1. Welcome Adam!
We really hope you and your family enjoy your
first trip to Mexico City! Based on your answers,
it’s seems like you travel much like we do. As such,
we’ve come up with a selection of great, local,
authentic eateries (with some splurges) that will
please your taste buds and also keep the whole
family happy.
Just as in Aztec times, markets remain a vital
component of Mexico City’s social and culinary
scene. Some of the best food anywhere in the city
can be found in the sprawling markets that provide
seemingly endless opportunities for shopping and
trying out the latest edible concoctions. Although
the foods most commonly sold at most markets
are quesadillas and simple tacos, other markets
specialize in different types of dishes, such as
tostadas, enchiladas and tlacoyos, stuffed corn
masa patties that are usually topped with diced
cooked cactus, crumbled cheese and salsa.
While most Mexican food has historical roots
going back to pre-Aztec times, the country’s
modern-day cuisine has also been influenced
by both conquering foreign nations and waves
of immigration. Aside from the obvious Spanish
connection, French, Italian, German, Lebanese
and Central and South American influences are
easy to detect. One of Mexico City’s most popular
dishes,tacosalpastor,wasintroducedbyLebanese
immigrants who brought with them techniques
for roasting meat on a rotating spit. However, the
main ingredients are still the same foods that have
been consumed for hundreds of years, including
corn, squash, beans, chilies and wild greens.
NAME: Adam Canby
DESTINATION: Mexico City
DATES: 22-25 May, 2015
ADULTS/CHILDREN: 2/1
STAYING: JW Marriott, Polanco
YOUR Eatinerary is made up of our suggestions for:
breakfast lunch dinner market local mezcal
The most important meal of
the day, lunch in Mexico City
is usually a sit-down affair with
family or co-workers, and can
be quite drawn out. The lunch ‘hour’ usually starts
at 2pm and is often stretched to 4pm or beyond.
Business lunches have been known to segue into
dinner.
For lunch, we thought we’d provide with a list of
local “low key” classics that will give you a good
sense of the diversity of Mexican cuisine. You
mentioned that you’d like to visit markets, and we
think this is a great call if you really want to try some
local fare. Ostioneria la Morenita is located inside
the Mercado de Medellín, and gives the perfect
excuse to visit the market and grab some lunch
at the same time. Situated beneath the towering
central portion of the market building, Ostioneria la
Morenita is quite large for a market restaurant. The
décor gives the impression of an ongoing beach
party, and encourages customers to kick back
and enjoy themselves. The menu here is made
up entirely of seafood dishes – another departure
from most eateries at the market, which tend to
offer standards like quesadillas or chicken, even if
they also serve seafood. We highly recommend the
“ostiones a la diabla,” if you like spicy food, and the
“filete almendrado.”
Just a short walk away is one of our favorite family-
owned restaurants in the city. Con Sabor a Tixtla
specializes in food from Guerrero, a southwestern
state known for its seafood and its green pozole, a
meat and hominy stew that is one of Mexico’s most
iconic dishes. This mom and pop-style restaurant
has some amazing tacos and dishes that are not
commonly found in Mexico City, or outside the
country. It’s a great place to experience some very
authentic Mexican cuisine and to use as a starting
point for exploring the area and the nearby market.
For more great regional bites, check out El Beso
Huasteco, a joint in the fun Colonia Roma area
that specializes in food from some of the eastern
states and gets its name from the pre-Hispanic
civilization that inhabited the area. Kick things off
with a Degustación Huasteca, a platter with typical
appetizers from the region: bocoles (a corn patty
filled with meat or egg), moletes (little corn balls
filled with potato) and tacos de barbacoa, huasteca-
style. Also excellent are the “zacahuil” – the typical
tamal of la Huasteca that can weigh up to 100
kg and is meant to be divided among a group of
diners – the pozoles (green, red or white), the filete
de pescado al mojo de ajo (a fish fillet marinated
in garlic) and our favorite, the bésame mucho dish,
a delicious combination of perfectly cooked beef,
two succulent pipián enchiladas, refried beans,
fresh cheese and a grilled nopal (cactus paddle).
lunch
Con Sabor a Tixtla: Sweet Home Guerrero
Breakfast is a
big meal that
shouldn’t be missed.
It always starts
with coffee and a sweet roll,
followed by a fruit salad, eggs
in many different ways and a
fresh juice. At weekends you
might find locals chowing
down something a bit more
intensive like ‘barbacoa de
borrego’, (pit-cooked mutton).
One of our favorite breakfast
joints in the city is Maque, a
neighborhood cafe at the corner
of Parque Mexico, in the hip La
Condesa neighborhood.
It’s a great place to start
a day’s sightseeing
in the area, and we
recommend any of the egg dishes
(especially the classic “rancheros”)
as well as the “chilaquiles
divorcados.” They have a great
selection of fresh juices and all the
bread here is baked in-house and
is delicious, especially the sweet
corn muffins, which we really
can’t recommend enough.
Another great place to kick off
your day is Lalo!, a quick cab
ride from your hotel. Set on the
ground floor of a former stylish
50’s-era apartment building
redone in a mid-century retro
style, the breakfast menu here
offers an astutely planned
combination of comfort-imbued
European, Mexican and American
classic breakfast plates. All bread is
baked in-house and eggs, greens
and just about everything else is
farmed nearby and as organic
as possible. The restaurant is
the brainchild of chef Eduardo
Garcia, owner of Maximo, one of
Mexico City’s most talked about
restaurants.
breakfast Serious Fun: Breakfast at Lalo!

2. Dinner in Mexico City usually starts around 8pm, though sitting down at
10 would not be considered ludicrous, especially at weekends at some
of the higher-end joints. Kick the night off like the Mexicans do with a little
pre-prandial mezcal and work your way into the wee hours with a lingering ‘sopremesa’,
the local word for after-dinner chats over coffee and digestif. Restaurants usually have a
smarter dress code, while the taquerias are a more casual affair.
For a dinner with a regional twist, we think you’ll
like the recently-opened Angelopolitano. Chef
Gerardo Quezadas is a native of Puebla, and as
such has decided to bring his home foods to the
big city. Do try the Mole Poblano, perhaps the
best-known mole inside and outside of Mexico.
Quezadas combines the pleasant bitterness and
sweetness of chocolate with numerous savory
ingredients and spices, making for a profoundly
complex and fascinating dish. To this, he adds
edible flowers, which brighten not just the dish’s
appearance but also its flavor. We also love the
mole verde picosito (spicy green mole), tortilla
soup, chiles mecos (dried chipotles filled with
ground beef, chicken and refried beans in tomato
sauce) and the cemitas, sandwiches made with
a special egg and sesame seed bread, also called
cemita, and filled with pork, chicken, turkey and
other ingredients. But the champion dish is the
champandongo, a tortilla, cream and chicken layered dish blanketed by a spicy mole poblano, where
every bite is an explosion of flavor.
After an architectural stroll around the old city, you might want to end your evening with dinner at
the Hilaria Gastrobar, a trendy restaurant with a large collection of artisanal beer located on Madero
Street. The food menu includes traditional Mexican dishes such as Enchiladas de Mole Oaxaqueño,
chicken enchiladas covered with black mole sauce, sour cream and grated cheese. Black mole is
normally sweet from the inclusion of chocolate, with just a hint of spiciness. Another standout are the
Costillitas, or pork ribs, which were extremely tender and marinated in a tamarind sauce that starts
sweet but ends with an aftertaste as spicy as that of the enchiladas.
Also in the Centro Histórico is Los Limosneros, a newish spot that we consider an instant classic. Owner
Juan Pablo Ballesteros comes from a family of entrepreneurs. In 1912, his great-grandfather, Rafael
Ballesteros, opened Café Tacuba, which is today a food landmark in Mexico City. Juan Pablo Ballesteros
has set out to make something special in a city full of special places. Using the framework of the colonial-
era building’s thick mortar-and-rock walls, he meticulously put together the place piece by piece, often
using recycled materials. A lovely example is
foundonthesecondfloor,whereblackvolcanic
rockpestles–thekindusedtomakeguacamole
– have been hollowed out and made into
pendant lights that hang from the high ceilings.
The menu here is cutting edge: appetizers
include a true pre-Hispanic treat, escamole, or
ant eggs.The white eggs, each about the size of
a grain of rice, are served in a small bowl over a
bed of ayocotes, or scarlet runner beans. Main
courses include a traditional favorite: cochinita
pibil, slow-cooked pulled pork in a sauce made
from achiote, the deep-red, peppery spice also
called annatto. Among the choices for dessert
is crème brûlée. This one, however, is flavored
with mamey, a soft, sweet fruit native to the
region and often used in desserts and drinks.
The brittle crust over the custard is layered over
a bed of white chocolate.
Trendy Fun: Hilaria Gastrobar
dinner
Instant Classic: Los Limosneros
Neighbourhood watch - Coyoacán
Spending a day in Coyoacán is one of the must-do things in Mexico City:
check out the Zocalo, Frida Kahlo’s house, and the Museo Nacional de Culturas
Populares, but be sure not to miss the market, the Mercado Coyoacán.
Look out for Tostadas Coyoacán at stalls 181 and 182 for some of the best tostadas in
town. The toppings on these flat, crunchy tacos - which include plain shredded chicken,
chicharrón, or fried pork skin, and cochinita, pork meat that has been marinated in acidic
citrus juice and annatto seeds – are piled up in large, colorful mounds at each serving station;
a must-do lunch. For dinner, head to Corazon de Maguey (mentioned above). Located in
the heart of Coyoacán, this restaurant is the perfect place to end a day of visiting museums
and walking around the cobblestone streets of this beautiful neighborhood. Although they
specialize in mezcales, their ample menu of high end Mexican food is outstanding.
local
Mezcal: Tequila’s
Rediscovered Relative
Mezcal, like tequila, is distilled from the
fermented juice of the maguey, a kind of agave;
its smokiness comes from the underground
roasting of the succulent. Once regarded as
a drink of the lower classes in Mexico, it has
become hip in a city that is always in constant
pursuit of the next trend small producers. In
recent years Mezcalerías have opened all over
the city, with a remarkable variety of offerings,
from industrially produced (considered an
abomination by some of the more conservative
connoisseurs) to
unlabeled bottles brought
directly from villages and
rancherías all over Mexico.
Some of the latter come from production
batches as small as 50 liters and can run as
high as $100 per bottle. Below are some favorite
spots to get a sip of this elixir:
Corazón de Maguey
This upscale mezcalería in the heart of
Coyoacán (see below) has one of the largest
mezcal selections in the city. All of their mixed
drinks aim to highlight and not obscure the star
attraction. Appetizers, main dishes and desserts
are also great here.
Mexicano
La Logia de los Mezcólatras, a group dedicated
to educate people about mescal, holds its
gatherings here every Thursday night. The
mezcal selection is constantly in flux according
to availability. However, you can always find
these types: minero, or double-distilled; de
pechuga, a smoother variety that has become
very popular; and sotol, a mezcal cousin from
the northern states of Mexico. The mixed drinks
here are made with mezcal, pulque (a mildly
fermented drink made from maguey sap) and
exotic fruits, of which xoconostle (a sour cactus
fruit) is our favorite.
Maruka
Maruka is the bar inside the Hotel Maria
Condesa in the hip neighborhood of Condesa.
Here you can find all kinds of drinks derived
from the maguey, such as tequilas, sotols and
mezcals. We love the mezcal chocolate martini.
mezcal
Disc Jockeys: Tostadas Coyoacán

3. Listings
1. Maque
Av. Ozuluama 4, Colonia Condesa
Mexico City
+52 55 2454 4662
2. Lalo
Zacatecas 173, Colonia Roma
Mexico City
+52 55 5564 3388
Tue.-Sun., 7am-12pm
3. Ostioneria La Morenita
Medellín at corner with Campeche,
Colonia Roma
Mexico City
+52 55 5264 8135
marisquerialamorenitademedellin.com
11am-6pm
4. Con Sabor a Tixtla
Chiapas 206, Colonia Roma
Mexico City
+52 55 5574 9035
http://consaboratixtla.com
Mon-Fri. 1pm-6pm, Sat.-Sun. 10am-
6pm
5. El Beso Huasteco
Calle Córdoba 146, Roma Norte
Mexico City
+52 55 5574 6166
www.elbesohuasteco.com.mx
Mon.-Sun. 9am-11pm
6. Angelopolitano
Puebla 371, Colonia Roma Norte
Mexico City
+52 55 6391 2121/6391 2020
10:00 am – 10:00 pm
7. Hilaria Gastrobar
Francisco I Madero 57, Floor 1, Centro
Histórico
Mexico City
+52 55 5512 1559
Mon.-Sat. 10am-11pm; closed
Sunday
8. Los Limosneros
Allende 3, Centro Histórico
Mexico City
+52 55 5521 5576
www.limosneros.com.mx/
Mon. 1:30-10 pm; Tues.-Sat. 1:30-
11pm; Sun. 1:30-6pm
9. Corazon de Maguey
Plaza Jardín Centenario 9-A, Colonia
Villa Coyoacán
Mexico City
+52 55 5554 7555
http://losdanzantes.com
Sun.-Wed. 1pm-1am; Thurs.-Sat.
1pm-2am
10. Mexicano
Regina 27-A, Centro Histórico
Mexico City
+52 55 5709 2492
Mon.-Sat. 6pm-2am; Sun. 5pm-12am
11. Maruka
Atlixco 132, Colonia Condesa
Mexico City
+52 55 5286 5828
Mon-Sun 1pm-2am
12. Mercado Coyoacan
Ignacio Allende between Malintzin
and Xicoténcatl
Mexico City
13. Tostadas Coyoacan
Stalls 181 and 182, Mercado
Coyoacán (located on Ignacio
Allende between Malintzin and
Xicoténcatl), Coyoacán
Mexico City
+52 55 5659 8774
14. Mercado Medellin
On the corner of Medellín and
Campeche
Mexico City
15. Mercado Xochimilco
Vicente Guerrero and 16 de
Septiembre, Xochimilco Center
Mexico City
8am to 6pm
16. Tlacoyo Stand in Centro
Historico
On southeast corner of Aranda and
Delicias, Centro Historico
Mexico City
Hours: Mon.-Fri. 9am-5pm; closed
weekends
17. La Graciela
Orizaba 163, Colonia Roma
Mexico City
+52 55 3625 6996
Mon-Wed 12 pm-12am, Thu-Sat
12:00 p.m. to 2:00 a.m., Sat 2-10pm
18. El Black
Regina 43, Centro Histórico
Mexico City
19. El Deposito
Av. Baja California 375
Mexico City
+52 55 5271 0716
www.eldeposito.com.mx
Daily; noon-midnight
MAP
If you are viewing this map digitally, click on the
image to see the full interactive version online
Orientation
Mexico City sits on the Anahuac Valley
in central Mexico at more than 7,000 feet
above sea level. Formerly a lake, drained by
Spanish and Mexicans over the centuries,
the city has grown to cover most of the
valley and the adjacent hills swallowing
many smaller towns that were once
considered countryside. Great food can
be found all over the city: markets are
found in every neighbourhood while street
stands are on just about every corner. The
best areas for easily finding restaurants are:
Centro Histórico, Condesa, Roma, Polanco,
Coyoacán, San Ángel, Santa María la Ribera
and Cuauhtémoc.
LISTINGS
1 Con Sabor a Tixtla
Chiapas 206, Colonia Roma
+52 55 5574 9035
consaboratixtla.com
2 La Morenita
Medellín at corner with Campeche,
Colonia Roma
+52 55 5264 8135
3 El Cuadrilátero
Luis Moya 73, Centro Histórico
+52 55 5510 2856
4 Hilaria Gastrobar
Francisco I Madero 57, Floor 1, Centro
Histórico
+52 55 5512 1559
5 Pujol
Francisco Petrarca 254, Polanco
+52 55 5545 4111
www.pujol.com.mx/en
6 Angelopolitano
Puebla 371, Colonia Roma Norte
+52 55 6391 2121/6391 2020
7 La Graciela
Orizaba 163, Colonia Roma
+52 55 3625 6996
8 El Black
Regina 43, Centro Histórico
9 El Deposito
Av. Baja California 375
+52 55 5271 0716
www.eldeposito.com.mx
10 La Belga
Calle Queretaro near the corner with
Orizaba
+52 55 3547 9558
www.labelga.com.mx
11 Beer Box
Francisco Márquez 129, Col. Condesa
+52 55 5256 5936
www.thebeerbox.com
12 Corazon de Maguey
Plaza Jardín Centenario 9-A, Colonia Villa
Coyoacán
+52 55 5554 7555
losdanzantes.com
13 Maruka
Atlixco 132, Colonia Condesa
+52 55 5286 5828
14 Mexicano
Regina 27-A, Centro Histórico
+52 55 5709 2492
15 Bar El Sella
Calle Dr. Balmis 210, corner of Dr. Villada,
Colonia Doctores
+52 55 5761 2727
16 Bar la Vaquita
Calle Mesones 54, Centro Histórico
+52 55 5709 3126
17 La Mascota
Calle Mesones 20, corner of Bolívar, Centro
Histórico +52 55 5709 7852
18 Riviera del Sur
Calle Chiapas 174 B, near the corner of
Medellín, Colonia Roma
+52 55 5050 5677
Orientation
: Mexico City sits on the Anahuac Valley
in central Mexico at more than 7,000 feet
above sea level. Formerly a lake, drained by
Spanish and Mexicans over the centuries,
the city has grown to cover most of the
valley and the adjacent hills swallowing
many smaller towns that were once
considered countryside. Great food can be
found all over the city: markets are found
in every neighbourhood while street stands
are on just about every corner. The best
areas for easily finding restaurants are:
Centro Histórico, Condesa, Roma, Polanco,
Coyoacán, San Ángel, Santa María la Ribera
and Cuauhtémoc.
MAP
If viewing your Eatinerary as a
PDF on a screen, click on
the map to link to the online
­interactive version.

4. City Basics
Currency MXN - Mexican Peso. Currently
values at $1=MXN15.32, £1=23.87. All cash
machines accept foreign cards.
Dialing code The country code is +52.
Normally the system is (country code)
(city code, DF = 55) (phone number), but in
the case of cell phones, it’s (country code),
then 1, then (city code) (phone number).
Safety Mexico City is hardly as dangerous
as the war zones on the Texas border or
the major drug trafficking centers, but it
is a major metropolitan area with all of
the inherit risks associated with that. Use
your Spidey sense. If a cab feels wrong,
don’t get in it, etc. It isn’t a bad idea to get
a cell phone here. They sell them at every
convenience store. With it, you can always
dial the police at 066.
Tips For waitstaff, 10% is the norm, and
15% is for especially good service. Cabs
don’t get tips.
Taxis Taxis are a very convenient way to
get around, and they’re pretty cheap. The
very large majority of them can be trusted.
Transport The metro will get you close to
nearly everywhere in the city, and it costs
5 pesos. The Metrobus network is growing
and filling in the gaps, and that is 6 pesos.
Metrobus Linea 4 (Line 4) has two routes
that run eastwest through the centro, “Ruta
Norte” and “Ruta Sur”. They are both pretty
useful, and they actually connect to the
airport. On top of that, there are “peseros”,
or microbuses, that run an infinite number
of routes for varying amounts of pesos (all
less than 6 pesos), depending on how far
on the route you care to go.
Ecobici: Bike enthusiasts should consider
taking advantage of the flourishing Ecobici
system (https://www.ecobici.df.gob.mx).
Pickup and drop-off locations dot most
of the downtown, La Roma, La Condesa,
Polanco and the Reforma corridor. You
have to have your driver’s license and go
to a special stand to register.
The lingo
¿Cuanto cuesta? How much does this
cost?
¿Cuanto le debo? How much do I
owe you?
Con permiso. Excuse me.
Una carta, por favor. A menu, please.
La cuenta, por favor. The check,
please.
¡Provecho! Enjoy. - kind of like ‘Bon
Appétit’, and very good manners.
Market Time
Pablo Neruda’s remark that “Mexico
is in its markets” is still true today.
With their origins in the pre-Hispanic open-air market,
or“tianguis,” Mexico City markets are the place to find
chiles, beans, corn, all kinds of meat and vegetables
and pretty much everything you could ever need for
your household. For some great Moles in both verde
and rojo varieties, head to the previously mentioned
Mercado Medellin between La Condesa and Roma, a
great neighborhood market that’ll leave you wishing
you had your own Mexican kitchen.
If you make it to the Xochimilco canals, we highly
recommend stopping at the Xochimilco market.
Mercado Xochimilco is basically two markets in one. Xochitl Zona is the main market, where
local and out-of-town producers and distributors sell their goods. Some of the best banana-
leaf tamales we’ve tried in the city can be found at the corner of Vicente Guerrero and 16 de
Septiembre right outside the market. The inside of the market is full of local produce grown
right on Mexico City’s remaining chinampas, man-made islands constructed for agriculture
during pre-Hispanic times. Xochimilco is one of the most rural boroughs of the city, and you
can really see it in the food found inside this market.
The second market building, just across the street to the south of the Xochitl market, is known
as the mercado de flores, or flower market. Here, as its name implies, you can find all kinds of
flowers grown in the chinampas around Xochimilco. But this market offers a lot more than
just flowers. You can find chileatole, a pre-Hispanic drink made with corn and hot peppers,
all kinds of aguas frescas, tamales, quesadillas and candied fruit. During the weekends this
market offers livestock – it doesn’t get any fresher than that!
Mercado Xochimilco
Street Eats
Street food is plenty in Mexico, but one of
the most iconic street foods in Mexico is
a dish many Americans are not familiar
with: the Tlacoyo. The thinner, oval-shaped
tlacoyos differ in an important way from
the standard flat corn masa patty in that the
masa is filled with either requesón (a type
of Mexican cheese similar to ricotta), fava
beans or refried beans before being cooked.
Traditionally, tlacoyos – from the Nahuatl
word basically meaning “snack” – had no
toppings beyond a bit of salsa and, not
containing lard or salt, they were meant to
be consumed immediately lest they became tough and inedible. These days, toppings might
includenopales(slicedcactus),sourcream,onion,gratedcheese,cilantroorsalsa.Someofthe
more loaded-down versions include a layer of refritos (refried beans) and chicken or pork, but
these are rarely found outside of sit-down restaurants. Just as in pre-Hispanic times, tlacoyos
arebesteatenwhenhotandfreshrightoffthegrill.Ourfavoritevendor(seemapforlocation)
uses blue corn masa and offers some of the best tlacoyos we’ve had on this side of the city.
Like most tlacoyo stands, the place also sells quesadillas and gorditas with different fillings, but
the tlacoyos are the most popular.
Craft Brews, Mexican Style
Although there are some larger micro breweries outside
of town, they’re not so practical to get to. The good
news is that there are a few spots close to where you’re
staying where you’ll be able to pop in for a pint of their
finest homebrew as well as a bite to eat. La Graciela
is Mexico City’s first restaurant that also brews very
small (homebrew size) batches of beer that is bottle
conditioned. Proudly displayed in the front near the
street entrance is a “Brew Magic” ten gallon system and
behindthat,shelvescontainingbagsofavarietyofmalts.
Give their home brews a go, otherwise choose from their extensive list of other kinds of artisanal
beers, which are both local and imported. In the Centro, head to the more downbeat El Black,
a place that on the surface resembles a typical comida corrida-type place, but where the walls
are lined with bottles of craft beer. Otherwise, a big favourite with locals is El Deposito, which
is just on the edge of Condesa. A venture between the Minerva and Primus craft breweries,
El Deposito has its own beers on tap as well as a dedicated tasting room for others. This cool,
speakeasy style joint also offers popcorn and burritos to go with their brews.
La Graciela: Mexican brewhouse
market