Food Lovers Guide to Mexico City! #travel #mexico

My tag line/identity for as long as I remember has been “An Indian girl raised in Delhi, India; I have the Soul of a Mexican Grandmother, Heart of an Italian Mother, and Aspirations of a French Chef. What Does that Say About Me?? Yes! Food and Wine is what I breathe, dream, and talk about!

You can imagine the sheer joy I felt making the maiden impromptu voyage to Mexico City aka CDMX. A trip I rewarded myself for successfully passing one of the toughest exams of my life – WSET Diploma, Unit 3 (passing rate of 35% globally). An arduous WSET (Wine & Spirit Education Trust) Diploma journey of 21 months, 6 back to back exams, blind tasting of 170 plus white, roses, red wines including fortified and sparkling, 32 spirits including whiskey, gin, tequila, vodka, cognac, and business papers came to a triumphant finish.

It’s not a medical doctorate degree or an Oscar award, but to me it symbolizes “you can do anything you set your mind too”. Perseverance + Passion + Courage + Hard Work = Dreams do come True! Yet another dream of mine, came true with an impromptu trip to Mexico.

A kaleidoscope of colors, flavors, & textures, Mexico surpassed my most delectable dreams and with each bite and sip, I fell in love deeper with Mexico.

How does one tackle the dauntless task of experiencing Mexico’s capital, Mexico City, with a mere three days at hand? Fret not, Primlani Kitchen to the rescue. We have the ideal itinerary to capture the essence of a mesmerizing Mexico in 72 hours.

Day One – Thursday

If there is one place on earth we would gladly succumb, heck even bow to street food, guilt-free – it has to be Mexico City. From tacos, hurache to gorditos, cookies to churros, Mexico city is a sanctuary of street goods.

8:00 AM – In interest of time, skip a traditional sit down breakfast for a sublime splurge of Mexico City’s mercados aka markets. Coyocan or the place of coyotes is a neighborhood twelve kilometers (7.5 miles) from historic city center, and is home to numerous attractions including Vivero Coyoacán, the city’s tree nursery and national park; the Frida Kahlo museum; Plaza Jardín Hidalgo and Jardín Centenario, and Mercado de Coyoacán – where we noshed on an assortment of tostadas, tamales, and chicken enchiladas doused in a mind-blowing mole.

Mercado de Coyoacán – 8 am to 10 pm Monday to Sunday.

Tip: Street and stall food is literally everywhere, on every street and corner and it is SAFE to consume. That said no harm in taking precautions. Pick a stall that is busy, yes you might have to wait in line, but the line indicates that the stall is popular which means the turn out of food is fast = fresh food. (You don’t want to eat meat or seafood that is lying around all day in 80 plus temperature).

10:00 AM – Carb loaded, walk away your calories through a stroll through the 39 hectare national park and Mexico’s first forest nursery (1901) –Vivero Coyoacán, where pine, oak, cedar, sweet gum, jacaranda, privet, thrive side by side with fruit trees apple, quince, pear and hawthorn, etc. In addition, every year several exhibitions are held – February is dedicated to azalea; may to roses; August with dahlias; December is nativity scenes decorated with plants.

12:00 PM – Aching to see the blue house – we highly recommend purchasing tickets online in advance for Frido Kahlo, the walk-in line is a mile long if not more. We skipped the touristy spot to check out the National Museum of Popular Culture for innovative exhibitions on folk traditions, indigenous crafts and celebrations in its colorful courtyards and galleries.

Museo Nacional de Culturas Populares: Av Hidalgo 289.
Hours: 10am-6pm Tue-Thu. 10am to 8pm Fri-Sun. Sundays free.

Brave the crowds at the Mercado de Artesanías de Coyoacán for Mexican souvenirs. Opens daily at 11 am.

Right across Jardin Centenario is San Juan Catholic Church and coyote fountains. The square is packed with street food vendors serving variations of grilled and steamed corn, dorilingos, tamales, and chicharones. We grabbed some Sol Michelada beer cans at the 7-11 to quench our thirsty and calm the spicy effects of picante elote aka corn. Before heading home for a much needed nap from our food induced coma, indulge in a local tradition – cup of coffee at Café El Jarcho en Coyoacan.

6:00 PM – Mexico City is divided into neighborhoods/districts with each boasting it’s own unique character. We stayed in Condesa – hottest neighborhood with city’s best nightlife, upscale dining, art galleries, and lush landscapes such as the lung of Condesa – Parque Mexico.

Want to feel the soul of Mexico? Walk through the park where all ages from infants to senior citizens co-exist and play in harmony, surrounded by their perfectly groomed and well behaved pets. I must have died and gone into doggie heaven. Condesa by far was the friendliest city for pets in all my travels.

Walked up an appetite? Head over to CDMX’s gourmet food hall – Mercado Roma 1 km (0.6 miles) north east from Parque Mexico in adjacent neighborhood – Roma Norte. Feast on Mexico’s diverse regional cuisine, showcasing high-quality ingredients and meticulous and artistic antojitos. From a beer garden, mezalcaria – Finca Robles, fruit infused paletas – Bendita to everything in between – you may never want to leave this food paradise.

TIP: Like any cosmopolitan city, weekends are for partying and space is a at premium. Try to explore Mercado Roma in less rush hours 2-7 pm. We recommend calling it an early night, as Saturday/Sunday are going to be longer days.

Day 2 – Friday

8:00 AM: Strap on your sensible shoes for the day and head over for some finger-licking Barbacoa – pit roasted meat, wrapped in agave leaves, that slowly simmers in it’s own juices, rendering sweet, smoky melt-in-your mouth meat. Are you hungry yet? Barbacoa El Hidalguense is open only 3 days of the week – Friday to Sunday. Fresh fruit juices, warm blue tortillas, bright red and green salsas, sinfully juicy meat promises to deliver an exceptional start to a day revolving around best of Mexican eats.

10:00 AM: A mecca of museums (150+), Mexico City boasts a slew of mind-boggling collections spanning centuries and continents – Museo Nacional de Antropología, Museo Nacional de Historia, Museo del Palacio de Bellas Artes, Museo Soumaya, Museo del Juguete Antiguo Mexico, Museo Mural Diaego Rivera, and more. Uber over to the National Anthropology museum, a world class museum of Archeology and Etnography that boasts 12 separate halls showcasing the fine legacy of Mexican civilizations. It sits in one corner of Chapultepec Park (at 686 hectares/1,695 acres, one of the largest urban parks in the Western Hemisphere).

Tip: Four daily free one-hour English guided tours (except Sunday, 10:30am to 5pm; reservation recommended).

1:00 PM – Street food & Mexican Antojitos (taco, hurache, gordita, sope etc) reigns supreme in Mexico City. Book an uber to Mercado La Merced – Mexico City’s largest food market. It’s an orgy of Mexican colors, flavors, and textures serving from stalls, small trucks, under umbrellas, on carts, and off bicycles.

Mexican Antoijotos 101:

Tacos: Corn tortilla filled with every part of a pig, cow, chicken, pescado (fish) stewed (guisado), barbecued (barbacoa), roasted on a vertical spit (al pastor), or cooked atop a griddle (a la plancha). 15-20 pesos (US $1) will buy you 2 tortillas filled with your choice of protein (typically 1 cart serves only one kind of protein). Carne Asada is grilled meat or chicken. Carnitas are Mexican version of Pork Confit. De Cabezo is steamed cow’s skull. Campechano is a combination of beef and chorizo. Sides range from chopped cilantro, pickled onions, cactus paddles, boiled or fried potatoes, lime, tomatillo salsa (green), chile salsa (red) to add at your preference.

Tamales: Feather light corn dumplings filled with various meats and vegetables, steamed in a corn leave or banana leave – is truly a work of labor and love.

Quesadillas: A tortilla cooked on a flat griddle, filled with filling of your choice, and folded in half. NO cheese in sight. Unlike taco tortillas, these are bigger and longer in size.

Tostadas: Crisp, thin fried tortilla utilized as a plate and basis for filling of choice, topped with crema, avocado, and fresh cheese.

Huraches: Thicker tortilla shaped like a sandal, covered with beans, meat, cheese, and lettuce.

Gorditas: Fried or grilled corn pockets stuffed typically with chicharones, refried beans and meat. We recommend sharing one, since it’s on the fattier end of the scale.

Posole: Don’t forget to save some room for the classic pork stew orcaldo de gallina (hen stew). Garnished with a generous helping of onions, cilantro, hot sauce, lime, and lettuce, its literally Mexican food for the soul, especially if you are fighting off a cold.

3:00 PM: Recharged and refueled, walk over to the historic center – Plaza de la Constitución which hosts the majestic Catedral Metropolitana (the oldest church in Latin America, carved from mesoamerican pyramid stone), The National palace, Museo de la Ciudad de Mexico, and the federal municipal buildings. Afterwards, walk to Museo del Palacio de Bellas Artes swaggering a prolific collection of soul-searching murals and photography. You might get lucky and catch an evening show too.

6:00 PM: Staying in one of the hottest neighborhoods in CDMX has it’s advantages. There is a eatery, bar, or cafe at every corner. A quick coffee pick me up at Cafe Maque, swift change to our salsa shoes, we were ready to explore Condesa’s night life. First, a taste of ancestral Mexico that pays tribute to Mexico’s contribution to the culinary world – elote/corn at Tlaco. Mexican food’s foundation is quite literally built on corn, specifically a tortilla – enchiladas, quesadillas, tacos, tamales, tlacoyos, etc. Tlaco specializes in Tlacoya – father of all Mexican antojitos. It unites 3 basic elements of pre-hispanic diet – corn, beans, and chile, nor does it contain any fat or meat. Freshly made blue corn dough seasoned with sesame, amarnath, sunflower seeds, and oats, filled with spinach, mushrooms, squash blossoms, and more, Tlaco was literally nothing like what we have tasted before. Fresh, wholesome, texturally layered – it was AMA-zing.

Xampaneria – bar specializing in sparkling wines and mezcal cocktails. Dance the night away at multi-location Mama Rumba or Pata Negra. End the night with the best ever TORTAS from the covered cart at Tortas al Fuego.

Mama Rumba open Wed-Saturday. Torta al Fuego is on the corner of Av Sonora and Av de los Insurgentes Sur.

Day 3 Saturday

9:00 AM: A breakfast staple in Spain, Churros are typically consumed after dinner in Mexico. Beat the heat and crowd with flexibility. Ditch your Starbucks morning routine for El Morro. Unanimously considered the best churreria in CDMX, sporting 12 locations. Enjoy freshly made churros dipped in sugar and cinnamon (optional) with your cup of joe or the El Morro way – hot chocolate.

10:00 AM: Spend the day or afternoon time permitting soaking up the sun surrounded by nature and Mexican heritage at its finest at Chapuletec Park. Our philosophy dictates walking the city for a full on immersion, of course traveling with family warrants booking an uber. At 1,600 plus acres, (double the size of NYC central park), Chapuletec park is not only the largest but one of the oldest urban parks in the world. Home to nine museums, a castle, a zoo, an amusement park, a botanical garden, and variety of plush green recreational spaces, Chapultepec Park offers respite to both city residents and visitors as an ecological oasis.

Tip: Chapultepec park is closed on Monday.

2:00 or 6:30 PM: If you had only one fine dining experience in Mexico City, make it count, book Quintonil. A love child of Chef Vallejo and his wife Alejandra Flores, Quintonil flirts with your palate, mind, and soul with original creations that seamlessly marry Mexican traditions with modern times. Charred avocado with escamole (ant caviar), Atocopan mole with pleurotos mushrooms, Pork in chili pasado with roasted seasoned fresh fruits infused with chile – each dish was a flawless work of art. Bravo!!

One bite is all it takes to recognize why Quintonil is ranked the “best fifty restaurants in the world“. At one time there were more staff members than dining patrons, that tirelessly work to ensure that your experience is nothing short of perfection. Quintonil is closed on Sundays and reservations must be made a couple of months in advance to snag a table.

Diverse & rich heritage, expansive urban parks, multi-facet museums, refreshing greenery, vibrant street food scene, dog loving city, & most of all humble and gentle souls – Mexico City rivals Paris, London, NYC, Moscow, Milan as a fairyland for food lovers, history buffs, adventure seeking souls, and art enthusiasts.

Muchos gracias to Ms. SEYDI CREECH – Hunger Street Tacos for being our guiding beacon to the wonders of her home land.

With non-stop flights from most major cities to Mexico City daily, sprawling subway system, bustling UBER access, and SAFE streets to walk (that’s saying it a lot coming for a single woman traveler), there is no better time to initiate your immersion into the magical world of Mexico. Hasta la vista, Mexico, we shall be back soon.

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