A Short Guide to Mexico City
A curated collection of my favorite things in CDMX perfect for a long weekend exploring the city.
Art
Museo Rufino Tamayo (Chapultepec Park) — ~$3 USD (free Sundays) — Really cool contemporary art museum in the park.
Casa Luis Barragán (Miguel Hidalgo District) — ~$20 USD which is really expensive for CDMX, but totally inspiring and well worth it. — The house of artist Luis Barragán, a Mexican architect and engineer who built some really cool houses. These tours fill up fast, so try to book at least a month in advance. Also pay the extra $$ to take photos inside the house; I regretted not doing that.
Kurimanzutto Gallery (San Miguel Chapultepec) — Free — Nondescript on the outside so you might have to buzz in if the front door is closed. They promote contemporary art in Mexico City. Nice bright place to stop by. There’s also a place across the street with great chilaquiles, matcha lattes, and waffles called La Ventanita. Slow service, but great food and this stop is very close to Casa Luis Barragán.
Frida Khalo’s House (Coyoacán) — $12 USD — Buy tickets online for a specific time; don’t wait in line like a sucker. If you do end up waiting in line, there is a coconut stand across the street to quench your thirst. Also while you’re there, walk around Coyoacán as it is a cool neighborhood.
Diego Rivera Murals at Palacio Nacional (Centro) — Free — If you are in the city center definitely check these out. You might have to wait in line for a bit. Also make sure to bring an ID as they will not let you in without one.
Culture
Sunday Bike Day (Paseo de Reforma) — Every Sunday the central boulevard Reforma closes to car traffic and allows bikers and running to take over the streets. Avenida Mazatlan in Condesa is also closed and is a good street to bike on until you reach Reforma. It is awesome with music a ton of people biking and running and people at every intersection to make sure people are safe from cars. If you would rather not run, you can get a 24 hour city bike share pass for ~$5 and there are stations everywhere throughout the city. Note that only certain stations allow you to sign up for the 24 hour pass, but once you have it you can unlock a bike at any station.
Dogs — There are dogs everywhere in Mexico City and not strays. Pure bred beautiful dogs. You can see tons of dogs especially in the Condesa parks. If you are out on a weekday you might even hit the jackpot and see some dog walkers. Parque México has a dog park and is a great place to go people/dog watch.
Bosque de Chapultepec (Miguel Hidalgo) — A 1,695 acre park in the center of Mexico City. There are museums, a castle (Romeo & Juliet was filmed here), a lake with paddle boats, stands selling Mexican snacks, and much more. Give yourself plenty of time to explore the park as it is quite large. A great place to bike or run.
Teotihuacan (San Juan Teotihuacán) — An ancient city with pyramids. This is a day trip that takes pretty much the entire day, but worth it if you have a day to spare. Take a bus to the city and explore the ruins. You can climb up the pyramids so wear comfortable shoes. There is a restaurant called La Gruta right near the pyramids that is inside a cave. It is unlike any restaurant you’ve ever been to and worth it for the atmosphere. Food is just OK and overpriced for Mexico City standard but it is worth the visit and there is not much other food in the area.
Lucha Libre (Doctores) — Mexican wrestling is a very unique experience. It is definitely more fun than it sounds as it is pretty hilarious, but probably not for everyone. I would recommend not getting the cheapest seats but somewhere in the middle or towards the front. If you are craving instant ramen, pizza, popcorn with hot sauce, or potato chips then you’ve come to the right place. No need to buy tickets in advance, it probably won’t sell out.
Coffee
Coffee in Mexico City is starting to get popular much like San Francisco with a lot of really hip shops popping up all over the city. Unfortunately most locals still frequent places like Starbucks. I did not find any coffee in CDMX that I loved as it tasted either watered down or bitter. One shop I enjoyed was Chiquitito Café (Condesa), nice vibe and pretty good coffee.
A type of coffee I had never had before is Café de Olla a traditional Mexican coffee beverage that I would compare to a Blue Bottle New Orleans style coffee (without milk). Café de olla is prepared with cinnamon, some other spices and sweetened with sugar, it is quite sweet but delicious. Café de olla is served at most traditional Mexican breakfast places.
Tacos
El Farolito (Condesa) — No, this is not the San Francisco mission El Farolito. Great tacos (everything from chicken el pastor to veggie), good selection of salsa and they do takeout really well. If you find yourself wanting delivery during your stay, El Farolito is on UberEats and the delivery fee is only $1.50 USD.
Por Siempre Vegana Taquería (Condesa) — These vegan street tacos might be my favorite tacos in Mexico City. They have 3 kinds of bases; mushrooms, soy, and wheat. I really enjoyed the el pastor and the other taco I ate (no idea what the second one was). This is a must especially if you are vegetarian or vegan.
El Rey (Polanco) — The suadero (beef) taco was one of the best I’ve had. Street taco style with a ton of flavor, fresh salsa, onions, radishes and cilantro. Be careful, the salsa here is hot!
Drinks
El Mayor (Centro/Historic District) — Rooftop restaurant/bar that overlooks the ruins in the historic district. In real estate they always say “Location Location Location”, which is definitely true about this place as their drinks are pretty terrible. Definitely worth sucking down a drink for the view as it will cost you less than a meal in the restaurant.
Blanco Colima (Roma Norte) — Really nice place for an afternoon cocktail in a beautiful space with a lot of natural light. Be sure to dress up a little aka don’t walk in wearing athleasure. Good drinks and great vibe.
Pujol (Polanco) — Restaurant by Enrique Olvera and rated the 20th best restaurant in the world. If you don’t want to pay for the ~$110 for the tasting menu (not including drinks) or you can’t get a reservation I would definitely recommend going for a drink. They have a bar in the backyard and sat us by a fire pit for the evening to have cocktails. Cocktails run around $20 USD, but totally worth it for the vibe. It feels like you are sitting in the backyard of a midcentury modern LA mansion, very pleasant and amazing lighting. Do yourself a favor and order the mezcal and tonic, as for the food unfortunately I cannot speak for.
Food
El Cardenal (Centro/Historic District) — The best mole I’ve ever eaten. They have a few different kinds and they are all good. The bread basket was also very memorable. Keep in mind Mexicans like to enjoy long late lunches and therefore a lot of restaurants will close around 6pm. Go to El Cardenal for lunch and have the best mole you’ve ever had.
Molino “El Pujol” (Condesa) — Another restaurant by Enrique Olvera, but this one is way more casual than Pujol. Only a few breakfast/lunch items on the menu and 6 seats at the bar. The food is delicious! Go for breakfast and order the tamale, which is about $1.50 USD fresh veggies in it and unlike any other tamale I’ve ever eaten. Drench the tamale in their delicious green salsa. Also get the avocado taco and cafe de olla. Breakfast is served until noon. Definitely don’t miss out on this one.
Fonda Margarita (Tlacoquemecatl del Valle) — Breakfast at Fonda Margarita is one of the most authentic Mexican feeling things I’ve have done in Mexico City. They open at 5:30am and close at 11:30am, go early (8am) if you want to beat the rush or you’ll end up waiting in line for ~30 min. Order the frijoles refritos con huevo, which looks gross but tastes delicious slathered on a fresh corn tortilla and drenched in salsa. The chilaquiles con huevos are also delicious. Order café de olla here to go with your breakfast. People also like the chicharrones soup, but that didn’t sound very appetizing.
El Moro (Condesa/Centro) — Churros! The best churros I’ve had. Be aware that the consistency varies by location. I’ve found that the original location in Centro and the location on the park in Condesa are my favorite, with more doughy churros vs really crispy. I like the paquete (combo) with 4 Churros + Chocolate Español (a rich drinking chocolate).
Contramar (Roma Norte) — This is the sister restaurant of Cala in San Francisco. A few things on the menu overlap like the tuna tostadas which are a must and the sopes, but Contramar has a much larger and better menu mostly focused on seafood. Aside from the tuna tostadas the fish of the day Contramar style (two different rubs on each half of the fish green/red) is delicious. You can’t really go wrong with most things on the menu. Great margaritas (not too sweet) and incredible dessert. Do not pass on dessert. The strawberry meringue and the coconut flan are amazing. Go for lunch or an early dinner since they close at 6:30pm Sunday — Thursday and 8pm on Friday & Saturday.
¡Que disfrutes!
