5 Days in Mexico City (CDMX): Foodie Adventures, Hidden Gems & Must-See Neighborhoods
Day One CDMX
We arrived in Mexico City midday and checked into a small, simple hotel in the Roma North neighborhood. With a four-night stay in CDMX, the plan was to see as much, eat as much, and explore as many neighborhoods as possible. Knowing we would be out and about mainly, staying in these modest yet charming accommodations was fine. To organize our time here and best share highlights, I have built this blog segment mainly around the restaurants and the different neighborhoods they are in.
To start as a late lunch we walked to what is considered the Korea Town of CDMX. To the right of Condesa and above the Roma Norte neighborhood, you will find yourself around here often. It's just on the shoulder of the large Chapultepec Park, which has all the important museums.
Ate at WANWAN SAKABA - https://maps.app.goo.gl/aPhFiE1wYtujAHhr5
There was a short line to sit at the sushi bar counter. There was a wide selection of typical Japanese cuisine, from Sushi to bento boxes and ramen. I had the Ramen, which I thought was pale in comparison to the top places we go in LA. Deanna had fish, which she enjoyed. With so many other amazing places ahead, you could say we got the worst out of the way.
Rating it out of 5 stars a 3.5
Back to the hotel was 20 min walk (a common walking time it seems when coming in and out of Roma Norte. What is wonderful about CDMX, and I found similar in Tokyo, is that if you walk on any given block, you will likely see a great-looking cafe, bar, or restaurant. Though most do, you don't have to pre-determine where to eat here. So with Deanna napping and just about 4 hours until midnight, I went out for a pre-countdown beer and bite. After 10 minutes I stumbled upon a wine bar, where a couple of cooks behind the bar with a small oven were serving up a think crust pizza. That, along with a stout beer from Tijuana, I was ready for the night.
For New Year's, we went to Departamento -https://maps.app.goo.gl/rcUnkp1yuE3MvHMM8
Though described as a laid-back restaurant bar on Maps, it's a three-level club with different DJs on each floor. After a couple of shots of Mezcal next door, the line was gone and we went straight in and directly to the dance floor. The current music trend in the city seems to be funk. The hipsters in line and on the dance floors had 70's/ 80's attire and the DJs were dropping super fun funky disco tracks that were a blast to dance to. The rooftop had a gal DJ, followed up by a sunglass-wearing duo who headlined, and we got to hear their first few tracks before heading out at about 2 am.
Day Two
Wednesday, January 1st was a neat day to explore this vast city mainly by foot. A city that is starting to feel, in certain parts, too many people looking the same as us. Around the popular neighborhoods like Roma and Condessa, with an influx of expat nomads who started moving down here during Covid, I noticed the first spray-painted graffiti reading “Gringo Go Home.” These foreigner-rich neighborhoods are getting overrun and losing patience with the locals. I also asked some locals who confirmed the issue. It eats away at affordability and makes it harder for Mexicans to live there themselves.
I always love being in a big city on a holiday. It was so quiet. Luckily, the spectacular Museo de Anthrologic was open, so we were happy to go there. But not before Deanna brought me to Mendl’s, a Mexico City take on a Jewish deli - https://maps.app.goo.gl/odHP7Knxe1kR2E3m8
In Condesa and off the Amsterdam circle (a lovely area to walk), this deco-inspired americano space serves friendly portions of deli classics but just made better. It could be the butter and salt ratios or the size of the potato latkes that came as a side dish of four—the neighboring tables' french toast overflowed with banana and Deanna's orange-colored glass cup for the cappuccino and colorful thickly padded table seats; this place just had it all going on.
Rating it 5 stars.
Seeing the Anthropology museums is an incredible overview of Mexico's history until the Spanish Inquisition of the early 1500s. You will see an endless collection of pottery, fossils, hieroglyphs, and reconstruction of the nation's rich Aztec past. We did it in three hours but easily could have spent the day. Missed the two art museums in the same Chapultepec Parque (Museo Tamayo Arte Contemporáneo & Museo de Arte Moderno) as were closed for the holiday. Here is also where the Chapultepec Castillo is, which is supposedly has a fantastic view across the city.
Museo Nacional De Anthropologia
After a long stroll back to Roma Norte through Condesa, I enjoyed looking at the fantastically patina mid-rise apartment and retail buildings. Wound up eating at a fun food hall experience that we found when tried to go across the street to the Medellín Market. It features a collection of a dozen or so different vendors, but all are ordered from your family-style picnic bench seat through one waiter. It all looked so good so was tough deciding. What was tempting was the Argentine steak and fries or the ceviche. I settled on a local Mexican medley soup filled with five different types of root vegetables and plantains.
After a failed attempt to dine at the ever-popular Rosetta restaurant in Roma because we had the wrong time for our table, and to at least see the place, we settled on a drink in the third-floor bar. Here, not fully hearing the server mention they season the popcorn with ants, I got to expand my palette, one could say. We passed this Taqueria called El Califa for a late-night bite while exploring. Packed and strikingly similar to a US 50's era dinner that would stay open all night, this place was the bomb.
Taqueria El Califa - https://maps.app.goo.gl/XjCJHb83F7zuYsDb7
A foodie's twist on the Mexican classics is how I would describe the culinary experience in Mexico City. At Califa, I realized it’s not that they are serving unheard-of dishes; they are dishes we know. It is the same as eating Italian food in Italy versus back in the US; it’s how they prepare, the ingredients, something they add or how the dish is deconstructed, which makes them so much better, nearly unrecognizable, and therefore hard to compare.
Another 5 out of 5.
Day Three CDMX
Today we began with Yoga at a modern-looking studio that offers one week for about 600 pesos (USD 30). After a couple of days of walking the city and eating, this first class we had in the morning helped refresh the bodies. Good thing as today would be another day canvassing on foot.
We began at the must-see Palacio de Bella Artes, an Italian architect who designed an art deco masterpiece with this theater and gallery hall that is open for tours. I would wager there is no better example of Deco design in the world. Starting in 1904, the construction was halted by the Mexican Revolution and the building was not completed until 1934.
Palacio Bella de Artes
Having skipped breakfast, by lunchtime we were more than ready for the much-anticipated meal at Entremar - https://maps.app.goo.gl/zWZsLmunL8NUaa656?g_st=ic
One of two sister restaurants with similar names (Contremar being the other), Entremar is located in Polanco and has a second level that opens onto a terrace. From the minimal mid-century slightly tropical-inspired white interior design, to the friendly wait staff all smartly dressed, this place is so cool and on so many levels. We had a cucumber and tomato salad, ahi tuna tostadas, and a grilled whole fish seasoned two ways—a fresh cilantro-type green rub and a red adobo. After the mains, they pass by with a tray displaying desserts and includes a sculpture-looking all white strawberry meringue.
On all fronts, a 5
In the afternoon, we walked the beautiful higher-end end and very cosmopolitan neighborhood that Polanco is. Beautiful stores from luxury couture to casual streetwear fashion abound. For affordable home goods there is a Mexican version of IKEA called GAIA, where we were trying to find placemats.
Day Four CDMX
Though this blog is centered around the food and dining experiences, a great way to learn about Mexico is by looking closely at its most famed modern architect, and my favorite of all time, Luis Barragan. With his use of large blocky shapes with massive openings, discreet down lighting, and bold pastel colors, Barragan created what became a signature in Mexican design. Deanna being a super guide found a VW Beetle day tour to see and learn about some of this architect's most famous projects, and boy was I excited! The tour meeting point was at the Camino Real Hotel in Polanco. Built by Barragan's most prolific disciple Daniel Legorreta, it is a fun bright, and sexy example of the style. The hotel’s Blue Bar is a great spot for a drink. For our tour, were in a small group of individuals from various countries, half who were architects, which offered the opportunity for interesting discussions on what we were seeing.
The tour tought us so much about Barragn that I have decided to separate that into its own blog. If keen to learn about this Mexican master, please read in detail here - https://docs.google.com/document/d/1UDiHEk0bmjJliFVP-v6kRET4tB1Crq7ITXsoBSzJhew/edit?usp=sharing
Our tour included three sites, which were: Torres de Satelite, Cuadro San Cristobal, and Casa Pedregal. If you have only the time to see one of these, I might suggest Pedregal. A neighborhood the architect developed, and what is on strewn volcanic rock from a nearby eruption. The house was built for his attorney Prieto Lopez, but was eventually sold to its second and current owner a taqueria entrepreneur turned art collector who now runs the house and the attached Tetetlan restaurant that he opened. If you cannot get on a house tour, just going for drive around Pedrgal community, then having lunch at this most fascinating restaurant is a great outing. As part of the restaurant there are some gallery rooms, a cool crafts shop, and you can marvel at the dining room floor made of glass acting as a raised foundation over the black lava rock.
https://maps.app.goo.gl/pF95ZNcLVfgbpkLh8
For our last dinner of the trip, Deanna reserved what she considered the most sought-after reservation in town.
Maximo - https://maps.app.goo.gl/wp6SQdbu5dG3yhrp9
It is located in Roma Norte, where we were staying and had started to know our way around pretty good by now. (Its a grid, making it easy.) Unlike Rosetta, Maximo only accepts reservations, so the front door was void of people milling about accosting a host. If you rate a restaurant by all the things that go into the experience: atmosphere, service, food, and design, then here you will find a place that has it all.
Along the entry is the kitchen, which you pass heading down a hallway before you reach the dining room. All are under the same warehouse-height ceiling, for the space is made up of two brick walls with two exposed ducts and enclosed by a high glass atrium-esque roof that has been added over what was once an might have been an alleyway. Seated in the very back, we had a view of the entire place. With two-foot-tall dripping candles on each table, draping grey-toned canvases adorning the off-white masonry walls, and warmly stained oak for tables and door opening they achieved a stunning blend of an industrial cottage look. Friendly and non-pretentious, the floor is a roster of waitstaff in aprons, who you would mistake as bussers, and then dark-suited "pit boss" type floaters who constantly walked the two lanes pitching in and ensuring all was running well.
We ordered Caesar salad, a bowl of ceviche, risotto, and pesto pasta. As it is customary in Mexico City to bring some accouterments, they also did: a plate of blue corn tostada chips with a heavenly whipped avocado spread and tangy tomato salsa—so simple yet so tasty. Plus, the chef served us an amuse bouche: a ramekin of refried bean dip made with goat cheese and eggplant—the kind of thing you would hear somone claim that they could live off of.
First out was the ceviche properly served in a bowl containing all the tasty juice—aka "Tigre de Leche". A spicy kick made digestible by the thinly sliced radish. Caesar was in wedge format and not as special as the rest. For mains my risotto was rich and parmesan cheese flavored made even more umami-like by the truffle shavings on top. Deanna’s pesto pasta was a bright green with a smooth less paste-like structure then topped with a generous dollop of oxtail ragu. Perhaps it was the two weeks of Latin American food, but the Italian flavors so simply done, really hit the spot and made Maximos our favorite meal in CDMX.
The only moment of the night when the floor staff seemed less rehearsed was when we asked for the check. Deanna and I met a year ago, at the end of 2023, and we were celebrating. This was noted on the reservation, as you can often mention online when booking, but Maximo actually took it to heart. But we didn’t make it easy for them. For one, they learned I cannot consume sugar or fruits so late in the day. Two, Deanna had her heart set on going elsewhere for gelato, so they couldn't figure out a way to drop a desert. This was causing an obvious delay in getting the check. Then a new floor member who had not had stopped by before, passed and asked if we cared for anything to drink, confirming a suspicion he had that we don't drink alcohol going off the fact we hadn’t ordered any. Though this isn't true. He left, and finally one of the pit bosses came by and just asked us if we would like a glass of Champagne. I think he knew the cat was out of the bag and in a kind of honest yet gracious way wrapped up what was becoming a sort of Fawlty Towers-type scene, though true to this top Mexico City restaurant, it all happened in a calm manner.
Rating - 5 out of 5
Day Five CDMX
For our final day, we started with what had become a ritualized morning routine that iincluded me getting up early to drink tea and writing in the lobby, followed by us going out to try a different cafe. Then, as we had done two days ago, we headed to Yoga.
With only three hours to spare before leaving for the airport, we choose two art museums in Polanco. Across from one another and both free to enter, the Jumex is hard not to mistake as a Richard Meier building; just like the Getty in Los Angeles, it is clad in off-white travertine. Small but fun exhibits, our favorite was large canvases by a Colombian artist who uses charcoal to paint forests and added in embroidered birds. I also saw (well, listened really) to a very cool stereo built from regurgitated sugar eaten by ants and playing hardcore house. Next, we walked across the street to the Museo Soumaya. Five levels packed with works by Ronin, great Impressionist painters, and Renaissance classics, this place I could come to every day for a year straight to truly take it all in. But with only an hour, we started at the top of the Guggenheim-shaped museum and wound our way down, peaking at the grand collection of masters.
A perfect last day in this mega-metropolis that Mexico City is.
*Costa Rica, especially compared to the far less developed part of Central America we had started in, felt surprisingly international and almost high-end.
Dinner was to be at one of the city's most sought-after reservations at Restaurante Rosetta - https://maps.app.goo.gl/ReUvHaaq6ua9UGPK6?g_st=ic
But we had goofed on the time and showed up two hours late to our reservation and were turned away. Relegated to the third-level bar area, what great consolation that was. As I’ve noticed a popular design choice they also painted wall to ceiling in a color. Here the grey cornflower baby blue showed off so well the ornate crown moulding which acted as a great backdrop for the three oversized Japanese murals.
Rating just what we experienced, including the bar food - rating a 4