Last month my husband and I flew to Mexico City for three days before we had a wedding to head to later in the week. This city had been on my list for a while, with many people I know having visited and only having the best things to say about it. With only 3 days to spend there and sooo many recommendations (mostly food and drink related!), I knew we had to make the most of our time and do a little pre-planning (but not too much, you always need room for spontaneity and stumbling across places on your own). 3 days is actually the perfect number of days there, though I could have done with 1 more to just squeeze in a couple more places (namely restaurants and museums). Mexico City has become a world-renowned gastronomic capital over the years – you will know this if watched the second season of Chef’s Table! From blocks of street food vendors, to casual taco spots to multi dollar sign establishments, there is certainly no shortage of good eats. We did a good mix of low and high, which I think is the best approach to get a taste of everything. (I should say though, we stayed away from the street food. With a wedding to attend at the end of the week, we didn’t want to chance it. It looked and smelled incredible though.)
When choosing a place to stay, we were recommended by everyone to choose between La Condesa and Roma Norte – the trendy areas in the city. Airbnb has so many great places in both areas, it was actually hard to choose which one. We eventually settled on one in La Condesa, namely because it had a patio. We loved this area with it’s lush hippodrome-turned-street (Amsterdam Avenue), 2 gorgeous parks and lots of food and drink options. That was one thing I loved about Mexico City and this area in particular, was how green it was. I should also mention that this area felt incredibly safe. In fact, all the areas we visited did.
Day 1
We planned our days around visiting different areas in the city. The first day we strolled through La Condesa and Roma Norte, passing though parks and stopping into shops, restaurants and whatever else piqued our interest. We started our day with breakfast at Maque, a delightful restaurant just off Amsterdam Avenue with a lovely patio for people watching. We then strolled through Parque Mexico and Parque Espana, absolutely oases in the city. Another thing I loved about Mexico City and this area in particular is how dog friendly it is. Both parks have dedicated areas for canine friends and it wasn’t uncommon to see walkers with an armful of leashed dogs in La Condesa, likely headed to one of the parks. After making our way through La Condesa, we headed over to Roma Norte. Old Spanish colonial buildings dot the streets, giving it a European vibe. The ever popular Panaderia Rosetta is located here, along with its sister Restaurante Rosetta and Salon Rosetta (an upstairs bar). Our bellies were full from breakfast and so we decided to come back another day and kept strolling. Eventually it was time for lunch and we stumbled across Mi Compa Chava, bustling during the busy lunch rush. We managed to snag a table on the patio and had a seafood feast washed down with a couple Pacificos (they’re known for their grilled prawns and for good reason). It had a really fun vibe and everything that landed on tables looked incredible. As we walked back to our Airbnb, we stopped in at Churros El morro for cinnamon-y churros and Mexican hot chocolate. After a couple coronas and a nap back home, we headed to Azul Condesa (there are multiple locations) for a mole feast. They specialize in regional moles, mostly from Oaxaca and wow were they incredibly rich and flavourful. We both felt we didn’t need any more mole for the rest of the trip after that, ha. To wrap up the night we walked over to La Clandestina, a mezcal bar a couple blocks away. I ordered a mezcal flight and quickly learned that I much prefer my mezcal in a margarita 😉 It was a fun experience though and the perfect way to end our first day!
Day 2
We started our second day with pastries and coffee at Panaderia Rosetta. They have a sit-down service as well but we wanted something small and quick since we had booked a walking tour in the historical center, or Centro Historico. Walking tours are truly one of the best ways to get to know a city or even a specific area. Led by locals, who are often students, they are technically free though a tip is often given at the end. We took an uber from Roma Norte over to Zocalo, a large plaza – where the opening helicopter scene from Spectre was filmed! (Note: we took ubers everywhere when walking wasn’t feasible. They are cheap and a good way to see the city, rather than being underground in a metro.) We both loved the tour and learned so much about the city. I would 10/10 recommend this. Our tour guide also gave us his own list of favourite places to eat in the city. For lunch we stopped at Tacos El Huequito, which had really good al pastor tacos. The rest were so-so. We also walked through the Mercado de San Juan, known for its exotic food offerings. Next we hopped in another uber and headed over to the Museo Nacional de Antropología, the most recommended museum to visit in the city. It covers Mexican history up until the Spanish colonization, with a massive collection of artifacts from the Aztecs, Mayans and other civilizations. The building itself is an architectural marvel and a worth a visit just for that. Later that night we headed to Paramo for dinner, known for its mezcal cocktails and tacos, which I can testify were delicious. Much more casual than Azul and a great lively atmosphere.
Day 3
On day 3 we headed to Blend Station for a casual coffee and breakfast. The mezcal the previous night got the best of us and we weren’t feeling our best. Once our stomachs had settled we jumped in an uber which took us over to the Coyoacán neighbourhood, where we had tickets for the Museo Frida Kahlo. I definitely recommend buying tickets in advance – we did so about 3 days before but even then it was already quite booked. I loved touring Frida’s family house turned later home with Diego Rivera. The gardens are lovely and are a nice place to sit and take in the azul blue house. As we left the museum, we grabbed a fresh coconut from across the street where there are a couple stands cracking them open for thirsty tourists. Don’t forget to hand it back when you’re done to have the meat scooped out and served with fresh lime juice and tajin! Refreshed, we walked south further into Coyoacán, past markets, restaurants and shops. Jardin Hidalgo and Jardin Centenario, two garden plazas beside each other, are a nice place to sit and watch the world go by. Later that day back in La Condesa, I stumbled upon Rufina, an absolute dream of a ceramics and linen apparel store where I picked up a couple pieces to bring home. We were supposed to go to Restaurante Rosetta for dinner that night but we still weren’t feeling great and weren’t up for fine dining. So we pivoted and went to Taquería Orinoco for the best tacos we had all trip followed by chicken soup at Caldos de Gallina Luis (the perfect remedy when not feeling your best). It was a chill night as we needed to get up early the next morning to catch our flight to San Luis for a wedding!
If we had one more day I would have liked to see the pyramids at Teotihuacan or maybe explored the Polanco neighbourhood. And I definitely would have made it to Restaurante Rosetta – I did pop in on our way back to our airbnb the third night just to walk through it and take in all of its interior design beauty.
Where we stayed
We stayed at this airbnb in the La Condesa neighbourhood. We loved the area but would have liked a place with a bit more seating room (the sofa only fit one and the patio furniture wasn’t the most comfortable for relaxing). It was still great though!
Where we ate and drank
Maque
Mi Compa Chava
Azul Condesa
La Clandestina Mezcaleria
Panaderia Rosetta
Paramo
Blend Station
Taqueria Orinoco
Caldos de Gallina Luis
Churros El morro
What we did
Parque Mexico
Parque Espana
Centro Historico walking tour
Museo Nacional de Antropología
Museo Frida Kahlo
Coyoacan neighbourhood
Where I want to eat and drink next time
Restaurante Rosetta
Salon Rosetta
Contramar
Maximo
El Pescadito
Hotel Parque México Boutique rooftop bar
Hotel Condesa DF rooftop bar
What I want to do next time
Le Laboratoire
Casa Estudio Luis Barragán
Teotihuacán
Polanco
