If you’ve been following along on Instagram, you know that C and I recently got back from a 10 day trip to Mexico City. I thought I’d try something new and share a roundup of our highlights from CDMX. After all, you may have your own trip planned to Mexico City soon, or, after reading this, may be booking your next trip there!

Overall, we had the absolute best time- the people, the weather, the language, the city-it was exactly what we were looking for… and more. Coming from New York, it felt like a very easy transition to navigating this city. Lots to do, lots of people around, and very walkable. Speaking Spanish definitely helps and, more generally, everyone was encouraging of us to practice, which we were intentionally trying to do. Fun fact: I’m proficient in speaking Spanish- having completed a home stay in Mexico, an exchange program in Argentina, and studying abroad in Spain.

So, without further ado, here are my top recommendations on where to stay, what to do, and what to eat in Mexico City.

Where to Stay

In short: stay in Roma or Condesa. C & I stayed in an AirBnB in Roma Norte. This was a really convenient neighborhood-pretty central to the city and very walkable. The neighborhoods also blend together very well, if you are big walkers like we are. After spending time in CDMX, I’m a huge fan of Condesa.

What to Do

There is SO much to do in Mexico City. I read that there are over 150 museums in Mexico City alone. Calling out some of our highlights down below, but you’ll have to pick what’s most interesting to you and go from there.

Casa Giraldi and or/Casa Luis Barragan: C loves architecture, and the stars had it that we were able to make to both of these (eep!). You need to reserve tickets ahead of time for Casa Giraldi which you can do online (via email). We were lucky enough to show up to Casa Luis Barragan and buy tickets there (they were sold out online). What beautiful spaces. Couldn’t recommend more highly.

Museo Nacional de Antropologia: Admittedly, there’s no way to do the entire museum in one day, so I recommend choosing 3-4 galleries you want to visit and going from there. In between, rest up and enjoy the sun in the beautiful courtyard (featuring a pond!). I particularly enjoyed that we did this towards the beginning of our trip to give some context to Mexican history and culture as we navigated through the city on the rest of our trip.

Stroll down Amsterdam Avenue: As I mentioned, Condesa is one of my favorite neighborhoods. Amsterdam Avenue has a bunch of amazing shops, boutiques, cafes to pop into. The architecture of all the buildings here is beautiful and you can pop into Parque Mexico or Parque Espana for some great people & dog watching.

I can go on and on. There’s so much more. We also went to the Frida Kahlo House, Museo Anahuacalli, Templo Mayor, Secretaria de Educacion Publica (to see the Diego Rivera Murals), and more. Pick what most piques your interest.

I’d be remiss to not shout out the incredible boutiques we stopped in. My favorite shops in Mexico City were Proyecto Republica, Boyfriend’s shirt (recently listed in GQ’s designers of the future round up), and Ex-boyfriend, same team behind Boyfriend’s shirt but all items are upcycled. Let’s just say C and I brought home a couple of items, and you know I don't buy items very often. You’ll likely see some of them featured here shortly.

Have time to venture a little further out?
Teotihuacan: We made the trek to see the ancient ruins at Teotihuacan. To me, this was such a unique experience and totally worth it. Pro-tip: the earlier you go, the better; the cooler it’ll be before the sun reaches its peak.

What to Eat

To be quite honest, I don’t really know how you could go wrong when it comes to food in CDMX. We quite literally didn’t have one bad meal. Below, I’m sharing some highlights from our trip–some you’ll find in guides and other roundups while others are more hole in the wall local spots that you won’t have heard of but you won’t want to miss.

Caldo de Gallina “Luis”: This is a homemade chicken broth & soup spot. It was so delicious we went back three different times. I’d recommend the la pierna (chicken leg) if you’re a fan of dark meat, ½ pechuga (breast) if you prefer white meat. Need a heartier meal? Add a chorizo quesadilla; you won’t regret it.

Panaderia Rosetta & Cafe Nin. This was one of the spots where we got the most recommendations to frequent. Given all of the hype, I was kind of holding my breath on whether the pastries would be any good. But I ate my words. Literally. These pastries were INCREDIBLE. So incredible that we went back 3 times. Pro-tip: the wait to be seated at Panaderia Rosetta is often long. We ditched the wait, got the pastries to go (the line moves quickly), and ate them on a bench in the nearby park, Plaza Rio de Janeiro- perfect for people and dog watching too! As for Cafe Nin, the pastries are first come first serve, so get there early to get the best selection. We also tried the chilaquiles here, and wow America just does this dish all wrong. My favorite pastries: Rol de guayaba, Crujiente de manzana, Panqué de elote, bollo de dulce de leche… I can easily name so many more but I’ll stop here. You can’t go wrong.

[While we’re on the topic of pastries, honorable mention has to go to Pasteleria Ideal. These pastries were incredible, and I’d never experience anything like the rows and rows and rows of freshly baked goods to peruse. It was like pastry heaven.]

Bar El Sella: Isn’t Mexican but hear me out. It was SO good. Definitely get the cazuella (delicious chorizo dish) and your live will be forever changed eating Chamorro (simmered pork tacos). You’re welcome.

Churerria El Moro: This is a chain, with plenty of locations throughout the city. You go for the churros, but, in my opinion, you stay for the delicious Mexican hot chocolate.

Asados Don Abel: This is the perfect example of how you can stumble into a place and have a 5 star meal. We were planning to go to La Casa De Tono but the line was out the door, so we pivoted. Walking down the street, we wandered into Asados Don Abel. And wow I’m so glad we did. I think the tacos jabali (which translates to wild pig/boar) may be the best tacos we had on this trip.

Hamburguesas a la parrilla: Hear me out. I can already hear you saying “Why are you in Mexico City and eating a hamburger?” But this burger, cooked by a street car vendor on a charcoal grill, was the move. You won’t regret it.

You’ll definitely read about Contromar (get the tuna and scallop tostadas), Tlleclan (to sip mezcal and enjoy awesome interiors), and Pujol (didn’t make it here; you’ll need reservations months in advance). All great finds, they just felt like I could get them in New York. Want a more local watering hole? We found Tlachiquero Mezcal in Roma and loved it so much we went back thrice! [I guess, we tend to do that alot].