Mexico City

[Surly Bevo 24869]

Been here with the family since Christmas night. Head back tomorrow. Holy shit, can’t believe I’ve never been to this place in all my adult life…what a miss on my part.

What’s been said about all the things to do and see has been said so not a lot to add but man we had a great time. Stayed in 3BR AirBNB in Roma Norte. When you, your wife, a jr at UT and 2 jrs in HS are all entertained by a place consistently for multiple days that’s a winner.

[tokamak 6353]

Going in March. First time. Very excited. Sunday-Friday trip. A couple random questions:

• Is Xochimilco a full day if we decide to do it? Opinions seem really mixed. On the fence as a first-timer.
• Worth trying to get out of the city? Not overnight but for a day trip maybe? I've seen people mention Tepoztlan, dunno where else. Puebla? Cuernavaca? What would be the best way to achieve that?
• what do y'all do for cash while there? I assume a lady standing under a tent selling tortas ain't taking no MasterCard.
• I'm paranoid as fuck about Montezuma's revenge. I know bottled water only, no raw veggies, etc. But how do you avoid ice in cocktails, etc? I do plan to have a cocktail or two.

 

I'm sure I'll come back and bump this thread a few more times as we get closer.

[Matuka 1308]

10 minutes ago, tokamak said:

Going in March. First time. Very excited. Sunday-Friday trip. A couple random questions:

• Is Xochimilco a full day if we decide to do it? Opinions seem really mixed. On the fence as a first-timer.
• Worth trying to get out of the city? Not overnight but for a day trip maybe? I've seen people mention Tepoztlan, dunno where else. Puebla? Cuernavaca? What would be the best way to achieve that?
• what do y'all do for cash while there? I assume a lady standing under a tent selling tortas ain't taking no MasterCard.
• I'm paranoid as fuck about Montezuma's revenge. I know bottled water only, no raw veggies, etc. But how do you avoid ice in cocktails, etc? I do plan to have a cocktail or two.

 

I'm sure I'll come back and bump this thread a few more times as we get closer.

I’d advise finding an exchange rate kiosk at a mall if you live in a major city.  Some banks exchange $ to pesos too.

Ice is fine in hotels and major tourist areas like Polanco, La Condesa, Roma Norte and Sur, and a the tourist parts of El Centro.  But I would use the eye test. If it looks clean, it probably is.  But there is always a chance, just as I’ve gotten sick after eating at a Macaroni Grill in Houston and eating oysters at Pappadeaux in FW.

[Surly Bevo 24869]

3 minutes ago, tokamak said:

Going in March. First time. Very excited. Sunday-Friday trip. A couple random questions:

• Is Xochimilco a full day if we decide to do it? Opinions seem really mixed. On the fence as a first-timer.
• Worth trying to get out of the city? Not overnight but for a day trip maybe? I've seen people mention Tepoztlan, dunno where else. Puebla? Cuernavaca? What would be the best way to achieve that?
• what do y'all do for cash while there? I assume a lady standing under a tent selling tortas ain't taking no MasterCard.
• I'm paranoid as fuck about Montezuma's revenge. I know bottled water only, no raw veggies, etc. But how do you avoid ice in cocktails, etc? I do plan to have a cocktail or two.

 

I'm sure I'll come back and bump this thread a few more times as we get closer.

On Xochimilco we went in the afternoon after hitting up Frida Kahlo and some of the Coyoacan area that morning.  Took the Metro from Roma Norte down to Coyoacan and then took Uber when we were done there down to Xochimilco and then back to Roma Norte.  The total distance isn't far in the grand scheme of things but CDMX traffic made those Uber rides about 40 and 55 minutes respectively so depending on where you are staying you gotta factor that time spend in.   I think whether it is full day or not just depends on what all you want to do there.  We just hung around a bit did the boat thing (which was admittedly mainly a booze cruise but had lots of fun) and headed back.

I didn't try to leave the city so no help there

A lot of places take credit/debit cards....yes even some of the street vendors. For places that didn't, I used a Citibanamex ATM a few times.  I'm not a Citi customer so got hit with a few $5 non-bank ATM fees from my bank but it's vacation so that seemed pretty inconsequential.  

Nobody in my family got the Revenge, we stuck mostly to bottled water that we bought from the Sumesa (grocery store) down the street from us but certainly had cocktails with ice in them a few places etc.  

[Matuka 1308]

@tokamak

id stay away from places like this though.

 

[SimonBolivar 10949]

Xochimilco is halfday but you can make it a full by adding Coyoacán with it.

 Teotihuacán is a nice hike away from the city so that would definitely get you out if you just wanna see the state of Mexico for some reason.

I've been a few times but I've never avoided getting an upset stomach. However I also am the type to say yes to the lady rowing a small canoe with a comal and chile rellanos at Xochimilco. It ain't gonna kill you and usually takes a couple days to start in my case. I'm almost always home when the good stuff starts.

 

On cash I usually just have BoA send me some small bills before hand and almost everyone takes cards outside of street vendors. There are ATMs everywhere if you need them and have a card that doesn't charge you foreign fees.

Edited January 13 by SimonBolivar

[tokamak 6353]

37 minutes ago, Matuka said:

@tokamak

id stay away from places like this though.

 

Honestly I bet that shit is delicious. Just not sure it’s worth peeing out my butt for a few days. 

[GreenspointTexas 9570]

Xochimilco is a UNESCO world heritage site. Its a must go if you have never been, despite being touristy. Wife and I had a good time there

[SimonBolivar 10949]

2 hours ago, Matuka said:

@tokamak

id stay away from places like this though.

 

The moscas are how you know it's good.

[rage-a-holic 4312]

58 minutes ago, SimonBolivar said:

The moscas are how you know it's good.

Those are bees. Pretty standard to find lots of them at outdoor juice/fruit stands all over Mexico.

[Js1 85162]

Going back next weekend with some CDMX newbies

• Chapultepec Castle
• Coyoacan and Frida Khalo (first time for me on that one)
• Teotihuacán and La Gruta

Unfortunately, couldn't make any reservations at Pujol or Rosetta, but we had to move our tattoo appointment from Friday afternoon to evening, so we lost a potential good meal time.  Have a cocktail reservation for Friday night and most of Saturday afternoon/evening is being taken up by a baptism. 

[Matuka 1308]

Get to the castle early.  Went by on a Saturday afternoon in May, insanely packed.  Decided to skip.

[texasdago 7553]

On 1/13/2024 at 12:08 PM, tokamak said:

Going in March. First time. Very excited. Sunday-Friday trip. A couple random questions:

• Is Xochimilco a full day if we decide to do it? Opinions seem really mixed. On the fence as a first-timer.
• Worth trying to get out of the city? Not overnight but for a day trip maybe? I've seen people mention Tepoztlan, dunno where else. Puebla? Cuernavaca? What would be the best way to achieve that?
• what do y'all do for cash while there? I assume a lady standing under a tent selling tortas ain't taking no MasterCard.
• I'm paranoid as fuck about Montezuma's revenge. I know bottled water only, no raw veggies, etc. But how do you avoid ice in cocktails, etc? I do plan to have a cocktail or two.

 

I'm sure I'll come back and bump this thread a few more times as we get closer.

Xochimilko probably don't need a full day but I would recommend NOT doing it on the weekend and for sure not Sunday.  Totally chill during the week.

On day trips, we loved Tepotzlan and had our hotel arrange a driver to take us there and back.  We've also done Desierto de Los Leones via Uber which is maybe not a full day trip but definitely a great side trip.  Uber there was easy.  Taxi took a little longer to find one out because my phone reception was meh.  Of course the pyramids.  Maybe look into Toluca or even a hike to Nevado de Toluca (might be a long day).  Cholula looks cool. Haven't been to Cuernavaca in decades but that's supposed to be great.

Cash?  ATMs

[RollLeft 5040]

On 1/13/2024 at 12:08 PM, tokamak said:

Going in March. First time. Very excited. Sunday-Friday trip. A couple random questions:

•  
• I'm paranoid as fuck about Montezuma's revenge. I know bottled water only, no raw veggies, etc. But how do you avoid ice in cocktails, etc? I do plan to have a cocktail or two.

 

I'm sure I'll come back and bump this thread a few more times as we get closer.

Sounds very 80's.  Did not think this was still a thing.  I must be immune.  I understand if the destination is a small town but MX city?  

Edited February 16 by RollLeft

[stc 1453]

it's very much still a thing. the last time i went there were a few in our party who insisted drinking the water at restaurants was fine...they were the same ones with massive diarrhea at the end of the trip. 

[Js1 85162]

2 hours ago, Matuka said:

Get to the castle early.  Went by on a Saturday afternoon in May, insanely packed.  Decided to skip.

Yeah it’s our Friday morning plan 

[gmr548 16557]

On 2/16/2024 at 11:31 AM, Js1 said:

Going back next weekend with some CDMX newbies

• Chapultepec Castle
• Coyoacan and Frida Khalo (first time for me on that one)
• Teotihuacán and La Gruta

Unfortunately, couldn't make any reservations at Pujol or Rosetta, but we had to move our tattoo appointment from Friday afternoon to evening, so we lost a potential good meal time.  Have a cocktail reservation for Friday night and most of Saturday afternoon/evening is being taken up by a baptism. 

Is Rosetta that hot of a table? We got stuck in CDMX overnight midweek last May and walked over to Rosetta for dinner. Got a spot on the patio immediately. Wasn't a weekend but you might have luck walking up.

Was really good, btw.

[texasdago 7553]

15 hours ago, gmr548 said:

Is Rosetta that hot of a table? We got stuck in CDMX overnight midweek last May and walked over to Rosetta for dinner. Got a spot on the patio immediately. Wasn't a weekend but you might have luck walking up.

Was really good, btw.

We went a few years ago - was not difficult to get in with some timing.  Not sure about these days but man, I miss Mexico City.

[Js1 85162]

16 hours ago, gmr548 said:

Is Rosetta that hot of a table? We got stuck in CDMX overnight midweek last May and walked over to Rosetta for dinner. Got a spot on the patio immediately. Wasn't a weekend but you might have luck walking up.

Was really good, btw.

When we were there last August, we saw people walk up and get turned away or walked up as we sat down and were still waiting when we left.  Granted, that was a Saturday night. 

[tokamak 6353]

Just got back from our 5 night trip. Here's a lot of thoughts from a first-time visitor.

• Quintonil was elite. It'll go toe-to-toe with any meal you can get in the States. Food, drinks, and service were all A+. Only the desserts were like an A- for me. It's very, very expensive (we spent around a grand for 2x tasting menu, 2x glasses of champagne, 1x wine pairing, 3x cocktails, and my wife wanted to buy their book [which the chef signed for us, which was cool]).
• Contramar lived up to the hype. Great food; excellent, quick service. We didn't have to wait at all at about 1:00 pm on a Tuesday. Some tuna tostadas and micheladas hit the motherfucking spot after a morning at the pyramids.
• Azul Historico was a big disappointment. My wife got overcooked shrimp in flavorless adobo sauce. My mole enchiladas were overly sweet and otherwise lacking in flavor as well. Guac looked and tasted like something that came out of a big plastic tub. Service was meh. Cool atmosphere, but you can skip this one.
• Maque for breakfast was very good. Our tour guide joked that it's the place you take your mom for brunch for her birthday and she wasn't wrong. TBH my favorite bite of the entire trip, including Quintonil and Contramar, might have been the beautiful simplicity of a fresh chocolate concha at Maque. I'll admit that I fucking love conchas anyway though.
• Taqueria Orinoco was fine. I mean, it's Mexico City and it's tacos, so yeah it tasted great. Didn't seem like anything particularly special though. I think there are 5,000 places in the city where you can get tacos just like this. Instagram hype from gringos, IMO.
• Mercado Roma is a skip. Not bad, but every American city has at least one hipster food hall exactly like this nowadays. Half the counters were vacant anyway. Also hot af inside. You can do better.
• We didn't hit a lot of nightlife because we were wiped out most evenings (more on that in a minute). We stayed at the Ritz (splurge/special occasion trip) and the bar there was pretty fucking cool. It's the Ritz so not exactly a wild young crowd, but floor-to-ceiling 360 degree panoramic views of the city from the 38th floor is hard to beat. Pricey drinks, but whatever. The restaurant at the Ritz (same floor) was surprisingly good and more reasonably priced than the bar.
• Speaking of nightlife, I'm a tequila drinker and I found it funny that the tequila selection in CDMX, even at nice places, is demonstrably worse than what you'll typically find in the States. A lot of just run-of-the-mill shit like Herradura and Don Julio. Maestro Dobel is big. Overall, mezcal seems much more prominent than tequila, and it's not really my thing. I don't know nearly as much about it and don't have any confidence picking good ones from a menu.
• We did Museo Soumaya because literally nothing else is open on Monday. Great building, OK collection.
• Anthropology Museum is very well done. Another cool building. Probably only about 30% of signs have English translations, but they have an app that helps some. An extended visit might be a hard sell for someone not really interested in the subject material. My wife kept joking, "oh look, another room full of pots, sculptures, and bones".
• I actually liked the Chapultepec Castle (history museum) more than Anthropology. Very nice collection and some great Juan O'Gorman murals although again nowhere near 100% English signage. Google Translate works well. They had a little section on the Texas Revolution, pretty interesting from a Mexican perspective.
• We didn't hit Centro Historico as much as I had planned. Took a peek at the Zocalo, saw Ballet Folklorico at Palacio de Bellas Artes, and that was about it. The pedestrian walk from Zocalo to PdBA felt touristy as shit to me. They may as well build a Senor Frog's on that street.
• Regarding the pyramids, we did one of the hot air balloon tours. It started ass early in the morning but was worth it, IMO. Very cool, unique, and serene experience. The company we went with was Volare and everything seemed professional, safe, and well-organized.
• Did a street food tour with these guys (actually gals, it's 100% women-run): Eat Like a Local. Cool tour, great guide, would recommend.
• Holy fuck the traffic is absurd. HOLY FUCK. I'll never complain about traffic ever again. I don't understand how anyone that drives there isn't a raving lunatic by now. We ended up walking a lot more than I anticipated because Uber is just so fucking slow that it doesn't buy you much time. Uber is cheap and easy but its time estimates are total bullshit for CDMX. Overestimate how long it takes to get anywhere, and then double that. I'm serious. We'd call Uber and then just stand there for 15 minutes watching the guy sit perfectly still 4 blocks away because he can't move anywhere. We tried the subway once and it was closed with no warning/explanation.
• The pollution/altitude combo is legit, be prepared. I felt kinda crappy our first morning there because of altitude, and we were both blowing giant black snot rockets the entire time.
• Overall, fucking awesome city. To be able to get that much culture less than a 2 hour flight from Texas is incredible. We could've spent a month there and not hit all the things on my list. Will be back for sure.

[gmr548 16557]

5 minutes ago, tokamak said:

It'll go toe-to-toe with any meal you can get in the States.

In general I've found the floor for food quality is higher in Mexico. Obviously there is a lot of fast food in both countries, but beyond that the low end in the USA is so goddamn saturated with chains and over-processed food. 

[GreenspointTexas 9570]

15 minutes ago, tokamak said:

Just got back from our 5 night trip. Here's a lot of thoughts from a first-time visitor.

• Quintonil was elite. It'll go toe-to-toe with any meal you can get in the States. Food, drinks, and service were all A+. Only the desserts were like an A- for me. It's very, very expensive (we spent around a grand for 2x tasting menu, 2x glasses of champagne, 1x wine pairing, 3x cocktails, and my wife wanted to buy their book [which the chef signed for us, which was cool]).
• Contramar lived up to the hype. Great food; excellent, quick service. We didn't have to wait at all at about 1:00 pm on a Tuesday. Some tuna tostadas and micheladas hit the motherfucking spot after a morning at the pyramids.
• Azul Historico was a big disappointment. My wife got overcooked shrimp in flavorless adobo sauce. My mole enchiladas were overly sweet and otherwise lacking in flavor as well. Guac looked and tasted like something that came out of a big plastic tub. Service was meh. Cool atmosphere, but you can skip this one.
• Maque for breakfast was very good. Our tour guide joked that it's the place you take your mom for brunch for her birthday and she wasn't wrong. TBH my favorite bite of the entire trip, including Quintonil and Contramar, might have been the beautiful simplicity of a fresh chocolate concha at Maque. I'll admit that I fucking love conchas anyway though.
• Taqueria Orinoco was fine. I mean, it's Mexico City and it's tacos, so yeah it tasted great. Didn't seem like anything particularly special though. I think there are 5,000 places in the city where you can get tacos just like this. Instagram hype from gringos, IMO.
• Mercado Roma is a skip. Not bad, but every American city has at least one hipster food hall exactly like this nowadays. Half the counters were vacant anyway. Also hot af inside. You can do better.
• We didn't hit a lot of nightlife because we were wiped out most evenings (more on that in a minute). We stayed at the Ritz (splurge/special occasion trip) and the bar there was pretty fucking cool. It's the Ritz so not exactly a wild young crowd, but floor-to-ceiling 360 degree panoramic views of the city from the 38th floor is hard to beat. Pricey drinks, but whatever. The restaurant at the Ritz (same floor) was surprisingly good and more reasonably priced than the bar.
• Speaking of nightlife, I'm a tequila drinker and I found it funny that the tequila selection in CDMX, even at nice places, is demonstrably worse than what you'll typically find in the States. A lot of just run-of-the-mill shit like Herradura and Don Julio. Maestro Dobel is big. Overall, mezcal seems much more prominent than tequila, and it's not really my thing. I don't know nearly as much about it and don't have any confidence picking good ones from a menu.
• We did Museo Soumaya because literally nothing else is open on Monday. Great building, OK collection.
• Anthropology Museum is very well done. Another cool building. Probably only about 30% of signs have English translations, but they have an app that helps some. An extended visit might be a hard sell for someone not really interested in the subject material. My wife kept joking, "oh look, another room full of pots, sculptures, and bones".
• I actually liked the Chapultepec Castle (history museum) more than Anthropology. Very nice collection and some great Juan O'Gorman murals although again nowhere near 100% English signage. Google Translate works well. They had a little section on the Texas Revolution, pretty interesting from a Mexican perspective.
• We didn't hit Centro Historico as much as I had planned. Took a peek at the Zocalo, saw Ballet Folklorico at Palacio de Bellas Artes, and that was about it. The pedestrian walk from Zocalo to PdBA felt touristy as shit to me. They may as well build a Senor Frog's on that street.
• Regarding the pyramids, we did one of the hot air balloon tours. It started ass early in the morning but was worth it, IMO. Very cool, unique, and serene experience. The company we went with was Volare and everything seemed professional, safe, and well-organized.
• Did a street food tour with these guys (actually gals, it's 100% women-run): Eat Like a Local. Cool tour, great guide, would recommend.
• Holy fuck the traffic is absurd. HOLY FUCK. I'll never complain about traffic ever again. I don't understand how anyone that drives there isn't a raving lunatic by now. We ended up walking a lot more than I anticipated because Uber is just so fucking slow that it doesn't buy you much time. Uber is cheap and easy but its time estimates are total bullshit for CDMX. Overestimate how long it takes to get anywhere, and then double that. I'm serious. We'd call Uber and then just stand there for 15 minutes watching the guy sit perfectly still 4 blocks away because he can't move anywhere. We tried the subway once and it was closed with no warning/explanation.
• The pollution/altitude combo is legit, be prepared. I felt kinda crappy our first morning there because of altitude, and we were both blowing giant black snot rockets the entire time.
• Overall, fucking awesome city. To be able to get that much culture less than a 2 hour flight from Texas is incredible. We could've spent a month there and not hit all the things on my list. Will be back for sure.

1 grand for Quintonil? When the wife and I ate there in 2019, I think we did 2 tasting menus + tip for like $400

[tokamak 6353]

2 minutes ago, GreenspointTexas said:

1 grand for Quintonil? When the wife and I ate there in 2019, I think we did 2 tasting menus + tip for like $400

It must've gone way up post-pandemic. I don't think we ever even saw a menu, they just started bringing us food. Their website says the tasting menu is ~$250 per person, or ~$380 with the pairing. I tipped them well, too. I know it's not as much of a thing there but there were like 4 people taking care of us and they were crushing it.

[Js1 85162]

1 hour ago, tokamak said:

• Maque for breakfast was very good. Our tour guide joked that it's the place you take your mom for brunch for her birthday and she wasn't wrong. TBH my favorite bite of the entire trip, including Quintonil and Contramar, might have been the beautiful simplicity of a fresh chocolate concha at Maque. I'll admit that I fucking love conchas anyway though.

I wish I had time to do this one again this past trip; did it in August and it was so good.  Perhaps when I go back in the summer

Quote

• Holy fuck the traffic is absurd. HOLY FUCK. I'll never complain about traffic ever again. I don't understand how anyone that drives there isn't a raving lunatic by now. We ended up walking a lot more than I anticipated because Uber is just so fucking slow that it doesn't buy you much time. Uber is cheap and easy but its time estimates are total bullshit for CDMX. Overestimate how long it takes to get anywhere, and then double that. I'm serious. We'd call Uber and then just stand there for 15 minutes watching the guy sit perfectly still 4 blocks away because he can't move anywhere. We tried the subway once and it was closed with no warning/explanation.

And yes.  Jesus Christ, I swear every Uber took 8-15 minutes to pick is up and every trip was 30-45 minutes. We took an Uber from Chapulatpec Castle to Zocalo (4 miles) and I got a solid 20 minute nap in traffic.  And we still had 20 more minutes before we got there.

[Matuka 1308]

Recommend using the Metro during the day, but not at night.  La Condesa to Zocalo was a quick trip although switching stations/trains at Pino Suarez was a bit of a hassle in the middle of the day.

[SimonBolivar 10949]

If anyone is there on a Sunday, then I definitely recommend Basílica de Santa María de Guadalupe during church hours. It's a completely different experience than anything I've ever seen religiously.

 

 

Also Mercado San Juan (the Centro one) > Mercado Roma 

Edited March 18 by SimonBolivar

[tokamak 6353]

Orinoco

 

Tuna tostadas at Contramar. Delicious and light.

Lamb mixiote

Green chorizo from a stall at the Mercado de Jamaica. Wife’s favorite. It was indeed delicious.

Maque

[tokamak 6353]

Quintonil

Spoiler

Corn soup. Warm, rich, and hearty.

Butternut squash salad over some sort of horchata rice. Perfect texture.

Yellowtail sashimi over mushrooms

 

Duck tamal with creamy sauce. This was my favorite

 Taco spread. Sea bass, salsa, insect-based accoutrements.

Oxtail taco

 

desserts below. I don’t really remember what they each are, I had a solid buzz going by this point. Think the first one was ice cream with caviar. Last one was a passionfruit tart.

 

[GreenspointTexas 9570]

20 hours ago, SimonBolivar said:

If anyone is there on a Sunday, then I definitely recommend Basílica de Santa María de Guadalupe during church hours. It's a completely different experience than anything I've ever seen religiously.

 

 

Also Mercado San Juan (the Centro one) > Mercado Roma 

Also, isnt Santa Ana buried behind the church there? Pretty sure

[LCHorn 2589]

I know someone that just got back and said the tasting menu at Pujol has gotten a lot more expensive, too (she said their bill was about $800 for two including drinks).  I think ours from before Covid was more in the $500 range. 

[tokamak 6353]

1 hour ago, LCHorn said:

I know someone that just got back and said the tasting menu at Pujol has gotten a lot more expensive, too (she said their bill was about $800 for two including drinks).  I think ours from before Covid was more in the $500 range. 

FWIW (not much), some people on Reddit claim that Pujol has fallen off a little bit. What did your friend think?

[LCHorn 2589]

She said it was fantastic and a once in a lifetime experience but she also didn't mention going to Quintonil (so no way to compare the two).  My own memory of Pujol is a little hazy--frankly, I remember the meal from Restaurante Nicos better and it sure was a lot cheaper.  She did hit Contramar and appeared to like it more than I did. 

 

[Matuka 1308]

Went to Pujol in ‘22.  Shitty service.  Food was good, not $200 per person good.  I won’t go back, too many other choices in CDMX.

[SimonBolivar 10949]

1 hour ago, GreenspointTexas said:

Also, isnt Santa Ana buried behind the church there? Pretty sure

I'm not sure but it wouldn't surprise me.

[SimonBolivar 10949]

No love for Sud 777?

[GreenspointTexas 9570]

We did Quintonil, Pujol, Sud777, Nicos, and a street food tour when we went in 2019 (iirc)

 

Pujol absolutely was the best meal, and I remember the tasting menu being around $125 i think. They easily had the best mezcal selection and drink menu of the 3. Suds escamoles were very very interesting. One of the standout dishes I can still remember. And the restaurant is gorgeous

[SimonBolivar 10949]

21 minutes ago, GreenspointTexas said:

Suds escamoles were very very interesting. One of the standout dishes I can still remember. And the restaurant is gorgeous

I want to live in El Pedregal. 

[Js1 85162]

6 hours ago, LCHorn said:

I know someone that just got back and said the tasting menu at Pujol has gotten a lot more expensive, too (she said their bill was about $800 for two including drinks).  I think ours from before Covid was more in the $500 range. 

We had drinks, coffee and an extra course last August and it was $500 for 2

[alphahydro 332]

Mexico City is rad, but imo, if you have a couple extra days, take a quick flight to 

Oaxaca - colonial town; known for its cuisine: my personal favorite restaurants are Tineperla (order off special menu) and Destilado (get tasting w/ alcohol); Monte Alban is also very cool & chill; the town itself can be slightly touristy depending on season and where you stay/go, but I think pretty much everyone thinks the food is better here than Mexico City. 

or

Bacalar - a giant freshwater lagoon formed by an underground river; they call it the lagoon of 7 colors.  town next to the lake is super chill and not overly touristy (yet).  Sail the lagoon at sunset and checkout Nixtamal for dinner.  Get a room or airbnb on the lagoon.   you'll want to rent a car.  there are some decent mayan ruins nearby.  we stayed at an airbnb called Casa Flores de Mayo bc the reviews were so good.  it's more rustic than fancy, but it's nicer than it appears in photos, you get a private dock, kayaks, and an outdoor kitchen overlooking the lagoon.  I'm sure there's other good places to stay, but this one had separate little houses - one for kids, one for adults.  and that worked well for us. 

https://travelrebels.com/mexico/bacalar/

Oaxaca and Bacalar are both 1 hour direct flights from cdmx, so it's easy to get in and out.  

in Mexico City, I liked Zefiro, a restaurant built inside a university, where all the employees are students “working” at the restaurant as part of a class they need to pass to get their degrees. You even grade them at the end.  Food isn't amazing, but I personally haven't had luck finding amazing food in Mexico City. 

[Helobious 9503]

 

What a badass city. 

Ironically the hot dog I had at Arena Mexico is maybe the best stadium hot dog I’ve ever had in my life. 

 

Edited June 26 by Helobious

[Gale Snoats 242]

Anyone stayed at or know anything about campos palanco?

[Helobious 9503]

2 hours ago, Gale Snoats said:

Anyone stayed at or know anything about campos palanco?

No but that’s close to where I stayed. Very nice area, walking distance to Pujol if you were lucky enough to get a reservation. I think on Saturdays they have a market at that Parque Lincoln close by too.

[creeper 98]

15 hours ago, Gale Snoats said:

Anyone stayed at or know anything about campos palanco?

That's a nice area, and I've heard good things but never stayed there.  I'm in CDMX next week but staying in Roma Norte.

[Gale Snoats 242]

Wrapping up a couple days in Mexico City headed for puerto Escondido in the morning. Can’t believe we haven’t been here before. Easy two hour flight from Austin and our experience in the city has been amazing. Loved the park and anthropology museum. Walked everywhere with our 12 and 11 year olds and was no prob never had any worries. Staying at great place in polanco called campos polanco - 1500 sq foot apartment very reasonable great location. Ate at pujols, San angel inn, and entremar. San angel food is fine but lunch scene in beautiful courtyard is great. Pujols was great but we’re kind of over marathon tasting multicourse meals. I think the only one I’ve ever done i would do again is French laundry. Entremar was our favorite. Whole fish half red half green was really really good. Liked walking around Roma and condessa but staying in polanco. Polanco reminds me of upper eastside. Wonderful place and will put it on the short list for long weekends going forward.

[Gale Snoats 242]

Forgot to mention we took the children to luche libre and it blew their minds. Cheap second row seats right on the action and it was awesome. Wrestlers were great and crowd was into it. Old pretty beat up venue with lots of pretty gritty sights and sounds inside the venue and on the streets outside. A lot of fun.

[creeper 98]

Wrapping up a quick trip here.  Spent the days exploring and eating tacos, nights focused on dinner and mezcal.  Maximo tight as always... highest recommendation, and I prefer it to the fancier tasting menu spots.  Rosetta was pretty good but not sure I'll return.  We have Meroma on deck for tonight.  For tacos, Tacos Don Juan in Condesa is awesome and possibly best of the trip.  Had some amazing canasta tacos about a block from the Frida Kahlo museum, street stall called Beto's.  Highly recommended, and they're like 50 cents each.  Molino "El Pujol" was great for snacks, tacos, tamales, churros, etc.  Find of the trip is probably El Inicio in Roma Norte, a couple blocks from where we're staying.  Great breakfast, super fresh, full of locals... kind of reminds of Las Manitas.  We're staying next to Panaderia Rosetta and holy hell that place is packed around the clock.  Our hotel sets up a spread from there every morning, which is nice.