Mexico City has been on my radar ever since I saw the opening scene in James Bond, Spectre where he is in Mexico during Day of the Dead. Although I did not visit during the Day of Dead festivities, it was still totally worth visiting. We went in January and the weather was perfect, not too cold, not too hot. Mexico City has an abundance of highly acclaimed museums, however the foodie in me was what drew me here in the first place. Check out some of my recommendations below;
FOOD:
El Moro:
A must eat in CDMX are the churros from El Moro. They were so good we went for dinner one night and breakfast the next day. The original restaurant is in El Centro and actually has waitresses. The newer locations are order at the counter and have a beautiful airy decor. The Roma location even had adorable rocking chairs outside.
Tori Tori (Polanco) - Sushi
Yes that's right, I said sushi in Mexico City. I went here to celebrate my birthday and had a delicious assortment of plates. Their Black Cod was so good (and very reasonably priced) we ordered another. Salmon sashimi and Octopus with caviar did not disappoint.
Mercado Roma (Roma):
Feast upon whatever your heart desires in this food hall; tacos, churros, mezcal, steak and more. My favorite was the bone marrow taco. If you want a good place to buy some mezcal to take back home, sit at the mezcal bar in Mercado Roma and get to taste them all before you decide which bottle to take home.
La Unica (Polanco):
This gorgeous, airy and bright restaurant was our favorite meal of the entire trip. Although we did not partake in the oysters, they sure looked amazing. We started off with fried octopus atop of guacamole and some bone marrow with fresh tortillas, which both are a MUST! However, the star of the meal was the beef stew which was really more like a fancy pot roast. You MUST go here if you are in CDMX!
Molino "El Pujol" (Roma/Condesa):
You may have heard of Pujol being the most sought after dinner in Mexico City right now. Reservations are booked out months in advance, and therefore we weren't able to get in. However the chef of Pujol opened a tortilleria named Molino "El Pujol" in Roma/Condesa area and serves more than just corn tortillas. We got a tamale, mole and a glass of corn water just to sample a few things.
BEER & BARS:
Calavera Beer:
We went to Calavera fresh off the plane. We didn't do much research and ended up finding out once we got there that they are only open on Saturday's for tastings. We were about to leave as they decided to let us in for a tasting. So glad they did because their beer was my favorite of the trip. We were able to snag a few bottles to take home as well. I really don't think you can go wrong with any beer here. I also highly recommend trying some of their session meade if they still have some on draft. Thank you to the staff at Calavera Beer for their wonderful hospitality.
Escollo:
We stopped by Escollo for a midday beer and snack. Their IPA was amazing with no bitterness, yet the perfect amount of hops coming through. Also try their Pale Ale when you stop by. We also ordered guacamole with fried crickets on top. It was weirdly funny how all 3 of us were a little too excited to try this. It is actually now in my guacamole top 5 (If you know me well, that means A LOT).
Taller de Cerveza la Graciela:
This brewery had a hole in the wall type feel. However, like most hole in the wall type places, this brewery didn't blow us away. They did however have very interesting beers on tap, along with guest taps. Worth a stop by to see what's new.
Fifty Mils:
This bar is located inside the Four Seasons Hotel in CDMX. Swanky yet relaxed atmosphere. We went here on my birthday because I had heard wonderful things about it. Many claim it to be the best bar in CDMX and had also made it on to The Worlds 50 Best Bars list. I got the Billy The Kid and thoroughly enjoyed it but the presentation was what was so cool about it. The bartender brought the drink on a wood slab and burnt a hole into the wood with a torch all while telling a story about Billy The Kid. He then made me smell the wood before I took my first sip.
All the boys got the Ant Man which was an egg white cocktail with mezcal and an avocado ant mix. The cocktail was topped with ants and came delivered in a terrarium type enclosure. Very over the top presentation for both cocktails.
Stop by here for something uniquely different or just to feel important and grab some great Instagram pictures.
Licoreria Limantour:
On our last night in Mexico City we found this bar on google close to our dinner spot and read all the high accolades this bar has received such as, The Worlds 50 Best Bars, and Mejor Bar 3 years in a row. I had to stop by! The wait was an hour long, even for a seat at the bar. Thankfully NFL playoffs were on and I got to watch the end of the Pats game while we waited. as we were about to lose patience waiting, 2 spots opened at the bar. Thankfully we had the pleasure of having Jose as our bartender. Jose is one of the managing owners and helped create a lot of the cocktails on the menu. He made wonderful suggestions based on our palate. Although I can't remember what I got, I know they were all artfully created and tasted delicious. I highly recommend stopping by and sitting at the bar to see the skill that goes behind making wonderful craft cocktails.
To Do:
Walk around Coyoacan area and take in the authenticity around you. My favorite neighborhood in Coyoacan was Chimalistac because it had large older houses and cobblestone roads.
Check out Palacio de Bellas Artes Museum. If you don't have time, just go to see the building which is the iconic building on CDMX.
For the best view of this beautiful building and El Centro, go to the Sears building across the street and go to their outdoor cafe and grab an espresso.
Walk by La Casa de los Azulejos (House of Tiles)
Buy local goods at La Cuidadela market in El Centro.
Visit the The Blue House - Frida Kahlo Museum. Buy tickets in advance so you don't have to wait in line.
Find the color in every corner of this city!
Airbnb:
The Mexico City Airbnb we stayed in was an amazing find! It felt like a Spanish villa with a courtyard and elegant rooms to rent surrounding it. Although it was not walking distance to the places we wanted to see, nor did it have a whole lot going on in the neighborhood, we loved it because Ubering everywhere was very cheap and felt safe. All of the rooms looked gorgeous so gorgeous. This has to be the most Instagrammable place to stay in CDMX in my opinion.
I hope you take a trip to CDMX soon. There is no reason to be scared to travel here if you have common sense (much like any other place). This beautiful city has a lot to offer.
XOXO Taylor
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