Mexico City Food Guide

[frant26]

I started making a list of healthy places & foods around Mexico City. So why not share them instead? The plan is to keep adding them to this log.

I LOVE this city! Food in general is amazing and super tasty. Anyone else living here?

===

GROCERIES

Fruits that Peat would eat
- Easily available in markets, supermarkets, fruit stands, and trucks that come to the city to sell fruit
- OJ: If I can't get fresh, Jumex Unico Fresco sin pulpa (no pulp) pasteurized is good
- Oranges, guavas (guayaba), tangerines - most available year-round? some months maybe less quality like less sweet oranges around September. A lot of them canned too, like guayabas (I managed to find cans without citric acid as preservative)
- Watermelon & papayas - easy to find ripe all year
- Guanábana, "tuna", chirimoya, zapote: pretty easy to find when in season
- Lychees: Not very popular but occasionally see them and I think they grow them here in Mexico
- Cherries: Most if not all are imported, expensive
- Mangoes: Ataulfo & Manila varieties are very sweet and little fibre (available March-August) in supermarkets and street stands everywhere; SO tasty

Meats
- Some supermarkets carry the SuKarne beef liver (500g), like La Comer
- Cañada de la Virgen (in Guanajuato) has grass-fed liver and other cuts - can be bought at The Green Corner online shop
- Bone Broth, Serendipity brand: can be found at Ingredienta online shop

Ice Cream
- Haagen Dazs available almost everywhere

Crackers
- Sanissimo Salmas are baked corn crackers, ingredients: nixtamalized corn, salt, tocopherols. No fat.

Butter
- Lot of rubbish in this area. Lala has real butter.

Coca Cola
- Watch out for cans and plastic bottles, regular doesn't contain just sugar anymore. I believe glass bottled "medio litros" and such are still made with sugar cane

EATING OUT

Oysters
- Lots of oysters bars around the city. I trust the freshness of Fisher's

Liver
- La Flautería has soups with molleja (sweetbreads) and liver – both from chicken I believe. They also have a very tasty guanábana juice
- Some taco stands have liver: hígado encebollado

Oxtail
- I found it at a restaurant called Padella in San Miguel Chapultepec. The dish is potato gnocchi with oxtail (cooked 8+ hours) with parmesan. Delicious. Costs around 9 USD, and the restaurant has a lot of really "hearty food" like boeuf bourgignon, etc. My top pick for Peaty food here.

Potatoes
- El Papón in Condesa has baked potatoes stuffed with meat and cheese, just awesome. They also have glass Coke

Meat
- Look for "al carbón" or "grill". El Farolito in Polanco is a good one, but most northern (i.e. Sonora) grills too

Barbacoa tacos (usually beef or lamb)
- Random stands, most have maciza (muscle meat) or surtida (mixed offal, brains, cheek, etc). There's one in front of the 7 eleven in Mariano Escobedo and Rubén Darío; everything including tortillas is cooked steamed

WEATHER

- Elevation: 2,250 m (7,380 ft)
- December and January are cold, mostly felt due to general lack of heating, but extremely sunny, which warms up at noon. It can be freezing sometimes at 5am.
- February, March, April: ALWAYS sunny in the AM. After 1-2pm it starts to get cloudy and it probably rains
- May: Hottest month
- July, August: ***t load of rain, but usually sunny in the morning
- September, October: Cloudiest weather, even though there still is some sun
- November: Still some clouds but sunnier, this combination makes for some very pleasant warm days. Temps slowly decreasing.

CHEMICALS

- Thyroid: OTC
- Aspirin: non coated is popular
- Antibiotics: Big pharmacies (chains) will not sell without prescription. Some like Farmacias del Ahorro have a doctor on site, who can make the prescription for a very low fee. I got minocycline when the doctor was away so the lady just scanned some number through the system and sold it to me. I think smaller farmacias, especially in other parts of the country aren't as strict
- Farmacia del Niño (online): They have sold penicillin, erythromycin, clarythromicin no questions asked

 

[Herbie]

Thats fantastic, it sounds like it provides a high quality of living with ease when it comes to food and medication.

 

[frant26]

Thats fantastic, it sounds like it provides a high quality of living with ease when it comes to food and medication.

Definitely! There's regular sunshine, altitude, and access to a lot of healthy foods without being too expensive. The worst part is the pollution when it doesn't rain (but it's better than years ago)

 

[Herbie]

Definitely! There's regular sunshine, altitude, and access to a lot of healthy foods without being too expensive. The worst part is the pollution when it doesn't rain (but it's better than years ago)

What about getting a blood test with choice of whats tested?

 

[Inaut]

Frant, are you of Mexican descent? I have a friend that keeps telling me to come down for a visit. I think he's in Zacatecas though.

 

[frant26]

What about getting a blood test with choice of whats tested?

There's a huge choice of laboratories for blood tests. I just picked the closest to my place and paid around 100 USD for: TSH, total cholesterol, prolactin, serum phosphate, PTH and vitamin D. Not sure how that ranks in terms of costs vs other countries. I think vitamin D is the most expensive.

 

[frant26]

Frant, are you of Mexican descent? I have a friend that keeps telling me to come down for a visit. I think he's in Zacatecas though.

Nope, I'm european. As long as you're careful to avoid certain areas (and specifically certain roads), Mexico is AMAZING. Not sure about Zacatecas. Tamaulipas is very dangerous, as well as some areas in Guerrero/Michoacán. You can search for traveler safety maps online (and assume they are slightly exaggerating).

 

[Inaut]

What's your favourite location so far in Mexico?

 

[managing]

I started making a list of healthy places & foods around Mexico City. So why not share them instead? The plan is to keep adding them to this log.

I LOVE this city! Food in general is amazing and super tasty. Anyone else living here?

===

GROCERIES

Fruits that Peat would eat
- Easily available in markets, supermarkets, fruit stands, and trucks that come to the city to sell fruit
- OJ: If I can't get fresh, Jumex Unico Fresco sin pulpa (no pulp) pasteurized is good
- Oranges, guavas (guayaba), tangerines - most available year-round? some months maybe less quality like less sweet oranges around September. A lot of them canned too, like guayabas (I managed to find cans without citric acid as preservative)
- Watermelon & papayas - easy to find ripe all year
- Guanábana, "tuna", chirimoya, zapote: pretty easy to find when in season
- Lychees: Not very popular but occasionally see them and I think they grow them here in Mexico
- Cherries: Most if not all are imported, expensive
- Mangoes: Ataulfo & Manila varieties are very sweet and little fibre (available March-August) in supermarkets and street stands everywhere; SO tasty

Meats
- Some supermarkets carry the SuKarne beef liver (500g), like La Comer
- Cañada de la Virgen (in Guanajuato) has grass-fed liver and other cuts - can be bought at The Green Corner online shop
- Bone Broth, Serendipity brand: can be found at Ingredienta online shop

Ice Cream
- Haagen Dazs available almost everywhere

Crackers
- Sanissimo Salmas are baked corn crackers, ingredients: nixtamalized corn, salt, tocopherols. No fat.

Butter
- Lot of rubbish in this area. Lala has real butter.

Coca Cola
- Watch out for cans and plastic bottles, regular doesn't contain just sugar anymore. I believe glass bottled "medio litros" and such are still made with sugar cane

EATING OUT

Oysters
- Lots of oysters bars around the city. I trust the freshness of Fisher's

Liver
- La Flautería has soups with molleja (sweetbreads) and liver – both from chicken I believe. They also have a very tasty guanábana juice
- Some taco stands have liver: hígado encebollado

Oxtail
- I found it at a restaurant called Padella in San Miguel Chapultepec. The dish is potato gnocchi with oxtail (cooked 8+ hours) with parmesan. Delicious. Costs around 9 USD, and the restaurant has a lot of really "hearty food" like boeuf bourgignon, etc. My top pick for Peaty food here.

Potatoes
- El Papón in Condesa has baked potatoes stuffed with meat and cheese, just awesome. They also have glass Coke

Meat
- Look for "al carbón" or "grill". El Farolito in Polanco is a good one, but most northern (i.e. Sonora) grills too

Barbacoa tacos (usually beef or lamb)
- Random stands, most have maciza (muscle meat) or surtida (mixed offal, brains, cheek, etc). There's one in front of the 7 eleven in Mariano Escobedo and Rubén Darío; everything including tortillas is cooked steamed

WEATHER

- Elevation: 2,250 m (7,380 ft)
- December and January are cold, mostly felt due to general lack of heating, but extremely sunny, which warms up at noon. It can be freezing sometimes at 5am.
- February, March, April: ALWAYS sunny in the AM. After 1-2pm it starts to get cloudy and it probably rains
- May: Hottest month
- July, August: ***t load of rain, but usually sunny in the morning
- September, October: Cloudiest weather, even though there still is some sun
- November: Still some clouds but sunnier, this combination makes for some very pleasant warm days. Temps slowly decreasing.

CHEMICALS

- Thyroid: OTC
- Aspirin: non coated is popular
- Antibiotics: Big pharmacies (chains) will not sell without prescription. Some like Farmacias del Ahorro have a doctor on site, who can make the prescription for a very low fee. I got minocycline when the doctor was away so the lady just scanned some number through the system and sold it to me. I think smaller farmacias, especially in other parts of the country aren't as strict
- Farmacia del Niño (online): They have sold penicillin, erythromycin, clarythromicin no questions asked

Oh man, you are killing me. If you ever go to Guanajuato, take a tour of Canada de la Virgen. The Olmec Pyramid ruins are awesome. Horseback riding in the canyon too. Beautiful place. I've seen the cattle grazing but have never seen the products for sale. My wife's grandmother lives in DF and her parents in GTO. I love gnocchi and next time in DF will look for the oxtail place. Sounds like heaven.

In GTO roadside barbacoa is often goat instead of lamb.

Ever go to Dolores Hidalgo? Ice cream everywhere. A million flavors. Every corner. Helado de guanabana me gusta mucho!

In GTO you can walk into any farmacia and ask for whatever you want.

Lychee cultivation has become extensive in Oaxaca. Most are exported. I hope Mexicans develop a taste for them. Other than my wife and her parents, a lot of Mexicans I know don't appreciate them. My wife and her family lived in Hong Kong for many years growing up which is where they developed an appreciation. My FIL has tried growing them in GTO but can't keep winter frosts from killing them.

You are making me long for DF my friend. Next summer calls for a visit.

 

[managing]

What's your favourite location so far in Mexico?

Unfortunately, Zacatecas is kind of spotty in terms of safety. Still, if you are with a local and you are a smart tourist, probably fine.

Safe areas include Guanajuato, Queretaro, DF/Mexico, polanca, toluca, cuernavaca (sister in law lives there--beautiful city), Puebla, Merida, Riviera Maya (but not Cancun so much anymore), Oaxaca/Chiapas (Zapatistas are honorable vigilantes), baja del norte.

Not safe includes most of northern half of mexico plus veracruz, campeche, Guerrero, Michoacan. I've been to Guadalajara (amazing city) but with locals. I am not sure I would go back anytime soon (due to safety concerns).

 

[Lynne]

Ice Cream
- Haagen Dazs available almost everywhere

Just out of interest, how much is a pint of Haagen Dazs there?

 

[CLASH]

@frant26
I’ve been considering moving down to south america for a while now. If you’ve been living there for a while I have a few questions if you dont mind.

-How are the living expenses there on a monthly basis (food, rent, miscellaneous)?

-Hows the job opportunities? Could someone from the US/ Europe move down there and get a job that would allow them to make enough to pay rent, eat and live comfortably yet frugally?

-How are the people there? Are they friendly?

 

[Steven Bussinger]

If you going to live there on a semi-permanent basis, most if not all Latin American countries are cheaper than Mexico. But there are always other considerations, too.

 

[CLASH]

@zmkd
My first choice was Medellin, Colombia. I’m assuming you’ve lived there based on your response; can you tell me about your experience? Do you like it better than living in the states?

 

[frant26]

What's your favourite location so far in Mexico?

I like Mexico City (including the advantage of the airport with cheap flights to hundreds of amazing places in Mexico). There are really too many great places to live in this country, but for social/work reasons I stay here.

 

[frant26]

Just out of interest, how much is a pint of Haagen Dazs there?

I don't recall exactly, something like $100 (= $5 USD)

 

[frant26]

-How are the living expenses there on a monthly basis (food, rent, miscellaneous)?

-Hows the job opportunities? Could someone from the US/ Europe move down there and get a job that would allow them to make enough to pay rent, eat and live comfortably yet frugally?

-How are the people there? Are they friendly?

Living expenses vary drastically with your lifestyle, obviously. I would use a tool like Numbeo to compare prices with your city.

What I can tell you is that "whiter" educated people usually have better opportunities here, as unfair or racist as it may sound, this is what happens. Speaking Spanish is a must I would say. A foreigner living comfortable yet frugally? Definitely.

People are VERY friendly. That is for sure.

(By the way, Mexico is in North America.)

If you going to live there on a semi-permanent basis, most if not all Latin American countries are cheaper than Mexico. But there are always other considerations, too.

I don't agree. Argentina, Uruguay, Brazil (just to name a few) are more expensive than Mexico. Colombia is cheaper. To be fair I wouldn't say Mexico is "dirt cheap". A lot of Asian countries are cheaper than Latam.

 

[frant26]

Oh man, you are killing me. If you ever go to Guanajuato, take a tour of Canada de la Virgen. The Olmec Pyramid ruins are awesome. Horseback riding in the canyon too. Beautiful place. I've seen the cattle grazing but have never seen the products for sale. My wife's grandmother lives in DF and her parents in GTO. I love gnocchi and next time in DF will look for the oxtail place. Sounds like heaven.

In GTO roadside barbacoa is often goat instead of lamb.

Ever go to Dolores Hidalgo? Ice cream everywhere. A million flavors. Every corner. Helado de guanabana me gusta mucho!

In GTO you can walk into any farmacia and ask for whatever you want.

Lychee cultivation has become extensive in Oaxaca. Most are exported. I hope Mexicans develop a taste for them. Other than my wife and her parents, a lot of Mexicans I know don't appreciate them. My wife and her family lived in Hong Kong for many years growing up which is where they developed an appreciation. My FIL has tried growing them in GTO but can't keep winter frosts from killing them.

You are making me long for DF my friend. Next summer calls for a visit.

I can get hold of Cañada de la Vírgen products online. Next time in GTO I will try to go there, sounds amazing!

You should come to DF again my friend!

 

[Lynne]

I don't recall exactly, something like $100 (= $5 USD)

Great!

 

[Regina]

I can get hold of Cañada de la Vírgen products online. Next time in GTO I will try to go there, sounds amazing!

You should come to DF again my friend!

Mexico City has made it to the creepy (sounding, at the very least) list of resilient cities:
Cities Archive - 100 Resilient Cities