Where to Eat in Mexico City

OK, Mexico City (CDMX) is huge and we ended up spending most of our time in Roma Norte and La Condesa, just walking around, stopping at random places to look around, have a drink, have a bite, or just chilling.

But, the first thing we did - and you should too! - is go on this food tour. We did it on our very first night in CDMX, and it pretty much made our trip.
Seriously.
Rocio is excellent, her groups are small, and she is endlessly helpful, not just during the tour but afterwards too, whether you want a suggestion, a recommendation, or just some help.

So, do go. It'll give you a hang of the street food, what you should be looking for, what to eat, and more. That all important grounding will help you immeasurably over the rest of your trip!

(Frankly, you should also go on her other tours too. The one where she takes you through the markets is stellar too!)

Market Tour

As far as transportation goes, Uber is your friend. It beats the pants off of anything else, and is also the best way to get to/from the airport. Dead safe too.

The following are, not, by any means, the definitive list of anything. They're just places that I've been to, and have liked. They're helpful though if you're stuck in Analysis Paralysis, and don't quite know where to go!

MEZCAL

La Botica

There is an entire universe of Mezcal drinking out here. Oh yes, of course you have the usual selection of artisanal craft beers generated by tattooed bearded skinny-jean types (it's not a stereotype for nothing), but mezcal - well, this is at an all different level. Even the "usual" selection can be good, but you'll also find an infinitude of varieties that you'll never see north of the border. And yes, there is just as much hipster-generated mezcal as there is beer 😆.

To really get a hang of this, go to La Botica - There are a couple of these in La Condesa and Roma, and they're all good. It's all artisanal mezcal, so describe the type that you want to try (smooth, smoky, earthy, fruity, whatever), and let them recommend something. They also have munchies to go with. Mind you, eat first and then go here - the munchies are very definitely "snacks to go with mezcal", though their tamales are really not bad!

COFFEE / BREAD PRODUCTS / BREAKFAST
They take coffee seriously down here. There are plenty of coffee shops like Cardinal around (heck, there's probably more than one on each corner), all of which serve up perfectly good coffee (ok, make that *great* coffee. It's "good" in the sense that all the coffee in Italy is uniformly "good").
If you need a break, just stop at one, and chill for a bit!

Churreria "El Moro"

For breakfast Churros, hit up Churreria "El Moro" - There are a whole bunch of these all over the place. Get some hot chocolate on the side, ad dip it spanish style. It's really good, and watching them make the Churros is quite a show.

Maque

Breads/pastries here can be hit or miss - you need to know where to look. Panaderia Rosetta started the trend of actually making great bread products (they've not kept up though. Avoid the lines there, and go elsewhere!), and since then, you can find a lot more hits. Maque, for example, is truly excellent for coffee/breakfast. Their breads are stellar (try the Concho, which is like a mexican version of Melon Pan). My recommendation - experiment. The coffee is invariably good, and even the "misses" in the bread-product department aren't all that bad!


LUNCH / DINNER

Street Food

What we ended up doing is street food during the day, and restaurant in the evening.  For street-food, take your guidance from Rocio (you will take the street-food tour on your first night, right?)
When in the restaurant, engage the staff in conversation. Ask them what you should have, and when they recommend something, ask why. These conversations are some of the best part of the trip, and it isn't surprising to have the Chef come out and discuss the choices with you!

Milo's

Anyhow, the food scene is Mexico City is ... intense. Or, another way to think of it is "Mexico City is to Mexico as NYC is to the US".  There is, some higher order of infinity of restaurants here, at pretty much every price point. That said, most of the more "upscale" restaurants are, well, somewhat identical to the equivalent ones pretty much anywhere else in the world.

Go instead to the more local/hipster-y joints, where you're more likely to get that personal touch. Places like Milo's are really quite good - and there are an infinity of them in La Condesa (around the Hipodromo) and Roma Norte. Use pretty much the same guide that you would when going to places in your hometown - if there are people in there, hanging out and being convivial, it's probably a place you want to go into 😎.

Food Hall

Cevichento, for example, is a ceviche place in a tiny food hall. The ceviche is stellar, but so is the food from the other joints in the food hall. Pick and choose what you want, get a beer, grab a table, and relish the moments!

Contramar

Now that I said that, do go to Contramar. It is a remarkably good seafood restaurant, which is a bit more upscale (by CDMX standards). Be sure to try the Pescado a la Talla Cotramar. It's a red snapper half covered in a red-spice rub, and the other half with a green parsley rub. You can spend the rest of the meal arguing with yourself about which is better 😆.  Pretty much everything on the menu is good, but you should also try the tuna tostadas.  Also, if you're in the mood for it, they also carry a "made in CDMX" sake that is surprisingly good.

Pasillo de Humo

And then there is Pasillo de Humo. This is, quite possibly, our favorite restaurant in CDMX. The chef - Alam Mendéz - makes classic Oaxacan food, but with just enough of an extra twist to end up making you come back over and over again. Love this place, love the chef, love the food. I can't say enough about it, so I won't. If there is one place that you should go to, it is here.


MISC
The Museo Nacional de Anthropologia is, easily, one of the best museums that I've been to. It's laid out well, designed to maximize the User Experience, tells excellent stories, is spacious, oh, I could go on. Suffice to say, you really should go (and go back to). Just Google it, in case you're wondering!