Five Great Places to Eat in Mexico City

La Ciudad de Mexico is one of the most food-centric cities I’ve ever visited. Everywhere you look, at any time of night or day, there’s a food stall, great restaurant, incredible market, fonda-in-the-wall, or killer street cart just waiting for you to stuff your hungry face with their delicious edibles.

I keep having intense food flashbacks: tacos, elotes, tamales, tortas, carnitas, gorditas, flautas, chicharrones. Erotic dreams of the markets, the restaurants, the moles, the mezcales, the tequilas, the ass-burning chiles, the insects, and all those distinct tastes and smells. After three weeks of food touring through Mexico City, I realized that I never ever had a bad meal. And these are the spots that I urgently need to go back for seconds. 

1. NICOS If someone asked me to choose the best restaurant in Mexico City, I’d probably tell them not to ask such a ridiculous question. But let’s say I only had one day in CDMX, where would I go? Nicos. It’s the quintessential neighborhood spot, the type of place you’d travel to from afar, or be a regular if it was in your ‘hood. A hike from trendier barrios like Roma, Condesa and Polanco, this comida lunch family-owned restaurant in Azcapotzalco has been around since 1957, honoring Mexican cooking traditions for decades. Today, celebrated chef Gerardo Vázquez Lugo is in the kitchen whipping up downright tasty homestyle dishes.

What to order: You can’t really go wrong here. The guacamole en molcajete served tableside is a must, and don’t ignore the mezcal cart when it rolls by your table…  that would be rude and culturally insensitive.

Ensalada de nopales is essential to start.

The sopa seca de natas = crepes + salsa poblana + love + the bestness.

Turkey mole. Gobble gobble you da f up, guey.

I obsessed over trying chiles en nogada my entire stay. A friend told me that popping my nogada cherry must be at a good place, so finally, for my last comida, at Nicos, I got a taste: poblano chile stuffed with meat, fruit and spices, topped with a walnut-based cream sauce and pomegranate seeds. Total luxxxxxury.

To maximize the trip to Azcapotzalco, plan the eating schedule accordingly and first head across the street to El Bajio for breakfast.

2. PUJOLEnrique Olvera, a leader in reinventing contemporary Mexican cuisine, is one of the country’s most famous chefs. His flagship restaurant, Pujol, and its 7-course tasting menu, certainly lived up to all the hype.

Sometimes all you really need on the plate is a perfect sauce and a carb on the side to slop it all up. The mole madre is the clear brightest shining star of a menu filled with stars. On the outside ring, the mole madre, which came from a starter that was 769 days old (the age changes every day), and on the inside, the new mole. It was served with fresh tortillas in a basket and paired with Koch El Mezcal Wild Agave.

I couldn’t stop thinking about this dish days later, the intense and complex flavors tattooed on my tongue. The mole madre transported me to my fictitious Mexican grandmother’s kitchen — I could picture my imaginary abuela making Mexican wonders out of the same pot passed down for generations. It’s a truly special dish, and you should read all about it on Lucky Peach.

3. MAXIMO BISTROT (and LALO!)Máximo Bistrot and Lalo are two very different restaurants, but both are owned by chef Eduardo “Lalo” García. Máximo Bistrot is considered to be part of the modern Mexican movement, applying classic French technique to Mexican ingredients. If I’m going to factor in taste and creativity, I’d probably put Máximo on top as my best meal during the whole trip. The menu changes all the time depending on the freshest ingredients in the market, but always uses some of the best produce around. I even helped out my friends from FoodieHub produce a video on Máximo’s story… and if you look closely, you may notice my cameo.

Across the street at Lalo!, you’ll find the communal table packed with happy customers getting down with casual daytime meals. The total hotness: go for breakfast and eat an order of chilaquiles for me. (Photo by Lalo!)

4. MERCADO DE LA MERCEDMercado de la Merced is my fucking Disney World. I could get lost for hours inside this massive market. Well, in fact, I did get lost…. multiple times… because it’s so damn huge. Every turn and bend is filled with ingredient heaven and food delights.

Gordita for a gordita.

Nopales for EVER.

Chile peppers for days: guajillo, ancho, chipotle, pasilla, habanero, jalapeño.

Mole for eternity, mijo.

Gusanos de Maguey. Pure Protein.

Lemon, lime, avocado, tomato, jalapeños. The staples. Note the prices: 1 USD = 17.50 Mexican Peso. *As of April 2016.

Gives great head.

 I need to go back to this comedor ASAP and try every single stand.

Nicholas Gilman of Good Food Mexico City has lived in CDMX for years, took me through Merced, and showed me which vendors sold his favorites, like this bisteca with nopales at Tacos La Pasadita.

Other great mercados to visit: Mercado de Coyoacan, Mercado San Juan, and for house décor porn, Mercado de Artesanías y Curiosidades Mexicanas de San Juan.

5. THE STREET FOODMy absolute favorite part about Mexico is the street food culture. Walk down any avenue and you’ll instantly notice all the carts that fill the streets: vendors work furiously tending to their meat covered grills, steaming fresh tortillas stacked a mile high, and tables overflow with vats of guacamole, salsas, limes and accompanying vegetable toppings. It’s easy and affordable to eat a strictly street food diet in DF.

When one is hungry and sees a food line rolling 8 people deep, with a crowd of people shoveling meaty wonders into their mouths, it’s probably a good idea to queue up. It didn’t matter that I had already eaten lunch at two other taquerías, because when I locked eyes with that promising plancha on the corner of Michoacan and Nuevo Leon in Condesa, I had to have me a taste of that goodness.

Normally I’m strongly against waiting in line for food, but I’m also a strong hypocrite. Sure, I was completely ignorant about the food I was lining up for, but I’d just follow the lead from the person in front of me (he looked like a serious eater). The result? A fabulous street food art creation in front of me on a plastic orange plate. Tip: When you’re unaware of what or where you are eating, always order conservatively first, and if it’s really good, get another.

Hello beautiful: huarache smothered with pico de gallo, nopales, and salsa roja.

Food trucks taken to a whole new literal level.

Tacos de guisado at Taco Hola / El Güero (Amsterdam 135, Condesa).

El Caguamo (Ayuntamiento, between López and Aranda, Centro Sur) top-notch tostada with shrimp, avocado and mayo.

Looking for that late-night taco binge? Taqueria Los Parados (Monterrey 333, Roma Sur) is open 24/7 with their al carbon grilled tacos oozing with cheese.

I promise this tastes amazing, especially all drunkity at 4 am with beer and tequila flowing through my veins.

Look, this dude brought his own porrón to the taquería. I want to be his purple floral shirt when I grow up.

A blue corn tlacoyo on the street in Malinalco.

Tortas, tortas everywhere! I fell in love with this Mexican sandwich on bolillo bread, especially the turkey with avocado. I wish I had room in my stomach to try dozens more.

 MORE PALETAS PLEASE!Dear Juice Stand on Sonora and Amsterdam: You saved my life with your fresh juicy squirt of vitamin C.

And a shout out to grasshopper tacos! If you close your eyes and don’t know what’s inside, the chapulines taste like any delicious crunchy, salty, fried snack. Don’t have miedo, give it a try.

Creamy and nutty escamoles are a delicacy in Mexico. Caviar is a thing, so why not ant larvae?

Coconut juice… in a bag, of course.

It’s not acceptable to visit DF without a taco al pastor, I started with the grand El Huequito.

I’ll tell you a secret: this taco is vegan. When I first heard about a vegan taquería I think I rolled my eyes so hard they almost got stuck in the back of my head. Then, I tried it and now can attest to its greatest.

El Tizoncito had a porky/pineapple combo that I’m into.

Elotes, covered in limey mayo, cotija cheese, and spice. I finally met my better half.

Because who doesn’t walk down the street with a massive fried pork rind in their hands? Calientito, pa.

BONUS plug: I stayed at DOWNTOWN in the centro, and it’s one of the coolest hotels. It’s located in a 17th-century building just minutes from the Zócalo and main square. It has a bomb rooftop pool and bar, plus this incredible urban greenery wall.

I realize that I listed a lot more than five places, but it’s just too difficult to give just a few mentions when there are at least a hundred more worthy of a spot, and probably thousands more that aren’t even on my radar. If you are looking for more intel, this extensive food report on CDMX will help guide you: Eater’s Ultimate Guide to Mexico City.

Also, a shout out to Nicholas Gilman from Good Food Mexico City for being such a great host and showing me around.

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