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Odds are I'll be in Mexico City for a brief business trip within the next few months and I'd like to take a couple days off to explore while I'm down there. Anyone have suggestions on 2-3 days worth of stuff to do in the winter? Essential historical sites? Obscure restaurants with best ever food? Any neighborhood that's recommended for Airbnb? I see a lot of travel blogs about La Condesa and Roma.
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Nov 4, 2018 20:13
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| # ? May 3, 2024 09:24 |
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Hopefully this isn't too late! I've been living in Mexico City for a few months now. For a lot of that time I was in AirBnBs in various neighborhoods so I've seen most of the places you'd want to live (or not want to). Thoughts on Neighborhoods: Roma and Condesa are both good choices. They are nicer neighborhoods with lots of great restaurants, shopping, nightlife etc. I live in Roma and prefer that to Condesa, personally, but they are adjacent so it's not really a big deal one versus the other. Roma is more of a yuppie/hipster area while Condesa is more upscale European looking people. These neighborhoods are somewhat victims of their own success, so the stuff you find on AirBnB might be overpriced or deceptive - for example, places listed as Roma Sur that are basically next to the viaduct or a few blocks into Doctores, which is a sketchy/dangerous area. If I were you, I'd also consider looking in: Escandon - This is south of Condesa and much more middle/working class than the bougie Condesa area. You might be able to find some good deals here. I've lived here for two months and loved it, it has some of my favorite street or market food (more on that below) and it's easy to get to Condesa and Roma from here. Juarez - This is to the north of Roma and is increasingly where people I know who lived in Roma but got priced out moved to. I think the neighborhood is prettier than Roma (which is saying a lot) and while it's not as dense in terms of bars and restaurants, there is some really great stuff up here. It's skinny neighborhood that goes across the top of Roma so you can just walk a few blocks and be in Roma, anyway. If I had to rent an AirBnB, I'd look here. I wouldn't stay in the centro, Polanco or Coyoacan although those are great places to visit if there is stuff you want to see there. They're just far away from good stuff if you don't have a car or otherwise unlivable. Restaurants: La Cañita - This is actually in the aforementioned sketchy neighborhood Doctores but only barely - you can walk there from Roma along a very busy street like Chapultepec and be totally fine. They sell "cevichelas" which is a liter of the most amazing michelada you've ever had with a bowl of the most amazing ceviche you've ever had on top of it... for ~4.50 USD. Cash only. Really great decor and owned by local artists/radical authors. Taqueria Orinoco - The CDMX location of a chain from Monterrey. This is right in the middle of Roma and Condesa, there are lots of tourists so the line can get long but if you go at sensible times (and not peak drunk people times) you will get in quickly. The thing to get here is the especiales, huge gringa style flour tortilla tacos. My fav is the norteno, which has amazing chicharron and cheese filling or there is also the campechano, which is a mix of al pastor (aka tromp) and beef. They seem SUPER expensive for tacos in the city but 1. they are huge and 2. they come with smashed and fried potatoes. Try all the salsas and the jamaica/guayaba juice. Playa Escondida - This is in the Mercado Escandon. You need to go into the market a bit to find it, it's a series of counters often with a short line. Get the tostadas, they are AMAZING and so cheap. Places without names - some of the best food in the city I can't give you a name, just a location: Roma/Juarez: On the weekend before 2pm, consomme and barbacoa at the corner of Cuahtemoc and Zacatecas. The best thing ever, a bowl of the consommé and a few costilla tacos are my goto hangover cure. During the week breakfast/lunch, quesadillas from the corner of Marsella and Berlin in Juarez. Ask for chorizo verde con queso - crazy neon green looking chorizo made with peanuts and raisins. The salsa verde is really good as well. Carnitas place across from Mercado Juarez - On the SW corner of the big intersection of Chapultepec and Cuahtemoc, there are a bunch of food carts during the day. The carnitas here are amazing, as is the salsa verde, which is basically the best guac you've ever had. Escandon: Taco stand on José Marti in between Mineria and Calle de la Prosperidad in Escandon - Run by a cool guy named Ruben who is a karate master. This place is open at night and there is always a big crowd of people here eating, even in the rain. Tacos of various cuts of beef including tongue, eye and tripe. Rotisserie chicken spot on the corner of José Marti and Mineria - Sounds weird to recommend a rotisserie spot but honestly this place is so good. Get a quarter chicken per person (I like the ranchero style), some salchichas and papas and walk up to one of the parks in condesa and have a picnic. Touristy Stuff: I don't do much of this but some things I have done and enjoyed: In/Around Roma, Condesa and the Centro: If one is happening while you're here, go to Lucha Libre at the Arena Mexico. This is so much fun. Spend the money to get front row seats, you won't regret it. Go to La Cañita afterwards as they are close to each other. The centro has about 1 million museums, I've never been to any of them so I can't tell you if they are good or not. But it is fun to walk around and see all the super old colonial buildings. The Zocalo is definitely worth going to as well, there is always stuff happening there. For example, this weekend the Pixies had a free concert. I was there earlier today and there was something called the "Homeless World Cup" going on, not sure what that was about. Lagunilla is a super crazy tianguis (street market) that operates on the weekend north of the centro. Tons of people and literally anything you could want (there are tattoo shops operating out of tents for example), it's a bit of a party too. Go a few blocks in and find the people selling huge micheladas with crazy toppings and stuff, get one and walk around and check it out. Biblioteca Vasconcelos is an amazing piece of architecture, you've probably seen photos of this because it is stunning. Also near here is the El Chopo street market on the weekend. Tons of metal/punk/counterculture merchandise, people watching, bands playing etc. Southern City Stuff: Xochimilco is super fun, I'm not sure if it will be happening in the winter but if the weather is nice I imagine it will. Psychedelic painted boats, you can rent a whole one by the hour for not very much money (like 300-400 pesos for a boat that can hold 30 people, look up the price because it should be fixed and people will try and scam you) and take it around, vendors will come up to you and sell tamales, elotes and huge cervezas. Be careful getting here, people run CRAZY scams such as trying to divert all tourist traffic to their own boat launches saying the main one is closed - we literally had our car stopped by 5 people trying to do this to us. Just tell your Uber or cab driver you're going to Embarcadero Nuevo Nativitas and don't let anyone tell you otherwise. The boat launch (Nativatas) has some really interesting tacos for sale too so grab some of those for your trip. If it's just you and you want to do it cheaply, you can get on a cooperative boat for cheaper and still get the same experience for the most part, I think I paid 45 pesos to do this. Coyoacan is worth a trip as well, possibly in combination with the Xochimilco day. Frida Kahlo's blue house is a museum that is really interesting - you will see people waiting in line here, they are suckers. Buy your tickets online in advance, show up and get in line and when the time on your ticket happens you can just get in. There is an awesome churros rellenos place south of the museum (next to Cafe El Jarocho) where you can get churros rellenos filled with nutella, raspberry cream cheese, etc. The mercado here is also worth noting - you can find a good selection of touristy gifts and stuff to take home, the prices aren't the best you can find but they aren't outrageous either. San Angel is near Coyoacan. This is a beautiful neighborhood to walk around and check out the ridiculous mansions and scenic streets. Other: I haven't been to Teotihuacan but some friends of mine have and really enjoyed it. I think the touristy ways of getting out there are pretty ridiculous in terms of price (well, relative to how much things cost in Mexico) so some people just asked an Uber driver if they would take them out there the next day for X pesos. If you're comfortable I'd try and do that. Happy to post more - I didn't talk about any fine dining, monthly electronic music/queer parties, coffee shops etc so if you care about that stuff let me know and I can think of some recommendations.
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Nov 13, 2018 20:22
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That is an awesome post. You covered everything I could have asked and more. But now that you mention it, a coffee shop recommendation would be great. Many thanks!
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Nov 17, 2018 17:01
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Ossipago posted:That is an awesome post. You covered everything I could have asked and more. In Juarez, I like aauurraa (Versalles and Turin) for just grabbing cold brew/espresso before going about my day. It's a block or two behind the Cuahtemoc metro station so it's pretty convenient if you're grabbing something on your way. In Roma, Deseo on Merida or any of the fancy rear end places on Obregon will make a good americano or cortado. For working, you have a lot of options. Unlike in the US, Mexican coffee shops are perfectly content to let you buy a single drink and leech off the wifi indefinitely all day. I do this in lieu of having a proper coworking spot and have literally never been hassled or even made to feel awkward about it. I just tip well so I don't feel guilty. If you need to do this, I'd just scope out a good looking place with seating and post up with your laptop. There is a place in Roma called Cardinal Casa de Cafe where I've done this a bunch. You might also check out the Panaderia Rosetta which has location in Roma on Colima (fancy shopping and restaurant street) as well as in Juarez on Havre. The one in Juarez never seems to have a line while the one in Roma always does. The thing to get here is the guayaba rolls, they're usually sold out in Roma though. They also sell these at aauurraa.
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Nov 18, 2018 00:52
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A few of my favorites: - National Anthropology Museum in the Bosque de Chapultepec - Fonda Mayora restaurant in Condesa - Teotihuacan, pyramids about an hour outside the city (you can take a car for ~$20 USD each way) - Trotsky's house in Coyoacan
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Nov 18, 2018 01:48
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