A Week in Tenochtitlan

One of my closest friends turned 30 years old about a month ago, and for the occasion, he invited his closest friends to celebrate with him in Mexico City. It was my first time in CDMX, and my first time visiting Mexico in over 10 years, so I was excited to return. The group was fantastic — 11 people, made up of familiar friends from college and new friends Sid had made in his new home of San Diego. It was also my first vacation in about 2 years, so I was eager to enjoy the time off from work.

Hogar, Dulce Hogar

We got two short-term rental apartments next door to each other in Condesa, a beautiful neighborhood on the west side of the city, just east of the Bosque de Chapultepec, a lush city park. Condesa has tons of art deco influenced architecture and is itself extraordinarily lush. There’s a main avenue, Av. Tamaulipas, that has a pedestrian walkway down the center, completely shaded by overhanging branches.

A teal blue car with a purple is in the foreground with a gray building that rises out of frame at mid-distance and a yellow building at far distance. On the left is a tall tree with green leaves. The street is dotted with trees.

It’s extraordinarily walkable, and… I cannot express how much I love a walkable city. I got around 20,000 steps in daily and was able to walk a short distance in the beautifully sunny weather to get just about anything I needed. Additionally, the price of Ubers was ridiculously cheap and the metro even more so. Very easy to get around the city and see all the things.

El Centro

A busy street in downtown Mexico City with lots of foot traffic, but no cars on the street. In the center of the frame is a cylindrical tree.

A man in a white shirt stands on the street next to a tropo of red meat, large at the top and thinner at the bottom, forming a cone shape. The sign on the side of the wall reads "Desde 1940. Torta Brava. Taqueria y Cerveceria. Several people in blue shirts walk on the sidewalk behind him."

A great stone catedral stands in the background with a main tower or spire at the top. In the foreground is a brown dirt ground with manicured cacti and other succlents growing. On the left is a large, lush green tree.

One day, my friend Alikhan and I took a detour away from the group to explore downtown Mexico City. We visited the Catedral Metropolitana de la Ciudad de México and marveled at its gold-plated grandeur next to the Roku smart TVs that were begging to be set up.

In the foreground, a TV with a purple screen says "Configurar TV en vivo: Es posible que para ver TV en vivo, tengas que buscar los canales. Elige la fuente de TV para comenzar. - Antena - Cable - Antena & cable - Hacerio más tarde". Behind the TV is a white and gold statue of Jesus with other ornate and gold-plated decorations beside it.

When we finished sightseeing, we ducked into the famous El Moro and got a snack to satisfy our busy appetites.

Bosque de Chapultepec

Having such close access to this park was wonderful. We would often walk over in the afternoons to hang out and look at the birds on the lake.

A white medium-sized bird perches on the edge of a platform next to a lake.

A brown dirt trail is dotted by green trees and bushes.

A man with black hair in a white shirt, with a black bag slung over his back and a woman in a pink dress with a black bag slung over her back look at a massive overturned tree stump, with their backs turned to the camera.

Chapultepec Castle

Sid fell in love with this castle, fairly central in the park, when he first visited Mexico City a year ago, and I got the chance to visit with him and his fiancée, Chelsea, to take engagement photos for them!

A man with short black hair in a white collared shirt faces a woman with long black hair in a maroon dress. Behind them are skyscrapers and a lush city avenue.

A woman's hand with pink-painted nails hovers above a black and white checkered floor. On her ring finger is a diamond engagement ring.

What I Ate

Over the past several years, I’ve had to take trips to the Denver suburbs for work and in order to combat the depression that floods over me when visiting such a gloomy, corporatized place, I’ve started finding acclaimed restaurants in cities to which I travel to visit. So this trip was as much about the food to me as it was about spending time with friends I hadn’t seen in a while. And, let me tell you, Mexico City has some amazing food spots. I pored over TikTok, Instagram, and the Eater’s Best lists to find the most acclaimed restaurants and food in CDMX and compiled it all into a Notion document. Let’s go through everything I ate:

Castacán

When I first got in, I went to Castacán with Sid & Chelsea to grab some tacos, which were great. At the end of the meal, they gave us these little pig-snout-shaped candies that were bubblegum flavored.

A pink neon sign of a pig carrying a torta on a patterned wall.

A silver metal table with a white and green salsa, a plate of nopales, a cup of limes, a cup of dices red onions, some empty plates, an orange juice, and a napkin holder with a pink image of the same pig.

A small clear plastic bag of pig-snout shaped candies on a silver metal table.

A single pig-snout shaped candy on a silver metal table.

Cantina La Llorona

For dinner on the first night, we went to a close-by neighborhood spot that was very good. I got a tuna tostada with squash blossoms on top as well as some shrimp aguachiles and a white fish tostada.

A tuna tostada with squash blossoms on top in a white bowl next to a white fish tostada on a white plate with a lip on either side of it. In the background is a white ovular plate with shrimp aguachiles negros.

El Huequito

Sort of a chain, but it is purportedly the restaurant that brought al pastor to Mexico City, so we had to try it. It was al pastor, of course it was great.

Four al pastor tacos rolled up next to each other on a white plate.

A man with short black hair in a black shirt shaves meat off of a tropo with a cone of red meat on it.

Churrería El Moro

Previously mentioned, Khan and I went to the one downtown. It was fantastic. They have all kinds of combos, but we got the 4 churro combo, which comes with a little cup of melted chocolate for dipping and a cup of hot chocolate. We each also got our own drinks; I got a chocolate milkshake and Khan got a chocolate frappe, both were great. Highly recommend for the sweet toothed amongst us.

On the white marble table in front of him is a phone, a chocolate frappachino with a blue straw in a glass, a hot chocolate in a white mug, a white plate with 4 churros and a cup of dark brown chocolate sauce on it, a plastic cup with a blue straw and a chocolate milkshake in it, and a black mirrorless Sony NEX-6 camera.

Maizajo

Maizajo is a restaurant I had heard a ton about due to its placement on the Michelin Guide. Luckily for us, it was also about a 3 minute walk from where we were staying. We got reservations for upstairs seating one night and it did not disappoint. They serve tostadas and an assortment of mild and spicy salsas to start. I ordered several things, but the most memorable was the shrimp taco which was a fried tortilla very tightly wrapped around an entire shrimp body, head and all. It was great. I got octopus for my main course, which came on a bed of mashed potatoes and was adorned with crispy fried potato slices.

On a black table sits two identical round teal containers with salsa and wooden spoons in each. The one closest to the camera has a chunkier brown salsa in it and the one farther from the camera has a thinner, smoother green salsa. Behind them sit a wooden bowl of blue-corn tostadas and next to it is a small wooden bowl of salt.

Two tacos on a white plate with lime slices on either side of them. The tortillas are blue corn and topped with chopped green chives. Inside the tortillas are cooked red shrimp with the heads and shells on.

On a black plate sits a bed of yellow mashed motatoes. On top of the potatoes are grilled octopus tentacles. On top of the octopus are crispy fried potato slices.

Nevería Postre-Frut

A neighborhood ice cream shop that we stopped into on more than one occasion. Their cinnamon ice cream was perfect.

A lime green ice cream counter with a man with a mustache and a purple shirt behind it serving ice cream. Behind him is a black chalk board with hand-written ice cream flavors on it.

Panadería Lecaroz

We traveled to Roma to find tres leches cake. And find it we did, in this cute little bakery. We got a chocolate tres leches and it hit the spot after a night out.

Maizajo Molino y Tortillería

Out in front of Maizajo they have a to-go window where they sell totopos, tostadas, tortillas, salsa, escabeche, and more. We got a bag of totopos, a bag of tortillas, a salsa we had in the upstairs restaurant that we liked, and a jar of escabeche. The salsa, escabeche, and tortillas were great, but the totopos were stale and disappointing.

A sign above Maizajo's to-go window showing all of their options and their prices.

La Docena

A seafood restaurant in Polanco. The food was pretty good, though the service not so much. I had a great salad with shaved Parmesan on top as well as a pretty fantastic octopus tostada. I had a lot of seafood tostadas and a lot of octopus on this trip.

A circular white plate with arugula and large, wide shavings of Parmesan cheese

An ovular white plate with the text "LA DOCENA" on the rim sits under a tostada eith pineapple, red onion slices, jalapeño slices, grilled octopus slices, and topped with cilantro.

Maizajo Barra de Tacos

Downstairs at Maizajo is a more casual taco bar. Standing-room only and it only fits about 16 people at a time so there can be a wait, but trust me: it is absolutely worth it. They cook the food directly in front of you and the menu is expansive. I’m posting it here, because — as far as I can tell — it hasn’t been uploaded to the internet before now:

I got several things:

Longaniza taco
Fried eggplant taco
Brisket volcán with red onions
Papas flauta
Horchata

It was all incredible. This was, by far and away, the best meal I had on the trip with the longaniza taco (pictured below, on the right) the best single thing I ate on the trip.

Ling Ling

An Asian fusion restaurant on the 56^th floor of the Ritz-Carlton with truly fabulous decor, featuring full-sized trees, elaborate murals, ornate set pieces.

A dimly lit lobby with a fake glowing cloud ceiling and a patterned, textured wall with a blue neon sign that says "Ling Ling" on the wall on the left. Around the sign is a dragon made out of a topiary that looks like it's dissapearing into and out of the floor.

A mural of a woman with long black hair is on a wall with a large lush tree in the center of the room.

A mural of a woman with long black hair is on a wall with a large lush tree in the center of the room. The window on the right of the room has a large bamboo arch over it with bamboo slits in it.

We enjoyed quite the meal at Ling Ling. I had a non-alcoholic “Tamarindo-San” drink to begin with.

A Collins glass with a pale yellow drink and a black straw. In the drink is a small stem with seversl small white flowers on it.

Sid had a fancy drink called a “Pequeño Problema” which had the restaurant’s logo etched into the ice cube somehow.

Top down on a redish brown drink with a pineapple slice, agave leaf, and bamboo toothpick in it. A large singular ice cube is in the center of the glass an the words "Ling Ling" appears in the center in pink with a white border.

We shared some “Emerald Dumplings,” featuring edamame and asparagus which were outstanding.

In a bamboo steamer basket sit four green dumplings with two green edamame means sitting in the top.

For my starters I got octopus skewers (I told you, I had a lot of octopus on this trip!) and a “Spicy Ling Ling Roll.”

On a round brown ridged plate sit two skewers with four pieces of sliced octopus on each. In front of the skewers is a lemon slice and some sort of green garnish.

On a long rectangular black plate sit eight sushi roll slices. Three are topped with slices of avocado and five are topped with slices of salmon.

My entrée was a “Thai Salad” with chicken that was maybe my second favorite dish of the trip, so savory and good.

On a round black plate sits green lettuce, piled high with brown crispy strips of something or other and a visible lemon slice in the top right of the frame.

Finally, they served us complementary fortune cookies dipped in chocolate.

On a round blue plate sits a yellow, green, pink, and dark blue fortune cookie, each with the tip dipped in chocolate and blue sprinkles.

A strip of paper sits on a wooden table. The paper says "The best memories come from bad ideas with your best friends." with the Ling Ling logo in the upper right corner.

Overall, Ling Ling was terrific.

Panadería Rosetta

During a trip to Roma, we stopped in the famous Panadería Rosetta to grab some snacks and goodies for the apartment. I got a guava pastry that was probably the best dessert I had during the trip. We also saw some bread that said it was “pan de maíz y cenizas de totomoxtle,” which I thought would just be cornbread or perhaps sourdough bread with cornmeal also, as it appeared to be sourdough. Once we got the bread home and tore into it, we saw the fabulous swirl of color and figured this couldn’t even be blue corn. After some research, we discovered the bread is made with a little bit of yellow corn meal, but the color is from the ash of corn husks and corn cobs, which was traditionally used in the nixtamalization process in the absence of lime. It didn’t make the bread taste like anything besides really good sourdough, but it did have a very cool appearance.

A loaf of sourdough bread which has been ripped in half, sitting on a white bag with black flowers and grains printed on it. The bread has a dark brown crust, with a light brown inside, swirled with black as well.

A circular, laminated pastry with cheese and guava in the middle sitting on a brown paper bag. A single bite is taken out of it.

Jenni’s Quesadillas

Another famous spot, this time it’s street food! Jenni’s Quesadillas has gone through a name change recently, but they’re still serving up the great street food everybody knows and loves. This was great, highly recommend.

A person (me!) with neck length black hair and blue glasses, wearing a brown courderoy baseball cap with the words "yes, chef" in yellow printed on the front and gray tee-shirt with an onigiri in the upper left with the words "Exactly Rice!" around it, holds a plastic yellow plate with three blue corn quesadillas on it.

On NFC Readers

Given that this is my first time traveling outside of the US in over 10 years, having access to chip & NFC card readers every single place we dined was a new experience for me. I really like being able to Apple Pay at a sit-down restaurant because that’s not something that’s usually an option at home; however, it did make me think that the signal to the waiter that you’re ready to pay the bill might be incorrect in this new world.

Typically in the US, your waiter hands you your bill and comes back to take the bill when you lay your credit or debit card on it (or, if you still carry cash, you leave cash). They’ll then bring you back your card and your receipt, you write in your tip, and you’re on your merry way. But it’s strange to lay your card on a bill only for your waiter to come over with an NFC reader and you put your card back in your wallet and pay with your phone. I’m not sure what a better non-verbal signal that you’re ready to pay the bill in countries where they use chip readers is, but I think we need one.

Next Time

The next time I’m in Mexico City, I want to try and do some things that were on my list that I didn’t get to do this time or got added to my list during my visit.

Pujol (a 2 Michelin Star restaurant)
Contramar (Mexican seafood restaurant)
Restaurante Rosetta (the sister to Panadería Rosetta)
Elote (I never got any street elote!)
Dorilocos (a Doritos bag filled with toppings)
Drink in a coconut (ideally a piña colada)
The Museums in Chapultepec
- National Museum of Anthropology
- Tamayo Museum of Contemporary Art
- Museum of Modern Art
- Natural History Museum
Spending more time at the castle in Chapultepec

I’m looking forward to going back. Can’t wait!

A person (me!) with neck length black hair and blue glasses, wearing a brown courderoy baseball cap with the words "yes, chef" in yellow printed on the front and gray tee-shirt stands next to a man in with shaggy black hair in a long sleeve white collared shirt with a cross necklace on and a woman with long black gair in a maroon dress. Behind them is a park, lake, and cityscape.