A month in Mexico City and nearly everything I ate
plus everywhere I stayed and other things to do
Hello friends,
I spent the first month of the year in Mexico City and it was such a good decision that I might make it an annual trip. I’ve eaten some of the best food, learnt some more Spanish, met amazing people and fallen in love with the city again and again.
I thought it’d be fun and helpful to put together a newsletter going into a bit more detail about where I ate and stayed. This is by no means an exhaustive list or expert guide! It’s simply a collection of the places that I enjoyed and think you might too. Mexico City is absolutely humongous with an overwhelming amount of options when it comes to food. So if you find yourself walking around and spot somewhere that looks and smells good, give it a try! Street food is a big part of the culture so lean into it and you might just have the best meal of the trip.
I’ve still got a week left of my travels and I’m heading to the coast for some beach and chill time. We’ll be back to regular scheduling in the next newsletter; I’m itching to get back into the kitchen and feeling very inspired!
Enjoy,
Benjamina x
WHERE TO STAY:
I stayed in a mix of Airbnb’s, apartments and hotels. It sounds like a lot but I wanted to get a feel for different neighbourhoods and to be honest, the pressure of committing to one place for a month was a bit much - what if I didn’t like it?!
Most guides to the city will suggest you stay in any of the these areas: Roma Norte, Condesa, Polanco and maybe Juarez. I’d personally avoid staying in Centro/Downtown; it’s positioned well for visiting some sights but you’ll likely find yourself ubering to lots of the other areas for restaurants, cafes and shopping.
Nido Parque Mexico, Condesa :
Location wise, this place wins. You’re seconds away from Parque Mexico, a luscious green park that’s perfect for relaxing and people watching. If you’re there on a weekend you’ll find groups of people dancing salsa in the shade, vendors selling handmade crafts, live music and plenty of adorable dogs in the dog area.
Nido Parque Mexico have various sized apartments, all with a very well equipped little kitchen and a supermarket round the corner if you want to cook. I was in a King studio with a balcony and it was incredibly spacious and clean. There’s also a plant filled rooftop garden and a free laundry room which came in very handy.
Casa Cibeles by Lumina, Roma Norte:
Another aparthotel style accommodation but in Roma Norte. You’re a stones throw away from the iconic Contramar restaurant and within walking distance from tonnes of good restaurants. This is a smaller building than Nido Parque Mexico which some people might prefer but you still have a spacious rooftop terrace to enjoy after a long day. Cleanliness was a 10/10 and the front desk staff were super helpful. I’d recommend asking for a room higher up and at the back of the building. You won’t have much of a view but will get plenty of sunshine. (The front facing rooms overlook a busy road).
My Airbnb, Roma Norte
I fall in and out of love with Airbnbs. They do often work out more cost effective, especially when travelling solo, but I tend to miss hotel perks like daily housekeeping and having real people available to ask for recommendations. Having said that, I did enjoy my time here. Again, location was fab and I got to explore a different side of Roma Norte. There are a couple of small green spaces nearby and you’re minutes away from very cool spots like Gala Panderia, Choza and Carinito Tacos.
If you need to work remotely, this place had a great separate office space with floor to ceiling windows and a huge bookshelf providing a calming atmosphere to get your head down and focus. My only criticism would be that the living area didn’t get much natural light and you pretty much needed to always have the lights on. It does come with 24/7 security which was as a solo female traveller is always good to have.
Casa Ofelia, Polanco*
Polanco is the fancy part of town. If you’re familiar with London, it’s similar to staying in Kensington or Chelsea; there’s an abundance of high end shops and well manicured streets. It’s also home to the two Michelin star restaurant Pujol (more on that below!) and a 25-ish minute walk to the giant Chapultepec park.
I stayed in Casa Ofelia, a pretty hotel in the heart of Polanco. It’s right next door to Nido Cafe and you can order coffees, pastries, salads and sandwiches straight to your room which was a lovely perk. The rooms are calming and tastefully decorated and I appreciated the turn down service in the evening. I didn’t have time to make use of the in-room Spa services but the prices seemed very reasonable.
The rooftop garden was a beautiful, quiet space to get some work done and there’s also a small gym with a treadmill, bike and a few weights if you need to get a sweat on.
*My stay at Casa Ofelia was gifted but all opinions are my own!
WHERE TO EAT
This is a city for food lovers. Despite being here for a month, I still feel like I barely scratched the surface when it came to eating. Whenever I would be out walking I was constantly saving new places and taco stands that looked and smelled amazing. One downside of travelling alone is that there’s only so much you can order and I wasn’t always able to try as many different dishes in each place as I would’ve liked. Thankfully, I had some meals with people in my Spanish group and a couple of other friends in the city.
This is by no means an exhaustive list; there are definitely a few popular spots I missed but I really enjoyed everything I’ve included from tacos and tortas, bakeries and cafes, casual lunch options and fancier dinners.
Also worth noting that most restaurants will accept card payments but make sure you have cash for street food.
TACOS
Maizajo : A cool, modern taqueria with a bustling open kitchen and standing room only at the counters. There’s a seated restaurant upstairs but downstairs is much more fun. The ribeye taco is super popular but the mix of suadero and longanzina was my favourite.