the stories that I'm telling.

Category: Mexico City

  • Mexico City Restaurants – All Our Hits & Misses

    Mexico City Restaurants – All Our Hits & Misses

    By far our favourite thing about visiting Mexico was the cuisine. If you’re heading to Mexico City then we definitely recommend that you find a way to go on a food tour, because you’ll learn things and discover places that you wouldn’t have easily done on your own. But even without a guide there are many great restaurants you can find and enjoy on your own.

    So, these are our favourite restaurants, but if food is your ‘thing’ when you’re travelling then you might also want to read about our Airbnb ‘experiences’.

    Below is a list of all the restaurants we went to. We’ve put them into 3 categories, starting with our absolutely favourites and working our way down to those we weren’t so fond of. In terms of price, every place except Pujol was so affordable that it made us wonder if we shouldn’t just stay forever.

    Can’t Wait to Go Back

    • El Pescadito – This is my top food recommendation in Mexico City. I fantasize regularly about going back to this place, even though it was the site of our first earthquake experience. The tacos were so good that we actually did eat here twice on our trip. The only down side is that the tacos are so large that you cannot eat that many – though that didn’t stop us from trying. Their tacos are mainly seafood based and every option available is excellent. They also have a wide variety of salsas and hot sauces to choose from. The restaurant is open on two sides so that while you’re sitting inside you still get the fresh air and energy of the neighbourhood. There is usually a line but it moves fast. Highly, highly recommend!
    • Lardo – This restaurant was a 2 minute walk from our Airbnb, and thank goodness for that because otherwise we wouldn’t have found it. It looked good from the outside, so we gave it a try one night when our planned option fell through. We were completely blown away. The food, wine, service, and atmosphere were all excellent. It was so good that we went back again a few nights later, and it was exactly as good we’d remembered.
    • Le Tachinomi Desu – This is one of the places we went with our friends Greg and Adrienne, and we definitely recommend going here. It’s a super trendy yet welcoming sake bar, with delicious sushi to go with it. The owner imports some incredible sake that you wouldn’t be able to find elsewhere, and the bar has a really cool vibe. Highly recommend for a late night spot to enjoy a drink and late night snacks after a big dinner!
    • Pulqueria las Duelistas – the ultimate Mexico City artistic dive bar centred around a unique and ancient product: pulque. Pulque is an alcoholic beverage made from the fermented sap of the agave plant. It has been produced in Central Mexico for millennia, and was at one time considered to be a sacred drink. It has a thick, milky consistency and at this particular location they have several flavour variations available. If you’ve never had it before, it may seem like an acquired taste, but it grows on you quickly (I recommend the mango!). If you get your pulque to go they’ll put it in a cup with a lid and straw, which means you can walk around town drinking  an alcoholic beverage without drawing attention to yourself (Note: Bathrooms are a bit dodgy).

    Loved

    • Amaya – This place is a fairly trendy wine bar with a rather unique selection, and we had a great time here. It was our first full day in the city and we had a pretty packed schedule, so by the end of the night I think I was too tired to fully appreciate this place. We sat at the bar where we had a great view of all the action. The food and drinks were great and the service was friendly. Definitely recommend!
    • Meroma – We found this place by accident and were so happy that we did. It’s across the street from the Museo del Objeto, which was on the agenda during our first adventurous day in the city. After leaving the museum we were ready to eat again and we were drawn in by Meroma’s rooftop patio. The service was good, the food was delicious. We had tartare and ceviche and were blown away by the flavours and freshness. Definitely recommend this one!
    • Taqueria Los Parados – for quick and delicious tacos, this is a great place. Our friend Greg found this place while planning a Sunday night taco crawl (pro-tip: a lot of places are closed on Sunday nights) and it was the perfect second stop for our evening. It’s a straightforward concept – order & pay, watch the chef make your tacos, collect your plate from the cook, add toppings, then enjoy the savoury flavours while standing on the sidewalk or sitting at one of the tables in the back. The food felt emblematic of how we understood Mexican cuisine – even the simplest food is done with a high degree of care and quality, so it’s no surprise that the food gets better and better as you move higher end. If you’re in the area, check it out!
    • El Tizoncito – This was our last stop of the trip and it was the perfect way to wrap up a food-centric vacation. They claim to be the inventors of Tacos Al Asador so of course that’s the dish that we tried. The tacos were small which was great because then we were able to eat more than usual. The service was fast and friendly, and in they brought us a great selection of homemade salsas to enjoy with our tacos. Definitely recommend for a quick and delicious meal!
    • El Huequito – Delicious tacos, friendly service, interesting location. This was the first stop on our taco crawl and it felt like the perfect spot to meet up with our Toronto friends because it’s located under a highway, and gave us some hope that maybe one day Toronto’s Gardiner Expressway might also host charming Mexican restaurants. Not much to say here, but if you’re looking for a reliable and tasty experience, stop in. Open late!
    • Pujol – the Michelin Guide doesn’t publish a list of Mexican restaurants, but people often say that Pujol is the unofficial Michelin-starred restaurant in Mexico City. I don’t know if it’s quite up to the exacting and specific standards of other Michelin-starred places that we’ve been, but it certainly has the food quality, menu style, and price point down pat. If you look in the photos below, the majority of them are from our lunch at Pujol, where we dove in head first, trying some fairly unique wines alongside the most filling lunch that I have ever eaten. I have never felt ill from eating too much until I had this lunch at Pujol that was so darn good that I couldn’t possibly skip a course. The setting was really beautiful, calming, and relaxing. It was an impressive upscale experience with a welcoming atmosphere, and you could tell that the menu was designed to showcase their pride in Mexico’s history of excellent cuisine. Would I recommend it? Maybe. If really pricy food doesn’t scare you away, then definitely go for it. It’s certainly a great experience. However, if you’re even remotely budget conscious, you could skip it. The Mexico City food scene has so many incredible experiences to offer at lesser price points that splurging at Pujol almost feels silly. Do with that information what you will. But if you’re going to Pujol we suggest you book a reservation at least 3 weeks in advance.
    • Restaurante San Angel Inn – We ate here on the day that we went to Bazaar Sabado, we relished the fact that it was a bit over the top. The food was good but not great, but the service was lovely and the building itself was beautiful. This appeared to be a weekend destination for wealthier families, which means that lunch here made for some great people watching. If you’re not hungry for a full meal, it’s worth your while to sit in their courtyard and enjoy some cocktails.
    • Huaraches Ramoncita – This was the lunch stop on our Mexico City food tour, but if you’re feeling adventurous you can head out to the Jamaica Market (make sure to visit the flower market nearby!) where you can find this little family run restaurant. It’s essentially a food stand, with some seating available. They specialize in huaraches, which are kind of like a savoury pancake with beans inside and topped with a variety of fresh ingredients. Definitely recommend if you’re feeling adventurous. The family are incredibly kind and friendly.

    Liked

    • La Casa de Toño – This is not a place to go during the day, but if you’re looking for some late night food after an evening of partying then this is the place for you. You order by filling out a form and handing it to your friendly server, who then brings out your piping hot, fried food. If you’re with a health-conscious crowd you may want to skip this place, but for some late night carbs to stave off a hangover this is a passable option.
    • Paramo – If you don’t like waiting to eat, then this is not the place for you. This restaurant makes mezcal margaritas that I still think about, and throughout our trip I could not a place to make them quite this good. We went here with friends and the wait for a table was nearly an hour. They let you order from the bar while you’re waiting, so we did enjoy those margaritas in the lobby, but the restaurant/bar/lobby are all incredibly busy and can feel a bit claustrophobic. Still, if you don’t mind a wait, I do recommend this place for the margaritas alone. Most of the food was great, though we had a couple of lacklustre dishes. The service was also spotty, but again this place was absolutely packed, so it’s not that surprising. The ambiance is also pretty cool with lots of plants and a glass ceiling giving it a ‘greenhouse’ feel, but it did seem a bit dominated by tourists (millennial tourists like us, haha, but still tourists!). If you can plan something to do while you’re waiting, it may be worth checking out for a few drinks, but don’t bank your whole night on this place.
    • Rojo Bistrot – we found this place while walking through the city and decided to eat on the patio because the atmosphere of the neighbourhood was so pleasant and quiet. We drank cocktails and snacked on taquitos. The food wasn’t amazing but the service was fast and friendly, and it was a great little spot for some low-key evening drinks in a lovely area.
    • Comedor Jacinta – We went here with an appetite for cocktails and not much else (we were still full from lunch) so we didn’t order much food. The place had a fun atmosphere and the mezcal margaritas were quite good. It’s located in Polanco, on a street with many other restaurants, so it’s a good launching pad if you’re looking to try a few places in one night. The restaurant was quite pretty, and while one of the dishes we had was underwhelming, the appetizers were pretty tasty too.
    • El Bajio – This was a nice little lunch spot in the high end neighbourhood of Polanco. Because of the setting, it was another good spot for people watching, but the food was also great. El Bajio is a chain of restaurants focused on preserving and showcasing traditional Mexican cuisine, and on that front it definitely delivers. It doesn’t have the quirks of a little restaurant tucked into some back alley, but it was pretty great regardless. The restaurant’s story is also pretty cool, and it’s considered one of the most famous/successful restaurants in the country.
    • Cafe de Tacuba – A gem in a very busy/touristy area, where you likely won’t have to wait. This place is enormous, and its historical location makes for a great setting. The staff are friendly, the food is delicious, and ambiance is delightful. When we were there it was a very busy Sunday yet we sat right away. It seems like the type of place where families go together, and it was great to be part of that atmosphere. There may be better or trendier places, but this is reliable classic in the historic centre of Mexico City.

    We Went, But Wouldn’t Recommend

    • El Califa – We saw this place on a few different ‘recommendation’ lists and decided to try it out for a quick lunch. It was good, but nothing particularly special. El Califa is a chain of restaurants that makes tacos and other Mexican dishes. In a city where the street food is sometimes better than restaurant food, a chain of taco restaurants just feels overly sanitized and boring. The food was good, but the experience overall is underwhelming and a tad pricy. If you need a quick bite in a large space (with AC), this is a good option, but if you’re looking for something more unique then maybe look elsewhere.
    • Cedron – The food was good, but the restaurant overall was a bit pretentious. We stopped here for dinner before our trek to the Cineteca Nacional to view the Shape of Water. So maybe we were just in a rush to get our night started, but this place fell a bit flat. Because we are extremely fortunate and get to have many ‘fancy’ experiences, we’re fairly attuned to when a restaurant or venue is trying to cater to a clientele who really want to feel like they’re having a luxurious experience. Sometimes it works. But sometimes you’re getting a lot of flashy luxury with little quality beneath it all. That’s kind of what this place felt like. The food was okay, but the style of service was over the top, and it was one of the more expensive places we went to. Not a bad place, but definitely not our favourite. In Mexico City, where the food is just so consistently good, putting on airs to stroke the ego of the wealthy only creates a distraction.

     

    @ El Pescadito – tacos!
    Loving love at El Pescadito
    Restaurante San Angel Inn
    Restaurante San Angel Inn – cocktails
    Restaurante San Angel Inn
    Restaurante San Angel Inn – Yes, that’s the dessert cart.
    Restaurante San Angel Inn – dessert. looks better than it tasted.
    Rooftop early dinner at Meroma
    Rooftop early dinner at Meroma – ceviche!
    Rooftop early dinner at Meroma – tartare!
    Rooftop early dinner at Meroma – dessert!
    Sitting at the bar at Amaya
    Creative deliciousness at Amaya
    More goodness at Amaya!
    Leaving Amaya, time for bed!
    Lunch at Cafe de Tacuba
    Lunch at Cafe de Tacuba
    Lunch at Cafe de Tacuba – enchiladas!
    Lunch at Cafe de Tacuba
    El Huequito – With Greg & Adrienne at El Huequito
    El Huequito -Mezcal time…
    Onto the next: Taqueria Los Parados
    Watching them cook at Taqueria Los Parados
    Selfie outside!
    Hanging out at Paramos
    Paramo – Waiting in style
    Paramo – Cool mezcal shot glasses at Paramos
    Lunch at El Califa
    Dinner #1 @ Lardo
    Dinner #1 @ Lardo – asparagus with tempura
    Dinner #1 @ Lardo – risotto!
    Dinner #1 @ Lardo – squid!
    Huaraches Ramoncita – our lunch spot!
    Pulqueria las Duelistas
    Pulqueria las Duelistas
    Pulqueria las Duelistas
    Cedron
    Cedron
    Cedron
    Cedron – classicly over the top. All I needed was an espresso, people!
    Interesting to see this sign on our way to Pujol, located in a residential neighbourhood
    Sitting down for lunch at Pujol
    “Street Snacks”
    Rice, geoduck clam, scallop, mulato
    Sea bass, cacahuatzintle juice, celery
    Cauliflower, almond salsa macha, chile de arbol
    Lobster Infladita
    Grilled fish, pine nuts, fennel
    Duck, black recado, nance, Ixil onions
    Molasses madre @ 1516 days, with mole nuevo
    Avocado, coconut, lime, macadamia
    Roasted pineapple, molasses, cilantro
    Chocolate, zapote, tamarind
    Apple tamal, cinnamon, caramel
    Bottle #1 at Le Tachinomi Desu. Unique and delish.
    Le Tachinomi Desu – the place is about as big as you can see. they had a lovely and clean washroom though!
    Le Tachinomi Desu – We had to try the sashimi, and it was delicious
    sake
    Le Tachinomi Desu – winding down the night
    sake
    La Casa de Toño – ending our rager with classless late night eats.
    A little snack truck in the park on our way to the modern art museum. These are all over the city and their snacks are delicious.
    El Bajio
    Dinner #2 @ Lardo
    Dinner #2 @ Lardo
    El Tizoncito
    El Tizoncito
    El Tizoncito
    El Tizoncito
  • A Sunday in CDMX & Visiting Palacio Belles Artes

    A Sunday in CDMX & Visiting Palacio Belles Artes

    CDMX refers to La Ciudad de Mexico… known in English as Mexico City. CDMX refers to the municipality that encompasses Mexico City, home to nearly 22 million people. On Sundays, many of those people have the day off, and the downtown core is filled with people and families who come in search of festivals, entertainment, and relaxation.

    This was our second full solo day (and our first day waking up fully rested) in Mexico City, so we were feeling ready to explore. If you’re someone who doesn’t like crowds, then exploring the old downtown of Mexico City might not be the best call on a Sunday, but we had a lot of fun.

    One thing we hadn’t expected was how much we would be affected by the city’s altitude. For the first few days we staved off headaches with Advil, and we both experienced some difficulty breathing. The day’s heat didn’t help, and by mid-afternoon we were ready for a break.

    We started by visiting Mexico City’s famous art deco landmark, the Palacio de Belles Artes. The Palacio de Belles Artes is near the historic centre of Mexico City, and has been a site of cultural activity for thousands of years. In Pre-Hispanic times it was a site of Aztec altars for worship. Under Spanish colonial occupation, the site was home to a convent, which later was torn down to construct low income housing and textile mills. In the late 1800s, the National Theatre was built on this site, the nearest predecessor to today’s Palacio de Belles Artes:

    The old theatre was demolished in 1901, and the new theatre would be called the Gran Teatro de Ópera … Despite the 1910 deadline, by 1913, the building was hardly begun with only a basic shell. One reason for this is that the project became more complicated than anticipated as the heavy building sank into the soft spongy subsoil. The other reason was the political and economic instability that would lead to the Mexican Revolution.

    The project would sit unfinished for about twenty years. In 1932, construction resumed under Mexican architect Federico Mariscal. Mariscal completed the interior but updated it from Boari’s plans to the more modern Art Deco style. The building was completely finished in 1934.

    The floors between the ground floor and the uppermost floor are dominated by a number of murals painted by most of the famous names of Mexican muralism.[7]

    On the 2nd floor are two early-1950s works by Rufino Tamayo: México de Hoy (Mexico Today) and Nacimiento de la Nacionalidad (Birth of Nationality), a symbolic depiction of the creation of the mestizo (person of mixed indigenous and Spanish ancestry) identity.[2]

    At the west end of the 3rd floor is El hombre controlador del universo (Man, controller of the universe- known as Man at the Crossroads), originally commissioned for New York’s Rockefeller Center in 1933. The mural depicts a variety of technological and societal themes (such as the discoveries made possible by microscopes and telescopes) and was controversial for its inclusion of Lenin and a Soviet May Day parade. The Rockefellers were not happy with the painting and the incomplete work was eventually destroyed and painted over. Rivera recreated it here in 1934.[2][7] On the north side of the third floor are David Alfaro Siqueiros’ three-part La Nueva Democracía (New Democracy) and Rivera’s four-part Carnaval de la Vida Mexicana (Carnival of Mexican Life); to the east is José Clemente Orozco’s La Katharsis (Catharsis), depicting the conflict between humankind’s ‘social’ and ‘natural’ aspects.[2]

    The part above about the murals is quite important because that definitely was the main focus of our visit (as you’ll see in our photos). After our day exploring all types of art at Bazaar Sabado, it was quite exciting to see some of the country’s historic art. But more than that, it was interesting to see how many other people were there admiring the art with their friends and families. It wasn’t hard for us to recognize that the artistic talents and passions on display at the Bazaar were in some way related to the same passion and appreciation for arts that brings thousands of families to the Palacio to view these same murals.

    After spending a few hours at Belles Artes we went for lunch at Cafe de Tacuba, famous for their mole sauce (pronounced mo-lay). The restaurant is located in a former convent and has been open since 1912, so in addition to the delicious food it’s also beautiful just to see.

    With full stomachs, we walked to the historic centre of Mexico City:

    The historic center of Mexico City (Spanish: Centro Histórico de la Ciudad de México), also known as the Centro or Centro Histórico, is the central neighborhood in Mexico City, Mexico, focused on Zócalo or main plaza and extending in all directions for a number of blocks, with its farthest extent being west to the Alameda Central.[2] The Zocalo is the largest plaza in Latin America.[3] It can hold up to nearly 100,000 people.[4]

    What is now the historic downtown of Mexico City roughly correlates with the ancient Aztec city of Tenochtitlan, which was founded around 1325. During the prehispanic era, the city developed in a planned fashion, with streets and canals aligned with the cardinal directions, leading to orderly square blocks.[5]

    After the Spanish conquest, this design remained largely intact, mostly due to the efforts of Alonso Garcia Bravo, who supervised much of the rebuilding of the city. This reconstruction conserved many of the main thoroughfares such as Tenayuca, renamed Vallejo; Tlacopan, renamed México Tacuba, and Tepeyac, now called the Calzada de los Misterios. They also kept major divisions of the city adding Christian prefixes to the names such as San Juan Moyotla, Santa María Tlaquechiuacan, San Sebastián Atzacualco and San Pedro Teopan. In fact, most of the centro historicos is built with the rubble of the destroyed Aztec city.[5]

    Historically, the Zócalo, or main plaza, has been a venue for fine and popular cultural events.

    Just off the Zócalo are the Palacio Nacional, the Cathedral Metropolitana, the Templo Mayor with its adjoining museum, and Nacional Monte de Piedadbuilding. The Palacio Nacional borders the entire east side of the Zocalo and contains the offices of the President of Mexico, the Federal Treasury, the National Archives as well as murals depicting pre-Hispanic life and a large mural filling the central stairway depicting the entire history of the Mexican nation from the Conquest on.

    There was some kind of festival taking place, in addition to a large market, so the Zocalo was packed with people participating in and watching the festivities.

    Here’s a short video from the day, though it doesn’t really capture the scale of the area or the crowds:

    Check out our favourite photos from the day below!

    Lunch at Cafe de Tacuba
    Lunch at Cafe de Tacuba
    Lunch at Cafe de Tacuba – enchiladas!
    Lunch at Cafe de Tacuba
    That’s the Zocalo & its market behind me
  • The Museum of the Object of Objects!

    The Museum of the Object of Objects!

    After lunch at the San Angel Inn and a quick visit to the Museum of the House/Studio of Diego Rivera and Frida Kahlo, we headed to another interestingly named museum, the Museo del Objecto del Objecto. It translates to ‘the museum of the purpose (or object) of the object’.

    This is how Wikipedia describes it:

    The Museo del Objeto del Objeto (Museum of the Object [purpose] of the Object [item]), or MODO, is a museum in Mexico City and the first museum in Mexico dedicated to design and communications. It was opened in 2010 based on a collection of commercial packaging, advertising, graphic arts, common devices and many other objects dating back to 1810 collected by Bruno Newman over more than forty years. The museum is dedicated to the preservation of its collection of more than 30,000 items from two centuries, and it is dedicated to the research in the history of design and communications, as well as the promotion of collecting in general. The museum offers workshops, seminars, conferences and other activities intended to promote design and communication.

    I love the concept of this museum, which essentially centres on exploring the cultural value of everyday objects. If the current exhibit had been around anything other than soccer, it might have been one of my favourite spots on our trip. As it was, we were able to see a wide collection of soccer-related memorabilia and we learned a fair bit about how the sport’s equipment has evolved with technology.

    However, I’d have much preferred a collection of 200+ pieces of equipment from any non-sports related theme. This museum is definitely on the list again for my next trip to Mexico City.

    It takes about 30 minutes to see the whole exhibit and the price of the entry ticket was quite reasonable. I definitely recommend this museum, but check the exhibits listing beforehand.

    Afterwards we headed across the street for a snack and more wine at a rooftop patio. It was one of my favourite meals from the trip, so I definitely recommend visiting Meroma if you get the chance!

    Check out our photos below from MODO and Meroma:

     

    Rooftop early dinner at Meroma – tartare!
    Rooftop early dinner at Meroma
    Rooftop early dinner at Meroma – ceviche!
    Rooftop early dinner at Meroma – dessert!
  • Visiting the Museum of the House/Studio of Diego Rivera and Frida Kahlo

    Visiting the Museum of the House/Studio of Diego Rivera and Frida Kahlo

    After we enjoyed art shopping at El Bazaar Sabado and lunch (with a bottle of cava) at the San Angel Inn, we ventured across the street to visit the shared home and studio of the famous Mexican artists Frida Kahlo and Diego Rivera.

    We’d heard that the Frida Kahlo museum was famed for its long lines, so we opted instead to visit this less busy site. It was also conveniently close to the Bazaar. There were many more items on our to-do list for this trip than we were able to accomplish, partly because the city is just so big and there is so much to do. We had to adapt our plans and just do our best to see sites clustered within areas we visited.

    This blog post does a good job of summarizing the history and significance of the studio-house. Built in a neighbourhood dominated by Spanish colonial architecture, Diego commissioned a friend to built the house in a new, functionalist style, in contrast to its surroundings. This was following the Mexican Revolution, when there was a movement in the country to use art and design to foster national identity.

    Diego Rivera and Frida Kahlo are two of the most important and famous artists of the 20th century, and it’s not possible to visit Mexico City without thinking about them. The influence of their artwork was felt worldwide, but it’s especially poignant in their hometown.

    Even if you don’t know much about Kaho and Rivera, the museum is an interesting an inexpensive site to visit. Throughout the house/studio you can see different exhibits of their work and/of work that was influenced by them. It seemed as those these exhibits were rotated somewhat often.

    Below you can see photos of what we saw while we were visiting, including Diego Rivera’s studio and a variety of work related to his travels and political engagements.

     

    The house is painted brightly and is surrounded by these delightful cacti
    inside the studio of Diego Rivera
    on the rooftop between the two houses
    walking down the stairs in Diego’s section of the house
    these giant plants are everywhere!
    chilling with Diego.
  • Adventure with our Toronto neighbours in Mexico City!

    Adventure with our Toronto neighbours in Mexico City!

    In Toronto our neighbours, Greg and Adrienne, also happen to be old friends of ours. Greg and I attended high school together, and so we were all delighted to find out we were living in the same building, on the same floor.

    To keep the coincidences coming, a week after we booked our trip to Mexico City we realized that Greg and Adrienne were also going and that our trips would overlap!

    We didn’t plan it that way, but it worked out to be a lot of fun because went spent 2 nights partying together in Mexico City. Bonus: Greg & Adrienne both work in the Toronto restaurant industry and so we got to tag along to the trendy places that their colleagues had recommended.

    Greg and Adrienne arrived a few days after us and we met up with them for a ‘taco and mezcal crawl’ that Greg had planned. It was a Sunday night so many places were closed. It was also the first time that we realized there was a major discrepancy between the posted business hours on Google Maps vs reality.

    On the day before they left we had lunch in the same restaurant (Pujol, more on that later), though not together. Before leaving we made plans to meet up for dinner and more drinking. The evening ended in a local fast food joint at 4am, so I’d say it was a successful night on the town.

    So, where did we go? I honestly couldn’t tell you from memory because Greg directed us to each place and I rarely knew what anything was called. But Google is a handy thing, so I’ve put together a list (and photos are included below):

    Sunday night taco & mezcal crawl

    • El Huequito: the first stop on our taco crawl, this place showed what was really possible with under-highway space, as the restaurant was located on a large sidewalk under a highway underpass. Great tacos, great service, great mezcal.
    • Taqueria Los Parados: This was a quick little counter service taco place. Delicious tacos made on the grill in front of you.
    • Paramos: This place was très trendy and almost felt like being in Toronto, and wow the mezcal margaritas were great. When we arrived we headed upstairs to get a table but the wait was over an hour. So we drank margaritas while sitting on couches in their lobby and waited! Once seated at our table, the service was rather slow but again those margaritas balanced it all out. The food was good and the ambiance was cool. It’ worth noting that by this point in the night I was full and could no longer eat much anyways. The highlight was, again, the mezcal margaritas, which were the best I had all week.
    • The next 2 places on our list ended up closing early, so we called it a night and headed home to bed.

    Wednesday night rager:

    • Comedor Jacinta: I’m not sure why we went for dinner because we were all so full from lunch anyways. But Comedor Jacinta had good service and good mezcal margaritas. Food was hit or miss. We ordered some kind of shrimp ceviche that wasn’t good, but some of the smaller guacamole & chips type dishes were great. The service was good though, and they kept the drinks coming. After a few rounds we’d gotten to some personal truths about each other and were ready to move to the next place.
    • Le Tachinomi Desu: This place was very trendy and cool, which normally means there’s a catch, but in this case there wasn’t. The wine and sake selections were unreal, and the service was great. It was the coolest place we went all week and we had a great time. It was the perfect spot for simply standing, drinking, and enjoying each other’s company. We were here until nearly 4 in the morning and we weren’t even the last people to leave. The place is run by a Japanese Mexican man and this place imports some really interesting sakes and wines. At one point they suggested we try a bottle so rare that there were less than 10 in the country. Sounds obnoxious, but it was worth the hype. Again, unreal. After being so full (from lunch still!) that I could hardly walk, it turns out that drinking sake until 4am was the cure. We also met some pretty interested characters to round out the night.
    • La Casa de Toño, Zona Rosa: This is a local chain that’s open late and basically serves whatever you could want to eat, but fried. This late at night they’d stopped serving beer, which was probably for the best or we’d have been there for hours. As it was, we ordered, ate, and went home to bed.

    It’s always fun to see familiar faces in a foreign city, and this was no different. Our trip to Mexico City was incredible throughout, but spending a couple of nights with Greg and Adrienne made it even better.

    On the way to El Huequito
    Bike share beside the taco place!
    El Huequito – With Greg & Adrienne at El Huequito
    El Huequito -Mezcal time…
    Onto the next: Taqueria Los Parados
    Watching them cook at Taqueria Los Parados
    Selfie outside!
    Hanging out at Paramos
    Paramo – Waiting in style
    Paramo – Cool mezcal shot glasses at Paramos
    street art?
    Trying to get to the Bar at the Four Seasons but sadly it was closed
    Taking in the gardens at the Four Seasons
    Bottle #1 at Le Tachinomi Desu. Unique and delish.
    Le Tachinomi Desu – the place is about as big as you can see. they had a lovely and clean washroom though!
    Le Tachinomi Desu – We had to try the sashimi, and it was delicious
    sake
    sake
    sake
    Le Tachinomi Desu – winding down the night
    sake
    La Casa de Toño – ending our rager with classless late night eats.
  • Airbnb Experience: Dive into real Mexico

    Airbnb Experience: Dive into real Mexico

    Our second Airbnb experience on this trip was called “Dive into real Mexico” and the name is a perfect descriptor. It was a full day experience – just over 10 hours long.

    We met our host Daniel in the morning and he drove us 2 hours away to the state where his family originates, Tlaxcala. After exploring the state capital, also called Tlaxcala, we drove to Daniel’s hometown, Texoloc, to cook in his grandfather’s traditional kitchen (seriously, it was over 100 years old!).

    That sounds short and sweet, but this trip was a long day, jam packed with food, activities, and knowledge. Obviously, we loved it.

    We haven’t blogged much about it yet, but throughout our trip we learned a lot about Mexico’s history and culture, particular the pre-European cultures and traditions throughout the region. Our adventure with Daniel, our last full day in Mexico, was the perfect way to wrap this up, as Tlaxcala and the Tlaxcalan people have a very rich history. You can read more about it here, but the summary from Daniel is essentially this: Tlaxcala has existed for thousands of years, and they were proudly distinct from the Mexica people who were otherwise dominating much of the surrounding area (and who also founded Mexico City’s precursor, Tenochtitlan). When the Spanish colonizers arrived they formed strategic alliances with non-Mexica groups, the first of which was their alliance with Tlaxcala. Tlaxcala people traveled to Madrid to sign this agreement, and they eventually travelled with Spanish colonizers to the Philippines. Even today some traditional Tlaxcala words are spoken in the Philippines, and Tlaxcala descendants still live in the Philippines.

    Aside from learning, we also ate A LOT. We started our day in a Mexico City market, eating tamales for breakfast. Then we drove to Tlaxcala where we ate our way through market stalls and wandered around admiring the variety of foods and goods available.

    We took a trip through an artisanal market on our way to drink pulque (a pre-hispanic drink known as the nectar of the gods – more on this later). Next we visited the church in Tlaxcala, which is one of the oldest Spanish churches in the Americas. We also visited the city’s bullfighting arena.

    And then, after all that, it was time to make dinner!

    We went to Daniel’s grandfather’s house where we met his parents and learned how to cook using traditional pre-hispanic tools and techniques. Daniel’s delightful mother lead us through the entire process of making tlacoyos from scratch – including the dough! We even made homemade tortillas!

    After all that, we ate again. We then explored Daniel’s grandfather’s farm and took a quick walk through the town of Texeloc (fun fact: everyone in the world with the last name Tecpa can trace their roots back to this very town!).

    We took many, many photos, all of which you can see below (with explanatory notes added in for context). If you ever have a free day to spend in Mexico, and if you love food and history, then you definitely should sign up for Daniel’s “dive into real Mexico“! It’s truly one of the most interesting things I’ve ever done while travelling.

    Here’s a video of Kevin and I making tlacoyos, and below that are our photos from the day!

     

     

     

     

    Starting off the day with tamales for breakfast!
    And a special warm oat drink, atole!
    Eating tamales like a local lol
    This statue represents a wind deity important in this particular region. It’s a MASSIVE statue right between 2 highway lanes.
    Driving outside of Mexico City
    Arriving in Tlaxcala
    tacos de canasta, a type of quesadilla that is unique to Tlaxcala. Delicious!
    They’re called “tacos de canasta” or “basket tacos” because that’s how they’re carried out for selling!
    Another food break. This time we’re having local homemade mole.
    Not made from mole paste! This is truly homemade and maintained daily for constant freshness!
    We also hade Jamaica Juice. Jamaica is the Mexican word for Hibiscus flower!
    There’s Daniel, enjoying some Mole!
    Here I am, ready to trek through another market!
    Quick break to try a snack of blue corn. Covered in chilli powder and lime juice!
    Here’s another style of tamale!
    And the lovely woman selling them!
    #marketselfie
    Another stop to try fruit!
    An
    And another stop to try cow head. It was one of the best things we ate all day.
    Dried hibiscus!
    The church in Tlaxcala
    Entering the Tlaxcala City Hall
    The city hall has an incredible set of mural that tells the story of the Tlaxcala people.
    Here they are in Spain, signing an agreement with the Spanish royal government. Spain formed alliances with non-Mexica tribes in order to defeat them and take over all the area of present-day Mexico. The Tlaxcala peoples were astute and ended up travelilng to both Spain and later the Philippines. In fact, some Tlaxcala words are present in the Philippine languages!
    This mural contains many of the same foods we saw and ate in the market!
    Walking through an artisanal market in Tlaxcala
    Stopping at a bar for some Pulque!
    These are the plants from which Pulque is derived!
    This is the site of one of the oldest churches in the Americas
    Here is where the 4 leaders of this region were baptised once the Spanish forced them to convert to Catholicism.
    This is the entrance to the oldest part of the church
    This is the open pulpit from which Spanish priests preached to large crowds of commoners
    A quick stop at a bull fighting arena!
    Parking in the shade!
    When we arrived in Daniel’s hometown of Texoloc, he took us to a Tortilleria. Most towns have them, and this is where everyone buys their tortillas!
    Here’s the dried corn
    After it soaks they grind it
    It comes out as flour!
    And it going into this tortillas assembly line machine!
    delicious!
    Here’s Daniel’s mom, showing us how to make our own corn meal by hand
    She can turn this into dough in just 4-6 strokes!
    Kevin’s here giving it a try
    This is the end goal
    Here’s Chris!
    I’m making salsa!
    And here’s Sierra!
    Kevin took over on salsa duty
    This is a bag of limestone
    They put the limestone on their cooking surface instead of using oil
    Here’s the cooking surface with limestone
    Here’s a fresh version
    finished prodcut!
    beans!
    fried cactus with lemon juice – delish!
    Now it’s my turn to make corn meal dough. SO hard!
    Our goal was to make tlacoyos – the dough with beans or cheese inside, cooked on the stovetop.
    the tlacoyos are cooking!
    the finished product!
    Exploring Daniel’s grandfather’s farm
    Kevin used to do this in Portugal with his grandparents as well, so this was a cool addition to the trip.
    We also took a short walk through the town of Texeloc!
    They also have a church
    But clearly they put their own spin on the interior decor
    And we saw an active volcano on our drive home!
    Thank you Daniel!!

     

  • Our home away from home in the Condesa Aurora Sunroom!

    Our home away from home in the Condesa Aurora Sunroom!

    Kevin was in charge of finding our Airbnb and I’m sure he looked at hundreds of listings to narrow down his options. Ever the skilled researcher, Kevin found us what I can honestly describe as the world’s best Airbnb host, Leonor.

    We had initially planned to reserve one of her full apartments, but we took too long to book and thus missed out. I was ready to find someone else, but Kevin insisted that Leonor was so amazing that it would be worthwhile to stay in a room within one of her apartments.

    He was absolutely correct. And bonus: the room that we booked did essentially feel like a private apartment, with private access to our own kitchen and bathroom.

    Because we stayed with Leonor we got free pick up at the airport which made for a delightfully stress-free start to our trip. Leonor also runs a cafe around the corner where we ate complimentary continental breakfast everyday.

    The cafe is called “Cafe Fiona”, named after her dog Fiona, who carries her own purse down to the cafe each morning and then spends her time greeting patrons.

    Overall, staying at Leonor’s place was wonderful. She was a great resource to access, whether checking in on us post-earthquake, letting us borrow hats to visit Teotihuacan, or offering us restaurant recommendations. The next time we visit Mexico City, I can guarantee that we’ll be staying at one of Leonor’s apartments. If you’re looking for a well-priced gem in La Condesa neighbourhood, I highly recommend the Condesa Aurora Sun Room!

     

    arriving in style
    outside our airbnb
    breakfast at Cafe Fiona
    good morning Fiona!
    Entering the apartment you find yourself in the living room
    Look right to see the hallway to our room!
    Our room was the cutest. A great bed, cut chairs, beautiful paint colours and art on the wall. Tons of room for storage too! Just off our room is our private kitchen and bathroom.
    And here’s the kitchen, with the modern bathroom just behind it!
  • Airbnb Experience: “Discover street food with a local”

    Airbnb Experience: “Discover street food with a local”

    When Kevin and I went to Amsterdam we kicked off our trip with a food tour, which was both a unique culinary experience and a great walking tour with a local guide. We were introduced to the food tour via Booking.com but since we didn’t use them for our trip this time around we decided to try a new source of fun: Airbnb “experiences”.

    We participated in 2 different experiences during our trip, and the first was called “discover street food with a local“. We did this on Tuesday, and it was one of the highlights of our trip!

    We started off in the morning outside of El Templo Mayor where we met our guide, Pili. She gave us a brief history of the temple and market square and church nearby. From there, we hopped on the subway and went to explore a local market. This particular market served as a distribution hub for fresh flowers, so it was quite beautiful.

    Near the market was a type of food court, and we went there to learn how to cook a traditional Mexican dish, huaraches. They’re typically quite large but since we were novices, we made smaller huaraches – a corn flower dough, with a bean paste in the middle. The technique was kind of like making a perogie: flatten a small ball of dough, add in the filling, then pull the tough tight around it and pinch it sealed. However, then you also flatten out the dough and fry it.

    Huaraches are served with a pile of toppings, and we also made those! Toppings included tomatillo salsa, cactus, and huitlacoche. This was pretty exciting because huitlacoche is a delicacy that originated in Aztec cuisine and is unlike anything we’d ever eat in Canada.

    The English term for huitlacoche is “corn smut”. Huitlacoche is a type of corn fungus, which is why it’s rarely found north of Mexico. As we expected, it’s delicious!

    After we ate our huaraches, Pili and our chef host, Evelyn, made us quesadillas as well. From there we need an energy boost, so Pili took us back to city centre to visit a market famed for its traditional coffee. I had a chocolate drink that was incredible and Kevin enjoyed an espresso.

    To wrap up the day we visited a stall that sells insects as cuisine! The other couple in our group (shout out to Landon and Jerusalem!) were brave enough to try, but I was too full/afraid.

    The whole “experience” lasted approximately 4 hours and was jam-packed with learning and fun. Pili was a great host and she showed us a great time. She was fun and friendly, very knowledgeable, and open to answering any questions we had. Spending the day with her was like hanging out with a friend, and I would absolutely recommend her tours to anyone.

    If you’re looking for a great half-day experience in Mexico City then I definitely recommend you take her tour!

    See below for the many photos of our adventure with Pili!

     

    When the Spanish colonizers came to Mexico City they had locals build their churches. And often locals worked their own traditional arts (like the snakes on this cross) into the final product
    subway map!
    Arriving at our destination
    Exploring the flower market!
    huitlacoche before cooking
    there’s Pili, teaching us about peppers!
    mole paste!
    Huaraches Ramoncita – our lunch spot!
    huitlacoche before we’ve cooked it!
    cactus, chopped by Kevin.
    look at us go!
    salsa at the beginning
    there are our huaraches!
    and the finished product!
    And here’s Evelyn cooking the huitlacoche for us
    the finished product!
    and a quesadilla for good measure!
    for dessert, a Mamey – tastes like the product of an avocado and a sweet potato!
    coffee in the market!
    my chocolate drink
    pit stop to eat bugs!
  • El Bazaar Sábado

    El Bazaar Sábado

    Our first full day in Mexico City fell on a Saturday. Our Airbnb host recommended that we take this opportunity to visit “El Bazaar Sábado” (aka the Saturday Bazaar) as it’s a unique event that only happens once per week. And so on Saturday morning we took an Uber south into the historic neighbourhood of San Angel.

    The bazaar has 2 parts: a variety of kiosk stalls in a market, and a wide variety of artists exhibiting their work in the park.

    We started in the stalls of the market and were quickly impressed with the range and quality of the goods available. From there we wandered over to the park to start shopping for art! Again, we were quite impressed.

    Kevin and I spend a lot of time visiting artisan markets in Toronto, and we were amazed (again) by the range and quality of the work available. We had heard that Mexico City had a great arts scene, and this was certainly the first of many days/events that proved it to be true. We ended up buying a bunch of art and souvenirs, though the best part of the day was simply walking around in the sun.

    After the market, we walked to the San Angel Inn to try some of their famous margaritas. They were worth the hype, and while the rest of the food/service were just okay, overall the San Angel Inn kept us entertained as we watched upper middle class people wandering in and putting on their airs.

    After lunch we visited Museo Casa Estudio Diego Rivera y Frida Kahlo, the home where the famous Mexican artists Frida Kahlo and Diego River lived together. There’s more to come on that one later. For now, check out the below photos of our adventures in San Angel!

    Restaurante San Angel Inn
    Restaurante San Angel Inn – cocktails
    Restaurante San Angel Inn
    Restaurante San Angel Inn – Yes, that’s the dessert cart.
    Restaurante San Angel Inn – dessert. looks better than it tasted.
  • We made it to Mexico City! (Just in time for an earthquake)

    We made it to Mexico City! (Just in time for an earthquake)

    For the next week we are in Mexico City, the capital of Mexico and the most populous city in the Americas (fighting neck and neck with Sao Paulo for the top listing). We arrived yesterday, and so far we are having a great time!

    Of course, if you’ve been reading the news you also know that Mexico City suffered from an earthquake earlier yesterday afternoon. You can get all the details here but essentially there was a 7.2 magnitude earthquake off the southern coast of Mexico, which was felt across a wide area of the country, including Mexico City.

    It was a significant event as the city is still suffering the physical and emotional after-effects of a deadly and destructive earthquake in September 2017.

    Our flight arrived around 2pm and we were picked up at the airport by a driver, all arranged by our AirBnB host. We are currently staying at the world’s greatest AirBnB and our host, Leonore, is wonderful. She arranged for us to be picked up at the airport and then met us at our apartment. In fact, 10 minutes ago she dropped in to make sure we were okay following the earthquake (her cat and dog dropped in too! Photos to come later).

    So, we arrived at our apartment for the week, chatted with Leonore about different sites to see, and then headed off in search of tacos.

    We walked to a nearby taqueria, El Pescadito Condesa (highly recommend!). We loaded up our plates with delicious shrimp and fish tacos and settled in to watch the street life while we enjoyed tacos and beers.

    Around 20 minutes into eating, everyone sitting near the windows jumped up and ran outside into the streets. Kevin and I hesitated for a few seconds until the restaurant manager gave a stern look and directions to get moving. And so we stood in the street in a crowd of distressed people and we felt the earth moving under our feet.

    As it turns out, Mexico has an early warning system for earthquakes, the Mexican Seismic Alert System. It was this system that started the flood of people into the streets. And sure enough, as we joined the crowd we could hear the alert system and a few seconds later we felt the earthquake.

    I’ve lived most of my life in Ontario, where there are few earthquakes and fewer reasons for people to worry about emergency preparedness. So when I felt the earthquake today I was definitely taken aback. It was unlike anything I’d previously experienced (obviously Kevin has experienced earthquakes in both Canada and Portugal, so I guess I’m behind the times). I am 100% okay, but it was pretty scary. Despite their well-founded distress and fear, the people of Mexico City proceeded with a calm and orderliness that was quite impressive. I have a lot to learn on this front.

    That said, the event completely changed the tone of the city and the people around us. For the rest of the day we could tell that everyone was on their phones trying to get in touch with loved ones and confirm they were okay. The sombre emotions and stress were palpable as we walked around exploring the city for the next 3 hours. It should be interesting to see how this manifests throughout the rest of our trip.

    Photos below from our first few hours in Mexico City!

    arriving in style
    outside our airbnb
    @ El Pescadito – tacos!
    Loving love at El Pescadito
    outside just after the earthquake…
    walking around the city
    their freedom/independence monument