Ramon's CDMX Guide
First things first: CDMX stands for Ciudad de Mexico (“City of Mexico”). Mexico City used to be called District Federal (think D.C). “Mexico” is a city, state, and the name of the country. Technically speaking, Mexico is the United States of Mexico comprised of 32 different states but I digress…
for new friends, Ramón is my Spanish name given by my teacher. It means the protector.
Parque Mexico, La Condesa, Mexico City
Neighborhood from the perspective of a gringo (American):
Condesa (where I lived): It looks like Williamsburg x Madrid; or Santa Monica in Europe without the beach. Lots of cafes & restaurants. Tree lined streets and pretty safe to walk everywhere. There are 2 big dog parks within 10min walk so if you love dogs, you’ll want to be here.
Roma Norte: Similar to Condesa, older buildings with lots of art galleries and hipster-esq shops. Tons of good restaurants and cafes. Most people can’t really tell the difference between Condesa and Roma Norte.
Centro: Historical buildings, parliament, super cheap shopping (black market for branded stuff), and tourist everywhere. Personally I wouldn’t stay here for more than a day or two. Not super safe at night.
Bosque de Chapultepec: the “Hollywood Hills” of Mexico. Safe, quiet, fancy restaurants, and kids with armed bodyguards buying caramel fraps in Starbucks. It’s a quiet place and safe place to run into celebrities, if you recognize them.
Polanco: The Beverly Hills of Mexico. Compared to Condesa/Roma Norte, Polanco is more modern with a few big malls within walking distance of each other. It is also generally an old-money crowd. You’ll never run out of things to eat and cafes to visit in Polanco.
Coyoacan: 15-30min south of Condesa/Roma Norte, this is the home of Frida Khalo. If I had to raise a family in Mexico City, this is where I’d live. Lots of cute cafes and good food.
San Angel: Cobble stone streets & huge Saturday market (Mercado Sabado). Visit on Saturday for brunch!
Santa Fe: it’s the outpost of business activity. Most big companies have their offices here. It’s super modern with a lot of beautiful/new big hotels. Personally I wouldn’t live here because everything I like about CDMX is 30-mins uber away from Santa Fe.
Other neighborhoods with good value, safe, and good location: Navarrte, Del Valle, Zona Rosa, Juarez, and the west side of Centro near the Revolution Monument.
Some of my favorite things:
Picking up a Torta de Chilaquil con Mileanesa y salsa roja from La Güera Tortas de Chilaquiles and take a morning stroll around the tree-lined streets of Condesa.
On Sundays, head to one of those Huawei booths on Paseo de la Reforma to rent a bike. Give your ID to them in exchange for 2 hours of free bike rental. The streets are closed from 8am to 4pm for bikes - so take advantage of it and go as far as you can on the route. Make a stop at Chapultepec park to catch your breath before going home.
Hangout at the Four Seasons courtyard. On the weekends, there’s usually a very good live band. Brunch will run you $60-80/person but you can always just grab a coffee ($5) from the cafe instead. If you want a better view, go to the second floor by walking up the spiral stairs and there is outdoor patio seating to your left. (The spa is OKAY, Sofitel has a better spa imo)
Walk along the Hipodromo track in Condesa and stop for coffee whenever you feel like it. The loop is approx. 1.2 miles. My fav cafes along the loop: Chop Chop, The Black Coffee, Isabella Cafe, Quentin Cafe, Freims, Matisse, and Haab.
Around 3pm any day, make your way up to Cityzen bar. At 40 stories high above Paseo de la Reforma, you can look down to the Angel of Independence all the way to the Chapultepec Castle. Since I don’t drink alcohol, I’ve tried everything else like coffee/tea but you’re there for the view. *great place for a date*
Best Tacos*:
Canasta: Tacos Joven
Chicharron: Taqueria Orinoco
Cabeza & Suadero: Los Cocuyos
Al Pastor: El Vilsito
Tripa: Tacos Los Güeros
Bistek: Taqueria El Gato Valor
*I tried between 70-80 places in cdmx. See IG: @1thousandtacos (recently changed to @1thousandburgers). The thing about tacos is that after a few hundred, the good ones all taste similar. My list are really the ones that are memorable.
Restaurants
My go-to for friends visiting CDMX: Blanco Colima
Note-worthy: La Capital (Duck Mole), Azul Centro (for vibes), Quintonil (tasting menu!), Cafe Madre (Food is alright, great vibes), Lardo (EU x Mex fusion), Tetetlan (super cool, further outside, bookshop + restaurant), Pinche Gringo (BBQ)
Club/lounge vibes: Carajillo, Atophe DF, Salon Solin (Fridays only), & Sans
*I’ve tried ~70 taco places and ~50 restaurants in CDMX. Some variables to food quality, even in restaurants, is time of day, week, and if the head chef is there.
Dog siting Charleston at the Four Seasons :)
Where to stay from expensive to inexpensive:
Four Seasons - My absolute favorite place to stay (Book with Amex Fine Hotels for best perks)
Sofitel - The pool is incredible (Book with Amex Fine Hotels for best perks)
Flow Suites Condesa - Great location and value. Large rooms and very nice design
Andaz Condesa - an old architecture icon repurposed to be a Hyatt design hotel. I was one of the first guests here when they reopened in 2023.
Hotel Carlota - If you like minimalistic hipster design, this is your spot (usually under $100/night)
Casa Pancha - Fancy hostel with a few private room options, very clean and beautiful.