Mexico City in 3 Days
Food · Drinks · Lucha · Parties · Shopping
Day 1
Roma, Condesa & Juárez
walk, eat, shop
Morning — coffee + modern design shopping
- Panadería Rosetta — guava + cheese pastry, non-negotiable
- Shop Roma Norte — contemporary Mexican designer boutiques along Colima and Álvaro Obregón
- Studio Davidpompa — modern Mexican lighting + objects
- Casa Bosques — art-forward bookstore and concept space, cult following
- Carla Fernández — Mexico's top fashion designer, artisan textiles with a modern edge
Lunch
- Contramar — tuna tostadas + pescado a la talla; book OpenTable
Afternoon
- Condesa concept stores and designer boutiques around Avenida Michoacán
- Boutique mezcal — small-producer bottles you can't get outside Mexico; shops wrap them for checked luggage
Dinner
- Amaya — wood-fired Mexican, stylish
- Yuban — Oaxacan, the connoisseur pick
Day 2
Centro Histórico + Lucha
culture, history, lucha
Morning
- El Cardenal — old-school breakfast institution
- Café de Tacuba — the alternative, gorgeous 1912 cafe
- Walk: Zócalo → Cathedral → Templo Mayor → Casa de los Azulejos → Palacio de Bellas Artes
Night — lucha libre
- Arena México — CMLL — Friday 8:30pm Viernes Espectacular (also Tue + Sun) · tickets on Ticketmaster MX ahead · buy a mask outside · 15-min Uber
- El Vilsito — auto shop by day, best al pastor by night, open till 3am
Day 3
Pyramids + Polanco + Party
big day out
Morning — pick one
- Teotihuacán — leave 7:30am, driver who waits, 2–3 hrs on site, beat the heat
- La Gruta — lunch inside a cave next to the pyramids · book ahead
- Museo Frida Kahlo — the alternative: buy tickets online AHEAD, then Coyoacán + Los Danzantes for mezcal
Afternoon — the luxury design run (Avenida Masaryk)
- Ikal — gallery-like concept store: fashion, art, jewelry, home
- Lago Éditions — curated Latin American design
- Onora — handwoven textiles + ceramics · the classiest pieces in the city
- Arroz con Leche — design boutique carrying Yakampot and other Mexican designers
- Entremar — dinner · Contramar's sister, same menu, no wait
Night — pick their flavor
Book before they land
- Contramar + Handshake — OpenTable
- Lucha tickets — Ticketmaster Mexico
- La Gruta — reservation
- Frida Casa Azul — tickets online
- Casa Barragán — 30-min tour, books out weeks ahead
Practical
- Uber everywhere, cheap · cash for taco stands
- Boutiques close 7–8pm — shop before dinner
- Mezcal bottles go in checked luggage — shops wrap them
- City sits at 2,200m: altitude + mezcal = drink water