November 2017
One of the most enchanting combinations of food, culture, history, and art can be found in CDMX. While there is no white sand beach to sip a cocktail on, like most would imagine for a getaway to Mexico, Mexico City has its own charm and is the perfect spot for a weekend adventure.
65 Hours Left…
We landed into Mexico City in the afternoon and hopped in a ride to our Airbnb which was positioned in the heart of Roma Norte, one of our favorite neighborhoods in the city. Before we went up to our loft, we stopped for our first bite of street food and grabbed a plate of fresh flautas. Each crispy, meat-filled bite had the perfect combination of sour cream, salsa verde and cotija cheese on top. We instantly knew that this was going to be another city where tasty street eats would become our dear friends.
The designer for our unique Airbnb had essentially taken a shipping container, placed it on the roof of an apartment building and turned it into a loft. Opening the glass doors turned the rest of the rooftop into our own personal patio. It had stunning views of the sprawling city and we enjoyed the sunrise and breakfast each morning from there.
After we dropped our bags, we jumped in a taxi to Merced Mercado, an outdoor market that has hidden taco stands buried inside. We wandered around and devoured a few tacos at Ricos Tacos de Tripa with a heavy lime squeeze and some cilantro.
Then we walked over to Zócalo to meander the vast Plaza de la Constitución, where the mesmerizing intro scene from James Bond’s Spectre was filmed, and admired the stunning Catedral Metropolitana. From there, we strolled along the bustling Avenida 5 de Mayo to Palacio des Bellas Artes and jetted down one of the many side streets to find some more tacos. We sat down at El Huequito, ordered a couple cervezas and all of their homemade salsas for a veritable dipping frenzy with our tacos al pastor.
We went back home to get ready to grab drinks in Roma Norte. We stopped at a few places along Av. Álvaro Obregón and really enjoyed the rooftop bar at Aoyama. We sipped a lime-tastic paloma and a watermelon martini and then headed to dinner down the street.
Nudo Negro was absolutely packed but we managed to snag a table on their heated patio. The atmosphere was awesome but the food was unfortunately pretty lackluster. Their pisco sours were pretty memorable though.
51 Hours Left…
We grabbed some chilaquiles from Café Aroma for breakfast and enjoyed them on our rooftop patio before jumping in an Uber to Del Carmen to check out the famous Frida Khalo museum. We were truly inspired to learn about the story of Frida Khalo and how her journey through life and art evolved over time.
We were starving, so we walked over to the Mercado de Coyoacán to eat some delicious tostadas. Before heading back to the city, we found a cart selling mango slices with Tajín sprinkled on top, it was exactly the dessert we were looking for!
We wanted to check out the ultra upscale neighborhood of Polanco, home of the world-famous eateries led by chefs José Andrés and Enrique Olvera, so we headed straight there. We roamed the streets lined with boutique shops and restaurants and then popped into Entremar to try some fresh ceviche while overlooking the beautiful Park Uruguay. When the plate came out, Maya accidentally ate a red chili pepper thinking it was a sliced bell pepper (huge mistake). She was unfortunately out of commission the rest of the meal and ended up gulping down 4 glasses of milk to curb the fire in her mouth. Our waiter was very amused.
Once Maya’s eyes stopped watering, she was hungry for a second lunch, so we stopped at a street-side taco joint called El Rey del Suadero to try their claim to fame, tacos de suadero. These delicious, juicy treats packed just the right amount of heat 🙂
We took a quick break at the Hyatt Regency in Polanco and then took a nice afternoon walk through the expansive and lively Chapultapec park where we also enjoyed a gorditas de nata de rellenas de lechera. We had two “Rikaya” rings made and were in shock as to how they were crafted right before our eyes. The jeweler took a piece of metal and a hand saw and went to work chiseling away until the ring began to form seemingly out of thin air.
We continued to roam and eventually stopped for coffee in La Condesa at an espresso bar called Postales de Café. Very cool place!
After stopping off at home to drop our loot, we headed out for bar hopping in La Condesa. Our first stop was La Clandestina, a mezcal bar. We tried the deadly combo of mezcal and beer and admired the mezcal laboratory they had set up. The red-hued lab behind the bar is what provides the light within the dimly lit bar. We then made our way over to Xampaneria to try their cocktails. We enjoyed the blackberry martini and the candied ginger champagne. Next we sat at the buzzing, lofted bar at La Capital for thai iced tea martinis and a plate of delicious raw tuna with jalapenos, onions and avocado crema.
We ended the night with some midnight tacos at Tizconcito where we ate endless plates of tacos al pastor while people watching and listening to street performers. The synchronized dance of the chef slicing the al pastor and grilled pineapple from the spit and the upbeat melody of the guitar players was truly elegant.
27 Hours Left…
We couldn’t leave Mexico City without visiting the historic Teotihuacán, an ancient Mesoamerican city located about 25 miles northeast of Mexico City. The city is thought to have been established around 100 BCE and, at its zenith, was probably home to over 100,000 people.
We took a taxi to the Autobuses del Norte station and found the buses leaving for “Zona Arqueologico.” The bus only costs $5 roundtrip! It was about a one hour bus ride to Teotihuacán and we made sure to get there early so it wasn’t too crowded. We walked down the main Avenida de los Muertos and tried to picture what life might have been like in its heyday.
We climbed the stairs to the top of the Pyramid of the Sun which stands over 700 feet high and is the largest pyramid in Teotihuacán. From the top, you get an amazing birds eye view of the entire site along with the majestic Pyramid of the Moon.
We had earned ourselves a meal, so we sat down for lunch at one of the many eateries along Avenida Pirámides. We had a couple pints of Modelo and some delicious pork huaraches. Then we took the bus back to the city and got a quick power nap in along the way.
Once we were back in the city, we walked along the main drag, Avenida Paseo de la Reforma where we gazed at the monumental El Ángel de la Independencia.
We tasted a few types of Mexican wine and some delicious octopus at the St. Regis Hotel nearby.
We enjoyed our last dinner at Quebracho Lerma where we enjoyed a perfectly medium-rare steak carved table-side along with spinach dip and an assortment of fried potatoes.
After polishing off our meal we walked down the street to stand in line for what felt like forever at Churrería El Moro in anticipation of indulging in piping hot cinnamon churros, melted chocolate, and creamy hot cocoa. As you wait in line you can watch through the glass windows at the factory like precision of the workers. Long strips of curled dough make their way over to the bubbling oil and then descend in for a quick fry. They emerge with a nice golden tan as onlookers start to drool. No time to waste as they then go for a romp in the cinnamon sugar bath before they are finally plated and served to desirous customers. Paired with the melted chocolate and creamy hot cocoa, these churros are world-famous and can be ordered 24 hours a day.
3 Hours Left…
We checked out of our Airbnb and took a 6am flight directly back to SFO just in time to make our way back to work through the morning commuter traffic on 101. Needless to say, Mexico City enchanted our taste buds and, although we live in California and have a pretty good selection of Mexican food, we would never stop craving the authentic street food we found in CDMX.
