Before arriving to Mexico City, I would never imagined that there were so many neighborhoods to explore. One that I saved until the end of my trip was Polanco. Polanco is one of the most luxurious areas of Mexico City. Polanco is often called the Beverly Hills of Mexico. In between all of the fashion brands are many great restaurants. For guidance on exploring this area, I got in touch with Mexican Food Tours to join their Polanco Food Tour.

The Polanco Food Tour started at a very nice Oaxacan Mexican Restaurant. This was where we learned a lot about the famous Mexican dish called Mole. Mole is basically a Mexican curry and made by cooking down lots of different ingredients including fruit, nuts, chocolate, and spices to form a thick sauce. It is typically served with rice and chicken. At this stop we also got to try Tlayuda with cheese and vegetables. The staff prepared salsa table-side.

We strolled down the street afterward, and made our way to our next stop, which had the best tamale I’ve ever had! This was a fashionable and modern tamale shop with a delightful interior. What made this better than other tamales I’ve had was the texture, amount of flavor, and moistness that was missing from the average ones.

The most “local” stop of the whole trip was the following, which was a taco small taco shop on our way to the park. Their tacos were famous in the city and have been around for decades. I enjoyed mine with a small bottle of beer!

A very interesting stop on the journey was Lincoln Park. Surprisingly the park possesses a statue of Abraham Lincoln that was gifted to Mexico City by the USA. The park is absolutely gorgeous with water features and perfectly manicured greenery. A great place to relax!

We made a few more stops which included another taco in a more modern cantina, as well as a stop in a trendy seafood restaurant. Both were very tasty and delicious and I enjoyed their interiors.

As one would expect, we finished the tour with sweets! One was a Mexican café and chocolate shop. This is where we had a chocolate milk that also had some spices added in. Second was ice cream made with Mamey Sapote which a fruit found in Central America and Cuba, that I had never seen before. It tastes like a cross between a papaya and a strawberry.

In conclusion, the Polanco Food Tour was a delight! It was very conveniently planned and required very little walking. We got to see and eat a lot in a short time which is what I like! It was a very safe and modern area which offered a whole different view of Mexico than I had previously seen. Along the way we did learn a bit about history and culture as well. I would definitely recommend this tour if you prefer the finer things while in Mexico City!

Mexican Food Tours

Tour

Mexico City

Phone: +52 (55) 7949.7357

I have been in Mexico City for a couple weeks and had already completed a few food tours. They were all lovely but I was seeking a much deeper dive into the local food scene. Luckily I came across Bondabu, which is a tour company that does just that. I joined their Street Foodie Journey which starts in the biggest market in the city and continues on into the historic downtown. None of the other tours I joined did such a deep dive into this part of the city. This was the real Mexico City!

As soon as we stepped foot in La Merced Market, my head exploded. This was exactly the place that I wanted to visit. Everything you could possibly imagine was for sale including the cheapest avocados ever, costing only $.50 USD for 3 to 4. Our first tasting stop was to sample several types of mole paste. If you’re unfamiliar, mole is basically a Mexican curry paste. It’s created by cooking down a bunch of ingredients such as fruit, chocolate, chili pepper, nuts, black pepper, cinnamon, and cumin into a thick dense paste. Customers can then buy the paste, add water, and it becomes a sauce that is usually served with rice and chicken.

We then continued to make our way around the market, eventually stopping to get a quesadilla and then later a taco at a nearby street cart. This felt very local. Winding through the lanes of the market was very interesting, especially if you’re unfamiliar with these types of vast markets.

We finally made our way outside of the market and onto the historic streets of Mexico City’s center. These were also bursting with life and had a whole different feel than the more crowded market. There were tons of opportunities to do even more shopping, but our focus was food. After walking for a while and learning about some of Mexico City’s history, we stopped for more food, this time for Chicharrón tacos. Chicharrón is pork skin fried to a delightfully brown crisp. My recommendation would be to add as much toppings as possible because the Chicharrón is a bit dry on its own.

Before I knew it, we were once again on the move and eventually stopping for a pumpkin-based drink and a dish I can only describe as a Mexican pizza. I was excited because these were two things that I had never tried before. The pumpkin juice was my favorite, and very sweet in typical Mexican fashion.

I really appreciated walking down all these glorious streets!

To finish up the tour, there were two more stops, another taco and then the seafood market. Unfortunately, these last two stops were quite far from the previous and took a lot of effort to get to. An included taxi or Uber would have been a great touch. The taco was decent but what was extra tasty was the Aguachile from the fish market, which originated in the Sinaloa region of the country. This is a dish that includes raw shrimp that are marinated in citrus and spices. Basically a more intense ceviche! I also got to sample some Mexican sashimi. This was an incredible way to finish the tour!

Looking back on the Bondabu Street Foodie Journey, I truly enjoyed it. At times there was a bit too much walking, but if you are prepared, it might be easier to take. If you’re looking to explore the real Mexico City, look no further than Bondabu Street Foodie Journey!

Bondabu

Tour

Mexico City

When getting started in the Mexico City food scene, I’d recommend getting a helping hand. Thus far, I have found the Secret Food Tour in Mexico City to be just what is needed to receive a good overview of Mexican Cuisine as a whole. While other tours have their specific focus, the Secret Food Tour is a bit more broad, in a good way, so you can figure out what you like, and what you don’t, so you know where to focus your time. The tour takes place in Mexico City’s Roma neighborhood which is a very trendy district, filled to the top with tasty food and a great place to ease your way into Mexican Cuisine.

The Secret Food Tour starts in the morning at 10:30am. The first stop was to try a dish that most people are already quite familiar with, freshly made guacamole. This was at the first meeting point which was a cozy and authentic Mexican restaurant. I added some of the pickled onions and salsa for a bit more of a kick!

The next stop was just around the corner and my favorite of the entire tour! This was Panucho which is a typical dish from the southern state of Yucatán. It’s made with a fried tortilla, refried black beans, topped with tender pork, and pickled red onion. I had to once again add extra habanero salsa because I like it super spicy! The salsa was just what I needed to balance the dish.

Ever since I first arrived in Mexico City, I kept hearing about a dish called Mole. Mole is generally a homemade dish consisting of a thick sauce similar to curry, served with chicken, sour cream, fresh cheese, and onion. It was very interesting dish because it actually includes chocolate, which I probably would have never thought to add. It is incredibly unique, heartwarming, and delicious. It made me want to try different varieties! It was served with a fresh glass of lemonade.

The Secret Food Tour in Mexico City is more than just a food tour! As we made our way around the city, we stopped several times to learn about Mexico City history and culture. Some topics included political information, societal issues, the infamous Mexico City earthquakes, Mexican art, and more. The food and information provided really put me on the right foot to continue my Mexico City explorations. It really helped that our guide Eduardo was a local and knew exactly what he was talking about!

After a variety of lessons, we moved on to try a few more foods which included a quick stop at a tortilla factory to see how they are mass produced, an octopus taco seasoned with pineapple which was completely new for me, as well as freshly made sweet and savory tamales accompanied with a shot of tequila. It really was a pretty great way to spend my afternoon!

The final dish was true Mexican classic known as Encanelado which is fried dough with cinnamon powder. This was a very sweet and tasty dessert and very similar to Churros. A sweet finish to a sweet tour!

I felt that the Secret Food Tour Mexico City was a great introduction to Mexican cuisine overall! There’s not a much better place to go to explore each region’s cuisines than in Mexico City. Plus we did it all within a few hours! Along with the numerous tasty food stops there was lots of extra culture and history information to give me a view into the eyes of the locals. This was exactly what I was looking for and can easily recommend The Secret Food Tour Mexico City to start on the right foot when visiting Mexico City!

Secret Food Tours: Mexico City

Food Tour

Mexico City, Mexico

Phone: +52 554 170 3797

I’ve quickly learned after arriving in Mexico City that Mexican Cuisine is a lot more than just tacos! There are incredible amounts of casual Mexican foods but there are also a load of higher-end options that rival the world’s best cities. I knew I wanted to explore it all, from basic street food, to fine dining, but I didn’t know where to start. With some searching I found the Mexico City: Top Chef Culinary Adventure Tour by Tasty Bites Food Tours. The tour consists of 11+ food tastings and sips prepared by the city’s top chefs. I was ready to try everything!

The Mexico City: Top Chef Culinary Adventure Tour started with meeting our guide Victor at Plaza Villa de Madrid. Victor did a great job at shepherding us around for the afternoon, and with his prior culinary education and experience, had an immense amount of food knowledge.

To get things started, we made our way around the corner from the starting point to a Mexican restaurant that prepared traditionally inspired Mexican dishes in a modern way. First was a tamale which was cooked inside of chili pepper instead of the standard banana leaf or corn husk. Tamales are made from corn masa and flavored with different ingredients. They are quite dense in texture and by being steamed inside of a chili pepper, the masa soaked up some additional flavor. On its own, the tamals didn’t have an immense amount of flavor, but once I added some spicy salsa, I got the kick I was looking for!

While at the same restaurant we tried one more dish which was a cactus and Jícama salad. This was accompanied with a flavorful citrus dressing and cheese. The texture of the cactus was very stringy which reminded me of Natto in Japan. Overall, it was very well balanced and flavorful salad!

After our first few dishes, we got back on our feet and continued moving on through the Colonia Roma District. We learned about local art and the more recent history of earthquakes in Mexico City. This had some very obvious results, especially the leaning building in the photo above.

The next stop on the tour was for a torta which is a Mexican sandwich and paired with a craft IPA beer. The sandwich was extra rich as it was made with carnitas, which is pork that is brazed or simmered in oil or lard until tender. Adding some additional chili oil, which was similar to chili oil in China, and you have an absolutely amazingly flavorful sandwich! Paired with the IPA, I couldn’t go wrong!

The next stop was at a chic cocktail bar and restaurant. This stop included fish crudo (raw fish) and a cocktail pairing. I didn’t know that Mexico produces so much amazing seafood. This dish was very well-balanced and one of my favorite items of the day! This was accompanied with a cocktail that was also quite sour with Mezcal and vinegar.

After that we were on the move again, and we stopped at a very unexpected site which was a David sculpture in the middle of Mexico City. Apparently there are only three in the world!

Maybe I spoke too soon about my favorite item. The next stop included one of the most incredible pastries I’ve ever had. It was basically a Cheese Danish with guava. The difference between this and others was the perfection of the texture. So flaky and crispy on the outside with the rich cheese and guava on the inside. I noted it wasn’t overly sweet like other Mexican desserts.

Finally I was getting quite stuffed but we had one more stop. It was finally time to sample some of the local Mexican wine that I’ve been hearing so much about. This was a red wine made of a blend of grapes and was quite light. I love to try new things but look forward to trying the deeper, more bold red wines that I’ve heard they also produce.

The Mexico City: Top Chef Culinary Adventure Tour had finally finished. I loved the variety of items that were included in this tour. There was a wide range of Mexican food and drink which really gave a great impression of Mexico City’s culinary scene. To be honest, the tourism board of Mexico should be paying Tasty Bites Food Tours because this experience truly sparked my interest in diving deeper into the local food. I loved the tour from beginning to end and can’t wait to keep exploring the incredible Mexican Cuisine!

Tasty Bites Food Tours

Tour

Plaza Villa de Madrid, Roma Norte, 06700, Ciudad de Mexico, CDMX

Phone: +52 1 56 1475 6443