For my 4th day in Mexico City, I spent my time in Roma Norte, one of the beautiful neighborhoods west of the Centro Historico. Roma and Condesa are both lovely areas because they are quieter than the chaos of the city center, and life has a slower pace enhanced by the leafy shade trees, lack of traffic, and abundance of good restaurants and cafes. It’s a place where morning strolls will reveal joggers and dog walkers managing groups of half a dozen pups out for their morning walkies. It’s also a place where you will encounter lots and lots of fellow Americans.
Breakfast at Madre Cafe
I took an Uber from my hotel into Roma early in the morning because I had a breakfast reservation! Roma is so full of great restaurants that I couldn’t pass up the opportunity to eat something unique and beautiful. Cafe Madre was my destination, and I’d had to make reservations weeks in advance of my trip. By the time I arrived, the line to get in was down the sidewalk! The restaurant is huge and stunning, and most of it is outdoors on a beautiful courtyard patio.
I so wish that I’d been able to take more photos of the interior of the restaurant. It is gorgeous. But it was literally packed with people. I had a nice little table to myself although my view wasn’t that great. The light was beautiful for photos, though, and I always appreciate that. My Cafe Latte looked incredibly elegant!
For my breakfast I ordered the Hot Cakes, which come in 3 or 4 different varieties. Normally I NEVER order pancakes for breakfast because it is way too sweet but how could I resist this? The presentation is incredible and definitely not like anything I see back at home in New Hampshire. The cost for this? $200MX which was a little over $11 US dollars at the time. This would be a steal in the US but for Mexico City that’s a little pricy. Roma is known for its elegant restaurants and higher price point.
Colonia Roma Food Tour with Sabores Mexico
After breakfast I was pretty full, so I was glad I had some time to walk around for a while. I strolled through the shady streets and parks and enjoyed the quiet morning. Eventually it was time to find my tour with Sabores México so I made my way to the meeting point restaurant: Tres Galeones.
Tres Galeones
Tres Galeones, as the name “3 Galleons” (as in…. Christopher Colombus) might imply, is a fish taco spot! Mexico City, as our guide explained, is not super known for seafood or fish tacos as opposed to say, suadero or pastor, but it is definitely there! Here we tasted a fish taco and a gorgeous mini-sized shrimp sopa. Spoiler: that little sopa was one of the best bites of the whole tour. It was delicious.
Café de Raíz
Our second tasting stop was at the little Cafe de Raiz. This is a spot owned by a brother and sister team who highlight their culinary roots from the Veracruz region of Mexico. Our group sat outside on the sidewalk on a large table and enjoyed great talk from our guide, Joseph. He was so knowledgeable about all things Mexican food, culture, and history. Here we tasted a sampling of three different tamales: a sweet rice, black bean, and a corn and chicken. Topped with sweet cream, they were all delicious.
Famous Pink Tacos at La Pitahaya Vegana
Next, we walked through Roma and admired the impressive and distinctive architecture throughout the neighborhood. You’ll find everything from Art Deco to Art Nouveau. It was a delight to see all the fountains, statues, and tree-lined walking paths everywhere you look.
La Pitahaya Vegana is an inventive little taco place that offers vegan tacos, and here’s the thing: they are served on gorgeous bright pink tortillas! The tortillas are made in house and colored with beets to give that eye-catching magenta. They are a bit smaller than the usual street taco size, and I’d actually call them silver-dollar sized.
Shown here: the Cauliflower/Coconut Cheese/Pineapple Cream and the Pastor de Setas which had mushrooms al pastor, pineapple and cilantro.
Despite their beautiful colors, this was the tasting I enjoyed the least. I have nothing against vegan food other than I just don’t dig vegetables all that much. To me, these lacked the amazing flavor that I’d had so far in everything else in Mexico City.
A Relaxed, Sit-Down Tasting at Broka Bistrot
The next stop was such a treat! We paid a visit to Broka Bistrot which is a gorgeous restaurant. We entered a huge courtyard framed by leafy potted plants and were greeted by the cutest little house dog. The restaurant was not open, so we had the whole place to ourselves and were seated at a long group table. Broka specializes in contemporary Mexican cuisine, and here we enjoyed 2 courses, plus bread and a glass of red wine.
This black bean soup was really interesting because it was constructed vertically. It was meant to be mixed together once served. The rich black bean broth, along with the nopales and avocado were absolutely delicious. What a work of art!
The next course has unfortunately left my memory of what it was. But I do remember that single, seasoned grilled shrimp on top. Many people in our tour group agreed: that one shrimp may have been the best thing in the whole tour.
Culinary Expedition at Mux
Mux not only represents the cuisine of many places throughout Mexico, but also the local providers of the foods they serve in a farm-to-table sense. Because of this, Mux seeks to encompass the whole of Mexico in a dining experience: in spirit, in flavors, and in heart. This restaurant is so interesting because the owner personally travels to small places throughout Mexico to learn their old recipes using their local, indigenous ingredients, and brings it all back to share at Mux.
Coffee at Café Barajas
Our 6th and final tasting location was a specialty coffee shop where we sampled 3 different kinds of Mexican coffee. It was interesting to hear about what made each variety unique, but I was very full at this point and honestly not that interested in the nuances of coffee (although I literally can’t exist in the morning without it). So unfortunately I don’t have any photos of this one to share.
This amazing food tour by Sabores Mexico lasted a good 4.5 hours and was an incredible educational experience provided by our guide, Joseph. The delicious tastings were paired with interesting stories about the people who live and work in the neighborhood, as well as great stories from the past! This tour cost $85 USD at the time that I took it.
I highly recommend this tour and the other tours from this company as part of your Mexico City experience!
Sabores Mexico
Colonia Roma Food Tour
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