Seeing Mexico City for the first time can be quite daunting- a metropolis that stretches as far as the eye can see. In fact, CDMX (the cool four letter acronym for Mexico City) is the largest city in the world and we can only wonder if the Aztecs who founded it would ever imagine it would become what it is today. CDMX is an incredibly vibrant cosmopolitan tapestry that weaves its rich history together with the art and energy of today’s cutting edge culture. After visiting it twice in three years, we can confidently say Mexico City is one of our favorite cities in the world and that’s why we’ll be returning there for a third time soon!
Now before we go into all the delicious things and adventures you can get into in CDMX – we want to answer the question that several folks have asked us. Is the city safe? In short- yes. As safe or safer than any typical major city we’ve been in during our travels. Of the two times we’ve visited we’ve never felt unsafe or at risk (except from some of the traffic jams which give LA a run for its money). This includes all hours of the day- walking around the cities bustling plazas and mercados during the day or going to a bar or club at night. Of course keep your head about you and use the typical set of street smarts any major city requires but the people of CDMX are wonderful, welcoming and incredibly generous. We know you’ll love them as much as we do.
Now that we’ve got that out of the way, we can get into some of the wonders that this city offers. Let’s start with one of our favorites things- food! Now Mexican food is something near and dear to Californians like ourselves but we only get one small piece of the vibrant tapestry. There is SO MUCH MORE TO MEXICAN FOOD THAN BURRITOS (which actually are an American invention). Mexico City impressively collects some of the best foods from across Mexico in one place. You’ve got Sonoran Tacos, Oaxacan Mole’s, the seafood of Baja and the delicious slow cooked pibils of the Yucatan- all in one place. Let’s start with tacos- yes, you have TONS of options to check out but one of our favorites that we came back to again and again was Taqueria La Califa in Condesa. I know talking about your favorite taqueria is about as controversial as the most hot button of political topics but for the sake of this blog’s integrity, we have to name ours. One of the signs you’re in good taco making hands is when you walk in the door of a taqueria and an absolutely massive pastor parilla is slowly roasting the largest piece of seasoned meat you’ve ever seen. La Califa offers a dizzying array of taco options from nopales (cactus) to rib eye to “gringa” (which they basically put meat and melty cheese in a flour tortilla. One thing they had that we’ve never seen before is a “chicharon de queso” which looks a lot like an Indian dosa, but made of cheese- perfect for scooping up guacamole! Upping the ante, their salsas are amazing and THEY’RE OPEN TILL 4AM!!!
The spread at one of our favorite taquerias 
Tasty tasty toasted ant larvae 
Tiffany with the ridiculously tasty guacamole with grasshoppers 
A world of chiles 
Magic happening 
A chillaquile breakfast torta
Another must visit culinary experience is the La Merced Mercado. This market is dizzying large- taking up the size of most small cities and it is actually one of the largest food markets in the world. When we went to La Merced, we went with Eat Mexico Tours and we felt it was worth the cost. Generally, we’ve found most food tours around the world to be letdowns- usually they’re typically a guide taking you to a few famous or gringo targeted street food spots that you could just as easily find yourself with a quick Google search. The Eat Mexico tour was different because our tour guide spent 5 hours with us and throughout that time we got to meet and really get to know a number of the vendors in La Merced- giving the place a much greater depth to us. If a tour is not your speed, no worries! Just show up to La Merced and follow your nose. If you want to taste anything, just ask the friendly vendors! These vendors have every imaginable ingredient, spice, and protein you can imagine. Moles? They’ve got it. Fruits you’ve never seen before? They’ve got tons. And proteins- if you like insects, you’re in luck! Insects have been part of Mexican cuisine for thousands of years and they can be super tasty.
Speaking of insects, one of our favorite restaurants in CDMX is Azul Condesa and they put toasted, seasoned, chopped crickets on their guacamole and it gives it amazing umami flavor bursts. Here at the market you can try countless variations along with the ant larva that are also considered a delicacy. The sheer amount of food options can be dizzying so come hungry and be sure to ask as many questions as you have to the vendors and tour operators.
Another Mexican dish we love dearly is posole- a rich stew of pork or chicken with vegetables and corn. This dish just feels like a warm, yummy blanket of comfort in a bowl which is why we keep coming back to Casa de Toño for their amazing posoles. Mexico also has a great tradition of ridiculously tasty breakfasts. For most Californians, that means chilaquiles (tortilla chips cooked in red or green sauce). It can be served many way but for the best in CDMX, we recommend braving the line at Fonda Margarita where meals are served at long family style tables. The seating arrangements can be cramped but its also guaranteed that you’ll make a few new friends from your seatmates and you’ll get to see what other dishes you can order. Beyond the chilaquiles, the refried bean omelet is a real star and unique to this fantastic restaurant.
Switching gears, there are TONS of adventurers to get in within the city. One of the things we did for date night is going to see a lucha libre match live! Lucha Libre is Mexico’s answer to the WWE and has an incredibly rich history of characters and plot lines. The wrestling does not disappoint and the whole crowd gets worked up seeing luchadores pummel each other with the refs doing little to get in the way of their over the top antics. You can also get some incredible beer cocktails ranging from a Michelada (beer+tomata juice+ lime juice+ clam juice) to a cubano….which I still don’t know what it is. Just go see it-you’ll have a blast guaranteed!
Body slams were the go-to move 
Tiffany had no issues meeting the wrestlers 😛 
Lots of trash talking happening
Another fascinating scene unfolds nightly at Plaza Garibaldi which the beating heart of mariachis in the city. Gangs of instrument toting mariachis roam all over the square playing requests and serenading amorous couples with their song. Its not like anything we’ve seen before and worth going to check out.
Now CDMX also has its share of ancient history and it offers an incredible set of options to explore it in. One of the must-visit sites is the Museo Nacional de Antropología which has an incredible array of ancient Aztec and Mexican archaeology. You can easily get lost in here for half a day or more seeing all the exhibits – the Aztec Sun stone is an incredible draw.
Speaking of archaeology, another must-visit site is Teotihuacan and the pyramids of the sun and moon. These incredible edifices were the heart of not just the Aztec religion but of the Olmecs and many other civilizations before them. It takes just 45 minutes or so to get there and you can climb both pyramids and see of miles in every direction.
Tiffany helpfully pointing out the Pyramid of the Sun 
The view from up top
Not all the museum in CDMX offer ancient antiquities- there’s also the Frida Kahlo Museum which is in the house that she and Diego River lived in. Its filled with her art and a fantastic collection of their possessions which narrate her fascinating and challenging life. Another fantastic museum (if you’re not completely museum out) is the Soumaya Museum. Here the billionaire Carlos Slim shows off his impressive collection of impressionist works, Mexican artists and of the largest collections of Degas in the world- and it’s all totally free to visit!
CDMX is made up of all sorts of dynamic neighborhoods. We found ourselves staying in Condesa with its chill, tree lined streets. Zona Rosa is the livelier hood with bars, clubs and fun stores to bring something interesting back with you with.
Phew! We could go on forever about Mexico City but we can wholeheartedly endorse its awesomeness! If you go, please have a taco and a strong margarita for us!
If you’re looking for one big map of our favorite places in CDMX (there’s a lot), you can find them here on Two Traveling Dumpling’s CDMX Google Map