48 Hours in Mexico City: The Dandy City Guide
2025-02-11 · 7 min read
Mexico City is one of the great food cities on Earth, full stop. A sprawling metropolis of 21 million people that manages to feel like a collection of walkable neighborhoods, CDMX delivers $1 tacos and $150 tasting menus with equal conviction. The altitude (2,240 meters) means the air is thinner, the sun is stronger, and the mezcal hits faster — pace yourself.
Start in Roma Norte, the tree-lined neighborhood that's become the city's creative hub. Contramar, Gabriela Cámara's seafood restaurant on Calle de Durango, is where half of Mexico City's food obsessives eat lunch — the tuna tostadas and the whole grilled fish painted half in red chili and half in parsley are legendary. No reservations, so arrive before 1:30 PM or face an hour wait.
The historic center (Centro Histórico) is dense with colonial architecture, murals, and the ruins of the Aztec Templo Mayor sitting right next to the cathedral. The Palacio de Bellas Artes, an Art Nouveau and Art Deco masterpiece, houses murals by Diego Rivera, David Alfaro Siqueiros, and José Clemente Orozco — entry to the mural halls is about 85 MXN. Explore more at https://www.visitmexico.com/en/mexico-city.
Condesa, Roma's neighbor, is where the park life happens. Walk Parque México under jacaranda trees (peak purple in March and April), then grab coffee at Café Villarias or Chiquitito Café. For the best al pastor tacos in the city — and therefore the world — make the pilgrimage to Taquería Los Cocuyos in the centro or El Vilsito, a garage mechanic shop that converts into a taco stand at night.
Day two should include the Museo Nacional de Antropología in Chapultepec Park, arguably the best anthropology museum in the Americas. The Aztec Sun Stone and the reconstructed Maya temple rooms alone demand two hours. Chapultepec Castle, on the hill above, offers views across the city and a history that runs from Aztec emperors to Maximilian and Carlota.
Mexico City's nightlife is vast and varied. Licorería Limantour in Roma Norte has been named among the world's best bars for its mezcal-forward cocktails. For something grittier, Salón Los Ángeles in the Guerrero neighborhood has hosted danzón and cumbia dancing since 1937 — it's a living piece of Mexican culture and the dance floor is always packed on Saturday nights.
