cdmx rundown
i recently spent about ten days living in and working from mexico city, mx aka cdmx. here is the rundown of all my favorite gems, and no, contramar is not anywhere on this list:
stay:
we stayed in the most ideally placed roma norte airbnb, which i would highly recommend and would stay in again. beware of the massive amount of stairs you have to take to get to this penthouse villa, they are no joke and extremely steep (especially in higher altitude that i’m not used to). if you do stay here, you better say buenos dias to the compound corgi, martina.
i’ve requested next visit to either stay at the same spot, or stay somewhere right on the loop around marque méxico, which is super walkable, gorgeous, and has the coolest architecture. anywhere in roma norte or condesa will be extremely central and walkable.
parks/museums:
cdmx feels so lush and green all over, with coffee shops utilizing vining plants as awnings and flower boxes, parks, and dedicated green spaces galore. parque méxico was closest for us to walk to, and has a gorgeous inner and outer loop surrounded by fountains, cafes, restaurants, flower stands, and bars. plus, you’ve never seen so many dogs being walked in your life, morning joggers, or more beautiful, interesting architecture. this loop feat. a coffee was an almost daily morning ritual.
then, head over toward the museo de arte moderno for multiple big parks and gardens. i didn’t explore these as much, but noted how kept and massive the green areas were when visiting the museum.
i also really liked the free casa guillermo tovar de teresa, which is an art-filled former private residence with a stunning courtyard, public bathroom, and there is a cake shop and cafe that connects next door that i didn’t try, but could be a cute little one-two punch for someone who likes sweets.
coffee:
there are a billion coffee stands, cafes, and breakfast stops. i promise you, you don’t have to wait in the long lines of the tiktok famous cafes to get a great cappuccino. personally i loved volador cafe, fuego & café, and buna condesa, which are all right around the park and easy enough to grab and go. volador offered outdoor seating, and some pastries that we didn’t get around to trying, fuego had the kindest staff ever, indoor and outdoor seating, and other pastries and beverages to try, and buna had delicious looking ice cream, incredible creamed honey, and amazing pastries (i had yet another palmier here and even day-old, it was perfect).
an honorable mention goes to el minutito, which had the best palmier pastry i’ve ever had and was the coolest little cafe/bar combo. they had indoor and outdoor seating, plus a vintage VW van parked on the street with a tiny table and stools in there where people we’re sitting and having drinks. iconic behavior. i didn’t have the coffee but i bet it’s good.
food and bev:
okay i got into some wild plates in cdmx, including tacos, tostadas, and more tacos, but also some chinese-mexican fusion? cdmx reminded me of san sebastián, spain in that there were michelin starred joints around every corner, which were just as delicious as any sidewalk stall or street food vendor we tried, with few exceptions. basically, you’re going to eat well here. some of my standout favorite bites include:
los juan camaney: pretty nice sized blue and white taco establishment with a giant ice chest of 40oz beers out front. the table gets filled with about 6 house salsas once you’re sat — my dream date — and i loved the pastor and asada tacos, the guac with chicharron, and the spicy cantaritos bev in a clay mug. i went here twice in one trip.
cantón mexicali: very unassuming chinese-mexican fusion spot on a busy corner. pop in and be sure to get the chipotle shrimp, the dan dan noodles, the green beans, and the onions & peppers if you want to have a good time.
niddo: west village-esque cafe that a cdmx shop owner recommended, which had the most velvety arnold palmer ever (shaken, with honey) and absolutey stunning chilaquiles. their house hot sauce was chefs kiss.
casa alex: this place may need a new logo or something, because the vibes did not match how good the food was. sit in the window seat, and grab an ice cold lychee martini, the corn ribs, mole appetizers, and the chicken entree. the sauce and the beans that come with the perfectly cooked chicken were so cozy and delicious on a rainy day, i’m still thinking about it.
campobaja: michelin starred, delicious, and affordable without the lines or drama of contramar. check in with the host, head upstairs, and be sure to order a marg (i tried the tabasco and the cucumber), the tuna and scallop tostadas, and whatever mains or specials standout to you. i regret not getting the ice cream with olive oil and salt, it looked so good.
jenni’s quesedillas: a rec from a friend, you can find the folks pressing fresh tortillas and making the most gorgeous, juicy quesadillas under the pink sidewalk tent at the merida and colima intersection. for the love of god, do not skip the mole verde! we spent $10 for 4 fat quesadillas and a giant mango water. beware, they close early around 6PM so go for lunch.
odette: okay, the one viral spot i will shoutout is odette. if you want to grab a few baked goods, my recommendation is go early and be there just before they open. otherwise, you’ll be in a line around the block. i got there just before 8AM, was maybe 7th in line, and grabbed a box of baked goods and a cappuccino. the coffee was fine, and the pastries were indeed gorgeous and delicious. my recs are: blueberry scone, the kouign amann, and the chocolate croissant. next time we’re here, i’m totally grabbing their gorgeous brioche, too.
shopping/vintage:
i checked out all the hot spot classics, but was lucky enough to run into a few shops and markets that felt extra special, so i marked them down to share. xolo vintage was a standout. xolo is a teensy little curated shop of mexican vintage items specifically, including epic boots and jackets, tees, gorgeous ceramics i’m already regretting not grabbing, and more. the gal working when i was there offered me a beer or mezcal while i shopped, and i will be stopping in to see what’s new every visit back to cdmx.
i also stumbled across and loved a little sidewalk cart of little art and vintage pieces, run by a kind woman and her little black dog named after morticia from the adams family. i scooped up to tiny tortoiseshell picture frames, and almost left with some silk scarfs, too, but resisted. couldn’t tell you the name of this place, but i found it at the corner of avenida chapultepec and calle valladolid.
other shops i loved, that had actually cool, unique, special clothes, art, bags, shoes, home goods, and gifts include: esperanza home colima, dafrehica, mecha mancilla, cardón, eclectico cdmx, cueva clothing, and the flea market tianguis de antigüedades.
pharmacy:
“medical tourism” is a thing, and for good reason. my albuterol inhaler that costs me a doctor’s appointment and $250 in the states is about $7 and over-the-counter here in cdmx. i popped into the pharmacy to grab some home pharmacy essentials (beta blockers, antihistamines, inhalers, tretinoin) as well as some euro-pharm beauty favs from brands like isdin, vichy, la roche, and more.
fyi some pharmacies hand over whatever meds you want, no questions asked, and a few will say no without a prescription. if one says no, just try another. pharmacies are a dime a dozen around here. i had great luck at farmacia ruiz in that they had a great selection of travel essentials, beauty, skincare, and medications avail.
transport:
cdmx city center, including areas like roma norte and condesa, are super walkable. we only took a car to/from the airport and to/from the stadium for a show. otherwise, we were logging tens of thousands of steps per day and happily so. its very easy here to use uber, and there are also an abundance of taxis, busses, and trains to utilize — plus city bikes. use transit apps on your phone to map routes and hop on/off public transit. an uber from the airport to roma norte was about ~$30USD.