5 Best Places I Ate at in CDMX

Hi, friends! It’s been a little while since I’ve written here and I’ve missed you. When I told Joy I was heading to Mexico City she invited me to share the 5 best places I ate, and I couldn’t say no. I don’t know how to condense this experience into an essay. How do you describe the feeling of doing something new, with friends you love, and it being the most perfect experience of your life? Well, I should start at the beginning.

For it being my first time out of the country I wanted to accomplish two things: to immerse myself in the culture, and be respectful and grateful to that culture. I cannot adopt Mexico as my own heritage simply because I don’t know where my ancestry lay beyond the United States. To be honest, I’m jealous of people that can trace their ancestry to a point of origin. It’s a beautiful privilege. (If you’re wondering why I haven’t taken an ancestry DNA test, I’ll borrow my friend Courtney’s reason. You will not falsely pin the murder of Jon-Benet Ramsey on me because you now have my DNA. It’s tin-foil hat reasoning, but I stand by it!) My friends and I have always wanted to take an international trip and somehow we got the dates down and bought plane tickets. Coordinating 4 adults for a girl’s trip?! I know you understand how difficult that is. A feat of Olympic measure, dang near.

Simply put, Mexico City is incredibly beautiful, filled with the best food, and the nicest people. I put my 6 years of Spanish classes to good use, and it turns out I’m fairly proficient! It’s my dream to be fluent in Spanish, selfishly because I love chisme (gossip), but also because it broadens my reach to communicate and help others. The architecture in CDMX is beyond breathtaking, going to the boats at Xochimilco made me cry, and visiting the Basílica de Guadalupe is a spiritual experience I cannot put into words. Honestly, I could talk about my experience for days if you let me, but I’ll stick to the highlights – the food, of course! Let’s get into it.

5 Best Places I Ate At in CDMX

• PUJOL (Polanco) – If the name of this restaurant sounds familiar, perhaps you’ve seen Chef Olvera’s episode of Chef’s Table on Netflix. Maybe you’re aware it’s the one of top 10 rated restaurants in the world (you know, casually the planet). Pujol (pronounced pu-yohl) is an experience not to be missed. It is thoughtful and intentional – every decision from the building design to the food and its presentation is detailed down to a molecular level. They merge natural elements with modern design to make you comfortable, the service staff is friendly (and SUPER hot, if we’re being honest) and put you at ease with combinations you won’t encounter anywhere else. The food is all at once familiar, comforting, and bursts the boundaries of your imagination. They gave tasting notes for every dish, instructing on how to optimize the experience. For example, my favorite dish was a gently charred piece of octopus on top of a bed of mashed potatoes and chorizo, gently wrapped in a cabbage leaf. Their suggestion? Make it into a taco, the tortilla made of hoja santa (a type of leaf). Yes, I cried. And the mole – my goodness – aged for 10 years when we arrived, will make you sit back in your seat silently – truly, a holy experience.

• JENNI’S QUESADILLAS (Roma Norte) – the street vendors are the best restaurants, full stop.  Run by matriarch Jenni, her hands knew how to make the most perfect food. Simplistic in its approach, Jenni understands taking one thing and perfecting it. Her quesadillas filled with queso Oaxaca, chicharrón, and salsa will make you want to lay on the sidewalk and weep.

• MARISQUERÍA SAN JUAN (Cuahutémoc) – the Mercado de San Juan is one of many indoor markets containing fresh fish, meat, fruits and juices, and restaurants. While navigating the mercado, we encountered a family, abuelas included, sitting at the Marisquería and instantly knew this was the place to stop. The abuelas be knowin. The tostada I had contained the freshest, most tender shrimp – jewels of the gulf delivered on a plate.

• PANADERÍA ROSETTA (Roma Norte) – heaven, folded and laminated into dough, baked then consumed. The two baked goods I still think about are the rol de canela (cinnamon roll) and a guava and ricotta roll. I brought two back with me and I’m sad I didn’t bring sixty. We visited twice, and it wasn’t enough. Also, I ran into Melora Hardin (Jan from The Office!) at the bakery and casually chatted her up about her shoes. All in a day’s work, you know?

• CHILAKILLERS (Condesa/San Miguel) – simple but huge portions, including a torta piled high with chilaquiles and skirt steak the size of several faces merged together. They also had the best café de olla out of any place we visited. It’s the type of breakfast food that leaves you full all day, and so, so happy.

Y’all. Check my outfits – I killed it. Trade secret? I rented a lot of my clothes from Nuuly, especially that green Selkie dress that made me feel like a princess. Here’s a coupon for 20 bucks off because it is my civic duty.

I’d say my first trip out of the country was a success, and I cannot wait to experience more. A fire has been lit and can’t be put out! Traveling and writing is my dream, so the important question is, where to next? (Also, who is paying for it?)