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With our quickly looming trip to Portland, Oregon this coming weekend, I figure it was about time that I post some of the delicious food we ate on our previous trip to Mexico City. I had separated the topic of where to eat in Mexico City from the Coffee Shops in Mexico City just because there were way too many pictures to bombard you guys with. Going forward, I think the city travel posts will be more similar to our tour guide made for A Day in San Francisco. With that, enjoy the following photos, and possible give them a visit if you’re ever en la Ciudad de Mexico!

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Not worth the time.

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Good, but ordinary.

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Great. Worth a visit.

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Exceptional. A must-do experience.

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Frugal friendly

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Reasonable

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Pricey

Pehua

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Pehua was the first restaurant we ate at once we landed in CDMX. We barely had time to Uber our way to our AirBNB, before we had to make our way to Pehua, located in Condesa, CDMX, for our reservation. I remember it well. The city had beautiful skies, we had hungry stomachs, and a thirst to get out there and start exploring. Sometime between when we were seated and after we had devoured all the food that you see below, it started to rain. We didn’t even realize that it was pouring outside until our waitress kindly asked us if we wanted them to call a cab for us. The cozy couch seating and delicious food had distracted us from the world outside, and gave us a wonderful introduction of the food yet to come. I would say definitely visit this place if you have extra time. Off course, the city is teeming with top restaurants in the world, which take their place in line somewhere ahead of this one. But still, you won’t be disappointed eating here.

Esquites de criollo Corn, Chili Mayonnaise, Watercress, Cotija Cheese, Chile Atole

Tamal with Chicken, Mole, Cheese, and Cream

Pork Cheek, Pineapple, Habanero Pepper, Red Onion, Cilantro

Maximo Bistrot

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Maximo Bistrot ranks #39 in Latin America’s Top 50 Restaurants and is located in Roma, CDMX. Chef Eduardo García and his wife Gabriela set up Maximo Bistrot to showcase fresh produce from in and around Mexico City. Up to two thirds of the ingredients come from local farms, including the famed floating gardens of Xochimilco in the city. Such is their commitment to local production that everything from the furniture to the serviettes is also fair trade, sustainable and local. Aside from all these admirable qualities, the food is excellent, and was second only to Pujol (see below). We decided to go with the Degustacion menu (tasting menu), wherein the chef decides what to bring out for you on that day. I loved leaving the decisions entirely to the chef, since choosing what to eat is always such a struggle for me. Plus, I continually had a surprise to look forward to! Because everything was determined by the chef, I cannot tell you what is in the food, nor can I promise that you will be able to try it when you visit yourself. Just know that everything is AMAZING here and you cannot go wrong with the tasting menu.

This was the most amazing ceviche I have ever had.

A simple fish served with jalapenos and cauliflower. I was scraping the mustardy emulsion to the right with my fork.

Delicious pork, but interestingly enough, even more delicious are the caramelized carrots!

If I can guarantee that I will get this same dessert, I would go back every day. This is the best dessert I have ever had. It’s a chocolate cake with scoops of different types of ice cream and with berries and edible flowers. Delectable, melt-in-your-mouth goodness that I can’t describe.

Los Danzantes

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The neighborhood of Coyoacan surprised it. It was by far my most favorite neighborhood to visit. If I had a do-over, I would opt to stay at an AirBNB in this area, despite how distant it is from the City Centre. Walking around the streets of Coyoacan was so relaxing, and there were tons of beautiful things to see! When noon hit, we were ready for some food. Los Danzantes had good yelp reviews and was recommended by our host, so we decided to eat there. The food was fairly priced and they had a huge selection of things to eat. The ambiance was great; outdoor seating on a patio in the middle of a beautiful park as musicians stroll by and stop in front of the restaurant to play for the diners. When the sun got too hot, a shade was rolled out over the patio, hence the dark photos provided here. I only gave it this rating because, while the food selection was great, it was pretty ordinary. Plus, the food was quite heavy, which I have tried to avoid in most recent years. That doesn’t take away from the taste, and I still think people should try this if they are in the area!

Pork tacos. Sooo heavy! It doesn’t look like a lot, but it was difficult to finish.

This restaurant is known for their mole! They have many types of moles originating from different parts of Mexico. These are enchiladas that Mike ordered that was bathed in two types of mole.

Pujol

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Pujol by Enrique Olvera is listed as the world top 20 restaurant in the world. The truth is that after we saw Pujol on Chef’s Table, we just knew we had to go to Mexico City. With the help of the Drift magazine that was released earlier this year highlighting the coffee scene in CDMX, the decision was pretty much a done deal. Pujol remains our top dining experience thus far. I placed three dollar signs because it is pricey, but for U.S. standards, it is not impossible to save money to eat here. The price per person sits below $100, and is very affordable for a top 50 restaurant. The food and the experience is worth every penny.

There are six courses, with four options for most courses. Since there were two of us, we got to try an array of amazing food!

I broke my alcohol purge (temporarily) in order to drink mezcal with Mike. When in Mexico City…

Baby Corn with Chicatana Ant Dusting: This dish was featured on Chef’s Table. In the episode, Enrique Olvera describes how he defines rare ingredients. The sauce on this corn was made with chicatana ants, a species that flies after the first rain of every year in Oaxaca. The fact that it is time-specific, location-specific, and is only present 1-2 days a year makes this a true delicacy. It was served as part of the street snacks.

Paired with the baby corn was this playful bite of a gordita topped with a tomato based meat and vegetable pancake.

Baby Corn with Chicatana Ant Dusting. The Chicatana Ants taste ridiculously delicious. I would be willing to dust everything I eat from now on with the stuff.

Octopus, Habanero Ink, Ayocote, Veracruzana Sauce: First time trying octopus! Was not disappointed.

Chayote Squash Slices, Pico de Gallo, Edible Flowers: This was extremely amazing and between this and the octopus, this beats the competition by a mile!

Charred Eggplant Tamale, Chard. There is an unabashedly smokey flavor with this one!

Cauliflower, Almond Salsa Macha, Chile de Arbol: I almost want to say that this was the best part of the meal (or at least, it ties with the mole). I think Mikey would agree with me on this one. To be honest, I think he regrets getting the chard tamale 😉

Grilled Fish, Pine Nuts, Fennel: Extremely filling. I actually did not finish the entire thing in anticipation of the mole.

Lamb, Mint Mole, Lime, Baby Potato: This was Mike’s main dish, which I did not try but I remember him eating the entire thing pretty quickly.

I was scraping the mole clean off the plate. This was as good as the hype!

A really awful shot of Cafe de Olla and a palate cleanser that tasted like bell peppers! We knew we had to try Cafe de Olla after reading about this common cinnamon coffee in the Drift magazine.

12 hour Roasted Pineapple, Molasses, Cilantro ice cream

Anise Inflatida, Chocolate, Praline. Mike claims this was better than the dessert at Maximo Bistrot. Since I did not get to try, Maximo’s cake was still the best I ever had!

Sadly, I did not get to photograph the perfectly coiled churro that they served after our dessert, because Mike gobbled it up while I was busy chatting away with a solo traveler I met at the garden and before I knew it, it was gone!

I kind of wish we had made a second reservation to try the rest of the menu, but I can’t say for sure that I wouldn’t order the chicharron cauliflower a second time and that Mike could resist ordering the same exact dessert. Maybe this requires eating there three times…

Undoubtedly, our top 3 eats ever are as follows.

Pujol (CDMX, MX)
Maximo Bistrot (CDMX, MX)
La Tierra (Valle de Guadalupe, MX)

Mexico is looking pretty good!

On this trip, we also grabbed churros at El Moro THREE TIMES! That’s right, three separate days, eating churros and ice cream and shake. We also ate at Restaurante Nico, which is ranked #37 on Latin America’s top 50 restaurants, for which I do not have photos.

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