Tacos are served up at Maizajo, where corn tortillas are made in-house. | Stephanie Wu
Long seafood lunches, grasshopper cocktails, and more
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I’ve just returned from three glorious, food-filled days in Mexico City. And though I could have spent three weeks there and not even come close to tackling all the incredible restaurants, bakeries, taco spots, and cocktail bars I wanted to try, I’m pretty proud of how much we packed in, thanks to smart recommendations from friends and colleagues and all the friendly people we met in CDMX who directed us toward their own favorite spots. Here are five standout places I’d return to in a heartbeat.
Stephanie Wu
The chile relleno taco at Taqueria La Hortaliza.
Stephanie Wu
A seafood-filled ceviche at Mi Compa Chava.
The taco I can’t stop thinking about: We made multiple taco spots every day, ordering a variety among the two of us, and sharing so we could try it all. I don’t think it’s an exaggeration to say that I tried at least 20 different tacos in three days, each of them fantastic in their own way. The one I’m still craving is the chile relleno taco at Taqueria La Hortaliza, a tiny spot by the highway near Chapultepec Park. It’s known for its tacos guisado — a little sign with the Netflix logo advertises that they were featured in a taco documentary on the streaming site — but I was steered toward the vegetarian option, with a battered poblano pepper, stuffed with cheese and tomato sauce, that I then doused in the red salsa available on the side. It was a little savory, a little sweet, and absolutely unlike anything other taco I had on the trip.
The leisurely long lunch: Despite my struggles with the Spanish-only menu at seafood spot Mi Compa Chava (the QR code menu did not want to cooperate with my Google Translate app), we managed to order an inordinate amount of raw and cooked seafood, washed down with Clamatos. I loved the menu design here so much that I kept checking out the merch — T-shirts, stickers, and more — and ended up nabbing a brightly colored tote bag as a souvenir. My only regret is not having a larger group to order the seafood tower that every other table seemed to be enjoying.
Stephanie Wu
A creative dish at Pujol.
Stephanie Wu
Two cocktails at Las Brujas, including the mezcal-based La Matlazihua on the right.
The splurge meal: Does anyone need to go to Mexico City and spend a ton of money on a fancy tasting menu? Probably not, but I’d also argue that one of the most wonderful parts of CDMX is that there’s a true reverence for Mexican ingredients and techniques at every price point, and it’s worth seeing how a Michelin-starred operation interprets tlayuda, tacos, huitlacoche, and more. At Pujol, the service was extraordinary, the setting was stunning, and the menu mixes longtime hits like baby corn and mole with newer experiments. It was my second time dining here, and I still consider it an essential stop for anyone visiting.
The most fun cocktail menu: I would have loved Las Brujas for its concept alone — a women-run cocktail bar with a comic book-like menu of drinks inspired by different women throughout history. But they also served my favorite cocktail of the trip: La Matlazihua, made with mezcal, grasshopper brine, and chamomile liqueur, topped with a few dried chapulines for good measure. The savory, grassy notes were revelatory, served in a wonderfully cozy space.
Stephanie Wu
The cheese and longaniza taco at Maizajo.
The food souvenir to bring home: Maizajo is known for its top-notch tortillas, which they nixtamalize and make in-house — I was fascinated by the workers making and pressing tortillas from my spot at the standing counter downstairs. We ate our fair share of tacos here, including a cheese-topped longaniza one that I loved. But the best decision we made was to pick up a few packs of their handmade tortillas before leaving, and bring a tiny bit of Mexico City back home.
If you need more travel inspiration, don’t miss our newly dropped list of our favorite places to eat this spring, from the Caribbean spots celebrating Carnival to the top restaurants in Orlando, if you happen to find yourself sporting some mouse ears over spring break. It’s a packed list and makes me want to book another trip ASAP.
