My 5 Tips for Mexico City: Easy Advice for Visitors

Last updated: September 6, 2024

I’m going to tell you a few of my best tips for Mexico City.

You’ll learn where to get the best churros, how to find a unique drink, and which museum has the best cafe.

People sent me dozens of restaurants and every single one was like “OMG you must go!”

That really happened to me. I got overwhelmed.

Instead of doing that, I will give you three simple tips for Mexico City that you can do at any time and around any schedule. I’ll also include a basic hotel I liked and one fancy restaurant.

New Tips for 2024

• The Sears department store across the iconic Palacio de Bellas Artes has a cafe on the 8th floor: Finca Don Porfirio with an incredible view. I went at night for maximum beauty. To visit the cafe, enter the Sears Building and take the elevator to the 8th floor. Expect a wait, but the open-air terrace and the view make it worthwhile.
• The single best dish that I’ve eaten has been the tuna tostadas from Contramar. See my video on YouTube Shorts here. You can order them a la carte for 80 pesos each, approx $5 USD.
• The DiDi app for ride share taxis is a bit cheaper than Uber. For example: 180 pesos on Uber, or 130 pesos on DiDi. You might need to pay in cash.
• The Ecobici bike share is amazing but complicated to set up. An annual pass is only USD$10 more than the 3-day pass. I had a very hard time adding my American credit card, so you might not be able to get it to work. But if you can, then having bike access around the city is pretty awesome.

El Moro for The Best Churros

Churros are home in Mexico. Like gelato in Italy or shave ice in Hawaii: churros are local and they are special.

Even if you don’t like churros or sweets, you should still visit an El Moro location once.

Here’s why I recommend it:

• Easy to access– Locations all around the city, open late, line moves fast
• Quality product– The churros were delicious, cheap, and consistent

Here’s what the exterior of their stores look like:

And this is what an individual churro looks like:

Location: several

Price: 10 pesos each

What to order: individual churros are “Pieza de Churros (50g)”

Whenever I’m in Mexico City and I pass by an El Moro, I’ll pop inside and buy a single churro. Try it! See my quick video on YouTube Shorts.

Peñafiel for Salty Sparkling Water

Soda water, La Croix, seltzer, sparkling water: whatever you call it, water with bubbles is good.

But could it be even better? What if you added salt and lime?

Then it might taste like the ghost of a margarita. And that’s exactly what Peñafiel is. It looks like this:

Peñafiel is a Mexican sparkling mineral water seltzer sold in almost every grocery and convenience store. Flavors include lime, cucumber, orange, and more. Make sure you get it with “sal,” or salt.

Location: inside any 7-11, OXXO, Circle K, etc

Price: 20 pesos each

What to order: try the cucumber and lime! You’ll see cucumbers on the bottle and it will say “Con Pepino, Limon y Sal”

See my video on YouTube Shorts about it here, including what to look for in 2023.

The Best Museum in Mexico City

Go to the National Museum of Anthropology, known locally as the Museo Nacional de Antropología or MNA.

But don’t just go to see the artifacts: go to visit the cafe.

The food is incredibly good. Dishes from all over Mexico are served in a stylish setting.

Walk around the museum as I advise in my video: How to Visit a Museum. I filmed that video there!

Then go to the cafe and enjoy a nice meal. Or sample a few platters for your own tasting menu.

A Good Hotel: Marriott Reforma

There are plenty of nice hotels in Mexico City. You can pick whatever you want, really.

I’ve stayed at the St. Regis, Le Meridien, Gran Hotel Ciudad de Mexico (the roof!), CONDESA df, and others.

But if you happen to be a Marriott or Bonvoy loyalist, my favorite value hotel was the Mexico City Marriott Reforma hotel.

Here’s why I liked it:

• Great value– 24,000 Bonvoy points per night
• Good amenities– gym with sauna, steam room, pool
• Excellent lounge– the best lounge with breakfast, snacks, and drinks

I filmed a video tour of my room, the lounge, the gym, sauna, etc.

Best Taco Tour 2024

I recently went to Mexico City for a bachelor’s party. My friends and I went on a taco tour and tried al pastor, suadero, tripe, and more types of tacos.

Fancy Food at Meroma

I hesitate to even list a restaurant. Because you can’t go wrong with just using Google Maps and picking a good restaurant in Mexico City.

But I’ll tell you that I went to Meroma one afternoon and loved it. Cute interior, attentive service, and absolutely delicious (and beautiful) food.

Location: Roma Norte (Google Maps)

Price: I ate many things for around USD$70

What to order: fried baby artichoke

Conclusion

There’s amazing food in Mexico City. It’s also a fun, walkable, safe place to visit.

Be sure to try these things when you visit:

• Churros from El Moro
• a bottle of Peñafiel seltzer with salt and cucumber
• the cafe at the National Museum of Anthropology

I think more Americans should visit Mexico City. And if you’re reading this, you’re probably already going. So good job to you.

You’ll have a great trip!

For more of my Mexico City tips and tricks, check out:

• Mexico City: My Top 3 Must-See Things, an article I wrote in 2017. This one that you’re reading now is better.
• 170 Tips for Mexico City from Influencers. Suggestions sent to me from friends, also from a few years ago.
• How to Visit a Museum [VIDEO]. This is one of my best pieces of content ever! And I filmed it in Mexico City.
• [VIDEO] Mexico City Segway Tour. I’m a sucker for a good bike tour. Or Segway, I guess.
• Gran Hotel Ciudad de Mexico-Mexico City. The hotel is a bit dated, but the stained glass roof can’t be beat.
• [VIDEO] San Miguel de Allende. This place is a few hours outside of Mexico City.

I can’t believe that Mexico City is only a two hour flight from Austin. I should go back again soon! Email me if you want to plan a group trip there and maybe we’ll do it with friends.