a beautiful week in mexico city
eating and exploring in one of my favorite places
My first time in Mexico City was a few years ago with my parents, for just 3 days after visiting Costa Rica. We lost our luggage and it was a whole thing, but we still managed to fall in love with the city despite our constant bickering about said luggage. My parents are homebodies and almost only travel if I’m involved, but even they agreed it wasn’t long enough.
I went with a friend from school, after a few weeks of trying to rally a bigger group to go. But you know what? It was for the best! Fewer needs to consider and more freedom to do what we wanted to do, which I find incredibly important in a city like CDMX. It allowed my mommy-serf baseline tendencies to become mommy-tyrant (which is how I explore places best but simply wouldn’t be able to channel mommy-tyrant energy in a bigger group. re: the mommy-baby-tyrant-serf paradigm).
As someone who doesn’t travel much internationally, CDMX is close enough to California that it feels like I’ve started to build a long-term relationship with the city. It’s a place I know I’ll come back to, continuing to learn more about it with each visit. I enjoyed hating on the digital nomads of Condesa and their jobs that sometimes didn’t really seem like jobs, but maybe I’m just jealous. Mexico City has everything I could ever want from a city, from a vibrant sense of culture to outstanding vegan options to walkable streets.
Monday, 3/31: walking around on no sleep
We landed at 6 am, after a red eye and an unusual week of insomnia, so I managed to crash before the flight, on the flight, and after the flight. Perhaps the best airport/airplane sleep I’ve ever gotten. We stayed in the upstairs loft of this lovely family’s home on Avenida Amsterdam in Hipódromo/Condesa, just a block from Parque México.
Our first meal of the trip was at Chilpa for chilaquiles. Just yesterday, I was at brunch in Silver Lake where the only vegan option were these tiny $20 tacos I finished in under 10 minutes. But now, some of the best chilaquiles of my life, with bright spring veggies, cashew cream, and tortilla chips that stayed crispy despite being accompanied by a generous amount of sauce.
We then headed to Biblioteca Vasoconcelos, the multi-story library all over my fyp. First we stopped at a few bookstores to buy books to read in Spanish, only to succumb to the serenity of the space and nap on the couches instead.
For dinner, we went to La Casa Del Toño, a casual spot you’ll find all over the city. I remember coming here with my parents and thorougly enjoying the variety of options that aren’t tacos, which I knew we’d be eating a lot of throughout the week. I had a squash blossom taco, potato flautas, and a sope with mushrooms.
We ended the night with Handshake Speakeasy, which currently holds the number one spot on the world’s 50 best bars list. Without a reservation, we expected to stand in line for at least an hour even on a Monday, but after 45 minutes in a hotel lobby, they took some of us down a few flights of stairs, past a curtain, and to the lair, mood set by dim red-orange lighting and elegant stone tables. The drinks themselves lived up to what I expected from a place dubbed the best bar in the world.
My cocktail of choice is usually a negroni or martini (I’m not actually that hardcore guys, I just can’t stand cocktails that taste like juice), so I figured I might as well have the best negroni of my life. I got the the fig leaf negroni and Audrey got the peanut butter jelly, which actually tasted like childhood in cocktail form AND without being super sweet. It was so cool. Then we shared the fig martini, which had a touch of lemon oil that the waiter made a whole show of pouring into the glass.
Tuesday, 4/1: museo de antropología, polanco, jazz
The main plan for the day was the Museo de Antropología, which has so much to see and learn that we set aside 4 hours just to be in the museum. Before that, we fueled up at Blend Station with tempeh molletes and cafe de atole. The tempeh molletes were so simple: savory smashed black beans on a thick piece of sourdough with tomato salsa. Cafe de atole is essentially cafe de olla (stovetop coffee) thickened with corn. Not sure if they use masa or cornstarch, but whatever it is, it felt like drinking a thick velvety liquid blanket if that makes any sense at all.
The museum has such a rich breadth of culture, history, and art that I knew I could easily spend hours even my second time around. We prioritized the exhibits about the Aztecs and Teotihuacan but ended up walking through pretty much all of it. Before lunch, we stopped by Librería Porrúa, a bookstore cafe right next to the museum and by the water.
Afterwards, Cafebrería El Péndulo (yet another gorgeous bookstore!) for lunch. The food was basic but good and I think I had zoodles for the first time in years. Several people on Instagram recommended Xinú, a fragrance store in Polanco. The fragrances were a little too earthy for me to consider buying, but the store itself had a stunning setup that was fun to explore. Outside, the jacarandas were reaching the end of their bloom at Parque América.
That evening, we went to Gracias Madre for dinner, the first of many vegan restaurants of the week. I got a volcán and a taco, though I can’t remember which ones anymore. Before this, I hadn’t heard of a volcán – it’s a tostada topped with melted cheese, dubbed volcán because the melted cheese is the lava. Definitely a stretch but I see the vision! We finished with a snickers ice cream sundae, where the oat milk ice cream was a bit chalky and the homemade snickers imitation was smaller than expected but made the ice cream much better. Lastly, Casa Franca for jazz!
Wednesday, 4/2: historic center and ballet
I started the morning with a walk to Matcha Mio, a matcha cafe in Condesa. The mango matcha was lovely, but the mango overpowered the matcha so I made a note to revisit later and get a regular matcha.
Then we headed off for another day of museums and reading in Spanish and forgetting what we read and feeling like we actually learned nothing because there was too much to learn. Started with the Metropolitan Cathedral, a peaceful space with grand ceilings and elaborate altars, nestled beside the bustling Zócalo. Then Templo Mayor, the main temple of the Mexica people back when CDMX was Tenochtítlan.
For lunch, we went to the taco spot that my parents fondly remember as their favorite meal in Mexico. Tacos de Canasta Los Especiales only has basket tacos, which are stacked and kept warm in big baskets. The best part is each one is 9 pesos (45 cents) with unlimited guac and pickled veggies. I honestly doubt these were vegan. But they are just potato and black bean tacos soooo…maybe. I enjoyed these less than last time and wouldn’t say they were my favorite tacos on this trip, but they were super worth it nonetheless.
Next we caught a peak of a few more sites in the historic center, like the charming House of Tiles, the iconic post office that feels like so much more than a post office, and the Diego Rivera mural museum.
After an afternoon siesta back in Condesa, we walked around with horchata lattes from Sede Cafe, which is SO GOOD. (Thank you to whoever said they got one every single day on Instagram. The consistency sold me.) A stroll through Parque México ended with sharing a churro at El Moro, which sometimes has a long line of tourists out the door but it’s one of those places that is worth it.
That evening, we met up with a friend Audrey made at a hostel in Spain last year for drinks and dinner. She and her boyfriend are locals, and we managed to take them to a tourist trap. After loving Handshake Speakeasy so much, we leaned into the world’s 50 best bars list and picked Tlecán, the bar at the number 20 spot. The vibes were similar to Handshake (dim red lighting and everyone was a tourist) but the drinks didn’t impress us as much. We had some tacos at Taqueria Sin Nombre, which had plenty of vegan options alongside non-vegan options for the group. It was more expensive than usual but I will say every bite of my cashew queso-stuffed squash blossom taco was perfect.
Lastly, the ballet folklórico was easily one of the coolest things we did all week. It was a 2-hour spectacle at the Palacio de Bellas Artes, glowing violet at night. I found out at the show that this was not “ballet” the way I understood it, with graceful dancers in leotards and classical piano. Each segment intended to honor a different state’s style of dance and folk music, all with elaborate sets and vibrant costumes. For the last hour of the show, I kept thinking, “This must be the last act” because how could they possibly follow THAT up? How could they possible give us even MORE? And then they did follow it up.
Thursday, 4/3: chapultepec, soumaya, and so much walking
Thursday morning started with some papaya juice at Mercado Michoacán, followed by the walk up to Chapultepec Castle. It’s definitely a good idea to do this earlier rather than later, since the walk is brutal in the heat.
After wandering around the many bedrooms and bathrooms of Mexican royalty, we planned to meet some of my friends from college who I found out were in the city that week. We met for vegan conchas and coffee at Tomasa Polanco. Not the best texture for a concha, but I liked that it was fluffy and lightly sweet. Then we went straight to Museo Soumaya, an art museum on the outskirts of Polanco. Each of the six floors had a different theme, with the top floor of sculptures being my favorite. At this point I was museumed out after our third consecutive day of museums and avoided reading anything.
We accidentally didn’t eat any real food until 4 so late lunch at Veguísima was everything. After sharing the lentil soup and a smoothie, I had the birriero burrito, which is exactly what it sounds like – a vegan birria taco in burrito form. I appreciated that they used eggplant instead of a standard meat alternative. Served with a classic red chile-based consommé to dip it in! Veguísima was one of my favorites from last time and it remains one of my favorites here.
That evening, I walked around for hours with no plans and LATIN MAFIA on repeat. I popped into some vintage stores in Roma Norte that did not impress, but I suppose it was a heavily gentrified area. I walked around Parque México, which was so alive in the dark, and joined a salsa class where everyone seemed to already know the moves. I read at a bookstore, ate a taco at the Por Siempre Vegana truck, and walked around with a churro from El Moro. The feeling of taking myself on adventures on foot is what I missed most about New York, so this evening really brought me back in a way.
Friday, 4/4: coyoacán and lucha libre
The past few days left us tired of museums and learning and deciphering Spanish so this day was a little more chill. I ran to Miga Vegana in the morning and picked up the best vegan croissants I’ve ever had. I’m literally not even exaggerating. I got a plain croissant and a fig & cheese croissant, both of which I planned to save for after my run but sensing the warmth of the freshly-baked croissant through the paper bag was too much. As a temperature snob, I HAD to try one immediately. I managed to save the fig & cheese one for when we read our books, sipped coffee at Cardinal, and gossiped (which we hadn’t done before simply because both of us were under the impression that the other person was one to not gossip).
We headed to Mercado Coyoacán, where we got little souvenirs and snacks. At a Oaxacan stand in the market, I ate a tostada with mole and beans. I also had really awful papaya that I knew I was going to dislike when I saw it was pale orange. Most people go to Coyoacán for the Frida Kahlo museum, but we didn’t get tickets on time so we just walked by the iconic blue exterior. It was one of my favorite museums from last time though, so definitely plan in advance if you can!
In the evening, I had a mocha at Buna and attempted to do some flashcards before giving up to take a walk around Parque México yet again because it’s ok to take a week-long break!!! I was out of office and that is ok!
For dinner, we went to Por Siempre Vegana, one of those vegan spots that everyone will tell you is a must. It’s pretty casual with an expansive menu full of interesting meat alternatives. Once again I do not remember what I got but I don’t think it’s relevant because everything is good here.
Afterwards, we went to a lucha libre which is basically a WWE fight. My parents did not understand why I brought them here last time so I didn’t particularly enjoy it with them, but with an energetic crowd, it’s a blast. I found out midway that this stuff is staged because like…why were they taking so long to take a swing sometimes…just punch him bro… We ended the night with too many 18-year-olds at some club an uber driver recommended <3
Saturday, 4/5: LA BRAT
I found out that the music festival AXE Ceremonia coincided with our dates after we’d decided to go to Mexico City and boy oh boy did that timing work out. I went to Sweat Tour in LA but had a feeling that the crowd in Mexico would be much more fun, so I was very excited!
That morning we went to Pan Gabriel, a gluten-free and vegan bakery. GF/vegan is a difficult duo to pull of so I didn’t expect much from the pastries, but they were quite good despite the difficult combo of GF/vegan. I had a chocolate concha while walking, and picked up tortillas, a guava roll, and a multigrain biscuit for later. We revisited Matcha Mio and checked out the Saturday market set up near Parque México, where this very nice man convinced me to buy hair oil.
For lunch, we went to the vegan buffet at Veganion. I’ve never been to a fully vegan buffet so this was exciting! We started with a comforting bowl of pozole while they set up the rest of the food on a table inside. There were build-your-own tacos with a tofu filling, taquitos, potato empanadas, chilaquiles, and some kind of sandwich I didn’t get around to. It was great for the price and perfect fuel before a festival. Most options were pretty good, but probably not as good as just ordering one thing at a restaurant.
We got to Parque Bicentinario around 6:30 and speed walked to Magdalena Bay’s set. Imaginal Disk was one of my favorite albums last year and their performance was just as ethereal as their music! They had really great food options but I scarfed down some mediocre tacos de nopales because standing in line was not the priority here. I did manage to watch our favorite substitute teacher (The Dare) perform a few songs first though. We got there early for Charli and pretended to be K-pop fans so the actual fans wouldn’t be annoyed that we had such a good spot to swoon over their boys. Charli came out at 11:40, the guy in front of me switched his Lorde lock screen to his Charli lock screen, the BRAT curtain dropped, I befriended a college student named Karl who later sent me videos of us jumping up and down during ‘Unlock It,’ and all was well.
Sunday, 4/6: pretending like I live here
Woke up to no alarm, watched that verse of ‘party 4 u’ about 20 times, walked around Parque México again, and started writing this at noon at Qiasmo with a fab dirty matcha.
For my final meal, I checked out Mandragora Vegan. I sipped on a strawberry horchata and had the enchiladas de mole, which were stuffed with tofu scramble and topped with plenty of vegan cheese. So good! 9/10! Lastly, took one more walk around Hipódromo and bought a cute sage ceramic bowl at Proyecto Rufina.
next time
I’ll end with what I want to do and eat next time. You’d think that seven days is enough to do everything you want to do in one city, but no. There is simply too much to do here.
to do:
Mercado Lagunilla: Sunday flea market. They (people on reddit) say the options and prices are the best you’ll find.
Along similar lines, getting out of Condesa and Roma Norte for vintage shopping: There are probably some awesome spots I didn’t get a chance to explore, but I swear I stepped into at least 7 or 8 shops and left quickly. I’m not surprised given that these are heavily gentrified neighborhoods appealing to tourists. The locals on reddit concur, so I feel ok about being a hater. Here’s a TikTok my friend sent me about underrated local designers.
better clubs: like I said, we only went out once and pretty sure most people were under 20. It was still fun! But maybe I’ll do more research next time. Huge fomo that I didn’t know about Magdalena Bay’s set in time.
Casa Organica: re: Sandy Sanchez newsletter about this partially underground house
Xochimilco at sunrise
UNAM School of Medicine Museum: A museum on the history of medicine in Mexico, including indigenous practices.
Museo del Chocolate
to eat:
Paxil or Plantasequería for vegan seafood: I’ve never had aguachiles and this would’ve been my chance.
Oaxacan food: mole and tlayudas at a Oaxacan restaurant >>>
Lunch or dinner with mariachis: Last time I had an incredible molcajete in Teotihuacan with live music. It was fun!
A really good papaya from a fruit stand. Like a bright red-orange one. That’s the color.
Fusion food! Masala y Maiz for Indian-Mexican food or one of the many Japanese or Korean restaurants here.
Expendio de Maiz: I was very interested in this restaurant that has no menu. They ask you what you like and serve a stream of dishes based on that, stopping when you say the word. (Vegans/vegetarians are accounted for!)
Some more vegan spots I had on my list: Gatorta, Cafe Vegetal, La Pitahaya Vegana, Supercito y Tacos Veganos, u.to.pi.a
spice rack
listened
This playlist on shuffle as I walked Avenida Amsterdam. It has a mix of some lesser known artists (could not stop listening to Alleh and Yorghaki after this trip) and more relaxed music, along with the household names and reggaeton.
read
I Who Have Never Known Men by Jacqueline Harpman. I also bought Como Agua Para Chocolate at a bookstore because we read it in AP Spanish but it was really hard at the time so I wanted to try again! Still haven’t read it but I’ve done my last three patient visits in Spanish and feel like I’m on a roll so big things are coming.
eats
tldr: Veguisima and Por Siempre Vegana remain my favorite for vegan options in CDMX. Matcha Mio for matcha, coffee is great everywhere. Miga had the best vegan croissant of my life and I would’ve picked up a bunch to bring back if I’d thought of it in time.
And that’s it! Other life things since it’s been awhile and I miss this place: I have just a few weeks left in my first year of med school. I’ll be at home for most of the summer and cooking more because of it. Maybe on here more because of it? Maybe more recipes?! Slowly (very slowly) figuring out what my relationship with putting things out on the internet is going to be.
fig leaf martini, perfect churros, culture, galore and beautiful people!!! grand week <3
Omg the most beautiful week. This made me miss Mexico!!