Art and Street Tacos in Mexico D.F.

If I was given one word to describe my 5-day visit to Mexico D.F. (Distrito Federal), the official name for Mexico City, I would say “surprising.” And it was a pleasant surprise. I guess I assumed it would be similar to Quito: dirty, dangerous, crowded, and not very pretty in the main tourist areas. Yep, it’s dirty. I think my feet still have dirt on them from walking in flip-flops or my Keen sandals. And yes, there was a lot of smog, which I only noticed when I got out of the city and could see it. But it wasn’t so dangerous and not too crowded. And the neighborhoods I saw were actually very clean and pretty. The big surprises were the quality and volume of art galleries and museums in the city and most of them completely free of charge and the tasty street food you could buy for minimal pesos.

I stayed in the Roma neighborhood which is snuggled between Zona Rosa, the hipper touristy destination with the trendy restaurants, bars, and shopping, and Condesa, a less crowded but chic area with fine dining, nice parks, and more of a residential feel. This was a lucky decision because the Roma neighborhood was quiet and safe and filled with trendy boutique shops and excellent independent contemporary art galleries, which I spent the majority of my time in Mexico City exploring.  I saw at least 10 galleries in four days (not including the day trip to the pyramids at Teotihuacan.  I was there and also took a day trip to the pyramids at Teotihuacan.  Even though the public transportation system (metro and city buses) was very easy and cheap to use, I did a lot of walking because that’s my preferred way to explore a city. And I felt safe walking in this city, even at night in the neighborhoods I mentioned above. And walking was the best way to check out all of the great street food.

There was so many street vendors it was amazing the market could support them all, but they are constantly busy with people either taking a break to enjoy their meal at a makeshift dining area around the cart or getting a quick bite and carrying it down the street. You certainly will never starve in Mexico City for lack of food options. The food in Mexico is very different from the food I’ve experienced in Central and South America. I typically couldn’t read the menus posted on the food carts because they mostly contained words I’d never seen before. But the safe bet is always tacos. They are delicious and there are several variations depending on the type of meat and toppings you want.  Tacos al Pastor is one of the basics, and it’s impossible to miss.  Just look for the vertical rotisserie with marinated pork and a pineapple on the top.  What makes this so great is the various toppings and salsas you can choose depending on the place you are.  I was warned to always say, “no picante,” or spoon a little of the hot sauce on the side to taste it first. That stuff is lethal, but it does have incredible flavor.  Definitely try it.  I was told by other world travelers I met that the picante of Mexico is 2nd to only Thailand. The street food was not all tacos.  I had a green tortilla (not moldy, made with maiz azul, which is actually green not blue).  This friendly woman (pictured right) actually made the tortilla out of a paste-like corn mixture right in front of me and then grilled it with delicious mushrooms and cheese melted inside.  I wasn’t in Mexico City long enough to try many things, but check out this website for more info on the different types of food.

I also discovered from talking to other travelers and the trusty internet that Mexico City also has some of the best fine dining in the world. Of course, my meager budget did not allow me to indulge, but I was impressed by the décor and menus of the fancy restaurants as I walked by on my way to having a $2.00 taco dinner.  But the great thing was you could find restaurants serving fancier tacos and still only pay $5 for your tacos and a beer.

Check out the Mexico Travel Tips page for my tips on visiting this dynamic capital city, including my favorite art galleries and food and how to do Mexico City on a budget.

Click here to see photos of Mexico City.