The Mexico City Guide
Warning... contents are hot (takes)
Hello everybody! Today’s a big day for us… we’re taking TTS international! We’re leaving our California safety net and traveling south to Mexico City.
The number of times someone has said to me “Wait, you’ve never been to CDMX?! You MUST go, you will LOVE it!” - I’ve simply lost count. So after 2+ years of hearing it, I finally got to explore CDMX for a whole week in October!
As the time came closer for our trip, I started noticing a pattern - every person I talked to was recommending the same 10-15 restaurants, bars, experiences. Though this can be a positive thing (true validation that these places are amazing), I started to worry I wasn’t setting us up for a deeper cultural experience and instead, it was going to be a recycled, Americanized version of CDMX.
Coming out of my spiral, I did an even deeper dive into research on the city, combing through articles and lists online, reading a 70 page Google Doc from a friend, watching Instagram Highlights from some of my favorite travel & food creators.
I feel like this is turning into story time versus a guide so I’ll skip ahead - I present to you, a comprehensive first timer’s guide to CDMX. I know for a fact there is SO much to explore (the city is massive) - but my recommendations below will give you a good taste of what Mexico City has to offer, and *hopefully* make you look like the cool friend that knows what’s up.
A couple hot takes / quick hits to get us started:
TTS CDMX Hot Takes
This Over That: Coyoacán over Roma Norte
Roma Norte was extremely overhyped to me and I was left feeling meh on it. I expected a super walkable area filled with cute shops and cafes, and though it has its moments and there’s a Brooklyn-esque flair, the massive streets are overstimulating and the places I wanted to visit were very far apart from each other. It was also disheartening to walk into a few recommended places and only see Americans in line or sitting at tables. Though it’s worth a visit (I’ve named my favorite spots below) - I enjoyed exploring Coyoacán significantly more.
In Coyoacán, the Mexican culture is present, with locals outnumbering the tourists. The streets are lively and colorful but approachable, and there’s tons of street food & artisan goods to scope out while you walk around. The architecture is stunning as well, I highly recommend wandering into the side streets after your visit to the Frida Kahlo Museum!
Favorite Park: Plaza Luis Cabrera, or Parque México in the Amsterdam neighborhood
Skip If You Don’t Have Time: Museo Nacional de Antropología
Restaurant/Café Worth the Hype: Pujol
Restaurant/Café Not Worth The Hype: Panadería Rosetta
Restaurant That Isn’t on Your Friend’s Google Doc (But Should Be): Lago Algo
Trip Highlight: Touring Parque Quetzalcóatl and Conjunto Satéllite
SOME GENERAL TRAVEL NOTES/TIPS
CDMX is a great “international light” trip IMO. It’s a great place to visit for a unique cultural experience, but it isn’t a far trip from LA and it’s very (VERY) affordable
Ubers are cheap! I think our most expensive Uber was $12 USD and that was to get to the airport during morning traffic hours
Pesos - I would secure some pesos before you leave for your trip to have on hand. Most restaurants and shops take cards, but street carts and the smaller markets are more cash-friendly
Language - You can *get by* with English in CDMX, but I had use my Spanish way more than I expected. Take some time to learn conversational phrases, greetings, etc and it’ll help you immensely. My most common phrase? “Que es eso?” - What is this? LOL
EATS
Starting strong with allll the food and drink recs! Though there’s a ton of nice sit down restaurants, my favorite foods I ate were all street foods. Challenge yourself to ask about what you see sizzling on a street cart and try things! And when in doubt, tacos tacos tacos!
Coffees & Panaderías
Saint - Our favorite coffee AND pastry in CDMX. Try the seasonal fruit pastry, or one of their conchas
Panadería Rosetta - I was a little underwhelmed by this one. BUT, it is SO cute and the pastry variety is unmatched. It’s at least worth one visit.
Café Trucha - The cutest sweetest coffee shop & wine bar! I just went in to grab a quick coffee, but their treats & natural wine selection also looked amazing. Super cozy and a great cafe for working, or a long chat with a pal
Café Avellaneda - This is your spot when you head to Coyoacán / Frida Kahlo! They’ve won a ton of competitions and are true coffee professionals
Tacos
Street carts!! BE BRAVE
Tacos Orinoco - can’t go wrong here, try a mix!
El Tizoncito - they claim to be the creators of “al pastor”… I ate 4
Expendio El Maiz Sin Nombre - this place has no menu, and keeps serving you plates until you tell them to stop. It’s all fresh and the plates are based on what they source every day. A MUST! All dietary restrictions are accommodated here.
Sit Down / “Fancy” Restaurants
Pujol - reserve FAR in advance**** A Michelin star restaurant, and the tasting menu is $$$. But this is WELL worth the price, a truly unique experience I will never forget. The menu highlight is the chef’s mole sauce, which has been crafted over 3200+ days. I dream of it.
Lago Algo - if Pujol wasn’t, well, Pujol… this would’ve been my favorite sit down meal of the trip! Such a special place, sitting on the pond in the middle of Parque Chapultepec and covered in beautiful art pieces & plants. Cuisine is farm to table, and they often have chefs in residency serving limited menus. Highly recommend!
Tetetlán - Another aesthetically pleasing restaurant that makes you think… why don’t more places look like this? Beautiful, colorful, and covered in books you can grab off the shelves to peruse before, during and after your meal. I recommend going for breakfast/brunch - great coffee and a large menu so everyone will be happy.
Contramar - Seafood lovers, this one’s for you. Don’t miss the tuna tostada! I would recommend a reservation ahead of time if this one is a must for you, but we were able to walk in at lunchtime and get a table right away.
Wine & Cocktails
Loup - natural wine bar, great for reading & people watching on the patio
Bar Las Brujas - all female staff serving you delicious craft cocktails, all inspired by powerful women. A great spot for a pre-dinner drink, or a nightcap if you want a little more lively.
Dessert
Churreria El Moro - CHURROS! So light and crisp, truly a perfect post-dinner treat
Paleta Co. - I <3 paletas. This became my dessert of choice on the second half of the trip, when I felt like I was made of tortillas and conchas.
THE SIGHTS
Tours/Excursions/Museums
Teotihuacan - ancient temples, so fun to explore! I recommend a day tour for this one so you can get the most out of the experience, we loved our AirBnB Experience HERE.
Parque Quetzalcóatl & Conjunto Satéllite - I may have to write an entirely separate entry on this one, but let me just say… Javier Senosiain is a god. Truly the most inspiring day I’ve had in so long, and his designs make you wonder why we have so many ugly grey and brown rectangular buildings. Limited tours are available for architecture lovers & students, see here for more info.
Coyoacán Market - we guided ourselves through the markets here which was very fun and exciting, but I might suggest a food tour or AirBnB experience for first timers to have a deeper understanding of it all!
Museo Nacional de Antropología - a beautiful museum showcasing the history & artifacts of Mexico. It’s the largest and most visited museum in the country!
Museo Frida Kahlo - a must!!! Frida and Diego’s beautiful home, filled with their personal items and photographs. So special. Book a timed entry in advance.
Parks
Do yourself a favor and sit in at LEAST one park while you’re in CDMX. The city is covered in them, and each one is so magical. It was always a moment of zen for us amongst the ~hustle and bustle~ of the big city.
Parque Mexico
Plaza Luis Cabrera
Plaza Rio de Janeiro
Plaza Villa Madrid
Parque Lincoln (this one gave us a chuckle but so pretty!! Right by Pujol)
Bosque de Chapultepec
Jardin Centenario
Shopping
Happening
Metate
Bazar Resiliente
Goodbye Folk
La VintaJe
Proyecto Rufina Condesa
Rapsodia
Casa Mandarine
Coyoacan Market (for souvenirs)
MY SAVES FOR NEXT TIME
Em - A group of locals caught my friend and I as we were exiting Pujol and said Em is even BETTER. Hot hot take! Must go
Hugo & Pigeon - two more natural wine bars bc you know I love a crisp glass of orange
Xochimilco - ride on a colorful gondola while food vendors and mariachi bands float past you. Sounds so epic! It’s a bit of an excursion and I’ve heard its best to do with a group, so we skipped on this first trip
Museo de Arte Moderno - we didn’t make the time for it, but I think the modern art museums (there’s a few) would be more interesting to me versus the Anthropology museum (I can only look at so many ancient arrowheads)
Casa Luis Barragan - another Mexican architecture king and Javier Senosiain’s mentor. It was already booked when we looked into it!
Museo Casa Estudio Diego Rivera y Frida Kahlo - Frida & Diego’s studio space. Would LOVE to see!
Ticuchi - under the same umbrella as Pujol, I hear there are great margaritas and late night tacos here
Ticket to Sarahdise Event Digest - Week of 11/6
Every week, I’m sharing events you should be checking out in LA. Here’s this week’s download - lots of goodies to share for November!!
Jon Kung x Bodega Park - In celebration of his new cookbook, Bodega and Kung are coming together to serve up his signature Mapo Tofu Kimchi Jjigae for one day only! Check it out tomorrow 11/7.
Thank You Coffee 1 Year Anni! - The cutest coffee shop in Chinatown is celebrating it’s 1 year anniversary on Saturday, incl snack boxes and smashburgers
Wine + Pizza with HiLo - White Sparrow Coffee and HiLo Liquor are coming together for a cutie wine and pizza night on Sat 11/11. More info at the link (this one’s for my OC pals!)
Kimchi Workshop at Open Market - My girl Sharon is hosting a kimchi making class on 11/11 and 11/12! I am SO sad to miss this one, pls go on my behalf!
Diwali at Tulsi Westwood - Tulsi is hosting a Diwali celebration on Sun 11/12! You can expect lots of tasty bites, music and live Indian dance performances. Use code “TULSI5” for a discount on your ticket - purchase here.
Bar Chelou x Needle (!!) - EPIC COLLAB ALERT! Giving you far in advance notice for this one. Bar Chelou and Needle are coming together on 11/28 for some type of food collaboration - keep tabs on their IGs for the official rundown.
Sunset Junction Makers Market - I love a good makers market, especially as we are entering gifting szn! Sat 11/18 at Kombu.
This one was a hefty one, huh?! Thanks for reading, share with a friend! And if you haven’t already - subscribe to get the weekly drop straight to your inbox! If you need even more content from me… head on over to TikTok. Okay bye!
I've been sharing this a lot to my friends, it's been super helpful! Thanks!
wooo!