3 Days + SO MUCH Food in Mexico City
A food-focused guide to eating your way through Mexico City, with a day by day itinerary.
At the end of September, we were fortunate enough to join three other couples for a kid-free long weekend in Mexico City. Tommy and I had been to CDMX in February with our families and loved it so much, we were itching to go back. Once the idea was conceived, we immediately turned to my friend, reliable recommendation source and travel planner Nicole Campoy with Fora Travel. Alongside Nicole, our friend Sean and I spearheaded the planning, compiling recommendation lists to get Nicole’s expert take on what was worth jamming into the three day extravaganza. I’m sharing the resulting itinerary below with some photos and notes in the case a CDMX adventure is on the horizon for you (move it to the top of your travel wish-list if you haven’t already). Here we go!
Day 1
We landed and went straight to our hotel, the charming Octavia Casa to drop off our bags before heading to a late lunch. The boutique hotel (there are only 7 or 8 rooms) is gorgeous and minimally designed, with a sweet courtyard and thoughtful service. While beautiful, one thing to note is that the rooms are small and intimate!
Our first meal was at Masala & Maiz, at the suggestion of Nicole and it perfectly set the tone for the trip. The food was an inventive and delicious mashup of Indian and Mexican fare. Our crew opted for the tasting menu + wine pairing (not that this makes a difference but feels worthy of mentioning that I don’t drink but everyone had great wine + spirits on this trip). We left the long and leisurely meal stuffed and walked home for a little R&R and unpacking before gearing up for dinner.
Dinner was at Blanco Colima. Unfortunately I was struggling with altitude sickness (this is something people easily forget about, myself included- it’s like Colorado and messed me up) so I sat out this dinner but the take away was that the traditional Mexican dishes were great, the Italian or less traditional dishes were okay, and the restaurant had a very club-like atmosphere, so best for a pre-game. While I slept it off at the hotel, the rest of the crew wrapped up dinner and got a nightcap at a Mezcal bar called Tlecan that they likened to a canteen in Star Wars.
Day 2
Last time we visited, Tommy and I had the best time on a food tour with a local woman named Nanae, who my dad connected with on a prior trip (reach out to me for her contact information if you’re interested). It was an amazing way to taste dishes prepared by street vendors and experience more local spots, versus tourist locales. We met up at Jarilla, an adorable coffee shop attached to a shopping alley and had pastries before starting the 4 hour tour. We tasted delicious quesadillas, tortas, fruits from the local market and everything in between.
With our bellies full, we headed over to a Mezcal tasting that was one of my favorite experiences of the weekend even though I don’t drink! The host, Omar, owns a shop called Mis Mezcales and tasting room in the apartment above the shop. Over the course of an hour, our crew sampled mezcal made by families (these aren’t bottles you can buy at the store- each glass bottle has a strip of tape noting the family and agave blend) from across the country and we were educated about what makes each unique, the process of making mezcal and so much more. It was fascinating. (Biggest takeaway is that having a mezcal cocktail basically masks the depth of the mezcal, but some of our squad refused to abide by this idea!).
We spent the rest of the afternoon grabbing churros at Churreria El Moro, checking out a few shops in Roma Norte, and then taking some down time before an incredible and memorable dinner at Quintonil. Ranked number 9 on the list of The World’s 50 Best Restaurants, it was by far our most extravagant and overall fancy meal but worth every penny. The food was flavorful and inventive. We loved every bite.
We finished the night with dancing and a roof top nightcap at Casa Franca Jazz Club, catching the tail end of the live music (show up before 11pm to really get the full experience by catching the live performance) upon our arrival.
Day 3
The more ambitious members of the group ran while the rest of us walked to Forte, a coffee shop Tommy had fallen in love with on our first trip.
From there we ventured to Casa Gilardi, a colorful and experiential home designed by famed architect Louis Barragan. Casa Gilardi was designed for a bachelor who later had a family and the tour was led by a descendent who grew up in the unique space. He shared the thought process behind the design and insights into how light and color impact our emotions and sense of place. One of my favorite takeaways was that the only real difference between architecture and sculpture is that architecture is meant to be lived in and experienced. Focusing on the cultural significant of the home and not actually living in it would be a disservice to the architect and his intentions.
After Casa Gilardi we had lunch at Contramar, which is an absolute must for anyone visiting CDMX. Yes, it’s on every list but it’s on those lists for a reason! Super fresh and delicious seafood and a fun atmosphere.
Lunch was followed by more walking and exploring. We stopped by Galerie Nordenhake Mexico, Originario, Aurelia Concept Store and more. One thing to note- on Saturdays shop owners take a siesta so many shops are closed around the lunch hours and early afternoon.
Our final night ended up being a rager. We started with a lovely dinner at Maximo Bistrot (it’s much better a la carte vs prefix) and then it was off to Hanky Panky, a speakeasy bar that takes you through a restaurant kitchen into a dark and moody space (reservation only or put your name in and expect a wait as it’s small and seated only). After an incident with some ants in our booth, we took off and headed on a kooky adventure. I’ll spare you the details, but we ended up at a cute cocktail bar La Zaranda while we waited for Cafe Paraiso to open (at 12:30am no less!). The rest of the night was full of dancing and a lot of laughter and we all stayed up later than we had in ages.
Departure Day
We grabbed a matcha at Boicot Cafe and some mediocre pastries at the nearby Monsieur Croque (the restaurant looked better than the pastry shop next-door but we didn’t have time), before hitting the road to the airport.
There are an endless number of museums and cultural sights that I obviously didn’t mention and would be worth a visit, but our trip was (clearly) focused on food. It was an unforgettable experience to say the least!
A Few Tips
If traveling with a group, I’d highly suggest downloading Splitwise, which makes it really easy to track expenses and settle up with everyone at the end of the trip.
Any time I get recommendations in a city, I use either Apple Maps or Google Maps to save them so that as I’m walking around I can see recommendations close by.
Book all of your restaurant reservations in Mexico City well in advance as the top places fill up quickly.
It’s a great city for Ubers! Most Ubers were under $5.
We didn’t hit any of the major museums or cultural centers but if you have time, those are highly suggested.