Long have I yearned to go to Mexico City- seeing the juxtaposition of bright colors and filthy streets, the chaos and bustle, smelling the sizzling al pastor on seemingly every corner- years and years of travel did nothing to quell this desire. In early January, I was privileged enough to spend five days in Mexico City and the surrounding area- and let me tell you this- the hype is both real and deserved. The Aztecs overpowered local lakeside indigenous tribes to enjoy almost two hundred years of prosperity… Until the Spanish conquistadors, well… conquered. The center of the Aztec political and social life-Tenochtitlan- was rebuilt by Cortés in the late 1500’s into the Zócalo- the Mexico City mayoral plaza and home to some of the oldest buildings (and best sunsets) around. And this is where we found ourselves, immersed in the swirling vortex of Indigenous and European history that is the historic Tenochtitlan.
In our five-day whirlwind of a Mexico City trip, my wife, children and I took to the streets and trekked endlessly throughout the city from barrio to barrio, while I snapped pictures throughout. Our hiking boots were well-worn by the end of the journey. Here’s a taste of what we experienced.
Firstly, let`s talk food: when traveling somewhere new, my priorities are walkability (I would rather go on foot to discover a new place), vibrant colors and/or unique architecture, and food. Always food. Comida is key- I want to be a creature of such prodigious appetites that it can only be discussed in the barest of awed, near-reverent whispers. Therefore the absolute necessity of sauntering around and digesting is key, and Mexico City is, outside of Bangkok, the best walking-around-while-stuffed-to-the-gills locale that I have had the pleasure of visiting. Plus, unlike Bangkok, the temperature in January was low-to-mid-60s (16C)- perfect for a stroll out on the town.
One of the food highlights was Contramar. As a perfectly amazing seafood place in the tres chic neighborhood of Roma Norte, I followed the recommendation of a fellow “Mexico City-enthusiast” friend (Thanks, Spencer!) and enjoyed a meal that will leave me thinking about tuna carnitas and tamarind hibiscus mezcal cocktails for a long, long time. I recently discovered that the Head Chef, Gabriela Cámara, is one of the illustrious Iron Chefs in the Netflix revival. It is a well-deserved accolade. We went there in full hiking gear straight from the pyramids and felt quite under-dressed- this was a place for Mexico City`s bourgeois-est patrons to mingle (as well as for expats, apparently- the amount of Americanos I heard talking about their “transcendent” M.C experiences made me feel like I was holding up a disturbingly familiar and repulsive mirror to my own thoughts… *shudder*.
Another highlight was the well-known institution Taqueria Orinoco- a “northern style” counter-ordering restaurant where, while seated on dinky red plastic chairs on the streetside, one finds themselves treated to a menu of tacos inspired by the tastes of Monterrey. This place oozes “In-N-Out” style- meaning only a few, mostly customizable items, and everything is absolutely, mouth-wateringly brilliant. And the word is out, as the number of locations will be increasing by the end of the year, no doubt to strong word-of-mouth around the chicharron and al pastor tacos alone.
One place that oozed that classic “taqueria feel” ubiquitously found in both Mexico and across the American southwest is Taqueria Arandas (“Sandy Restaurant”)- located in Centro, a stone’s throw from Mexico City plaza, we stopped in with a taco tour guide (thanks Fernanda!) before heading to a luchador show (more on that later)- this is a bustling place, serving 10 peso ($.60) al pastor tacos, you can watch the grill master slicin’ and dicin’ on the streetside for a taco on the go, or you can sit down and watch some basketball, eat some lengua and douse, and I would encourage you to completely smother your taco in some pickled habanero- where my kids won lots of local cred by laughing off any warnings of spiciness, which made me one proud Papa. After that, it was a quick jaunt over to the Coliseo for some Lucha Libre- but more on that later.
Glorious mezcal cocktails and sumptuous tacos (above) are to be had at the hidden speakeasy-esque Paramo, where there is only a neon light of a pig’s hoof above a set of stairs to let you know that you are indeed in for a treat- thankfully that, during our perambulations, I had taken note of the distinctive neon and was pleasantly surprised when we wandered right by it, scuttling other taqueria plans for the evening. Delightful happenstance, that was- the meal was, again, one of the best I can remember having- which was becoming routine after a couple of days in this halcyon food haven.
Last for food (which, as previously stated, is sorta the priority) Panaderia Rosetta is one of the best, most enjoyable bakery experiences I have had in a long while- already a line 10 deep when they open at 7 am, the place has a great cup of coffee made even better by pairing it with a dulce de leche cinnamon roll, or maybe a roll of the tarragon/cardamon variety, or perhaps the flakiest, most buttery croissant you may ever have the joy of trying. If you are a fan of Pan Dulce (and who isn’t?) these were all exceptional confections at Rosetta- all killer, no filler. We were even lucky enough to have a slice of the Padaria’s “king” cake as part of Latin American New Year’s tradition, where Ezra was lucky enough to “find” the plastic baby Jesus- so, according to tradition, he buys the king cake for everyone next time. Lucky indeed.
Strolling around Mexico City, I found myself charmed repeatedly by the little details of life there- the fashionista dog-walking gangs, the dragon sconces hanging from lampposts, the details of the stone edifices, windows, and doors- every block had multiple things that forced me to stop and take a closer inspection- much to the chagrin of my long-suffering family- who, to their credit, do not tell me to fuck right off when I say for the thirtieth time “wow, look at the intricate embellishments on that façade over there!”
In the middle of the city, we walked through parks, canoed through wetlands, and ambled along the hip, savory-smelling boulevards and found streets shut down for festivals (like creating the world’s longest king cake) as well as local fairs— and the city was always colorful, vibrant, never dull. An aside to people’s safety concerns- which, leading up to our trip, we were given loads of opinions about- maybe it is that I’ve become a bit desensitized from living in Brazil and Thailand- but I found Mexico City to be no more dirty or unsafe than any other large metropolitan city I’ve ever been to. My family and I were relaxed and unperturbed the whole week. The city gets an unfair stigmatization, I say- and also, there was no dusty and hazy yellow filter over everything- it turns out, U.S filmmakers have had it wrong all along…
Earlier on, I mentioned having tacos and spending one evening devoted to the can’t-miss cultural institution of Lucha Libre wrestling. As a longtime fan of the ridiculously underappreciated “Nacho Libre”, I was tickled to finally see all of the classic luchador tropes: Brilliant, saintly good guys (Técnicos), and the dark-dressed, rule-breaking baddies (Rudos), coupled with the vixenish luchadoras and oh-my-god-how-do-they-still-have-this? bonafide “little person” fighters (decked out in demon monkey dress to boot), the experience proved that Jack Black’s Mexican wrestling movie truly is Cinéma vérité in disguise, and the Coliseo is the oldest and most intimate luchador show in town- several times the wrestlers came deep into the crowds, fighting in the aisles, and you could feel the shake and the thump of these massive gymnasts slamming each other to the ground… My boys are hooked now, lifelong fans, and I have the unmissable Lucha Libre to thank.
Our days in M.C. were few, but full of amazing sights and foods. Two of our 5 Mexico City days were devoted to Teotihuacan- the magnificent pyramids- and also to the wetland “chinampas” system found only a mile or so outside of the city proper. I will create another couple of posts for those, as opposed to trying to cram them in here. I threw a few extra pictures that I really enjoyed taking here at the end of the post. Until next time, please listen to my entreaties, and take a trip to Mexico City. It is a magical, beautiful, and tantalizingly tasty place.
I’m gonna have to copy your trip when I go back. You captured it so well! Glad you all enjoyed it, such a special place.
Fantastic photos and stories. Glad you made it to D.F., my second home! I lived there between 2006-2008 and loved every minute of it. Roma, Polanco and El Centro are great. For me, the best food is found in the north of the city in Cuautepec and Tlalneplantla. There are virtually zero ex-pats and locals only. I've heard there are a ton of Americans living in Roma these days. When I was there, you had to know Spanish or you weren't going to get around.
I'm excited to read your upcoming posts.