LA CIUDAD DE MÉXICO
DECEMBER 2023
BY THOMAS CULWELL
My brother has worked in the restaurant, beverage, and coffee industries coming up on a decade now, and he traveled to Mexico City (CDMX – La Ciudad de México) a few years back with nothing but good things to say about his experience. So, with good food and cocktails serving as initial motivation, I decided to finally pull the trigger on CDMX, and it quickly became apparent why this city is so special.
Day 1
On my first full day in the city, I was able to start off my day by stopping at two bakeries, one café, and one coffee shop. Highly renowned chef, Elena Reygadas, started both bakeries, Panadería Rosetta (Roma) and Panadería Rosetta (Puebla), alongside Café Nin. Each one housed an incredible aura and positive energy, but Panadería Rosetta in Roma is truly set apart in my head. Given it was my first stop since arriving in the city, my Spanish was shaky, but through some Google Translate help, I ended up with a latté and a guava pastry that was to die for. After hitting the Elena Reygadas trio, I snagged one additional coffee at Drip Specialty Coffee, a small shop farther West as I made my way to the Paseo de la Reforma for a bike ride.
I spent several hours on the “closed-to-cars-on-Sunday” road with a rented bike that I got through the EcoBici app, stopping a few times, once at Castillo de Chapultepec, a castle built atop sacred Aztec land that has historically served as a military academy, imperial and presidential residence, observatory, and the National Museum of History, once at Lardo, another Elena Reygadas restaurant, and finally at Botánico, where I snacked on a sweet orange dish with a side of mezcal at the beautifully green restaurant. Once I made my way back to my HQ in the northern part of Roma, I grabbed dinner at Marmota, where the grilled cheese and tomato soup is incredibly popular.
I continued the night at one of the top 3 bars I’ve ever been to (and the World’s 50 Best agrees – No. 3 in the world), Handshake Speakeasy. I tried several cocktails, including a couple “tini-martinis”, but the most notable cocktails were the outlandishly delicious piña colada, matcha yuzu, and strawberry pancake. Finally, I shared a bottle of Zero Infinito by Pojere e Sandri at Niv with a friend that I had recently met at Handshake, then decided to call it a day.
Day 2
I arguably incorporated slightly too much alcohol into day one, so I decided to sleep in a bit, hitting Qūentin Café for a mid-morning coffee – then all that was left was to prepare for my 10-courser at Pujol. If you’re not familiar, Pujol is the No. 13 restaurant in the world, and was opened in 2000 by Chef Enrique Olvera who has an episode on Netflix’s Chef’s Table dedicated to him and his restaurant. To say the very least, Pujol lived up to the hype, with the 3,270-day mole madre taking my taste buds to a new level. The space was breathtaking, the service was faultless, and the food and beverage changed my outlook on dining. I would highly recommend researching early and getting a reservation at Pujol if you plan to be in Mexico City.
Pujol
After Pujol, I naturally decided to go eat more, so I stopped at LagoAlgo by the lake in Chapultepec and had lamb for my post-dinner dinner. At that time, I was good and stuffed, so I decided to make the trek back to HQ.
Later on that night, I stopped in 686 Bar and Licorería Limantour (No. 7 bar in the world), where I ordered a Grappa, a drink accurately named for its Grappa Aculla, Grand Marnier, vanilla, strawberry, rice pudding, and Johnnie Walker Black Whiskey – the perfect night cap.
Grappa – Licorería Limantour
Day 3
Centro Histórico had it all.
8:00 – I grabbed a pastry at Pastelería Ideal, a bakery going on a century of uninterrupted operations in CDMX (founded in 1927); an incredible experience paired with traditional bakery products like breads, pastries, mousses, cakes, jellies, tarts, pies, cookies, and sandwiches. Take your pick!
9:00 – I stopped in El Cardenal to continue the eating spree and had a full, traditional Mexican breakfast, including Doña Oliva, a Mexican Hot Chocolate served piping hot. Then, I buzzed around the city center to several historic sites like Casa de los Azulejos, Palacio Postal, Catedral Metropolitana, and the culturally rich Zócalo.
12:00 – I popped in both Los Especiales and Los Cocuyos for some lunch tacos; if you stop in just one of the two, I recommend Los Especiales as its closer to the Zócalo and the tacos were a lot better… but that’s just one man’s opinion. I continued the sightseeing at Museo del Templo Mayor, Palacio de Bellas Artes, and Torre Latinoamericana (observatory deck – pictures below) before heading to get more fuel.
Film Photography from Torre Latinoamericana Observatory Deck
15:00 – Tacos El Huequito treated me to an unbelievable plate of tacos el pastor, and then I made my way to the park right down the street, called Plaza de San Juan, where I met Aaron, who got me into some pickup basketball games for the entirety of the afternoon. I ended up needing a shower and some clean clothes after that, so I rode back to HQ, showered off, and got ready for the night.
19:00 –Monique, Maria, and I went to Hanky Panky, No. 22 bar in the world, where the drinks were great (not to the same level as Handshake or Limantour), but the environment was excellent. A true speakeasy, which you’ll have to experience for yourself when you go. The three of us spent a couple hours there, then decided to hit Sombra Roma, a bar that I can best describe as the Mos Eisley cantina in Star Wars: A New Hope. If you’re a Star Wars fan, this is an absolute must go. Before heading back to the Airbnb, we stopped by Loup Bar for one last glass (bottle?) of wine before calling it.
Day 4
For day 4, it was only fitting that I do 4 things:
Farmacia Internacional. After a late but relaxing start to the morning, I enjoyed breakfast at Farmacia Internacional, a coffee and breakfast shop on a large but relatively quiet intersection in Condesa that serves incredible espresso and a very unique, “egg in a jar with bacon” among other great breakfast dishes. If you’re in the area, it’s definitely worth a stop.
Casa Gilardi. Holy shit. This experience made me realize how much I’ve been missing in my travels. Unique, personal, and expressive art in the form of architecture. Luis Barragán, a Mexican architect and engineer, was born in Guadalajara in 1902 and had an architectural approach that, “embraced the principles of Modernism while remaining deeply rooted in Mexican tradition.”1 In 1975, “The Gilardi House was commissioned by advertising executive Francisco Gilardi to be built on a plot in a densely populated area of the capital, south of Bosque de Chapultepec park and not far from Barragán’s own residence.”1
Given that the Gilardi House is a private residence and not a museum, you will need to contact the owners to get a private tour, which will cost you $600MXN per person. The mother still lives on the top floor which is off limits, but most of the house, including both the first and second floor are available to tour, and I highly recommend you do. The son gave the tour and explained the history, cultural impact, artistic and structural elements, and Barragán’s eye for excellence in such beautiful depth. This was truly an experience I’ll never forget. To book a reservation, visit https://casagilardi.mx/reservaciones-casa-gilardi/.
Unfortunately, all photos taken are for personal (non-commercial) use only, but if you want to see photos of Casa Gilardi and other Barragán works, or if you simply want more information on Barragán, visit https://www.barragan-foundation.org/.
Quintonil. Holy fucking shit. This place was so good I had to buy the book lol. The single most incredible dish I’ve ever eaten in my entire life was here. Crème fraîche and melipona bee honey, physalis, and caviar. Extraordinary.
I sat down next to a gentleman and as we began to start having conversation, he mentioned he was a chef in New York’s Aman Hotel. We were having a great time enjoying the meal together, but as the 4th or 5th course showed up, he mentioned that he and one of his friends had eaten some oysters the previous day, and that he was beginning to feel sick… Long story short, he ended up needing to leave which he was absolutely torn up about. At that point, I was alone with a single woman sitting about 4 seats down to my right at the kitchen bar. She noticed my dining companion left, so she invited me to join her. As we began to exchange a few words, she mentioned she went to Georgia Tech (wow, small world) and studied Industrial Engineering (okay, just crazy), so safe to say we had a lot to talk about and really enjoyed the remainder of the meal.
As far as the food goes, there’s honestly not a lot to say other than the fact that it was one of the best restaurants I’ve ever experienced. If you go to CDMX, do not miss out on the No. 9 restaurant in the world, Quintonil.
Sombra Roma. Yes, I hit this spot again. But only because it was so cool feeling like you’re in star wars… oh and because the drinks were phenomenal.
Day 5
Kept it simple again… Day 5 = 5 restaurants and bars.
Fonda Margarita. On the drive from Condesa to Coyoacán, there is a restaurant just off the main road that has been serving traditional Mexican breakfast dishes like chilaquiles verdes (on the left) and chicharrón en salsa verde since 1948. I had the chilaquiles with a cup of Café de Olla (a Mexican spiced coffee drink), and this was one of the best dishes I had during my stay in Mexico City. I highly recommend stopping by Fonda Margarita on your way to Coyoacán. I tried to visit the Frida Kahlo Museum after having breakfast here because they are in the same general area, but I didn’t have tickets and they were all sold out, so don’t make the same mistake as me. Plan early for the Frida Kahlo Museum!
Finca Robles Mezcal Ancestral. There’s a cute little market in Roma called Mercado Roma (checks out) and alongside all the cool restaurants and bars there is a Mezcal tasting spot called Finca Robles that serves Mezcal Ancestral, the most complex certification for Mezcal, where the agave must be, “crushed by hand or mule-drawn stone mill (tahona) and then cooked in an underground oven fueled by either rocks or firewood. Finally, it can only be distilled over fire in clay pots.”2
A Singaporean friend I met in CDMX and I shared a flight of mezcal before he set off for his flight to New York for his new job.
Rosetta. This was the final Elena Reygadas restaurant I visited. The whole restaurant had to evacuate as I began to sip my first cocktail due to a magnitude-5.8 earthquake that occurred in Puebla State. Luckily, everyone was fine, and I finished the meal off by trying something new: Hoja Santa, a Mexican pepperleaf. Absolutely loved it.
Bijou Drinkery Room. This was a fun, uniquely Rubik’s cube-centric bar that served great cocktails. I enjoyed a couple drinks with a wonderful friend from Australia.
Maximo. The food was good. The wine was great. The company was the best. What more is there to say?
Day 6
Woke up around 4:00am to catch a ride to Teotihuacán, an ancient Mesoamerican city where the Pyramid of the Sun and Pyramid of the Moon are located. Once we arrived, we set off in hot air balloons to view the pyramids as the sun rose and the fog rolled in. The pictures speak for themselves. One thing I wish I had done was go to La Gruta for lunch, a restaurant a short walk from the pyramids located in a spacious cavity of volcanic origin. I heard nothing but good things about the restaurant while I was there, but unfortunately my group ended up going to a different place.
Hot Air Balloons over Teotihuacán
Once I got back to CDMX, I visited the Frida Kahlo Museum (with reservations this time), ate dinner, and watched the sunset with Monique and Maria at Salazar overlooking El Ángel de la Independencia. And then I may or may not have crushed a Shake Shack burger prior to hitting the sack.
Day 7
My final day in CDMX…
I was lucky enough to meet a friend during the hot air balloon tour, and we started the day by grabbing breakfast at Niddo (get the pancakes!), saw the Fuente de la Diana Cazadora, a historical landmark of a Roman goddess, and visited the Biblioteca Vasconcelos, a public library and in my eyes, an architectural work of art.
After skimming through a few Luis Barragán books, we walked from the library to the Monumento a la Revolución, a monument dedicated to the Mexican Revolution, accompanied by an observation deck and museum. We watched as a group of local graffiti artists were showcasing their artistic abilities, then made our way to the Museo de Arte Popular in the city center.
I had a few hours before my flight back to Atlanta, so I stopped at Carnitas el Chulo for dinner and enjoyed a couple drinks at El Tigre Silencioso, a vermouth-focused bar in Roma, and while they had excellent vermouth, they did not have the best service ☹. When making my way back from El Tigre, I stumbled upon an Alexis Mata art exhibit, titled “Before They Wake Us Up”, a body of work based on, “daily contemplation and meticulous documentation of his dreams, whether captured in texts or sketches.”3 Mata uses these recounts of his dreams and feeds artificial intelligence to return translations in the form of images that then, “serve as a reference for the creation of the painting, as a way of giving coherence to the subconscious dream world by perpetually generating and regenerating the imagined scenarios.”3
Alexis Mata Art Exhibit
All that was left after leaving the exhibit was to head back to the Airbnb, pack, and make my way to the airport to come home.
Conclusion
I got back from Mexico City yesterday afternoon, and as I began to think back on the week I spent there, I quickly realized that the more restaurants, bars, museums, cultural sites, etc. that I traveled to, the more recommendations and new ideas there were for me to try. That to say, I will have to go back to CDMX very soon, as a week simply wasn’t enough time for me to explore everything that this wonderful city has to offer.
Within the year, I have traveled to a few different international locations, and for each trip, I have put together a high-level itinerary – more of a culmination of hours of research to ensure I’d hit some of the top-recommended spots while in town. As I traveled throughout CDMX, many of the people I met and spoke to mentioned that these itineraries would serve as great travel guides and that I should publish them for others to use. This got me thinking… I do spend a considerable amount of time researching and devising an “optimized” plan for travel… why not put it online for others to use, question, and augment? All that being said, this will be the first trip where I post an updated version of my travel itinerary that dives into some of the best restaurants, bars, experiences, sites, and more by neighborhood so you can maximize your time in CDMX.
I plan to retroactively do something similar for my trip earlier this year to Ireland and my trip last year to several countries in Southeast Asia, so keep a lookout for those! But for now, I’m going to take the advice of all of the amazing people I met in CDMX and publish my first of many, TC Travel Guide – Mexico City. It’ll run you $10, but it’s chock-full of weeks (nearing months) of research and local information 😊
