Mexico City, Mexico
“In a dense urban center, amongst the chaos and noise, we found humanity, diversity, reflection, and the vibrancy of its people! MAGICAL CDMX!”
- More about your Oliver Guide: Bonnie Powers
- Trip type: Adult, Group getaway, City
- Activity level: high
- Ideal length of trip: 5 Days
to & from
Airline / We flew Aeromexico direct from SFO and it was seamless!
Transportation / Uber was recommended to take from the airport and in the city. Quite convenient and even more safe if you add a required security code to your trip. Ensure the license plate and driver are the same as in the app.
Traffic / it’s real. We avoided it nearly completely by clustering our itinerary in neighborhoods we could walk and traverse, and not traveling during peak hours
Pesos / Get from ATM; rarely need but for smaller vendors, markets and if you need to pay a doctor.
Dog Poop / Sadly a bit of an issue! Look where you’re walking!
Sidewalk Safety / A lot of tree root, uneven cement and odd metal intrusions; so again, look where you’re walking!
Safety / We didn’t experience any moments of feeling vulnerable. We were exploring and traversing mostly on foot and only occasionally shifted routes for better safety. There was
actually strong police presence.
Where to Stay
We stayed with a friend in Roma Sur. Walking into her stunning home took our breath away. The loving restoration of the 1930’s casona is visible in every blink of the eye. An interior designer, potter and furniture designer, she brought magic into this home with her keen sense of style and function, vast collections of Oaxacan pottery, vintage furniture, brutalist accessories, unique lighting and textiles and her own extraordinary ceramics. Homes like hers are on AirBnB so we’d recommend having an experience that is also about style and design! If we were to go again and stay elsewhere, we’d stay near Avenida Amsterdam in Condesa.
Where to Eat and Drink
The food in Mexico City is diverse and delicious. We had some truly memorable meals and missed a few we’ll visit for our next itinerary. Standouts:
- Gaba / One of our favorite surprises. Each bold, flavorful dish was exciting and we enjoyed the modern atmosphere and warmth of the staff. Especially loved the roasted grapes (bonus for their abundance symbolism in Mexico) and charred cabbage with granola. You may recognize chef from his time at Bestia in LA.
- Pujol / Served us sensory flavors and presentation, with attentive staff. And wowsa, they invited us into the kitchen (!!) to observe! So cool!
- Cafe Nin / Breakfast was our first taste in Mexico City and memorable for its authentic and clean flavors.
Where We Dined:
- Breakfast: Café Nin
- Fave Bakery: Green Rhino
- Lunch: Pujol, Rosetta, Tetetlán
- Dinner: Botánico, Gaba, Lardo
Saving For Future:
- Del Rio Cafe
- El Tigre Silencioso
- Em
- Félix Pizzaria Parque,
- Hule
- Masala y Maiz
- Mendl
- Molino el Pujol
- Odette
- Quintinol
- Taverna
Coffee, Bars, Lounges
- El Minutito / Fave coffee shop and bar
- Freimes / Fab lounge, coffee served right with a palette cleanser of filtered water; I had an unusual cold brew with fresh orange juice
- G.56 / This whole complex had us from the coffee to the art, clothing and outdoor space
- Casa Melibea / Coffee, snacks and treasures
- Quentin / Intimate spot with a few locations
- Tulipán y Media Luna / Coffee beans we brought home
- Salón Palomilla / One of the coolest open ceiling lounges, inventive food and excellent DJ
What to Do
We walked until our feet ached! Nothing an afternoon Cortado couldn’t cure! You will be captivated by the colorful architecture, lush greenery, the modernity amidst the old, the bustling streets filled with students, workers, families, dogs, food vendors and tourists, and the excitement of new discoveries. It was recommended we cluster our neighborhood excursions… so we mostly did.
Day 1 : Juárez / Edgy and dynamic area. A cultural wonderland of innovative fashion, art, food, drink, street life and diversions!
Day 2 : Hipódromo, Polanco & Condesa / Hipódromo: for the parks! Polanco: the most affluent area we visited, primarily to eat at Pujol and the thrill of Bomboti art and design (we otherwise found this area kind of sterile). Condesa: food, drinks and wandering Avenida Amsterdam.
Day 3 : Roma Norte / Artistic and lush “hipster heart” of Mexico City. From vintage fashion to modern design, easy to wander and submit to the creativity and food.
Day 4 : Pedregal & Chapultepec / Pedregal: a lava field transformed into a modern architectural dreamland. Chapultepec: a vital green space with architectural landmarks and amazing galleries.
Day 5 :Roma Sur / The least gentrified of the areas we experienced with extraordinary warmth, the most amazing food markets, our fave coffee beans, and a few unexpected shops.
Want more specifics? We listed the shops, art galleries and markets all here with a download link in hot pink to the guide we made upon our return! https://poetandthebench.com/blogs/news/travelogue-mexico-city
Inside Scoop
Friends insisted we visit some of the museums, the Museo Nacional de Antropología in particular, followed by the Museo de Arte Moderno. Does it count if we walked by both? Each of these institutions will be visited in the future, pinky promise! This was a trip where we needed a more expansive experience of emptying our minds, creating space and nudging our senses with color.
One scheduled visit absolutely gave us the sparks we desired: Casa Pedregal by Luis Barragán. We booked ahead (like 4 weeks in advance) an English speaking tour which was led by an architectural expert and passionate Barragán admirer and made a reservation for lunch following at Tetelan. Highly recommend both!
And we uncovered another destination that was a total surprise:
Biblioteca de México José Vasconcelos, a public library in Centro, across from the Balderas metro station (not the widely Instagrammed modern Vasconcelos “Megabiblioteca”).
This library was a former 18th century tobacco factory, and since 1946 its books, cultural and multi-purpose spaces made this an afternoon excursion of hours we didn’t plan. Spend time in its most expansive outdoor hallway, crowned with an enormous Jan Hendrix hanging sculpture. We could imagine a ritual of respite and reading regularly in this vast, historic space.
What to Pack
Layers / In February we experienced cool mornings and evenings with sunny days. So we packed layers. I wore a lot of sleeveless or short sleeved dresses with long sleeve shirts underneath that I could take off and store in my bag when we went out at night if we didn’t make it home to change!
Shoes / Something you’ll walk in all day that can also translate to a night out! Converse zip boots were the best!
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Altitude / at 7,350 feet, you may feel the effects. We drank filtered or bottled water with electrolytes powder we brought from the states
Medical / Pharmacies are also doctor clinics and you can get a referral to ensure you go someplace reputable, if you need. The healthcare is low cost and when we needed it, was excellent and we had much confidence!
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