexican cuisine.
Frida Kahlo Museum & Coyoacan Market
We loved visiting the Frida Kahlo museum, also known as "Casa Azul.” This is where Frida Kahlo was born, raised, lived, and died. Inside the house you can see paintings by Frida and her husband, Diego Rivera. The home has been carefully preserved showing her furniture, bed, clothing and even the paints and paintbrushes she used. It’s fun to imagine Frida sitting in her bedroom painting. Her husband and her were revolutionary and we learned so much about them. After visiting Casa Azul walk over to Coyoacan Market for lunch and some shopping. This bustling market has tons of shops selling clothing, jewelry, accessories, clothing, textiles and more. There are tons of food stalls strewn throughout the market to choose from for an authentic Mexican lunch.
Museo Nacional de Antropología
This massive building holds the Mueseo Nacional de Antropologia, the world's largest collection of ancient Mexican artifacts. We spent and entire afternoon here and didn’t even see it all. We loved looking at the ancient Mayan statues and artifacts. Any trip to Mexico City wouldn’t be complete without a visit to this extraordinary museum.
Templo Mayor
Templo Mayor is in the center of Mexico City. It is ruins that from the ancient city of Tenochtitlán, the ancient Aztec capital. Built in 1325 the temple was mowed over by the Spanish conquest in 1521 where the built a cathedral in it’s place. It is amazing to still see the ruins of this famous ancient city today right in the heart of modern Mexico City.
Parque México & Parque España
The most beautiful parks in Condesa. We loved watching the dog walkers and always stopped by the dog park areas and to see the dogs run and play. We spent some time here taking in the local life of Mexico City under the the shade of the vast array of plants and trees. After spending time in the parks we walked to El Pescadito to have some fish tacos.
Mercado Medellin
Super old local covered market in Roma, selling local produce, spices, mole, hot sauces, cheese and more! This place has all the local Mexican food you could ask for and is where local restaurants come to shop. We did our food tour through here, bought some hot sauces and dried peppers and got some carnitas tacos at a small stall which were delicious.
Mercado Roma
This market in Roma Norte is a rad food hall with a rooftop beer garden. There are tons of different restaurants and bars to choose from. There are local artisans selling things and along this street and in the area are some fantastic vintage shops. You should definitely take an afternoon and wander around the Roma Norte and Condesa neighborhoods. They are colorful with amazing trees and greenery lining the sidewalks, our favorite area of Mexico City
To Drink:
Tokyo Music Bar
A record listening bar with fun and creative cocktails. We loved our evening spent here sipping on our drinks and listening to funky tunes.
Gin Gin
There are a few different Gin Gin bars throughout Mexico City and they are popular for good reason. Good ambience, good drinks focusing on gin, good music, good vibes all around.
La Clandestina
Av. Álvaro Obregón 298, Colonia Condesa, Cuauhtémoc, 06140 Ciudad de México, CDMX, Mexico
Hidden in the streets of Condesa is this amazing little mezcal bar. With a huge variety of mezcal from all over Mexico from different regions we recommend doing a mezcal tasting. This bar is always popping and a great time!
Supra Roma Rooftop
Av. Álvaro Obregón 151, Roma Nte., Cuauhtémoc, 06700 Ciudad de México, CDMX, Mexico
To get a fantastic view of Mexico City seek out one of it’s rooftop bars! Supra was a little hard to find but once we took the elevator to the top of the building we found a chic little rooftop bar and restaurant that wrapped around the building. The views here for sunset would be fantastic, sipping on a cocktail and watching day turn to night as the lights come on in the city below.
Licorería Limantour
Av. Álvaro Obregón 106, Roma Nte., Cuauhtémoc, 06700 Ciudad de México, CDMX
With two locations, one in Roma Norte and one in Polanco these bars are consistently ranked the best in the world. With knowledgeable staff of mixologists these cocktails are unique and made with fresh and fun ingredients.
We loved Mexico City and are already planning our next trip back!
Ciao!
Jeff & Angela
