This past fall, a revived sense of itchy feet led me to Mexico City, North America’s most populated, sprawling metropolis. It was the bookend to a month-long trip that gave insight to the contrasts and disparities of the enormous, vibrant country.

Mexico City is the place to be, in the age of digital nomads and cultural exchanges, especially for the East Coasters of Toronto or New York it seems. It’s a buzzy city with an internationally-competitive culinary scene that runs the gamut from street tacos to haute cuisine. Beautiful boulevards are lined with massive palm trees and agave blooms. Tropical parks are plunked in the center of bustling neighbourhoods and host a bevy of characters… from rapping clown street performers, to Z-boy skaters, to your local abuela taking a stroll. The nightlife has something for everyone - whether your scene is a grimy, underground techno dungeon or a globally-recognized, best-of cocktail bar. You could live in CDMX for years and never run out of new places to explore. With that said, by no means is this list definitive or exhaustive after a short two-week stay. But it does encapsulate some of the most delicious food, exciting activities, and best libations we came across in our explorations.

The Food

Molino “El Pujol”

Little did I know when we walked through the doors of Molino “El Pujol,” that I was about to enjoy a meal devised by one of Mexico’s best chefs, Enrique Olvera. Olvera is the brain behind one of the best restaurants in the world, Pujol. What drew us to this tiny, minimalist tortilleria in the Condesa neighbourhood wasn’t the household name (of which we were ignorantly unaware) but the traditional menu of classics - from tamales to tacos to elotes and atole - the backbones of Mexican cuisine and a celebration of the essential ingredient… corn. We tried every type of tacos and tamales they had on offer.

Taqueria Hola El Guero

As a Canadian spending Thanksgiving in Mexico City, turkey was off the table. But what’s the next best option for a day of glutton? Our decision… When you find yourself in the mecca of tacos, there’s no choice but to do a crawl to sample as many as your stomach can handle. Along our journey, we landed at Taqueria Hola El Guero, where simmering clay pots filled with mysterious stews or guisados bubbled. Our poison of choice were the nopales tacos - corn tortillas filled with a spicy, bitter stew of prickly pear cactus - a flavour bearing a close resemblance to the likes of okra.

Tacqueria El Greco

Continuing our tour, we ended up at Tacqueria El Greco - around the corner from Hola El Guero. Although El Greco has a unique family recipe for the ubiquitous Al Pastor taco, a crowd-favourite no doubt, we went a bit rogue with the Tacos Arabes. The shaved meat is seasoned with more of a shawarma flavour profile, while the shells themselves were a bit fluffier than your typical tortilla - similar to a pita. A nice touch of diversity for our taco crawl.

El Pescadito

El Pescadito rounds out the list of stops on our taco crawl. Typically, eating seafood in the interiors of Mexico is recommended against. The fish or crustaceans often travel for hours between the sea and the serveries in the cities, and refrigeration is not always a guarantee. And yet, I craved seafood non-stop in the warm, breezy October days and had to get my fix. El Pescadito had great reviews and an incredible selection of seafood fillings to choose from. Best yet, they had an open bar with dozens of toppings, salsa, and hot sauces to choose from. I got the marlin smoked tuna, the battered fish, and the shrimp. All delicious and no stomach ache in sight.

Taqueria Los Cocuyos

Before our evening of cheering on masked men in tights (otherwise known as Luche Libre), we made a pitstop at the Bourdain-recommended Taqueria Los Cocuyos. At the tail end of a month of tacos, I had thought I’d become an impossible critic - on account of overconsumption of a meal that is very rarely bad, it is hard to stand out as impressive or particularly delicious. And yet, the campechano tacos instantly shot up the ranks to sit within at least the top 3 of my trip. And it makes sense - for 50 years, Los Cocuyos has simmered and chopped and delivered hundreds of thousands of tacos out of a 4-ft box… They have perfected the art.

Páramo

Apparently a favourite of Dua Lipa’s, Páramo would be hard-to find, if not for the happy chatter that wafts from the windows of the second floor of a nondescript Condesa building where pleased diners happily munch away on Mexican classics. The Ceviche Chachalaca was a particular favourite of the meal.

Básico

If you’re like me and travelling throws your body all out of wack, Básico was a nice option for that first week of readjustment. A health-focused restaurant and juice bar, Básico is a cute spot to do some work during the day - with a coffee and a bowl of sorts, to keep you satiated. My favourite was the Mediterranean bowl and the daily juice.

Niddo

If you are looking for the go-to brunch spot in the city, Niddo seems to be it. Taking over a full city block in Juárez, there’s a bakery, as well as two separate sit-down restaurants. Gorgeous dishware and the minimalist style lets the gorgeous food take center stage. It was at Niddo that I tried the Mexican hungover brunch classic, chilaquiles. Luckily alcohol wasn’t involved - the dish was insanely delicious but absolutely the last thing I’d want to have hungover (something about egg drowning in sauce when your stomach is rolling just doesn’t do it for me). But would absolutely recommend for an everyday brunch.

Rokai Ramen-Ya

I won’t lie - it can get old to eat Mexican food (or any cuisine really) on repeat, morning, day and night. Especially as Torontonians where we are spoiled by the global selection at our fingertips. One particular night we were craving something a bit different than a meat wrapped in some form of corn tortilla. And Rokai Ramen-Ya delivered: grilled shishitos and karaage chicken, aburi sushi and japanese curries, soups and gyozas - we had our international foodie itch scratched. And they do a pretty mean martini.

Makan

We ate at Makan in the midst of a crippling bout of bronchitis and an unwavering sinus infection. And yet, while my head / body were screaming at me to collapse into bed back at our AirBnb, my heart was keeping me at a patio table in the open-air courtyard. Tropical vines trailed down from the ceiling, the space was shimmering and dusky, lit only by candlelight and lanterns. The menu is Singaporean and some of the best Asian food on offer in the city. I ordered the Laksa soup and the Chicken Rice - which could certainly be considered some of the most elevated comfort food I’ve ever had. But I’d bet serious money that it would be delicious, even for those with a full range of taste buds on hand.

The Cafés

Qüentin Café

Qüentin encapsulates the Condesa neighbourhood vibe - with minimalist vibes, limewash walls, global foods, and the gorgeous CDMX greenery. It is discreetly tucked along one of the recently dubbed “best streets in the world” - Avenida Amsterdam and is a great spot for people, or dog watching.

Raku Café

Raku is a gorgeous Japanese-inspired cafe which draws many of the digital nomads through the day - for coffee, collaboration, and co-working space. I have a special spot in my heart for a Raku barista who told me I had been ordering wrong for the past week - turns out “Yo conseguir…” means “I get,” not “Can I have?” as I had originally thought. An embarrassing but sweet correction.

Saint Bakery

One of the best bakeries in the city for French-style bread or croissants. The smells wafting out of this place will stop you in your tracks. Pure buttery goodness. The coffee is also unbelievable.

Pastelería Ideal

A CDMX classic, with a paralyzing amount of options for super affordable prices, near the city Centro. Mexicans of all socioeconomic classes will shop here, especially for the multi-tiered cakes - for which they’re famous.

The Drinks

La Lavanderia Nocturna

A classic bar that bustles well into the late evening, drawing locals and tourists alike. Dimly lit, with a sizeable mezcal selection and quintessential Mexican bar-eats on the menu, it’s a lovely spot for a date or to catch up with friends.

Supra Rooftop

I love a rooftop bar at night when you travel. Mix in a few cocktails, good company and some city lights and you’ll never feel luckier in your life for the chance to see a new little corner of the world. Luckily Departmento is right across the street and the delicious CDMX taco chain Orinoco is right beside so wherever your night takes you, the next stop is a good one.

Departamento

A three-story bar, each providing a different vibe to match your evening. Typically the second-floor is my favourite, with an atmosphere reminiscent of a really great, late-night house-party.

Licorería Limantour

The number 4 bar in the world, Licorería Limantour is an institution that gets it all right, from the service, to the open-air concept that spills onto the street, to the drinks - the most notable of which being the Margarita Al Pastor.

Tokyo Music Bar

A gorgeous speakeasy-style record-bar in the Cuauhtémoc neighbourhood. Make sure you make a reservation a few days in advance as they usually fill up. Start or end your night here, after getting some snackies at the Japanese standing snack bar Le Tachinomi Desu downstairs.

Extras: We weren’t able to make it to these spots but heard incredible things about them all.

• Bar Las Brujas - a cozy cocktail bar run by an entirely-female staff

• Hanky Panky - a speakeasy tucked behind a street food vendor in the Juarez neighbourhood

• Canopia - a cute little wine bar in Condesa

• Sunday Sunday - a club with a day-into-night party every Sunday

The Activities

Xochimilco

Although touristy at first glance, Xochimilco is a World Heritage Site and a wonderful way to spend a sunny afternoon. Xochimilco is famous for its canals, the last of the lake that once covered most of the valley of Mexico City. Here, you’ll find brightly decorated boats called trajineras that are navigated through the canals by locals, similar to the gondoliers of Venice. Smaller boats selling wares, food, drinks, and mariachi bands for rent drift beside you, ready to complete your water-bourne party.

Luche Libre Show at Arena Mexico

If you do one thing in Mexico City, get a little (or a lot) tipsy and go to a Luche Libre show. Order a michelada and yell at the “bad guy wrestlers” trying to take down the “hero.” It typically turns into a great evening of debauchery.

Bosque de Chapultepec

The Central Park of Mexico - it has it all, from a zoo, to ponds where pedal boats meander, to art galleries. I especially loved the music garden, tucked away behind a non-descript entrance, relax on the brightly coloured lounge furniture in this secret grove where no-speaking is allowed.

Parque México and España

Some of my favourite places to wander in the city - you’ll see all the types of people I mentioned in the intro. Dance lessons, skateboarders, abuelas, cute dates - it all happens here folks.

Museo Soumaya and Jumex

A pair of museums in the upscale Polanco district. Jumex offers a small selection of contemporary art, while Soumaya puts on display the private collection of Mexico’s billionaire businessman, Carlos Slim - called one of the most complete collections with over 66,000 works from 30 centuries of art.

Day of the Dead Festivities at Plaza de la Constitucion

If you happen to find yourself in Mexico City at the start of November, head on over to the Plaza in the city Centro for a magnificently spooky celebration of those who have passed over. Massive skeletal figures loom over the square, where each province of Mexico set up their ofrenda - offerings to the spirits, made up of the four elements - water, wind, earth and fire.

For more Mexico suggestions, check out my Google Maps.