Welcome to my travel guide for Mexico City! I only had one week here and it was with a group of people so I only got to brush the surface of this amazing city. I will definitely be going back to do a deeper solo dive one of these days! Until then, here are my (limited) experiences in CDMX.
TIPS
Uber seems to be the way to get around here! I learned pretty quickly that they charge a lot less than the cab drivers. If you can’t get an Uber and have to take a cab, confirm the price first, clearly, get it in writing if you have to (joking), but really…
As usual it is good to have cash on you, not stacks but just incase you see a little trinket you must have! Some of the folks in the markets take card, but not always.
LEARN SOME SPANISH!
Go to the mercados and definitely go to the floating gardens of Xochimilco! De Verdad.
ADVENTURES
Xochimilco! I will go ahead and get this out of the way first, because you have to go here. Maybe it is just me but I love anything to do with being on a boat, drinking alcohol, listening to music….and well, in this case, a million wonderful things at once. The boats are all painted in vibrant colors and each has a fun and unique name across the top. As you are paddled slowly down the canals there are vendors on other boats there to sell you almost anything! Mariachi music, tacos, blankets, jewelry, Palomas…the good Mexican ones made with Squirt…IYKYK. There is no shortage of entertainment and scenery including the creepy little Isla de las Muñecas!
Casa Azul or the Frida Kahlo Museum is also a must see. I have been obsessed with that cobalt blue and terracotta combo since I laid eyes on this place! It is located in the gorgeous home where Frida Kahlo once lived, and now houses a lot of her and Diego Rivera’s works. It is located in a really lovely neighborhood and near the Mercado de Coyoacán. I also saw a lot of really cute restaurants nearby, I would maybe plan to spend an evening in this area if you have the time!
Mercado de Artesanías La Ciudadela a labyrinth of souvenirs, textiles, food, jewelry, art, homegoods, and so so much more. It is pretty large so definitely give yourself some time here.
Mercado de Coyoacán this one, also amazing, seemed to be more food centric. Do not sleep on the gigantic chicharrones.
Barrio Chino or Chinatown! I will always do my best to seek out any Chinatown, anywhere. I didn’t get to spend much time here but I def recommend taking a stroll here at night to see the lights and get some street snacks.
Bosque de Chapultepec, one of the largest parks in Mexico is a must! We rented bikes and spent the day exploring this beautiful park. The Museo Nacional de Antropología is also here, which we all enjoyed very much! There are food vendors throughout and you can watch the Voladores here too! You can easily spend an entire day exploring this area.
Museo de Arte Popular this is a pretty quick stop, but I highly recommend it if you enjoy art! This museum is full of amazing Mexican handcrafts and folk art. There was an amazing display of Piñatas when I was there!
FOOD & DRINK
Caldos de Gallina y Enchiladas is the first place I ate when I arrived in CDMX. While this was just a quick pop-in to wait for the rest of our friends to arrive, the food was extraordinary! That plate of mush mash (enchilada maybe? I don’t remember) was incredible! And while that bowl of broth looks unassuming, it was packed with amazing flavor. There were so many amazing little table sauces too… There are probably a million of these little spots in CDMX, and they may all be delicious but this is the one I can vouch for, and i do!
Il Fiorino is a little cute & cozy little Italian spot where literally everything on the menu looks and sounds delicious! If I wasn’t recovering from a rough night of food poisoning (from gulf oysters I had before I left home, how tragic!?) I would have probably eaten myself into a coma here, but instead I only had the burrata salad. It was so good, I remember there being fresh melon in there too which was amazing with the balsamic. Very cute spot, very romantic, very delicious.
Pujol you’ve probably heard of it. If not, google it…watch the episode of Chef’s Table with Chef Enrique Olvera, I think there is an episode of Somebody Feed Phil where he goes there too, prob the Mexico City one, hah. Pujol was an amazing experience and honestly an amazing opportunity to eat in this kind of fine dining setting in a pretty affordable price range… that is if you’re better than me and stay away from the alcohol which is priiicey. Obviously the food was amazing, but I do have opinions that no one cares about. Corn tortillas, maybe it is just me but that corn flavor is overpowering AF. There were such beautiful delicate flavors here and I felt like the addition of the tortilla kinda made them get lost. But it is also Mexico and no one cares about my opnions. I digress. Eat here if you have it in the budge… also those little corns in that pumpkin thing chef’s kiss.
La Mascota! This place is as hectic as the only photo I took, but so much fun! I will go as far as to say you have to go here while in CDMX. The food is free as long as you’re drinking, and that pork shank or whatever pork part it is was absolutely delicious, omg. Something weird happened to all of our faces in here where they all got hot and red and ugly, not sure what that was about…would love to know if anyone else has experienced this phenomenon…
Las Gorditas de Sevilla is a cheap and delicious little sidewalk spot not too far from the big park. I think we got a little bit of everything and it was all very tasty. A great spot to stop after a bike ride in the park!
La Bodeguita del Medio is definitely another must! This little Cuban spot has amazing ceviche, rum cocktails, Cuban coffee, live music, and the atmosphere is perfect. Apparently there are three of these in the world this one, Puerto Vallarta, and Playa del Carmen. I say let’s try them all.