The food is delicious. The people friendly. The bars top notch. Mexico City is fun.
As the capital of Mexico and the most populous city in North America, Mexico City offers tourists adventures, excursions, food and alcohol in abundance. It’s got pyramids, floating gardens, six out of the 100 top bars, excellent street food, numerous restaurants to satisfy any palate, and a people who love to have fun!
For me, Gautam, Mexico City has overtaken Rio as my favourite city in the world!
About Mexico City
Mexico City is the capital and the largest city of Mexico, the most populous city in North America and the largest Spanish speaking city in the world. It is also the oldest capital city in the Americas. With an area of over 550 sq. miles & compromising of 16 neighbourhoods, Mexico City is quite densely populated. Originally built around the 1320s, Mexico City is rich with history and culture.
Today, the city is home to proud and welcoming people, some of the world’s best bars and restaurants, a thriving economy and a vibrant tourism scene.
Our Experience
Mexico City is G’s favourite city in the world!
We like to spend as much time as we can in a city to truly experience the culture, the vibe and everything the city has to offer. The visit to Mexico City was our third trip to Mexico after individual trips to Cancun and Puerto Vallarta. We were in Mexico for Mexico City and we are glad we planned it as such. The seven day trip for Christmas and New Year’s was pretty amazing!
We planned such that we visit the pyramids, the floating gardens, take a couple of local tours, eat local, eat fancy and visit as many of the top bars in the world as possible. Needless to say, the visit to the Frida Kahlo museum was one from our bucket list.
Stay: The decider
Mexico City is a large city with, like any other city in the world, neighbourhoods that are safe and pockets that are not. Your overall experience in Mexico City is critically dependent on the location you stay. Ideally, your place of stay should not only be safe but also central so that you can spend more time exploring the city and less time traveling from one point to another.
We stayed in an AirBnb (Londres 219, Juárez), in Colonia Juárez. Colonia Juárez is safe, central and has plenty of mini-marts, bars and places to eat. While staying in Mexico City, we were able to walk to La Condesa and La Roma and also enjoy plenty of street food.
Tours
Frida VIP-skip the line+Bikes&Churros
The experience started in the heart of Coyoacan or the “place of coyotes” in native. We started off at the village centre with the Coyoacan mural, main square and shops all around. Post the introduction to the guide and other guests, we ventured out to Plaza de la Conchita, a charming & historic church square. Post some photos, it was time to ride on to Merendero Las Lupitas for the best churros we’ve ever tasted.
After spending around 15 minutes at a park right outside Merendero Las Lupitas, it was time for lunch and our guide wanted us to try local – “Tostadas Coyoacan”. Tostadas Coyoacan is an economical small little local sit down (or around) restaurant in Mercado Coyoacan that serves the best tostadas in town.
Finally, after the cycling, the churros and the tostadas, we walked over to the Frida Kahlo’s museum. As part of the tour, the tickets to the museum were included and we didn’t have to stand in line either. Frida Kahlo’s museum was one from our bucket list.
Teotihuacan, Guadalupe Shrine, Tlatelolco & Fiesta Restaurant
This tour was a day long affair that gave us a glimpse into the rich history of Mexico and Mexico City. The tour included the following stops:
- Zona Arqueológica Tlatelolco – The capital of the Aztec empire and the largest archaeological site in Mexico City.
- Basilica de Santa Maria de Guadalupe – This is the most important religious building in all of Mexico and one of the most visited places in the Catholic world, annually receiving more than 20 million pilgrims.
- El Quetzal Artesanías – Local craft shops and tequila tasting
- Tlacaelel – Local, but touristy, eatery. The food was unique, interesting and delicious
- Zona Arqueologica Teotihuacan – City of the Gods. With a professional guide, we spent two hours here. The site is fascinating and inspiring
We did not quite enjoy El Quetzal Artesanías but overall, we’d recommend this tour as it covers a lot of the important and historical sites.
Xochimilco & Mexican Fiesta with Guacamole
Well, this tour to the Xochimilco & hanging gardens started off with a happy hour and ended with a happy hour! It really was a 2.5 hour fiesta! The hour long drive to get to Xochimilco seemed longer; the wait to get the experience started even more so. However, once we were on the boat, the 2.5 hour experience seemed shorter than it really was.
The tour/experience starts off with tequila, mezcal and beers – all on the house. Post the initial shots, ahem, and introductions, we started sailing on the river and the initial 15 minutes seem pretty calm; however, once we joined the rest of the tourists, we lost the calm for plenty of organized chaos. I don’t think we were ever a foot away from another boat on either side. I don’t think we were ever without two or three songs playing simultaneously. I don’t think we were ever without a drink in our hands!
Midway, the tour guide provided a Molcajete Bowl for a guacamole making competition. We were given all ingredients and around 15 minutes to make our best and the winner got a fridge magnet. The fridge magnet now sits on our fridge at home!
If you want a party, well, don’t miss this experience!
Lucha+Tacos+Cerveza=BEST NIGHT EVER
The Lucha Libre & Tacos & Cerveza experience is crowded. It is well worth it.
Let’s get the not so enjoyable out of the way – We were not expecting another 15 guests on this experience, especially given that we met up at a small outdoor local taco place. It seemed quite crowded with so many people. If you are an introvert or dislike large noisy crowds, this, probably, is not an experience for you. The cerveza, well, wasn’t anything to boast about either. It was corona – nothing craft, nothing local, nothing different!
Now the good – it was an experience that both of us wouldn’t have done ourselves. Post the tacos, which were really really good, we took a local bus to a speakeasy where the hosts spoke about Lucha Libre. They educated us on the history of the sport, the aspirations of local athletes and why the sport so engrained in the Mexican culture. The hosts also ensured we were well versed in the not so good compliments to be shouted during a match. Post a couple of shots/drinks, we walked over to the arena for an hour (or maybe more) of some entertaining lucha libre.
If in Mexico City, do Lucha Libre!
Bars
Hanky Panky
Our favourite bar in the world.
Apart from the fact that it’s a speak easy, the drinks are phenomenal and the bartenders extremely friendly!
It’s located above an unassuming local eatery and does require a reservation at least a day in advance. Keep in mind that Hanky Panky does not serve food.
You’ll find the cocktail menu exciting and interesting; however, we recommend that you ask the bartenders for their favourite drinks off menu. We only had single drink the entire night which was on the menu, all others were off menu. Add some mezcal shots to the evening. Add some tequila shots to the evening. And add some fun & interesting conversations with the bartenders. No wonder, Hanky Panky has become our favourite bar in the world.
Handshake Speakeasy
Handshake is the No. 1 bar in the world.
You need a reservation days, if not weeks in advance. This classy speakeasy is located in the Juárez neighbourhood and was walking distance from our AirBnb. We reached around 10 minutes before our reservation and had to wait on the road before they could let us in; so, be prepared to wait outside the establishment, on the road, if you arrive early or if they are running late.
Once inside, the staff was extremely courteous and friendly and respectful and the bartenders extremely knowledgeable and interesting. At the bar, we ended up chatting with the bartender, who turned out to be the founding member of this establishment. Unlike Hanky Panky, the bartender insisted we have a cocktail from the menu – they are quite proud of their menu as they invest a lot of time to develop it.
The bartenders get bored of the old and develop new, original and ingenious cocktails fairly regularly.
We highly recommend Handshake.
Traspatio El Traspatio Bar & Grill
Traspatio El Traspatio Bar & Grill was the most loud and crowded bar we went to in Mexico City. Once in the top 100 bars in the world, this bar & grill was removed from the prestigious list in 2024 and we can clearly see why. There was hardly any place to sit, eat, drink or enjoy the evening; the music was too loud for our comfort and we couldn’t wait to get out of the place.
We do not recommend Traspatio El Traspatio Bar & Grill.
Restaurants
Panadería Rosetta
Panadería Rosetta is a pretty famous and crowded cafe. The food is good but we are not sure if it’s crowded because it’s famous or is it famous because it’s crowded. No matter what time we went there, it was always crowded with the least crowds right when it opened in the morning.
So, do visit Panadería Rosetta but don’t lose sleep if you don’t find a table; instead, order to go and enjoy the food on the move.
La Casa de Toño en Zona Rosa
La Casa de Toño en Zona Rosa is the most reviewed restaurant we have ever visited and the overall rating on Google is also the most accurate. Almost 30k reviews & a 4.5 star rating clearly shows how popular this restaurant is.
The restaurant is on the first floor with limited seating and no reservations, so, most likely, you’ll need to wait outside for around 10-15 minutes. The food, however, is worth the wait – Enfrijoladas, Tacos – cochinita, cabeza, assortment, Grandma Flan.
La Casa de Toño en Zona Rosa is economical, well-priced and the service is extremely quick. Out of all the places we went to in Mexico City La Casa de Toño en Zona Rosa seemed the most local, catering to the local palate – the spices, taste, gravy, etc.
Restaurante Takotl Roma Norte
We landed in Mexico City on Christmas Eve and, nauturally, majority of the restaurants were closed. A fifteen minute walk from our AirBnb lead us to Restaurante Takotl Roma Norte. Takotl Roma Norte had a pretty innovative menu with sushi style tacos. We tried quite a few dishes and they were all good –
- Guackamole & rib eye – expensive but also quite good
- Mezcalitas are a must
- Tacos – take your pick, they are all good
- Taco Takataka – sushi style tacos and so so good
Contramar
Contramar, an expensive, stylish, high-class seafood restaurant is located in the Roma neighbourhood of Mexico City; it, again, was walking distance from our AirBnb. Walk-ins are accepted but we’d recommend a reservation if you don’t want to wait outside for about an hour.
Another fellow traveller told us about Contramar and we, sure, were not disappointed. The food was excellent and if you are in the mood for some expensive tasty seafood, we’d highly recommend Contramar.
Masala y Maiz
Masala y Maiz (Masala and Corn) is an Indian fusion restaurant which serves dishes with the perfect blend of Indian & Mexican. Again, please reserve well in advance if you want to eat here; we had to wait for a couple of hours to get a table because of which our lunch became an early dinner.
The food’s delicious and the wine expensive.
Feeling like spending some money on some good food, yeah, do visit.
Terraza Grand Hotel
The brunch at the Terrazzo Grand Hotel is grand. Overlooking the Constitution Plaza, we spent three hours sipping on unlimited mimosas and eating fresh made to order eggs, tacos and other dishes from the buffet. The staff is friendly and the food is good.
The highlight, though, is the view from the terrace.
Would recommend to have this restaurant on your must visit list.
Fisher’s Roma
Our last meal in Mexico City was at Fisher’s Roma and we wondered why we hadn’t come to this restaurant earlier. We aren’t too fond of exhaustive & long menus; however, this place, unlike others, does a decent job ensuring everything on the menu is well prepared.
We ordered beers, mezcal cocktails and food and really enjoyed our afternoon. Our neighbouring table had two locals who hadn’t quite stopped celebrating the new years and they kept us entertained the entire afternoon.
Tips & Mistakes to avoid
Yay or Nay
Oh yes – We love Mexico City!
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