This is our fifth city guide post and I feel like I’ve been thinking about travel nonstop for the last five months. Probably the last 25 years, really, but this guide has had me in a reflective space. I’m sitting at a café in Asolo in northern Italy as I begin to write this…
It seems that we are living in hectic times. I’m not naive enough to think things have ever been calm or settled in the world, but I think about people and empathy and connection every moment I travel. I’m in the Veneto region of Italy, home of Venice; possibly the most abused tourist destination in the world. A shrinking native population, a sinking city, cruise boats, Fanny packs, shorts, mouth breathing, damaging padlocks left on crumbling bridges out of “love”, litter, impatient tourists trying to position the camera just right to avoid the ugly parts they want to edit off of the Instagram post. It’s a study in the human condition and it’s not going well. And despite, less than an hour away, you can sit next to a gorgeous canal and have a spritz in Treviso. You can taste Prosecco brut nature at an empty old enoteca in Valdobbiadene, walk the Ponte Vecchio bridge in Bassano Del Grappa, then tuck into a cafe for a panino or amaro. Walking the quiet and cozy cobblestone streets of Asolo, you can duck into a trattoria for a pasta aglio e olio with no lines, reasonable prices, and church bells ringing in the distance. I’m inspired to remind you that the Disney lens of travel is extremely blurry. We must remind ourselves that travel is a gift. And to be stewards of that gift we must practice empathy, care, respect, humility and patience. I love Venice and have been there a few times. Seeing the tourists pummel it into the ground is disheartening and terrifying. If you love to travel (like I do), try to find the destinations that can accommodate you. Go off the main path and leave no trace. After all, we are seeking escape, education, adventure, cuisine, romance. All things that are best consumed away from the masses and crowds.
Mexico City is North America’s largest city. It’s a couple thousand feet higher in elevation than Denver. It’s a sprawling, historic city built on top of ancient ruins. The importance of its role in agriculture, history, religion, cuisine, trade and civilization cannot be overstated and a visit to this city is very incomplete without a little bit of education. It’s a very easy city to fly in and out of, stay in Polanco or the St. Regis, scratch the surface, eat at Pujol and fly home. But that is a shallow submersion into tourism and I recommend diversifying your trip far beyond that. Be a traveler. A student.
Number one rule: You must book a tour (or many) with my friend Anais. She has taught me an immeasurable amount about Mexico (and I still know so little!). I have done so many of her tours I recommend them all. Anais also owns Manada, a cool and cozy little bar.
I like to do 4 days in Mexico City. If you have plenty of time you can also fly to Oaxaca or Merida from CDMX and have another taste of a wonderful Mexican city.
Lodging
If you want a luxury hotel, there’s plenty. St. Regis, Sofitel, Four Seasons, and Ritz Carlton are all pretty central and right next to the massive “Central Park” Chapultepec.
You can also check out some cool hotels in the bustling Centro Historico or find an Airbnb or boutique hotel in Condesa (this is where I stayed last). I like to wake up and walk Parque México every morning. It’s an amazing green space that doubles as a dog park and recreation space for locals. The peace that the morning activities brings me is worth the trip alone. (Mexico City has so many green spaces. It’s incredible. I found the locals to love the outdoors and take full advantage of the parks and recreation spaces. Very inspiring.) You can stay further south in Coyoacan where the Frida museum draws many visitors but the bohemian vibes, gardens, parks and shops make it a great neighborhood to spend time in. If you stay in Coyoacan I like the coffee shop Cafe Avellaneda.
I also really like the Juarez neighborhood, and would spend most of my time hanging out at Coyota where they do not/will not speak English and much of the menu reflects indigenous ingredients. Edit: they recently shut down 😭😭😭.
Transportation
The subway is pretty easy to use and was built during the 1960s. Its iconic visual identity, station signs, and graphics were designed by Lance Wyman who was also commissioned by the 1968 Olympics in Mexico City. The station signs are all graphics so that illiteracy and language barriers wouldn’t prevent efficient travel. It’s also the second biggest metro system in North America, behind New York.
Activities
One of my favorite things to do in Mexico City is go to Arena México for a wrestling show. Lucha Libre is a modern art form and I love it. You can read about it here. But there’s nothing much better than a Michelada brought to your seat while you cheer on a spectacle of athleticism and drama. Note: there’s many scalpers trying to sell you tickets outside of this arena. Just walk steadfast to the ticket counter and buy a legit ticket. They’re cheap enough.
In Centro Histórico, you should check out Templo Mayor. It’s a museum in the middle of the city showcasing how the Spanish built a city and church directly on top of the existing Aztec religious center they found (and destroyed).
The vintage clothing and record shopping is great. Especially around Roma Norte, Juarez and Condesa.
I always try to stop by Parker and Lenox at night for some live music and cocktails. Speaking of cocktails, this place is pretty famous for its award winning drinks. Cafe de Nadie is also one of my favorites. Small. Great vibes and music.
La Rifa is a chocolate shop where you can taste and purchase many different versions of chocolate and cacao intentionally sourced from farms in Tabasco and Chiapas. Give yourself a little time here to sip on fermented cacao and buy chocolate bars. You could ask Anais about including this in one of the tours if possible. More on this here.
A note on tacos…
It’s easy to find tacos in Mexico City. And if you ask someone their favorite you are bound to get a different answer every time. Al pastor is a specialty of the area and many places don’t get going until later in the day when the “trompo” has been cooking for a while. I recommend asking every cool bartender and friendly local where their favorite taco is and why. Then go there. Eat a million tacos.
And book the food tour with Anais. You may have heard that there is one, 1 Michelin Star taco spot in the city. And yes, it’s fantastic. I’ve been a few times before they got the star and you could walk right up. Anais showed me, of course. If you have time, sure, check it out. But as you can imagine, there are so many taquerias in Mexico City that waiting in a huge line and obstructing the sidewalk while local shops sit empty because a French media company said one taqueria is superior is a little touristic, no? Up to you. But I say “time is money” and I hate waiting in lines. BTW, this is my favorite taco in the city.
Restaurants
There are many famous restaurants as well. 50 Best, Michelin, Eater, NYT, you name it. There’s plenty of coverage here.
Pujol and Quintonil seem to have been the top 2 for a while.
Contramar and Rosetta also top a lot of lists.
My favorite high end restaurant is by far Maximo Bistrot. The chef is a legend at this point and has turned away much press and accolades. However, this 2017 NYT piece did a great job of capturing his character and work ethic.
Taverna Prim is also very popular and comes highly recommended from many friends. As does Masala y Maiz.
Coffee culture is incredible as you’d expect. I don’t have a favorite coffee spot as I feel like there were so many great options all over the place. Especially in Condesa/Roma Norte which are considered the hipster/gentrified areas. Forte is a famous one.
The anthropology museum is unbelievable. But I highly recommend an English speaking guide unless you are fluent in Spanish. But it’s a marvel of a museum and can be a tad overwhelming.
If you have time, I recommend a trip out to the Teotihuacan Pyramids. There’s plenty of online support for tour guides, excursions, group trips, transportation and so on. I’ll tell you what I did and I’m not saying you should do this but it worked for me. I called an Uber XL black to take me to Xochimilco one morning. The guy was awesome and the SUV was amazing. So I Google-translated that I’m looking for some private driving and we exchanged numbers. I offered him cash to take me to the pyramids the next day and wait for me and drive me back. He was fantastic. Even had beers in the SUV for me. He was a legit chauffeur so I wasn’t going out on a limb, but making contact, offering cash, tipping well and being friendly went a long way and I avoided any headache of a group trip or tour company. If you’re not comfortable with something like that, ask your hotel to recommend a tour company. But the pyramids are fascinating and only about an hour away. But traffic can be insane there.
Micheladas are one of my favorite beverages in the alcohol world. But they are not a singular experience. So when ordering a Michelada it’s good to know how and what you’re ordering. And when in doubt, just point at what someone else is drinking and say “me da un michelada por favor?” But if you’re a fan, like me maybe read up on the differences. Otherwise, you could be getting just lime and salt in a beer or a clam juice salsa pounded with maggi topped with a splash of beer.
Personally, I like lime, salt, chile, tapatio, maggi, and a tiny splash of Clamato. Tamarind candy straw is optional. Here are a couple articles breaking it down.
The New York Times did a solid piece on 36 Hours in Mexico City a couple years ago. If you’re fascinated by the mural scene in the wake of the Mexican Revolution (and of course Diego Rivera’s connection to Detroit and the DIA) then there’s some great guidelines for art in this article.
You can always try some spots from the Eater 38 list. I’ll be honest, I don’t know of many of these spots and Mexico City is changing every day. So try at your own risk. But there is much to explore. It’s a huge beautiful city. Go, enjoy, tip well, be respectful, buy local and connect.
Follow along with our Google Map here!
Bringing Mexico to you
Dine at the CDMX-inspired Vecino in Midtown Detroit. Their masa program is incredible.
Visit Las Tortugas for homestyle cooking and a great tequila selection.
Watch Eva Longoria’s ‘Searching for Mexico’ (featuring Anais!) or Frida.
Invite friends over for a taco party! Shop at Honeybee Market. Super Taco and Tu Taco Tienda on John R in Madison Heights are great for burritos, tacos and pantry essentials. We also love Taqueria El Rey.
Try making your own corn tortillas with high quality heirloom masa and a beautiful tortilla press. This cookbook is fabulous, as is this taco deep dive.
Listen to Chef’s favorite mariachi album.
Visit Diego Rivera’s mural at the Detroit Institute of Arts.
Chef James,
Thank you so much for the excellent guide to Mexico City!!! We stayed adjacent to the Parque Mexico and were amazed by the awesome green space there and across the vastness of Mexico City. The weekend activity in that park alone is worth a visit.
We went on two separate tours with Anais. Both awesome! The second tour of the Juarez area turned out to be just my wife and I with her and a new colleague in training for the tours. Awesome getting to know Anais and her puppy. We made sure she knew that we came to her because of you…she sends her best wishes back to you along with a reminder that it’s been about a year and a half since you last visited. The food we tasted on her tours was beyond the beyond in flavor! 😊.
We also were amazed at the Anthropology museum…we took your advice and went on an English speaking tour. Unbelievable museum. We highly recommend visiting the castle up the mountain behind the Anthropology museum. It’s only about 100 pesos fo the opportunity to hike up to the castle. Fantastic view and it’s easy to do beforehand. So much history in the castle. Anais suggested we get to the castle before 10 am and that was sound advice.
One unfortunate thing was our inability to visit the Frida Khalo museum/residence. This was booked out well over a month. We had to forego our visit. I would urge that you add a footnote about visiting this location. Namely, that (1) you cannot purchase tickets on location, and (2) book these tickets Waayyy in advance of your travels if this is going to be a destination.
Best,
Chad and Lynn Johnson
Royal Oak