Before we actually went, I had zero burning desire to visit Mexico City. My preconceived notion was that the place was just going to be a massive, overcrowded mess.
But as usual, I was dead wrong.
Barbie and I spent a full week in Mexico City, and the place completely exceeded our expectations. You know how there are some big cities you leave knowing you’ll absolutely be back? Mexico City is one of them. We’re already planning to return to visit other states in Mexico we missed on this go-around, and any future trip to Mexico will surely include a stop here. It would be a straight-up travesty to pass on the best-tasting tacos that this city has on tap.
The Neighborhood Strategy
Mexico City is a sprawling, massive place, but it’s extremely manageable to explore if you have the right strategy. We actually implemented the exact same game plan here that we used when we visited Tokyo: we focused our energy on the most desirable neighborhoods. The secret to tackling this city efficiently is locking into these areas: La Condesa, Roma Norte, Centro Histórico, Polanco, Zona Rosa, and Coyoacán.
Now, whenever we visit massive cities, we usually rely on the cheap and efficient public transportation. But in Mexico City? We didn’t even bother figuring out the train or bus system. We simply relied on Uber because it was dirt cheap. What I love most about using Uber abroad is that you completely bypass the communication barrier. You don’t have to stress about trying to articulate the precise location of your destination to a driver in broken Spanish; you just type it in and off you go.
There’s an incredible amount of street action everywhere you look, and each neighborhood has its own relaxed urban vibe. One thing I took note of right away: the locals throughout the city looked unusually relaxed for big-city dwellers. They weren’t walking around with that stressed-out look on their faces that you see in a heavily crowded place like Manhattan—you know, that look like their insurance just expired.
Hunker Down in La Condesa
After looking at all our options, we elected to stay at an Airbnb in the quieter La Condesa district, safely away from the hustle and bustle of the city center. It was the perfect call. La Condesa is packed with sidewalk cafés, trendy bistros, parks, and amazing taco joints dotting every corner. The whole area is full of greenery and tree-lined streets that give off a very distinctive European hipster vibe.
At night, La Condesa really comes alive with a younger crowd partying in all the local bars and clubs. Plus, it’s within easy walking distance to the city’s massive Chapultepec Park, which happens to be the largest park in the Western Hemisphere.
Lucha Libre: Pure Entertainment
One big spectator activity that was high on our bucket list was attending the Lucha Libre crazy masked Mexican wrestling matches. Look, it doesn’t matter if you’re into wrestling or not—I’m definitely not! Lucha Libre is for everyone. Whether you’re a fan of the sport or not, it is an experience that I would unequivocally suggest to anyone visiting Mexico City.
The stadium was wild. Spectators were getting smashed on cerveza, and everyone in attendance had one single thing in common: having a good time. While the fighters were focused on delivering some seriously amazing acrobatics, the ridiculous antics happening inside the ring had us laughing the entire night.
Our One-Week Mexico City Checklist
So what exactly did we get into during our week in the city?
- Lucha Libre: Checked out the hilarious masked wrestling event.
- Mercado San Juan: Our absolute favorite market to wander around and eat with the locals.
- Hipódromo de las Américas Racetrack: You know me, I had to hit up a local horse racing track.
- Soccer Match: We actually never made it to a game, which would have been a blast, but next time for sure.
- Coyoacán Area: Visited on the big day, Sunday, and the whole vibe was incredibly festive.
- Centro Histórico Area: Wandered around the bustling, downtown city center to take in the street action.
- Zona Rosa Area: Hit up the main boulevard, Paseo de la Reforma, which they completely close down to cars on Sundays so everyone can ride bikes.
- La Condesa Area: Our home base where we wandered about daily.
- Polanco Area: Checked out the most upscale, high-end neighborhood in Mexico City.
- Taco Joints: Pretty much ate almost every single meal at the city’s many renowned taco spots.
Big Doug’s Mexico City Taco Guide
We had a bunch more places on our hit list, but we ran out of time despite having a full week. Here are the spots we personally vetted and highly recommend:
La Condesa Area:
- El Tizoncito: They have two locations, but my favorite was definitely the one on Av. Tamaulipas.
- El Huequito: Located right near Chapultepec Park.
- Taqueria El Califa: Solid spot.
- La Güera Tortas de Chilaquiles: A tiny pop-up food cart that serves killer tortas, but they’re only open until noon.
- Tacos Don Juan: Incredible flavor.
- El Auténtico Pato Manila: A unique twist you have to try.
Centro Histórico Area:
- El Huequito: A tiny, legendary streetside stand version.
- El Moro: Not tacos, but they serve up awesome churros. It’s a New Orleans, Cafe du Monde type of experience.
- Mama Chonchas: Delicious.
- El Pescadito: Excellent seafood tacos.
Roma Norte Area:
- Taquería Orinoco: Don’t miss this one.
Wrapping Up 3 Months in Mexico
Our full 3-month journey around Mexico completely exceeded our expectations. I knew when we first began planning this trip that we would love the country because it ticks every single flashpacker box. The greens are good and plentiful, the food is awesome, the dollar is incredibly strong, and the arrachera and al pastor tacos are out of this world. To top it all off, the Mexicans will put tasty melted cheese on absolutely anything your heart desires.
On this trip, we covered a good chunk of the most desirable states in Mexico: Yucatán, Quintana Roo, Nayarit, Jalisco, and Mexico City. T here are definitely states we missed—like Oaxaca and Chiapas—but we will absolutely cover them on our next go-around.
Honestly, Mexico is one of the most festive and colorful countries we have visited during our five years on this around-the-world journey. The locals always seem to find an excuse to celebrate and party, with music seemingly playing around every single corner. It was just so fun living in a culture like that.
We knew going in that there would be a huge language barrier with very little English spoken in the non-touristy parts of the country. But out here, all you really need to know are a few key Spanish words, combined with the customary travel hand gestures and body language. The locals were incredibly patient with our 3-month-old dialect, and we loved every minute of it.
Big Doug & Barbie Drop Out of Society 