Nick's Picks
in Mexico City

My take: Small sunny café on Río Pánuco in Cuauhtémoc with potted mandarin trees out front and pastries that blend Mexican and Asian influences in unexpected ways. Order the matcha concha and the miso caramel latte. Came back most mornings. Easy walk over to Reforma after, the Angel of Independence is a few blocks away.

My take: Porfirian mansion on Orizaba in Roma Norte with a leafy courtyard, rooftop, plants everywhere and some of the best room energy at breakfast in the city. Come for the chilaquiles, good coffee, and that Roma setting. Plaza Río de Janeiro is a few blocks away if you want to walk, the neighborhood square has a replica of Michelangelo's David in the center.

My take: Restored Porfirian mansion on Havre in Juárez with exposed brick, a mezzanine and a patio out back. Pastries piled everywhere and baked in house. Order the guava roll and the huevos rancheros. Went back every morning we were nearby, then we'd walk down to Chapultepec Park to start the day, the Tamayo Museum and the Castle are both inside.

My take: Wandered in while exploring Cuauhtémoc and stayed for a few hours. Top sirloin carne asada on flour tortillas with frijoles, fresh guacamole and habanero salsa. The neighborhood doubles as Mexico City's Little Tokyo, full of Japanese bars and restaurants. Tokyo Music Bar is a Ginza-inspired speakeasy nearby if you want a drink after.

My take: Michelin-recognized taco spot in Roma with an Asian-Mexican menu, and it works. Confit pork belly with hoisin and sriracha on a flour tortilla served on a dried corn husk. Order the Cantones and the barbecue corn. Standing room outside, small menu, fast service. We'd walk Álvaro Obregón after, it's the main strip with bars and shops a few blocks away.

My take: No menu, no choices. You sit down in Roma Norte and they feed you. Everything is built around heirloom corn ground and nixtamalized in house. One of the meals that stuck with us in the city. Cash only, bring patience. Cardinal is a short walk for an espresso tonic to round it out, one of the better coffee spots in the city.

My take: Rooftop restaurant in the historic center with a direct view of the Metropolitan Cathedral and modern Mexican cooking. Book around sunset for the light on the Cathedral. Madero is the pedestrian street running from the Zócalo, packed with shops and street vendors if you want to walk after.

My take: Sits right on the square in Coyoacán with a mezcal list that goes deep and a menu of traditional Mexican dishes to match. Come after wandering the market and stay for a couple of drinks. Walk Av. Francisco Sosa after, one of the prettiest colonial streets in the city.

My take: Rooftop restaurant on top of the Zócalo Central Hotel with a direct view of the Metropolitan Cathedral and Templo Mayor. Book a table at sunset, order the mole, and watch the Zócalo light up. One of the best seats in the city. Bar La Ópera is a few blocks away if you want a nightcap, the 1876 cantina with a bullet hole in the ceiling from Pancho Villa.