Traveling to Mexico City

World Class Food, Culture, and Museums

Ask any resident of Mexico City what they love most about it, and you’re likely to hear about the diversity of people living there, the wealth of food choices, the multi-cultural atmosphere that you can feel just walking through neighborhoods, and it’s practically guaranteed that at least one person will mention that it has the most museums of any one city in the world.

Consider my love for coffee and I’m sure it’s not much of a stretch for you to assume that I also love food. Mexico City is a food lover’s paradise, from the smallest holes in the wall to the Michelin star restaurants, it is impossible to not find something to love in this city. It’s no surprise then that food tourism in Mexico City has exploded of late. When I suggest any sort of itinerary for others visiting, I always start out by saying to plan the day around food, and then fill in the blanks with other tourist activities while you wait for hunger to strike again.

There are some featured restaurants below that are absolute musts, but here is a list of other great choices for Mexican food in CDMX:
      • Tamales de huitlacoche from Molino “El Pujol”   molinopujol
      • Chilaquiles from QueSeríaDeMí   queseria_demi
      • Any of the 3 options of cochinita pibil preparations (taco, panucho, torta) from El Turix  (El Turix Map)
      • Al pastor or arrachera tacos from Taquería el Califa   elcalifa_mx
      • Tacos de carne asada from Sonoloa   sonoloa
      • The churros are good but consuelito churro ice cream sandwiches are better from Churrería el Moro   churreriaelmoro
      • A concha from Maque   maquecafe
      • A berlinesa (they come out of the oven around 11am and go fast), a slice of mil hojas cake, or a rol de guayaba from Panadería Rosetta   panaderiarosetta
Not strictly sticking to Mexican food, here are some other recommendations if you have an extended trip and want to taste past the essentials:
Day of the Dead parade in Mexico City

Traces of history can be found everywhere in Mexico City, from the old architecture of the Roma, Condesa and Juarez neighborhoods, to the obvious historic city center with its cathedral and Zócalo, built over the ruins of the original city Tenochtitlan from long ago. Built on top of a lake, Mexico City has history from every era and it’s worth delving into it in one form or another to realize everything that has made it into one of the most populated cities in the world. Despite it being full of tourists at all times for obvious reasons, a day trip or tour to the pyramids of Teotihuacán is absolutely worth it your time.

Back to that point about the high quantity of museums, even if you’re not always looking for a museum to explore when you travel, there is definitely something here of interest for everyone. A personal favorite is MODO, a museum about objects, which I visited a few times while they had exhibits about bottles and drinks, football (soccer), posters, and colors in Mexico. It probably already appears in every travel guide for CDMX, but I too must recommend the Museo Nacional de Antropología, with a full day’s worth of rooms to explore about the history of Mexico and its people. If you have kids, the Papalote Museo de Niños is a fun stop to teach them something new and let some energy out.

If you will be in Mexico City through the better part of a Sunday, I definitely recommend taking a walk, or getting in some exercise with a run or bike ride on Reforma. From 8-2 every Sunday, the main street of Mexico City closes down from Campo Marte near Chapultepec park (itself a great outdoor space that is worth a visit, with an interesting museum at the Castillo de Chapultepec too) all the way to the city center to give people a chance to exercise without the risk of traffic. The air feels that little bit cleaner, you’ll be amongst plenty of like-minded people and best of all, you’ll have the chance to see all the monuments of Reforma’s roundabouts up close and personal. It’s a great way to work off your late Saturday night or end a trip before going home.

A Wealth of History and Constant Activity

We can’t write about coffee travel without providing some tips for where to eat and drink during or after your cup of coffee.

Best Food & Drink

1. Lalo!

Best breakfast in town! Try their chilaquiles, egg & bacon sandwich on a homemade English muffin, brioche french toast, or literally anything else. Get there early and make sure you try one of their sweet breads. Their cinnamon roll is my favorite in the world. Lalo! Map eatlalo

2. El Farolito

Tacos al pastor. Come here for these rotisserie pork tacos. Stay for them too. Try any variation of them and other meats as well, but the al pastor is the real deal. El Farolito Map tacoselfarolito_mx

3. Traspatio

This small mezcalería takes you out of the concrete jungle and into a small forest environment, if only for just a moment. With tanbark floors and a tree in the middle of the building, get some relaxation with the best guacamole appetizer in town. Don’t miss the margarita, the carajillo, and especially the “Aguacate” drink made of mezcal & macerated avocado. Simply delicious.
Traspatio Map
traspatio

guacamole and aguacate cocktail

Check out the Mexico City episode for more information on coffee culture in CDMX.

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