2. Roma, Condesa and Juárez
Walking tour: one way, about 4.1 km (2½ miles) or 55 minutes of walking without stops. Take an Uber to Plaza Citlaltépetl in Condesa and walk up Avenida Ámsterdam to Parque México, then past Plaza Popocatépetl and Plaza de la Cibeles into Roma to Plaza Río de Janeiro and Plaza Luis Cabrera. It ends on Avenida Álvaro Obregón at Jardín Pushkin, where you can get a cab home.
Map key: 1Plaza Citlaltépetl · 2Avenida Ámsterdam & Michoacán · 3Parque México · 4Foro Lindbergh & Fuente de los Cántaros · 5Edificio Basurto · 6Plaza Popocatépetl · 7Plaza de la Cibeles · 8Plaza Río de Janeiro · 9Casa de las Brujas · 10Plaza Luis Cabrera · 11Jardín Pushkin & Avenida Álvaro Obregón
Coffee: 12Boicot · 13Café Tormenta · 141516Café Toscano · 17Dosis · 18Eno · 19La Ventanita · 20Maque · 21Quentin
Bakeries: 2226El Moro · 23La Boheme · 24La Puerta Abierta · 25Panadería Rosetta
Edificio Lux, an art deco apartment building in Condesa
Condesa
Condesa was, in the early 2000s, the gentrifying neighborhood. Built in the 1920’s, it has a Central European feel, full of art deco houses, streets with shady, tree-lined medians, and two parks. 3Parque Mexico is the nicer one, where everyone goes to walk their dog. Condesa now feels simply upscale, though not so much as Polanco.
2Go for a walk along the 2km-long tree-lined median of Avenida Amsterdam. As it’s an oval shape, you’ll wind up where you started
3Chill or watch the dogs in Parque Mexico
5Across from the park, look at the Edificio Basurto (Av. México 187), a 14-story apartment tower built in 1940–45 by Francisco J. Serrano, and the emblem of Condesa. If the door is open, peek at the famous spiral staircase from the lobby, but be discreet: people live there
4In the park, the Foro Lindbergh, an art deco open-air theater from 1927, and facing it across Michoacán the Fuente de los Cántaros: a big nude woman with a water jug under each arm. The model was Luz Jiménez, the Nahua woman who also posed for Diego Rivera
An ironwork gate in Condesa
Roma
Roma borders Condesa on the east and is older, founded around 1900 and full of elegant French-style mansions. The area declined when the rich moved further west to Polanco in the 1950s, and became a mix of offices and tenements. Around 2010 the area started to gentrify, and today it is the city’s most eclectic mix, everything from tenements to Michelin-starred restaurants.
Pasaje El Parián (1926), Álvaro Obregón 130, Roma
Avenida Alvaro Obregon has a pedestrian median lined with fountains. Many good restaurants, also trendy cocktail bars like Licorería Limantour, a regular on the world’s-best-bars lists. Lively at night between Jalapa and Frontera streets.
Squares and spots worth a stroll:
1Plaza Citlaltépetl – another round plaza with a fountain, on the south side of the Ámsterdam oval
3Parque México – laid out in 1927 on the old racetrack (hence Hipódromo), with a duck pond and half the dogs of Condesa
6Plaza Popocatépetl – a little round plaza on the Ámsterdam oval with an art deco fountain in the middle
7Plaza de la Cibeles – a copy of Madrid’s Cibeles fountain, a gift from Madrid in 1980
8Plaza Río de Janeiro – a copy of Michelangelo’s David in the fountain
9The Casa de las Brujas (Witches’ House), officially the Edificio Río de Janeiro, on the plaza at the corner of Durango and Orizaba. A red-brick apartment building from 1908 by the British architect R. A. Pigeon, built as a luxury hotel; Francisco J. Serrano, of the Edificio Basurto, redid the inside in art deco in 1942. The pointed roof and two blind windows make a witch’s face, and legend says the healer Pachita lived here. It’s private apartments, so enjoy it from the plaza
The Brick Hotel (Orizaba 95), a Porfirian mansion of yellow brick brought from England, built for Sir William Newbold of the Bank of London and Mexico. Álvaro Obregón bought it in 1919 but was murdered in 1928 before he moved in. It was later a brothel and then a locksmith’s shop before it became a hotel (history). Just east, on the corner of Colima and Orizaba, is another Porfirian mansion, Colima 168, now the restaurant Blanco Colima
10Plaza Luis Cabrera – a shady square with fountains and café tables, a block south of Álvaro Obregón
11Avenida Álvaro Obregón, from Plaza Luis Cabrera east to Jardín Pushkin
One of the fountains of Avenida Álvaro Obregón
Juárez
Juárez is now a cool neighborhood in its own right. We still think Roma is the most interesting neighborhood for its turn-of-the-20th-century villas turned into hip restaurants. And of course the heart of the city and country, the Centro Histórico!
Where to eat in Roma, Condesa & Juárez
Places recognized by outside guides are marked in brackets – see the key.
My favorites in Roma
19*MÁXIMO · website · Michelin 1 star · 50 Best #30 · Dua Lipa’s list
Michelin-starred, so book ahead on OpenTable, lunch or dinner. Closed Sundays.
23*SARTORIA · Orizaba 42 · website · Michelin selected
The best modern Italian in the city. Book on OpenTable.
9*LALO! · website · Eater 38
In our building: an osteria with fresh pasta and Roman-style pizza, from Eduardo “Lalo” García, the chef of Máximo. Opens at 1 PM, closed Tuesdays.
Three old houses in Roma
5*HUSET · Colima 256 · website
Our favorite: modern international cooking with a Mexican flair, in the courtyard of an old Roma house.
22Rosetta · Colima 166 · website · Michelin 1 star · 50 Best #39
Italian, but with a definite Roma flair, in an old house. Very popular with the New York crowd, not especially Mexican. Michelin-starred, so book well ahead.
10Casa Virginia · Monterrey 116
A similar option as a backup. All three are on OpenTable.
Traditional Mexican
13Fonda Fina · Medellín 79 near Plaza Cibeles · website
An upscale “fonda”, a sort of bistro, with depth and an amazing chef’s touch. In northwest Roma near Plaza Cibeles.
Bistro style
26Yakumanka · Guanajuato 138 · website
A Peruvian-Japanese bistro near our house, by the most famous Peruvian chef, who founded Astrid & Gastón.
17*MI COMPA CHAVA · Zacatecas 172 · website
Sinaloa beach-style mariscos with incredible energy, right across the street from our house. Show up early, at 1:30 for comida, to grab a table, or try around 7 PM (open noon – 8 PM, closed Mondays).
Casual tacos
29*EL CALIFA · Álvaro Obregón 174, corner of Tonalá · website
Casual tacos in a trendy setting, with several branches; ours is on Álvaro Obregón at Tonalá. No reservations and almost always a table. Open noon to 3:30 AM every day. A lot of locals laugh at us for liking it, because there are places with “better” tacos, and it’s for upper-middle-class people, the kind who live in Polanco or Lomas.
Roma
Roma Norte west of Insurgentes, around the Cibeles fountain, is listed with Condesa below.
Restaurants
8Broka · Zacatecas 126 · website
Courtyard dining, closed Tuesdays.
11Campobaja · Colima 124-E · website · Michelin selected
Baja California-style seafood, raw bar and tostadas.
10Casa Virginia · Monterrey 116
Chef-driven, in an old house.
6El Tigre Silencioso · Colima 159 · website · Michelin selected · Time Out
Creative regional Mexican small plates in a 1914 mansion.
2Em · Tonalá 133 · website · Michelin 1 star · 50 Best #71 · Dua Lipa’s list
Tasting menu of Mexican cooking with Japanese fermentation techniques.
1Expendio de Maíz · Av. Yucatán 84 · website · Michelin 1 star
No menu: corn-centred dishes from the comal, as the kitchen decides.
3Fugaz · Cerrada de Orizaba 3B · Instagram · Michelin Bib Gourmand · Eater 38
Mediterranean-Mexican small plates.
7Galanga Thai House · Monterrey 204 near Chiapas · website · Michelin Bib Gourmand
Extraordinary Thai. The chef, Somsri Raksamran (Ana to her customers), is from southern Thailand. Her husband, Eleazar Ángeles, worked for chef Eduardo “Lalo” García of Máximo. The two of them grow their own Thai herbs, kaffir lime and galangal on a farm in Hidalgo, and they run the two places below as well. Review: Time Out México.
Kiin Thai-Viet Eatery · Orizaba 219 at Coahuila
Somsri’s street food from Thailand and Vietnam, a few blocks from Galanga: charcoal-grilled skewers, pho, bún chả and bánh mì, with organic and biodynamic wines picked by Eleazar. Review: Good Food Mexico · Chilango.
Somsaa · Orizaba 219, next door to Kiin · reservations
Somsri’s Southeast Asian tea house in an old mansion. Tea cocktails, duck with an Earl Grey sauce, chilli crab, and an afternoon tea with sparkling wine. Her sister Pui makes the desserts. Review: Time Out México · Food & Pleasure.
5*HUSET · Colima 256 · website
Modern international with a Mexican flair, in the courtyard of an old Roma house.
4La Docena · Álvaro Obregón 31 · website
Oysters and seafood, lively.
9*LALO! · website · Eater 38
Zacatecas 173 – osteria by Eduardo “Lalo” García of Máximo: fresh pasta and Roman-style pizza. Opens at 1 PM, closed Tuesdays.
12Lina · Av. Yucatán 147 · website · Michelin selected · Time Out · Eater 38
Mariana Villegas’s modern Mexican; tuna crudo, mole coloradito.
13Lotti · Colima 235 · website · Michelin selected · Eater 38
Swiss-Mexican tasting menu in a former house.
14Macelleria · Orizaba 127 · website
Italian.
15Martínez · Puebla 90 · website · Michelin selected
Bistro plates; grilled chicken, steak frites.
16Meroma · Colima 150 · website · Michelin selected
Seasonal contemporary menu, long wine list.
17*MI COMPA CHAVA · Zacatecas 172 · website
Sinaloa beach-style mariscos with incredible energy; 12 noon – 8 PM, closed Mondays.
18Migrante · Chiapas 186 · website · Michelin selected
Fernando Martínez’s cooking on migration and Mexican roots.
19*MÁXIMO · website · Michelin 1 star · 50 Best #30 · Dua Lipa’s list
Álvaro Obregón 65 Bis – Lalo García’s market-driven menu. Book ahead on OpenTable; closed Sundays.
20Pargot · Córdoba 212 · website · Michelin Bib Gourmand
Straightforward modern Mexican at moderate prices.
21Roselle · Chiapas 122 · Time Out
Homemade pasta and sourdough pizza.
22Rosetta · Colima 166 · website · Michelin 1 star · 50 Best #39
Italian with a definite Mexico City flair in an old house; book well ahead.
23*SARTORIA · Orizaba 42 · website · Michelin selected
Best modern Italian in the city.
24Ultramarinos Demar · Mérida 21 · website · Michelin Bib Gourmand · Time Out · Eater 38
Seafood bar and fish counter.
25Vigneron · Jalapa 181 · website · Michelin Bib Gourmand
Wine bar with a big cellar and very good food.
26Yakumanka · Guanajuato 138 · website
Peruvian-Japanese bistro by Gastón Acurio of Astrid & Gastón.
Not on the map:
Sarde · Puebla, Roma Norte · website · Eater 38
Food from Corsica and Sardinia.
Kill Bill · Orizaba 39B · website · Eater 38
Omakase counter.
The Lamb · Tabasco 156 · Instagram · Eater 38
European cooking, lamb and fish, in a small dining room.
Bartola · Tabasco 189 · Instagram · Eater 38
Italian-inspired, chef Armando Acosta.
Cursi · Chihuahua 78 · Instagram · Eater 38
Steaks, vegetables and cocktails.
Propio · Álvaro Obregón 182 · Instagram · Eater 38
Mexican cooking, with its own bread and pork.
Piquette Brasserie · Zacatecas 87 · Instagram · Eater 38
A French brasserie with good wine.
Voraz · Aguascalientes 93, Roma Sur · Instagram · Eater 38
Small plates and cocktails in Roma Sur.
Tacos & casual
27Barbacoa Gonzalitos · Colima 71 · Instagram · Michelin selected
Monterrey-style barbacoa tacos.
28Cariñito Tacos · Guanajuato 53 · Instagram · Michelin selected
Tacos with Southeast Asian flavors.
29*EL CALIFA · Álvaro Obregón 174, corner of Tonalá · website
Tacos in a first-world trendy setting, noon to 3:30 AM every day.
30El Habanerito · Frontera 177
Some of the best Yucatecan food in town. Try the cochinita pibil tacos.
32La 89 · Colima 134 · Michelin Bib Gourmand
Baja street food: Ensenada and Tijuana-style tacos, birria.
33Tacos del Valle · Álvaro Obregón 130 · website · Michelin Bib Gourmand · Dua Lipa’s list
Northern-style tacos.
34Tacos Los Alexis · Chiapas 46 · website · Michelin Bib Gourmand
Asada on flour tortillas, cheese-crust costra.
35Taquería El Jarocho · Tapachula 94 · Michelin Bib Gourmand
Campechano with chicharrón.
Not on the map:
El Tigrillo · Colima 159 · website · Eater 38
Norteño food: flour tortillas, burritos.
Los Pacientes · Dr. J. Navarro 217, Doctores · Instagram · Eater 38
A new taquería in Doctores, just east of Roma.
La Once Mil · Orizaba 83 (also Lomas) · Instagram · Eater 38
Tacos al pastor and carnitas; the Lomas original has a Michelin star.
Coffee, bakeries & snacks
12Boicot · Jalapa 99
French press, Chemex, homemade Argentinian pastries.
13Café Tormenta · corner of Puebla and Mérida · Dua Lipa’s list
A street coffee stand with Mexican-inspired drinks and pastries; try their own sodas. Wed–Sat mornings and afternoons. Review: Local.mx.
1415Café Toscano · Instagram
Plaza Río de Janeiro and Plaza Luis Cabrera – best espresso.
17Dosis · Álvaro Obregón 24A
Coffee, with pastries from its own bakery.
21Quentin · Álvaro Obregón 64 · Instagram
Specialty coffee and pastries.
18Eno · Chihuahua 139 at Jalapa · website
Breakfasts, salads and sandwiches by Pujol’s Enrique Olvera.
26El Moro · Frontera 122 · website
Churros and chocolate.
23La Boheme · Querétaro 219, next to Mercado Roma
Amazing pains au chocolat and almond croissants.
24La Puerta Abierta · Colima 226
French bakery, run by a Frenchman, ’nuff said.
25Panadería Rosetta · Colima 179 near Orizaba (also on Havre, Juárez) · website
The bakery for Rosetta; breakfasts and sandwiches at a crowded counter.
Not on the map: Roma Sur
Taquería Los Parados · Monterrey 333, Roma Sur · website · Michelin selected
Standing room, charcoal-grilled tacos.
Condesa + Cibeles
Restaurants
8Aleli Rooftop · Sinaloa 141 · website · Michelin Bib Gourmand
Rice dishes and Spanish-style plates on the roof above Lorea.
11Alfil · Sonora 57 · website · Time Out
Levantine dishes with Mexican ingredients, e.g. falafel and arrachera kebab.
10Bajel · Reforma 297, in the Sofitel · website · Michelin selected
Veracruz and Gulf Coast cooking.
6Baldío · Antonio Sola 26 · website · Michelin selected · Eater 38
Seasonal, farm-sourced cooking.
2Bella Aurora · Puebla 242 · website · Michelin selected
Modern Italian; fried gnocchi with prosciutto, oxtail ragù.
1Botánico · Alfonso Reyes 217 · website · Michelin selected
Modern Mexican with seafood.
3Castacán · Puebla 387 · Instagram · Michelin selected · Eater 38
Cooking from Tabasco.
7Contramar · Durango 200, near Plaza Cibeles · website · Michelin Bib Gourmand · Dua Lipa’s list
Gabriela Cámara’s lunch spot for tuna tostadas and pescado a la talla; politicians and TV stars, plain decoration and I think way overrated – I prefer Fisher’s.
5De Mar a Mar · Niza 13
Seafood, menu by Lalo García of Máximo; good for lunch.
4Esquina Común · Fernando Montes de Oca 86 · Instagram · Michelin 1 star
Seafood-leaning Mexican tasting menu.
9Filigrana · Av. Veracruz 62 · website · Michelin Bib Gourmand
Martha Ortiz’s more casual Mexican cooking; mole, beef tongue, coconut flan.
12Fisher’s · Durango 197 near Plaza Cibeles · website
Non-trendy, solid, lively large seafood place.
13Fonda Fina · Medellín 79 near Plaza Cibeles · website
Upscale traditional Mexican with an amazing chef’s touch (see my favorites)
14Gaba · Av. Mazatlán 190 · Instagram · Michelin 1 star · Eater 38
Gabrielle LeGuerrier’s personal cooking.
15Galea · Sinaloa 67 · website · Michelin Bib Gourmand
Italian trattoria cooking with handmade pasta.
16Hugo · Av. Veracruz 38 · website · Michelin selected
Wine bar with bistro plates.
17Jowong · Pachuca 51 · website · Michelin Bib Gourmand · Eater 38
Korean with Mexican touches.
18La Capital · Nuevo León 137
Sleek, hip, almost club-like, with high-quality Mexican favorites (tacos, grilled meats)
19La Cocina del Bizco · Ometusco 1 · Time Out
Spanish tavern: tortilla de patatas, rice dishes, Basque cheesecake.
20La Ostra · Nuevo León 109 below Michoacán
Cheaper, lively and fun seafood when in Condesa.
21Lorea · Sinaloa 141 · website · Michelin selected
Oswaldo Oliva’s tasting menu with Basque technique.
22Maleza · Cuernavaca 4, Casa Cuenca hotel · website · Time Out
European technique with organic Mexican produce.
23Merotoro · Ámsterdam 204 · website · Michelin selected
Jair Téllez’s Baja-influenced seafood and meat.
24Mexsi Bocu · Durango 359
Bistro and cantina.
25Piazza Pasticcio · Praga 33 · website · Time Out
Open-air Italian with a pasta workshop and grocery.
26Plonk · Iztaccíhuatl 52 · website · Michelin Bib Gourmand
Natural-wine bar with Asian-Mexican small plates.
27Roldán 37 · Cozumel 22
Roma branch of the Centro classic; chiles en nogada in season.
28St. Regis hotel restaurants – pricey but excellent and not old school
29Xuna · Valladolid 96 · website · Michelin selected · Eater 38
Contemporary Mexican; frozen aguachile, marrow tacos.
Not on the map:
Magazzino · Pachuca 51, Condesa · Instagram · Eater 38
Italian, omakase-style.
Gia · Aguascalientes 237, Hipódromo · website · Eater 38
Italian bistro.
Tacos & casual
30Comal Oculto · Gral. Gómez Pedraza 37, San Miguel Chapultepec, just west of Condesa · Michelin Bib Gourmand
Comal quesadillas, tlacoyos and antojitos.
31El Califa · Altata 22 at Alfonso Reyes · website
The Condesa branch.
32El Califa · Paseo de la Reforma 382 · website
34El Pialadero de Guadalajara · Hamburgo 332 at Lieja · website
Tortas ahogadas, Guadalajara’s “drowned sandwiches”
35La Generala · Álvaro Obregón 272
Comida corrida, simple Mexican set lunches for about 100–150 pesos (~5.50–8 USD)
36Maizajo · Fernando Montes de Oca 113 · website · Michelin selected · Time Out
Heirloom-corn tortillería and taco bar.
37Molino El Pujol · Benjamín Hill 146 · website · Michelin Bib Gourmand
Olvera’s corn mill: tacos, tamales and tortillas.
38Tacos Hola El Güero · Ámsterdam 135 · Michelin selected
Tacos de guisado.
Not on the map:
La Americana · Iztaccíhuatl 36, Hipódromo · Instagram · Eater 38
Sandwiches and wine.
Coffee, bakeries & snacks
16Café Toscano · Michoacán 30 at Ámsterdam, east side of Parque México · Instagram
Best espresso.
19La Ventanita · Plaza de la Cibeles 13
Coffee window on the plaza.
20Maque · Ozuluama 4, on Parque México
Traditional Mexican breakfast (eggs in sauce, chilaquiles, enchiladas), super crowded.
43Ojo de Agua · website
Condesa and other hip neighborhoods – healthy grill, sandwiches, breakfasts and juices.
40Frutos Prohibidos · Ámsterdam 244 (also Toledo, Juárez) · website
Juices.
22El Moro · Michoacán 27 at Ámsterdam · website
Churros and chocolate.
Juárez
East of Insurgentes, not on the map.
Cana · Liverpool 9 · website · Michelin selected
Global bistro dishes on Mexican produce.
Suppli · Bucareli 69 · Instagram · Time Out
Roman trattoria: supplì, fresh pasta, carbonara.
Not on the map:
El Distrito Fresco · Av. de la República 157, Tabacalera · OpenTable · Eater 38
On the Monumento a la Revolución plaza, playing on nostalgia for the old Distrito Federal.
El Minutito · Londres 28, Juárez · Instagram · Eater 38
Italian-style coffee bar by day, wine bar at night.
Taller de Ostiones by FISM · Versalles 113, Juárez · Instagram · Eater 38
Seafood only: oysters and fish from Baja California.
Taverna · General Prim 34, Juárez · website · Eater 38
In a restored 1906 townhouse.
Also
Cielito Querido · website
Michoacán, and many other locations – local coffee chain.
Where to stay in Roma & Condesa
Upscale hotels only. Prices are approximate, per night for a standard room before taxes. Ratings are from Tripadvisor (out of 5, with the number of reviews). A Michelin Key is Michelin’s hotel award.
Roma Norte
Ignacia Guest House · Instagram · Jalapa 208 · ~410–740 USD · 4.5/5 on Tripadvisor (65) · Michelin Key
Nima Local House · Instagram · Colima 236 · ~600–1,180 USD · 4.9/5 on Tripadvisor (372) · Michelin Key
Brick Hotel · Instagram · Orizaba 95 · ~390–900 USD · 4.4/5 on Tripadvisor (196) · Michelin Key
Casona Roma Norte · Instagram · Durango 280 · ~330–570 USD · 4.0/5 on Tripadvisor (302) · Michelin Key
Colima 71 · Instagram · Colima 71 · ~680–1,940 USD · 4.8/5 on Tripadvisor (54) · Michelin Key
La Valise · Instagram · Tonalá 53 · ~690–1,900 USD · 4.9/5 on Tripadvisor (393) · Michelin Key
Maison Celeste · Yucatán 96 · ~340–510 USD · 4.3/5 on Tripadvisor (6) · Michelin Key
Casa Goliana · Instagram · Guanajuato 199 · ~440–630 USD · 4.8/5 on Tripadvisor (252)
Condesa
Condesa DF · Av. Veracruz 102 · ~460–760 USD · 3.5/5 on Tripadvisor (560)
The Red Tree House · Instagram · Culiacán 6 · ~280–540 USD · 5.0/5 on Tripadvisor (1,378)
Octavia Casa · Av. Amatlán 126 · ~370–710 USD · 4.7/5 on Tripadvisor (42) · Michelin Key
Andaz Condesa · Aguascalientes 158 · ~320–1,060 USD · 4.3/5 on Tripadvisor (422)
Mondrian Condesa · Instagram · Aguascalientes 156 · ~200–430 USD · 4.5/5 on Tripadvisor (673)