April 08 – 14, 2022
7 Days/6 Nights
Street Food, Art & Mezcal in Mexico City
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April 08 – 14, 20227 Days/6 Nights
With a population of more than 20 million people, Mexico City is one of the largest cities in the world. Only in recent years, travelers have been making their way to the Mexican capital to find themselves pleasantly surprised with everything this metropolis has to offer.
Highlights
Here, vestiges from Pre-Hispanic and colonial times harmoniously mingle with contemporary forces. These influences create a tapestry that can be experienced and seen in every aspect of daily life, from the buildings that frame the city to the unimaginable array of quality food that can be found on a street corner, in a market, or a world-renowned restaurant. Following Paris, it is the city with the second-highest number of museums – an artistic richness that, combined with the country’s history of muralism, has been spilling into the streets. Your taste buds will be delighted as you immerse yourself into this in-depth culinary adventure, with an emphasis on street food, from tacos and tostadas to the best restaurant in North America, all meant to give you a full picture of what eating in Mexico City is like. Let Isabel Torrealba, a Mexico City native, journalist, and cultural anthropologist, guide you from street to street and taco to taco.
Day 1 – April 8th, Friday
Our driver we’ll meet you at the airport and take you to our hotel, Chaya, a boutique B&B in downtown Mexico City. There, you’ll get settled into your room before we meet again.
Later in the evening, we’ll head out for our welcome dinner at a gorgeous restaurant in downtown Mexico City, Los Limosneros. The chefs, Marcos Fulcheri and Carlo Méndez, use traditional, indigenous ingredients and mix old and modern techniques to craft innovative and delicious dishes. In one of their beautiful dining areas, we’ll try their tasting menu and toast to our first of many unforgettable meals together.
HOTEL: Chaya B&B
Day 2 – April 9th, Saturday
Today, we’ll venture into the beating heart of the city: its historic downtown. But first, we’ll fuel up with breakfast at a beloved staple of Mexico City dining, El Cardenal, which has been serving hot chocolate, warm pan dulce (Mexican pastries), and chilaquiles since it first opened its doors in 1969.
Then, a local historian will guide us through the history of the city as we visit the Zócalo (the city’s main plaza), explore the Metropolitan Cathedral, admire the impressive Diego Rivera murals at the National Palace, and see the remains of ancient Aztec temples. As we wander, we’ll also get to see some of the area’s incredible street art, heavily influenced by the tradition of Mexican muralism.
For lunch, we’ll walk over to a historic gourmet market, the Mercado San Juan de Pugibet. This market is unlike any other in the city, its isles brimming with exotic meats and insects, rare products like chicatanasalsa (an Oaxacan delicacy made with flying ants), as well as a variety of food stalls offering traditional seafood dishes and more. This is where chefs and restaurants do their shopping. In short, every epicurean’s dream. As Pablo Neruda once said, “Mexico is in its markets.”
After lunch and our market trip, we’ll make our way back to the hotel to rest. Tonight, will be yours to relax after an exciting day, explore the city’s rich culinary scene at your own pace, or do some shopping at the many interesting shops in our hotel’s neighborhood.
HOTEL: Chaya B&B
Day 3 – April 10th, Sunday
On this day, we’ll begin with breakfast at one of the city’s trendiest cafés, Lalo!, where chef Eduardo García brings innovate touches and European techniques alongside traditional ingredients. After breakfast, we’ll make our way south to Coyoacán, a colonial neighborhood preserved with the charm and colors of a provincial Mexican town. Here, people stroll leisurely through the plaza, with its cobblestone streets and vibrant buildings. It was here that artists and intellectuals such as Frida Kahlo, Diego Rivera, and Leon Trotsky lived, and it’s not hard to understand why.
We’ll also get a guided trip of the Frida Kahlo Museum, otherwise known as “La Casa Azul” or Blue House, because of the eye-catching paint that covers the walls. Here, we’ll be able to see a great part of the artist’s collection, her studio, garden, and kitchen, among other marvels. Then, we’ll head over to the Museo Nacional de Culturas Populares, or National Museum of Popular Cultures, to see some folk art and an impressive street art mural.
For lunch, we’ll visit the neighborhood’s market, Mercado Coyoacán, and visit one of its most popular – and delicious – food stands for a Mexican street food staple: tostadas. There will be plenty of options to choose from, from mole negro with chicken to shrimp cocktail, which you can enjoy alongside one of the more than 20 flavors of aguas frescas they have available, from mango to piña colada.
Tonight, we will meet again for a superb dinner at one of the best traditional Mexican restaurants in town, Azúl Histórico, which is located inside a palace from the 17th century. The chef, Ricardo Muñoz Zurita, is a well-respected figure in the country’s culinary scene for his exhaustive research of Mexican gastronomy.
HOTEL: Chaya B&B
Day 4 – April 11th, Monday
Today is all about ancient traditions! We’ll begin with breakfast at an old-school family restaurant, Fonda Margarita, where the locals line-up to eat. We’ll have to get there early, as there are no reservations, but live music will keep us entertained while we wait to sit at one of the communal tables. After a delicious meal of traditional dishes, such as eggs scrambled with refried black beans, we’ll head out to the outskirts of town and make our way to Xochimilco.
In Xochimilco, a pre-Hispanic area of the city where ancient Aztec traditions are alive, we’ll board a trajinera(a colorfully decorated flat-bottom boat) and wander around the canals. We’ll stop at one of the area’s chinampas (floating farms) to learn about an ancient agricultural practice that is very much in use today. We’ll enjoy lunch on board, all made with fresh ingredients from a chinampa.
Back at the hotel, take some time to rest before we meet again this evening for a mezcal tasting lead by an expert, Lala Noguera, who is passionate about agave spirits and sources her products directly from women producers. After indulging in some mezcal, we’ll head out for a night of tacos. We’ll be visiting a couple of taco stands around the city to try some of city’s staples, such as tacos al pastor and tacos de suadero.
HOTEL: Chaya B&B
Day 5 – April 12th, Tuesday
After a leisurely breakfast at the hotel, we’ll meet and head out to San Ángel neighborhood to visit one of the best and most exciting shopping destinations of the city: the Saturday Bazaar. Here, artisans and vendors from all over Mexico, as well as local designers, gather at a colonial mansion to sell their products, which range from traditional clothes to ceramics and everything in between. You’ll have a few hours to wander around and shop at your own pace.
For lunch, we’ll enjoy some barbacoa brought in from the state of Hidalgo at a local favorite, El Hidalguense. Barbacoa, apart from being a dish, implies a method for cooking meat, usually goat, for many hours in a pit oven. They serve the meat alongside handmade blue corn tortillas and a variety of salsas. We’ll also get to try pulque, a pre-Hispanic drink made from the fermented sap of the agave. Here, they have a variety of pulque flavors, such as guava.
Take a few hours to relax at the hotel before we meet again for appetizers and other Mexican snacks at Comedor Jacinta, the casual restaurant concept of renowned chef Edgar Núñez.
HOTEL: Chaya B&B
Day 6 – April 13th, Wednesday,
On our last day together, we’ll begin with breakfast at a trendy restaurant, Lardo, led by chef Elena Reygadas, who infuses Italian flavors with Mexican ingredients. Here, we can find the most amazing pastries in the city, such as a guava roll, as well as savory dishes such as chilaquiles verdes garnished with burrata. Then, we’ll head over to the National Museum of Anthropology for a crash course on Mexican history. We’ll then make our way to the best seafood restaurant in town, Entremar, led by chef Gabriela Cámara, for some delightful tuna tostadas and a variety of seafood delicacies.
We’ll meet again for our farewell dinner at Pujol, led by renowned chef Enrique Olvera, which was recently ranked as the 12th best restaurant in the world and best in North America. Isabel’s mom knows Enrique who was profiled on A Chef’s Table on Netflix so if we are lucky and he’s in house, we’ll be sure to meet the shy chef. Here, we’ll enjoy contemporary dishes using locally sourced, traditional Mexican ingredients in a private room. We’ll toast to new friendships made and a greater understanding of Mexican culture which we’ll always treasure.
HOTEL: Chaya B&B
Day 7 – April 14th, Thursday
Enjoy breakfast at the hotel before you depart for home. Our driver will take you to the airport for your return flights.
Trip Notes:
Trip Leader: Isabel Torrealba
As the youngest daughter of Chef Iliana de la Vega, Isabel was fortunate to spend her days hiding under restaurant tables and learning to cook (and eat) Mexican food. Though Isabel always imagined she too would be a chef one day, she came to realize that her food-related talents lay more with eating than cooking, so she became a cultural anthropologist and journalist instead. Food always finds its way back into her mind, prompting her to focus a significant portion of her research and writing on gastronomy. Isabel believes food cannot be fully understood without proper context and likes to think of it—the ingredients, the rituals of eating—in relation to place, people, and the history and circumstances that led to its creation. Her approach to travel as well as food writing is shaped by this idea. Isabel’s work has appeared in Atlas Obscura, Food52, Slate Magazine, LA Review of Books, The Art of Eating, Edible Austin, and Eater, among others.
While all of our trips are always open to women of all ages, this trip was put together with a younger client in mind. With its focus on street food, street art, and a decent amount of walking around, the itinerary is suited more to women ages 25-45 years of age. If you want more luxury, then be sure to take a look at our Michoacan Itinerary leaving in the fall of 2021 which will be led by both Isabel and her mother, Chef Iliana de la Vega. Having said that, if you are 45-65 and are young at heart, are interested in street art and like to hang with the younger gals, then feel free to sign up for this trip. We love a mix of backgrounds, cultures, and ages on our trips; it makes it much more fun!
GG2P always reserves the right to alter the itinerary based on weather or availability as well as exciting opportunities that might crop up!
NOTE ->Not to worry – Vegetarians will be well fed in all cafés and restaurants as well as those allergic to seafood or gluten. Options are plentiful.
Trip Cost: 84,000 Mexican Pesos per person
74,000 Mexican Pesos for a shared room
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