Everyone we talk to lately is heading to Mexico City to eat, drink and explore. We’ve been twice now to the buzzing city and have compiled a long weekend travel guide highlighting our favorite places to explore.
With a population of over 21 million and almost 9 million of them living within the city, you could spend a month in Mexico City and not see everything. A long weekend is just the right amount of time to dip your toes into the vibrant cosmopolitan metropolis, just make sure to plan a return trip.
Our guide heavily features the Roma and Condesa neighborhoods of Mexico City, but there are quite a few gems further afield in here as well.
GETTING THERE
From Austin a weekend trip (or slightly longer) is the perfect amount of time to get acquainted with CDMX (previously D.F., more on that here). It's a short 2 1/2 hour direct flight on Aero Mexico, which means by lunchtime you can be out navigating the colorful streets of the historico central.
EXPERT TIP
Do yourself a favor and don't try to crisscross the city every day. Pick a neighborhood and explore it fully, then move on to the next. However if you are short on time, you can always regroup at your hotel in the evening and go back out to a second neighborhood for dinner.
Where to Stay In Mexico City
We’ve bunked down in several different areas of Mexico City, and so far Roma/Condesa were our favorites. They are both walkable and overall safe neighborhoods featuring beautiful old architecture and leafy green trees. I would suggest staying there or Polanco which is the ritzy neighborhood where the Pug Seal is located. We found Polanco to be a bit more sterile than the others but still nice.
HOW TO GET AROUND
The city is huge and getting from point A to B can take forever. Places that were 2-6 miles away sometimes took up to 45 min by Uber which luckily was super affordable, our average trip ran $2-$7USD. You can also walk or use public transportation but Uber is hands down the best way to get around in Mexico City.
Top things to do in Mexico City
EAT
Our favorite restaurants in Mexico City spanning the city from La Condesa, Roma and the Hippodrome area. Leave flexibility to pop in a neighborhood place that catches your eye. We always have the best meals and snacks off the beaten path (and typically off the “hot list” of places to eat in a city).
Tacos at el Califa / The al pastor and steak tacos here are simple and perfect. And the guacamole was fresh and perfectly creamy. This place was straight out of our taco dreams (yes we have those, no judging). There is a street in Roma south/ Hippodrome that has an el califa and el farolita (two rival taco joints) right across the road from each other and can make for a fun casual progressive dinner. Stop by Felina down the road has cocktail before or after.
If you re really into tacos, check out this late night taco and mezcal tour by Eat Mexico. We were eyeing it, but ended up doing a DIY version instead.
Churros at el Moro / We broke down and had these twice on our trip. The first time I tried the classic straws dipped in fudge-like hot chocolate and the second time I tried the las casuelas trio of mini churro + Neapolitan ice cream sandwiches. Both were mouth-watering good but overall I preferred the original style. When in doubt, classic is my pick.
Rosetta / Italian / This is the place to go when you can’t eat another taco. House made pastas, burrata and other seasonal dishes were delicious. Don’t miss Panaderia Rosetta, one of the two bakeries opened by the owner nearby is known for a great breakfast.
Contramar / Seafood / Make reservations for lunch and get the full tuna fillet Contramar-style, which is split down the middle and doused in red chili and parsley before being grilled.
Yuban (since closed) / The first time we visited I’m not sure it lived up to the hype. But, the second time we had the most delicious mole, and a stunning dry-ice cocktail infused with rosemary. We also tried grasshopper tacos here which was fun (and only slightly gag-inducing).
Mercado Roma / Gourmet Food Hall / This food hall is a favorite for a casual lunch spot or if you’re traveling with a few people who can’t make up their minds. There is a satellite el moro here and really great sushi burritos. You can take your food up to the chill beer garden on the roof and order a few drinks to pass the afternoon.
Pujol / Upscale Modern / A must eat for any foodie. Make reservations for a tasting menu as soon as you book your trip, or before if you are planning your trip around certain stops.
DRINK
Gin Gin / Roma
Feliz / Roma
Felina / We had mixed feelings about this one, as it was a little bit too Brooklyn-meets-Tulum. On one hand it’s a cool tucked away drink spot with a chill ambiance with an amazing Japanese-style bathroom completely concealed in the hallway wood paneling (I had to do a double-take to find it). But at the time we visited there was a noisy table of tourists in the back, regaling their Coachella-meets-LA life story, and that is the last thing I want to hear while exploring another country.
Hotel Condesa: Sunset is the time to see and be seen here, and understandably, the staff was overwhelmed. If you are in the area and want an elevated view, go. But as a word of warning, at the time we went, everyone surrounding us was American and the drinks were just okay. Plus we found way better rooftops around the city.
Coffee
Coffee at Café Avellaneda / Coyocán / A hole in the wall coffee joint (it's the size of a micro-garage) where we had the best cortado of our trip. Plus the cute Japanese-infused presentation and overall vibe made us smile. Stop here after visiting Casa Azul.
Dosis Cafe / Roma / This little spot was right down the street from our Airbnb on Av. Alvaro Obregon and saved us from utter exhaustion a few mornings. The San Francisco inspired decor was a little out of the ordinary in the colonial neighborhood of Roma Norte, but all the same to us as it served a strong espresso.
SEE
These are our can’t-miss tourist spots, that can leave you a bit frazzled after (re: LOTS of people). Take a page from our book and plan liberal drink and snack breaks between the must-see cultural highlights.
Casa Azul - The childhood home of Frida Kahlo is totally worth the confusing lines out front. Buy your tickets online ahead of time or risk getting turned away — the line for people who just showed up was never ending and we got in without much hassle at our scheduled time slot. Buy a camera permit and rent a headset for the self guided tour. Both Diego and Frida has the most fascinating lives which are detailed on the audio guide. A few blocks from here is the Mercado Coyoacán food market that can be interesting to walk through. And just a few more blocks is the hole in the wall coffee shop Café Avellaneda mentioned above.
Historico Central: a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Take yourself on a walking tour of the area, and make sure to stop at the Zocalo, Palacio Bellas Artes, Casa de Azulejos (the house of blue tiles), Palacio de Correos (the post office- it’s gorgeous inside), the Zocalo, and Templo Mayor. Pro tip: there is a great symmetrical view of the Palacio Bellas Artes from the 8th floor café at Sears across the street. If you need a little zen amongst the concrete jungle of downtown, stroll through Alameda Central, a beautiful park right next to the Palacio de Bellas Artes.
Mercado Ciudadela: Our favorite out of all the bustling markets with amazing finds if you are up for digging through the touristy chachkies. We picked up leather hurache sandals and a handful of colorful figurines as gifts. There's a small plaza in the center lined by a Mexican food place serving ice-cold Coronitas perfect for people watching.
Casa Luis Barragan / If you love architecture, book a tour to see the private estate of Luis Barragan. Strong design and dreamy pinks await.
STAY
We know there are a million choices for boutique hotels in Mexico City, especially in the Roma and Condesa neighborhoods. If you are new here, we want you to know that it isn’t always our move to stay at one of the top/best/hip hotels in a city. One, because they can be spendy and two, because sometimes it’s more fun to stay … well elsewhere… at a place that is less expected and unique.
Pug Seal Allan Poe / We stayed here our first visit to Mexico City and loved it. Located in the trendy D.F. district of Polanco, the neighborhood itself was a little ritzy for our tastes, but it provided an easy inaugural landing pad in the busy city. The hotel offers a hosted happy hour, hot breakfast and bike rental which were fun to hop on to get around the neighborhood. Pro tip: book through Tablet Hotels with a free 30 day Plus membership for extra perks (they were worth it!).
AirBnB / Roma Norte or Condesa / There are so many adorable AirBnB properties in the trendy neighborhoods of Roma Norte and La Condesa. If you are looking to really get to know the neighborhood, this is our recommendation for where to stay in Mexico City. Haven’t booked with AirBnb before? Snag up to $55 towards your first trip with our code.
Ignacia Guest House / Roma / This is the new new in Mexico City. We haven’t been yet, but it’s on our list for the next return visit. It’s a total vibe, just look at the interiors.
Elsewhere
A few recommendations for things that don’t require a certain address or location. Just be on the lookout!
Street Quesadillas: Pull up a seat at any of the street vendors and order quesadillas de huitlacoche and flor de calabaza. Filled with a pungent yet delicious corn fungus (yes you read that right), zucchini blossoms and chewy pull apart cheese. Somehow it all just works. You’re welcome.
Mezcal cocktails - We particularly liked the smokey vanilla and citrus cocktail at Bistro Béc and mezcal with rosemary and dry ice at Yuban.
Carajillos: A divine a coffee drink with liquor 43, a delightful blend of citrus, vanilla and spice with frothy iced coffee. The perfect afternoon pick-me-up. We had a great one on the rooftop at Hotel Condesa.
Museums / There are plenty of museums to keep busy, and have been to both the Natural History and Soumaya (the one that looks like a giant disco ball). To be honest, with limited time on both our visits, our focus always swayed back to food and drink.
Have you been to Mexico City? What were your favorite things to do and neighborhoods to explore?
This carefully curated Mexico City Guide by goop and the 36-hours in Mexico City by New York Times were favorites while planning our trip.