Three Day Dining Itinerary
To truly understand the origin of Mexican food, one MUST visit Mexico City! The city is home to two of the World’s Top Restaurants: Quintonil and Pujol and we visited both on our trip. If you are planning a trip from Austin to Mexico City, there is a two-hour, nonstop flight on AeroMexico.
In this guide, you will find an itinerary with everywhere we ate and drank, while in Mexico City with a couple of bonus markets that you should shop on your trip. You can find so many amazing deals from street tacos to fine dining at a fraction of the cost of a nice meal in the United States.
Pujol Taco Omakase
*Must make a Reservation 6-8 weeks in advance*
Perhaps it was the hype from Chef’s Table, but Pujol was at the top of my list. Before even booking my flight, I got on Open Table and booked a reservation for the taco omakase tasting menu. This experience includes ten tacos and alcohol all-inclusive for $175 USD/person. You will also have a chance to try Chef Enrique Olvera’s famous mole, which had been aged for six years at the time of our visit.
Entremar or Contramar:
On our trip, we visited Entremar in Polanco– the sister restaurant to Contramar. Contramar was actually in the Condesa neighborhood near our hotel, but we were unable to get a reservation on three days notice and were instead sent to Entremar. Both restaurants serve the same menu of incredible seafood with the same level of impeccable service. We ordered a tuna sashimi dish and it was on our table [I kid you not] 30 seconds after we placed our order. As someone who enjoys two to three hour dinners, I actually felt a little rushed at first but then came to appreciate the speedy service. My favorite dish was the barbacoa style, red and green whole red snapper fish plate. The fish was served with fresh, homemade tortillas and was some of the best fresh fish I have ever tasted. We followed the fish with a strawberry meringue cake, that was decadent and delicious!!
Quintonil:
This was my personal favorite meal in Mexico City. Quintonil ranks number 11 in the world for a reason! Inside a dark restaurant off the streets of Polanco, you will find this amazing restaurant. Again make sure to make your reservation six to eight weeks in advance because this restaurant will book out. Chef Jorge Vallejo worked and studied alongside of Chef Enrique Olvera at Pujol, before opening his own restaurant.
Los Cocuyos Street Tacos:
Several friends sent us their own Mexico City guides, and I found these street tacos recommended on almost all of them. The taco stand is open late-night, and we visited at 10pm on Saturday to wait in a 40 minute line. It was well worth the wait. You can actually watch the two chefs stir a pot of meat soaking in juices, and chop up the meat into tacos. Order the Suadero taco with brisket. You will not be disappointed.
Taqueria El Greco:
Many taco shops claim to have the original Al Pastor tacos, but we did our research and decided to try out El Greco. This was my boyfriends favorite street taco of the trip– even above Los Cocuyos. The amount of flavor in just one taco was unreal.
Lalo:
This super cute brunch spot in the Roma neighborhood had amazing chilaquiles and fresh fruit. It was recommended to me by Jessica of Cheat Day Eats, and I also found it in the Goop Mexico City Guide. The walls had an adorable graffiti print with fun colors– in fact everything in Mexico City was colorful — which I loved.
Churreria El Moro:
Churros are the one can’t miss dessert in Mexico City. Churreria El Moro was recommended by several friends, and quickly became our favorite too. We visited the location inside of Mercado Roma, but I would recommend checking out the original centro location. The freshly made churros are served with the option of eight different types of hot chocolate. With that much flavor, you’d never guess that they are made with just three ingredients: flour, water and salt.
Cocktails:
Hanky Panky Cocktails
Do not miss this speakeasy bar! To make a reservation you must message Hanky Panky Cocktail Bar on Facebook and tell them your party size and time of your visit. They will then send you the address [which is also on google maps]. The bar actually appears to be a taco shop from the outside, but you will be greeted and asked for your reservation name and escorted through the ‘kitchen’ to a swanky bar. The bar has an array of drinks from tequila and mezcal to rum and gin [gin is having a resurgence right now in Mexico City and you actually see quite a few gin bars]. The exit is through a refrigerator door that leads back out to the street.
Hotel Condesa DF Cocktails
If rooftop drinks are your thing, then you will not want to miss a trip to Hotel Condesa DF. This hip hotel has a swanky bar, where you will find people posted up on the weekend sipping cocktails. The hotel features several amazing photo spots, but unfortunately you are only allowed to take photos on your iphone. No professional cameras allowed.
Licoricia Limantour Cocktails
This trendy craft cocktail bar in the Roma neighborhood is popular with both tourists and locals. The bar’s success is due in part to its talented team of mixologist, including: .José Luis León Limantour made it onto the World’s 50 Best Bars list as number 14!
