Where to Stay, food and places to visit
Mexico City – where to stay
Condesa and Roma. The fist point is where to stay. If you are there for only a few days I will recommend Condesa or Roma . Both are neighbourhoods with many restaurants, bar, galleries and shops. It is nice to go out there for dinner and it is very easy to get around.
Condesa ir a bit more “fancy” and Roma a bit more “Hipster”. I prefer Roma and it is cheaper! Stay east of Avenida Cuauhtémoc, as to the west is a very traditional working class neighbourhood, that is gentrifying, but I do not recommend it.
If you are staying longer, you can go a bit north and south of Condesa and Roma. I recommend staying close to Avenida Insurgentes, as it has a “Metro bus” a kind of guided bus that is efficient, but can get crowded. The souther you go is an “upper middle class” area and the north a “working class” areas
Other options:
City Centre. I do not recommend it, as there is not much going there in the evenings, except in weekends. If you are in Mexico City for just a few days and rather explore the sites than going out in the evening and you like historic sites and museums, then it is a good option.
Polanco. This is a “fancy” neighbourhood, If you want to go out shopping top brands and eat in sophisticated places, then this is the place to be. It is close to Chapultepec, a big park with the main museums.
Coyoacan. This was a traditional town that is now within the city. Artists, politicians, bohemians, academics and such like from the 30’s till 70’s lived here, and some still do. It has a very “hippie” vibe and is less fancy than Condesa and Roma, with less options to go out, but still a nice place to explore. You will fin Frida Khalos’s and Trostky’s house her.
What to do in Mexico City
There are a lot of options in Mexico City. The map below shows you the main attractions, museums and also some restaurants.
| Museums | Sites and Neighbourhoods | Food |
| Contemporary Art Tamayo museum Xteresa Diego river house Museo Jumex UNAM -MUAC University Museum Contemporary Art Modern Art Museo Frida Kahlo Modern art museum Diego Rivera Estudio -Anahuacalli Diego Rivera’s and Frida Kahlo’s Studio UNAM -Espacio Escultórico Diego Rivera Mural Museum History Museo Antropología Bellas artes Chapultepec castle Templo Mayor San Idelfonso Palacio Nacional | Traditional stuff Luchas -Arena México Mariachis -Garibaldi Punts – Xochimilco Basilica de Guadalupe Areas to explore Condesa Roma National University -UNAM San Ángel Coyoacán Crafts Markets Bazar del Sabado Ciudadela | Cantinas La Guadalupana Café Tacuba La Opera Food Markets Mercado de San Juan Coyoacán Market Central de Abastos |
Map of sites, museums and restaurants in CDMX
Map of traditional Cantinas
They are all great!
Food
Markets
Central de Abastos – Maaaaaasive market, Mexico City’s central market. You can’t visit all, just go around and see the stalls. There are places to eat, but I have never eaten there. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Central_de_Abasto
Mercado de San Juan – Market where you can find all kinds of exotic food, from scorpions to horse meat. There are restaurants inside that serve mainly Spanish type or food. worth visiting and eating there.
Restaurants
There are hundreds of good restaurants in Mexico City, check the cantinas on the map above and here is a selection of places that I like to visit:
Mercado Roma – Modern and hipster market of good food. has branches of very traditional and famous restaurants as well as new and fusion food.
El Cardenal – I have only eaten there from breakfast, the queues on weekends can take more than an hour. There are several branches
Cafe Tacuba – Traditional Mexican restaurant Azul – Very nice building in the historic city centre. Good modern version of traditional food
Danubio – Great seafood, a mix of Spanish and Mexican.
San Angel in – An old “hacienda” house, a combination of French/international and Mexican. The place is nice, but a bit fancy
Los Arcos – a chain of seafood from Mazatlán. I like it a lot. There are many branches
Azul – Very nice building in the historic city centre. Good modern version of traditional food
TACOS:
el borrego viudo – Super spicy food, is busier late in the night after a night out
Tizoncito – Is a chain there are all around the city. They are always a good option
El califa –
El chupacabras –
El hidalguense- I have never been, but heard is very good “barbacoa”. Here is a list of recommended places. I buy it from a street stall outside my parents house, hence I don’t usually go to there.
https://www.chilango.com/comida/mejor-barbacoa-cdmx/
Churros
El moro – there are many branches around the city