Usually on a second visit to a place I avoid creating a new post and instead build upon my last experience, however, in the case of Mexico City, I feel my first visit here back in 2009 was a miss. I came for work, stayed in a nice hotel and after extensive cautioning from friends and coworkers about personal safety, stayed in my room and alongside my team and failed to truly explore this gigantic metropolis. This visit, I felt much more confident and eager to experience everything great about our neighbor to the south.

EXPERIENCE

This visit I arrived early and had a free day to explore before getting to work. I took a visit to The Pyramids at Teotihuacan as my first order of business. This is a UNESCO World Heritage site for good reason. Though it’s origins remain quite mysterious, this archeological site is home to several giant structures with the Pyramid of the Sun and Pyramid of the Moon being the most impressive. Give yourself a few hours here to climb the monuments and stroll the length of the Avenue of the Dead to take in the expansive landscape.

There are several somewhat interesting historic architectural attractions around town. Palacio de Bellas Artes, which is a beautiful concert hall in the downtown area. Nearby is the National Palace, which is near the center of the city. The Basilica of Our Lady Guadelupe is also quite interesting to check out. There are several catholic churches around this basilica that represent various cultures, worth a stroll through the gardens as well.

The Coyoacan neighborhood is another great place to explore. This area is home to the famed Frida Kahlo House and Museum. Consider this stop a must do while visiting Mexico City. I didn’t make it to these other stops in the neighborhood, but have heard Mercado de Coyoacan flea market, the park of Vivero Coyoacan, Museo Nacional de las Culturas Populares and a tiny watercolor museum called Museo Nacional de Acuarela.

The Luis Barragan House is another cool strop for those interested in design and architecture. It is the modern home of a famous Mexican architect. Be sure to make reservations to visit this site at least a few months in advance. I did not get in and it was quite disappointing.

Roma Norte is another neighborhood worth a visit full of many nice restaurants and bars. The Zocalo is worth a quick stop. I recently did this earlier this year in La Paz, so decided to sit it out this visit, but a Lucha Libre wrestling match at Arena Mexico (bigger) or Arena Coliseo is apparently a great activity for those with an evening to fill. Though touristy, I also hear Xochimilco and the necessary boat cruise around the canals is a great thing to do while here. It’s crazy and touristy but really interesting.

The Anthropology Museum (Museo Nacional de Antropologia) is meant to be a lovely visit in Polanco. I did not have a chance to get there this trip, but I’d love to check out Puebla on a day trip next time I come down here. Here I had recommendations for mole at El Mural de los Poblanos and Hotel La Purificadora.

STAY

This trip I stayed at the W in Polacno. The hotel is nice and has a Jose Andres restaurant inside which looked quite nice. Last visit I stayed at the St. Regis, which to this day is one of the classiest hotels I’ve stayed in, with impeccable service. I would recommend both of these places. I really enjoyed having the Polanco neighborhood as a home base, it feels very safe to walk around here and provides easy access to many nice restaurants and shops.

EAT

Just like last trip, food was a major focus of this visit to Mexico City. Due to a recent upsurge in popularity, I found myself unexpectedly bombarded with restaurant and bar recommendations before this visit. I started with a beautiful lunch in Polcano at Catamundi. This place has a lovely back patio and a great artisanal shop inside which retails all kinds of Mexican Mezcals, moles and sweets. From here I checked out Que No! for a fancy chocolate or two, this shop is charming but the chocolates look better than they taste.

In Polanco, Quintonil is a must do for a fancy dinner. We had a few other amazing meals here including the best shrimp tacos ever at Cabanna. The next evening we had one of my top most memorable meals at La N° 20 Polanco. Here we ate fried worms, crickets and tongue tacos. The final morning in town I made my way to Ojo de Aqua for a beautiful acai bowl before heading to work. Jose Andres has a restaurant called J right in the W Hotel which was pretty nice for chillaquillas for breakfast. This neighborhood has a plethora of wonderful restaurants to explore.

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In Roma Norte I hear Graciela is a great bar with local beers. Also note that El Parnita is great for dinner and Cafe de Raiz is excellent for breakfast. I met some old college friends here for drinks one night at a lovely cocktail shop called Licorería Limantour.

Other places recommended to me that I just couldn’t get to in four days included: El Califa, Churreria El Moro, Cafe Joselo, Mercado Roma, Fonda Fina, Maison Artemisia, Main Room, Amaya, Felix and El Beso Huatesco.