I visited Mexico City for Labor Day Weekend in 2017. I had recollections about the place; many of those food-based ideas held, but the city was quite different from what I recalled. This time, I spent a week staying in two different neighborhoods: La Condesa and Roma Norte. After enjoying the warmth of Mexico last spring break, we decided to return.
We arrived on a Saturday and checked into a gorgeous Airbnb in La Condesa. I highly recommend staying in this quiet neighborhood with giant tree-lined boulevards and many nice restaurants and bars. Our Airbnb, a very modern condo building, had private security, which can feel a little strange and reminds you that you're somewhere else. We had dinner at Lardo. Honestly, we had their pastries for breakfast the next two days, and they were much better than the underseasoned dinner items.
After pastries from Lardo, we spent most of Sunday in the markets in Lagunilla. There is a vintage/antique flea market that pops up on Sundays, but there are also permanent city-block-size markets that sell everything you could possibly want. No one needs Amazon in Mexico City because of the markets. I had missed the market culture on my first trip. There is a market for everything; many are permanent, but others appear on specific days in certain neighborhoods. Closing the streets for markets doesn't seem to be an issue. Cash is still very much required in Mexico. In Lagunilla, we wandered the packed sidewalks and side streets for hours. One of the highlights was a solid classic rock cover band playing in the middle of everything. Then we walked through the Constitution Plaza and had churros at El Moro. They were nowhere near as good as they were on my first visit. Then, we stopped at a natural wine bar, NATAS, before heading home. We were tired, but it was the night of the Oscars. I was very invested in a few categories. We found a way to watch a Mexican broadcast with live translation. I stayed up to see Mikey Madison and Adrien Brody win.
The next day, we took it easy with pastries from Lardo, a Bikram Yoga class in Spanglish, and a quick walk around Polanco before our dinner reservation. I conducted some food research, as I always do, and discovered Gaba Restaurante. Every article made the food sound interesting. The photos looked beautiful. Social media tends to highlight certain spots that aren't very good, so I actively look for restaurants that don't appear on Reels or TikTok (and avoid those that do). I made this reservation before the trip. The dinner was one of the most memorable meals of my life. Every dish was creative and involved a counterintuitive use of indigenous and seasonal ingredients. The technique was perfect; everything about the dinner was perfect.
The next day, we booked a long street food tour through Airbnb Experiences. The tour has thousands of reviews and a nearly 5.0 rating. After my first trip, I knew that there were many spots tourists wouldn't find and it would be easier to go with a guide. We met up with the small group early in the morning and took the subway to Mercado de Jamaica, the flower market. The subway is cheap (27 cents) and subsidized; our tour guide told us a story about protests that occurred when the price increased in 2013 from 3 to 5 pesos. That story alone reveals a great deal about the culture.
The flower market was fascinating; the flower-buying and giving culture is alive and well in Mexico City. We learned that families live in the market for days, above their stand, and rotate out after a few days. Our first stop was a fruit stand, where we tried a variety of mostly unfamiliar indigenous fruits. Many of them were utilized in the dinner we had the night before. The next stop was for street corn, just amazing. Then, we stopped at six taco stands. I had no idea there was a special name for each kind of taco. The basket tacos (tacos de canasta), in particular, were a new concept to me: tacos made early in the morning, wrapped in plastic and cloth, placed in a basket, and then attached to the front of a bicycle and sold on the street. We also stopped at a market to try insects. They were all dried, seasoned, and incredibly unique: an ant tasted like butter. Nearly the last stop was a pulqueria: a unique and new concept to me. Pulquerias are similar to bars but only serve a fresh, lightly fermented agave nectar beverage, pulque. There are different flavors, and it has a unique texture and smell. Apparently, the pulquerias have a bad reputation because the drink contains a tiny amount of alcohol, but the spot was entirely friendly. It seemed to be a dying, pre-Hispanic cultural practice. We finished with one more taco stop, this time al pastor-style, and then had churros. I can't recommend this tour enough. It was led by an introvert, around the age of 30, who knew everything and would answer any question. Typically, these food tours are led by extroverts who encourage everyone in the group to participate in conversation. This experience was different, quiet, and relaxed. The whole group was a calm bunch. It made the six hours together rather nice.
The next morning, we moved to an Airbnb in Roma Norte. We had a nice breakfast at Maleza and had booked a massage. It was a lovely relief after days of walking. I've learned that I need to pace my walking a bit. We checked into the new Airbnb, which wasn't more than a mile away, but the neighborhood felt entirely different: younger, louder, and more active. I stayed in Roma Norte on my first trip, but it had changed in the last eight years. It was more developed and busy. We stopped at a beer bar before heading to dinner at a one-Michelin star restaurant, Rosetta. Honestly, it was not very memorable. During the dinner, I made a second reservation for lunch at Gaba.
The next day, we took an Uber to the Frida Kahlo neighborhood of Coyoacán. I didn't feel the need to experience the crowded house tour, but walking through the neighborhood was nice. It's quite different and feels like a small town within Mexico City. Then we went to Luis Barrigán House, a lesser-traveled house tour. I'm a fan, and I love seeing how artists lived and what they chose to put in their spaces. Notable to me is that the only photo in the home is a well-known Edward Weston photograph. After, we went to Nevería Roxy for ice cream / shaved ice. They had some seasonal fruit favors that were awesome. By this point, my travel partner was sick with a strange form of food poisoning but was doing his best to make it through. We had a reservation at Campobaja. The seafood was spectacular, but I ended up eating most of it.
The next morning, I went out for coffee and pastries at Postales de Café. On our last full day, we squeezed in a few museum stops: Museo Tamayo (a contemporary art museum), the Botanical Gardens, and the National Museum of Anthropology. The last stop had a Sebastião Salgado exhibit on the Amazon. The photo exhibit was fantastic. There were endless giant prints. I'm glad we went, as I had never seen his work in person before, and he passed away two months later. Then, we went back to Gaba for lunch. There was a tomahawk pork dish I had wanted to try. Again, everything was just perfect. I can't recommend this restaurant enough.
The next morning, I grabbed us coffee before heading to the airport. Uber's service in Mexico City is easy and affordable, even with the constant traffic. Overall, aside from the food poisoning, it was a very fun trip. The weather was warm and dry. We never saw rain. The food was delicious, the photography opportunities were plentiful, and the people were pretty nice. Last year in Oaxaca, we joked that we should spend every Spring Break in Mexico (not the Mexico my students go to), but we might change it up next year. There's more to see out there.
