⏱️Mexico City for first-timers: The sights, shops, and restaurants we showed our friends
Cocktails, Zócalo's sights, pizza Mexicana, artisanal markets, Mexican wine, the Anthropology Museum, sprawling views, Chapultapec Park, mole, Aztec dancers: We fit it all into a weekend.
Two of our friends had never been to Mexico City before but they recently had a full weekend to spend here. So, we showed them our greatest hits—the city’s top sites, plus some of our favorite restaurants.
Unlike the recent New York Times’ 36 Hours: Mexico City itinerary, we didn’t try to drag them from museums in Centro to shopping in Juarez to drinks in Roma and Condesa to dinner in San Miguel Chapultepec to dancing back in Roma—all in a Friday afternoon/evening, when the city’s gridlock is at its worst.
If you’d like to get a feel for Mexico City in a short time, without spending it stuck in the back seat of an Uber while your driver fights the traffic, try our tips.
For all our tips, recommendations, and itineraries, grab a copy of Eternal Spring: Our Guide to Mexico City. It’s optimized for your phone, with links to everything you need for your trip.
Here’s where we went, what we saw, and what we ate and drank, with maximum feet on the ground and minimal transportation time.
🍸Friday night: Drinks and dinner in Roma Norte
Our friends arrived around 8 pm, and we weren’t sure if they would want to go out or just crash for the night. They were up for some food and drinks, so we went out in the neighborhood.
Drinks at Form+Matter (FOMA)
FOMA is a stylish cocktail bar not far from our apartment. It was full (make a reservation, especially on the weekends) but we know one of the owners, and he led us to a table in the “lab” in the back where we could stand and have a drink.
Seeing their equipment was cool, and a table freed up where we could have a second drink.
Dinner at Bolero Café
Our favorite local spot for pizza, Bolero Café, is open late and isn’t far from FOMA. The sourdough crust takes a while, but it’s worth the wait. We ordered our favorite, the marghuerita, and tried something new to us, the Mexicana, with chorizo, mushrooms and peppers.
⛪Saturday: Zocalo and beyond
After what turned out to be a late night on Friday, we slept in a bit Saturday morning, but we still managed to see a lot.
Zócalo
We took the Metro to the Zócalo and checked out:
A cool temporary art exhibit filling the square, with large nopales (cactus) sculptures designed by different artists.
The inside of the Gran Hotel, with its stained-glass ceiling. We would have gone upstairs to the terrace restaurant, but they were only serving brunch and we weren’t ready for a full meal.
The smaller Catholic parish next to the cathedral.
Avenida Francisco I. Madero
When we were finished exploring the Zocalo, we walked along the busy, pedestrian-only Avenida Francisco I. Madero past the famous Casa de los Azulejos (blue-tiled house) and toward the Latin Tower.
Latin American Tower
We went to the top of the Torre Latinoamericana to take in the impressive 360-degree views of Mexico City from above.
Tip: The first elevator takes you most of the way to the top. You take a second elevator a few more floors for the views that aren’t behind glass. We had to wait in line for longer than expected for the second elevator.
Bellas Artes and Alameda
Next, we walked past the Palacio de Bellas Artes to take in the iconic exterior. We didn’t have time to go inside, but it’s worth it to see the Diego Rivera murals if it fits in your schedule.
We then walked through Alameda Central, one of our favorite Mexico City parks, to explore the shady paths, statues, and fountains.
Lunch at Cancino Alameda
We considered having lunch at La Azotea, one of our favorite places in this area. But doing so means climbing four flights of stairs, and after walking all morning, we decided a street-level meal was more our speed.
Cancino Alameda turned out to be a great spot to stop for some food and a break. It’s known for its pizza, but since we had pizza the night before, we tried some of their other menu options.
Shopping at Mercado de Artesanías La Ciudadela
Our friends wanted to bring home some Mexico City souvenirs, so we walked over to the Mercado de Artesanías La Ciudadela to shop.
This market has a good selection of fabric and leather bags, jewelry, dishware, and more. It’s nicer than a lot of the tourist shops you’ll find throughout Mexico City.
I bought the cloth shopping bag pictured for $200 MXN ($10 USD) and the drinking glass for $100 MXN ($5 USD).
Tip: Bring cash—it may get you better prices.
Dinner at Merotoro in Condesa
We had an hour or two to rest before our 7 pm dinner reservation at Merotoro, one of our favorite restaurants for when we’re celebrating something or friends are visiting (it’s a little pricey to be an every weekend kind of place).
We’ve always found the food, drinks, and service to be fantastic, and that was true once again on this visit. They offer a nice assortment of meat, seafood, and vegetarian dishes.
Drinks at Rubi Wine Cocktails
We probably would have called it a day at this point, but we wanted to stop in at Rubi, one of our favorite cocktail bars, to say goodbye to Sebastian, a friend and ridiculously talented bartender, who is off to work at one of the world’s best restaurants in Panama City.
🌳Sunday: National Anthropology Museum, Chapultapec, and Reforma
Sunday was another day full of walking, sites, food, history, and culture.
Morning in Roma Sur and Roma Norte
Just south of the Roma Norte border, in Roma Sur, is Mercado 100, a more upscale market than typical Mexico City markets. It’s open on Sunday mornings and early afternoons, and I try to get there as often as I can to stock up on kombucha.
It’s not far from our apartment, so we walked through there for water bottle stones (like whiskey stones, but cylinders), vegan tacos, kombucha (of course), and browsing.
On our way back we stopped by Vulevú Bakery (if you know any French, you’ll recognize the play on voulez-vous) for their amazing croissants. We got the sandwich version, filled with ham and cheese. Highly recommended for a quick and decadent breakfast.
National Anthropology Museum
The Museo Nacional de Antropología is one of the top sites in Mexico City and worth a visit even if you aren’t here for long. The permanent exhibits on the ground floor cover the various civilizations of Mexico throughout history. On the second floor, you’ll see cultural treasures, like costumes, tools, and musical instruments.
Don’t expect to see everything in a single visit—there’s too much to take in. But be sure to see the Aztec calendar stone in the central hall.
Tip: Sundays are free for locals, and even temporary residency qualifies, which means it’s busy. We went fairly early on Sunday and the line moved quickly. By the time we left, the line stretched outdoors and well into the courtyard. If you’re not looking for free admission, I’d recommend choosing another day.
Outside the museum, there’s a row of food stands inexplicably selling mostly hot dogs and hamburgers. They were among the worst we’ve ever had, and it’s tough to screw up a hot dog.
If you’re in this area and you need lunch, you’d be better off heading over to one of the stands or restaurants in Chapultepec Park.
But we saw two interesting performances in this area:
Los Voladores/The pole flyers: Five men in traditional clothing climb a tall pole, bringing ropes with them. One stays at the top and plays music, while the others swing through the air attached to the ropes, circling the pole until they reach the ground. Some places say they perform hourly on the weekends, but I can’t confirm that for sure.
Aztec fire dancers: Nearby, we saw these dancers, dressed in large feathered headdresses, performing a traditional dance.
Chapultepec Park
From there, we crossed into Chapultepec Park so our friends could get a quick idea of what this gigantic park has to offer. We couldn’t spend a lot of time here. You could take a full day and spend time going up to the castle and exploring the botanical gardens and the zoo.
The park’s main paths are bustling, full of families and vendors, but there are plenty of quieter, more peaceful parts to explore.
Angel of Independence
Leaving the park, we walked along Avenida Paseo de Reforma, past the Fuente de la Diana Cazadora (Diana the Huntress Fountain) to the Ángel de la Independencia (Angel of Independence), one of the most recognizable landmarks in Mexico City.
Dinner at Azul Condesa
Azul Condesa is one of our favorite places for traditional Mexican dishes, especially mole, in a more upscale setting. We were happy to discover that they’re now serving wines from our favorite Mexican winery, Tres Raíces.
🛍️Monday morning: Mexico City market, local breakfast
Our friends needed to head to the airport in the early afternoon, so we stayed in Roma Norte for the morning.
Medellín Market
Mercado Medellín is a short walk from our apartment and it gave our friends a good chance to see a typical Mexico City market and buy a few things to take home with them.
You can buy produce, meat, fish, incense, jewelry, candles, mole, household supplies, and more in this market. There are also some great, inexpensive restaurants.
Late breakfast at El Buen Sazón
We eat lunch at El Buen Sazón, a little cocina económica in our neighborhood, just about every weekday, and this day we had a late breakfast there before our friends headed to the airport for their flight.
Bonus dinner: Piquette
Not long after our friends arrived at the airport, they messaged with the news that their flight was cancelled and rescheduled for early the next morning.
It wasn’t ideal for them, but we all made the best of it with one more dinner out. This time we went to Piquette, a new French place just a couple of blocks from our apartment and is quickly becoming a favorite.
Last stop: Bolero Cafe (again!)
We planned to end the night after dinner, especially since our friends had to get up early the next day to catch their flight. But Paul found out during dinner that Bolero Cafe received their certificate as an espacio cultural independientes.
This was a big deal because the Mexico City government had closed down thousands of bars and restaurants in 2025 for not meeting certain regulations. The closures seemed more designed to raise money through fines, but Bolero Cafe’s closure lasted for months, and it was a real financial hardship for a small, locally owned business.
Being designated an independent cultural space helps protect them from future closures, so it was cause for celebration.
Have more than a weekend to explore Mexico City?
Here are some of our top itineraries.
Oh what a lovely wild and wonderful rush of a little bit of everything! CDMX beckons, Stephanie!
This is a much better itinerary than that crazy NYTs one. Maybe if you had a helicopter 🤣 you could do theirs.