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Next Friday my wife and I will hop on the Blue Line, head north to O’Hare, and then take a plane halfway across North America to Mexico City for one of the most intense eating experiences of my life. As you may have noticed over the four years or so that I’ve been writing, I adore Mexican cuisine all out of proportion. It’s my favorite cuisine--from complex and elegant moles to simple fish tacos and everything else in between. It’s an infatuation that will not end. I love it like Woody Allen loves New York. When I go more than a few days without it (be that a simple spoonful of refried beans, crispy carnitas, or a rustic chipotle and tomatillo salsa) I start to get weak. I’ve had flings with other cuisines, but if you’re at my house, more likely than not you're sitting down to a Mexican feast. I have no excuse other than it just tastes like home to me.
So I need to go to Mexico, and not just to the beach (which is where I went on my lovely honeymoon). My wife and I decided to really go for it, and head to Oaxaca, which is home to my favorite regional cuisine and where we’ll take language classes for two weeks. I’m not worried about eating in Oaxaca. I’ll have enough time to sort of get the lay of the land, and more than a few locals to help me with recommendations. It will be relaxing and therapeutic. The mezcal will help.
But I’m planning my flight into Mexico with the precision of the D-Day landing. I’ll only have 36 hours in the capital to eat as much as I possibly can, which is completely overwhelming when you’re flying into one of the largest and most confusing cities in the whole world. This means no wasted steps and no wasted bites.
I need your help. Does anyone have any must bites in Mexico City? I will eat al pastor. I will visit the central market. We’re planning a nice meal out, based on recs from Rick Bayless’s Twitter guide. But I want to eat as much as I can. I want to roll out of town without an ounce of hunger left. We’ll be staying in the neighborhood of Condesa, so we’ll be able to get around fairly quickly.
Can anyone help me out?
{ 15 comments… read them below or add one }
For awesome Barbacoa and Chicharron and other things of that type go to Restaurant Arroyo, it is amazing.
For al pastor and other tacos go to El Charco de las Ranas, several locations.
Fish tacos will be more difficult, since the ones you know are probably from Baja, not really from Mexico City. There are some fish tacos at Fishers in Polanco.
Restaurante San Angel Inn, in San Angel has haute cuisine Mexican style.
Where are you staying? That may influence where you can and cannot come.
Shoot me an email if you want.
Have an awesome trip! Can’t wait to see the pics and read about your adventures.
I can’t praise Ricky Bayless’s site enough for how much it helped me with my trip to the Yucatan. He covers all the bases.
Nick, love your blog. Here are some suggestions of restaurants that I really like in the city:
+El Bajio. Alejandro Dumas 7, Polanco (Great Carnitas and food from the Michoacan region)
+Cafe de Tacuba. Tacuba 28, Col. Centro (Classice mexican restuarant with a great variety of dishes and excellent quality)
+Hacienda de los Morales. Juan Vázquez de Mella 525, Polanco (Classic restaurant of Mexico City)
+San Angel Inn. Diego Rivera 50, San Ángel (Another Classic)
+Paxia. Av. de la Paz 47, San Ángel (personal favorite, modern mexican cuisine).
+Fisher’s. Horacio 232, Polanco (More of a Bar but with great seafood, shrimp tacos are very good here)
+Los Arcos. Torcuato Tasso 330. Polanco (Mainly seafood dishes from the region of Culiacan. A must!)
Hope this list helps a little on your trip. Depending on where you are staying the concierge can also help you score a lot of good restaurants.
This is a secondhand/vicarious recommendation of sort.
The author/photographer of a blog I read on occasion recently took a trip to Mexico City.
Thought you might be interested to try the places/types of places he mentions in these posts:
http://ericdemay.com/articles/mexico-df-10-el-borrego-viudo/
http://ericdemay.com/articles/mexico-df-8-pulque-pulqueria/
http://www.ericdemay.com/articles/mexico-df-3-los-freshest-jugos/
Have fun – I’m envious!
Since I’m on a locavore kick I’ll suggest that as a theme.
Once I worked for a highly qualified chef who kept table scraps and fed them to his hogs. Honestly; no hanky panky involved. Recycling. In turn he brought the pork he raised into the club and served it. It was, after all, raised on food prepared to the highest standards! And delicious.
Nick, Excellent choice on spending some time in DF (admittedly I may be a bit biased).
If you are staying in Condesa & time-crunched, a few suggestions that you could pack into a progressive-snacking evening:
* El Tizoncito for tacos al pastor: http://www.eltizoncito.com.mx/tizoncitos_2.php?estado=Distrito+Federal (two locations in Condesa)
* La Botica for mezcal: http://labotica.com.mx/sucursales.html (also 2 spots in Condesa)
* Xel-Ha if you want to try cochinita pibil from the Yucatan http://www.chilango.com/restaurantes/condesa/xel-ha
* kitschy mexico bars: Mexinaco at Amsterdam #300, or Malverde (corner of Amsterdam & Teotihuacan)
* La Morena for seafood: http://www.chilango.com/restaurantes/condesa/la-morena (bit of a see-and-be-seen spot so if you go, off hours are good, i.e. not between 2-4)
Have a blast & we will be awaiting a report!
Couple of suggestions in Condesa (where I live) and Roma (right across Insurgentes).
–Exquisito Cochinita Pibil (Roma)
With all due respect to Julie, the cochinita pibil at a place simply called “Exquisito Cochinita Pibil” destroys Xel-Ha’s. It’s a bit of a dive located right across from the major market in Roma, Mercado Medellin, on Campeche. Their salsa habanero is out of this world (and truly, truly hot) and sopa de lima is also quite good.
–Tacos Gus (Condesa)
The owner, Gus, recently left the 40-year-old “Hola Tacos” located at Michoacán and Amsterdam to start his own place after a family tiff. Since Gus is the guy who always served me (and remembered my order!), I’ve followed him to the new location, which is pretty much an parking lot. They serve extraordinary tacos de guisado of every imaginable type. I consider their tinga de pollo the best in the city. See website for location details, http://www.tacosgus.com/. Note, they are not open on Sundays and are only open in the morning and early afternoon the other six days a week.
–Fonda Margarita (Del Valle)
Tony Bourdain and his crew shot here when they did their Mexico City show a couple of years back and I got to ride along. Absolutely amazing breakfast–the chamorros were to die for, the egg-infused refried black beans were heaven, huevos rancheros were just unholy good. See Bourdain’s site for map: http://www.travelchannel.com/TV_Shows/Anthony_Bourdain/Episodes_Travel_Guides/ci.Episode_Mexico_2.map#map
They open at like 5am and close around 11am, if memory serves me correctly. If you go really early, it’ll take you no more than 10 minutes from Condesa. If you go later . . . could be 45 minutes with traffic.
You’ll have a blast eating here in the DF! If you are interested in getting together while you are in town, email me at kenrATnodotsDOTnet.
I am always excited to hear a good cochinita rec! Thanks for sharing the Exquisito tip, Ken; I will check it out when I get back in town.
Pastries and enormous cakes at Pasteleria Ideal.
Churros & chocolate at Churreria El Moro (open since 1935) awesome tacos al pastor next door that you can take in and eat at El Moro.
Los Girasoles, for Aztec style food, great fried ant eggs, maquey worms etc!
Now you’re testing my memory. There was a fantastic little local eatery called Restorant Anita (or “something” Anita) near the Zocalo (Plaza de la Constitucion). Corona’s and the best soft taco’s I’ve had to this day, including offal ones. If I blogged back then I’d have more info but sadly that’s all I can contribute
http://www.contramar.com.mx/
Contramar. Right in your neighborhood. Get the tuna tostadas. Unbelievable. San Angel Inn is a cool space, but the food is so-so. Seriously, you could bathe in the tostadas…
Definitely want to go to Mexico City and eat real Mexican food. You have a great blog here, keep up the good work!
OH MAN.
mexico city must: its a joint, and its delish, and its called Jugos Canada. Its on Cinco de Mayo, a few blocks off the Zocalo in DF. Order the Oaxaquena sandwich, and you wont be disappointed! i hope its not too late! even if you have 5 minutes before going to the airport, go get this sandwich, and a liquado thats made fresh in front of you. the place is a total hoot.
Also — in Oaxaca, a nice treat is Los Danzantes. Its a beautiful restaurant and has its own Mezcal distillery.
Also in Oaxaca, there was a lady who set up shop literally between two buildings, she had about 3 feet to make the tastiest Tlayudas ever. (These are giant flat crispy-ish flour tortillas loaded with meats and oaxaca cheese and veggies and then folded sometimes) While i doubt you’ll find the same lady between the buildings, you gotta have a tlayuda from somewhere.
love the blog! buen viaje!
Wow! you´ve got a lot of delish and some fancy recommendations!
Comida yucateca (cochinita pibil) is a MUST!!! I´m a native, but have been out for 5 years now. If you are willing to risk it, and try street food, the best cochinita out there are the tacos from la Glorieta de Legaria, which is close to Polanco, I believe the next avenue North of “Ejercito Nacional” (mayor street) close to “El Periférico”. Sorry, I don´t think you´ll find a website on these, but they are definitely worth it!!!
My favorite street tacos (not cochinita) are definitely from Taquerías Copacabana, and I guess they are not in the street anymore, since I googled them, and learned they have grown quite a bit. The original stand was the one in Acoxpa (south, not close to condesa…)
http://www.taqueriascopacabana.com/
And I agree… you HAVE to have tlayudas in Oaxaca. The market´s are the best that I know, but watch for Moctezuma´s revenge.
Enjoy!
Lucky.