WHERE I ATE: ROMA NORTE, MEXICO CITY
The iconic Rosetta delivers. Set in a romantic plant-filled townhouse, celebrated chef Elena Reygadas filters Mexican ingredients through a European lens.
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Upstairs, Salón Rosetta is chic, calm, and slightly speakeasy-like bar. The curved wall mural and hushed velvet transported me to Tokyo until I saw all the lush greenery out the window…
It’s business in the front and party in the back at Hanky Panky.
I’m not a bar person but our friend Brad texted from CDMX that we HAD to come here. You arrive at a seemingly innocuous taco place, give your name and are escorted back through the kitchen and into a lush underworld of creative drinks and conversations:
When you exit, you come out through a refrigerator door back into the taco dive!
Perhaps our favorite meal amongst so many amazing ones in this foodie city. The arrival already has your heart racing a little…
The room! A kind of modern greenhouse inside an industrial shell. Long communal tables of blond wood and that gorgeous light. Were we outside or inside?…
But also the food!
Delicate aguachiles and fresh ceviches to rich pastas and roast meats…elegant, creative and so wonderfully seasonal: for a second you could be in California…but then again the menu feels French-influenced.
Loved their plate as much as my burrata salad…
A gorgeous glow by night and classical chic by by day (we had lunch there and sat on its terrace and watched the urban energy stroll by) this early 20th century mansion with its European symmetry epitomizes CMDX’s refined yet unfussy dining vibe.
On the street:
We had the most incredible fresh mango sprinkled with chili powder and fresh lime one afternoon! If you see this young street vendor, don’t miss partaking!
Puestos
We didn’t have time to stop at the semi-permanent food stalls…
They were surprisingly substantial: with proper prep stations, and fixed menus that range far beyond tacos: grilled meats, seafood cocktails, and even sushi rolls Mexican-style with fusion versions with spicy mayo, avocado and local twists. It’s very Roma Norte: street food that behaves almost like a neighborhood restaurant, rooted in place but constantly inventive.
Taco del Valle
A popular street-side gem where smoky, late-night tacos are served with a chef-level precision that makes a humble stand feel like a destination kitchen. We couldn’t get in! But lived vicariously through others…:
Next door, I popped into film a groovy bar where a DJ was mixing vinyl: seeing me he suddenly called out: “Susanna! Susanna! I love your home videos!!!” I ran back to give him an appreciative hug.
Cafe Trucha
Plaza Río de Janeiro 53-Local 2, Roma Nte., Cuauhtémoc
How sad we were to discover this charming and delish little cafe on our last day. The homemade granola and fresh mango was beyond addicting. And the caramel lattes!!
A renovated 19th century house with dramatic proportions and stunning open air courtyard. As you can see we had a leisurely lunch!
We’ve had so many incredible omakase meals in Japan and in the US but Kill Bill in Roma Norte was up there with the best.
The setting is a sleek, low-lit “listening bar” meets omakase counter complete with vinyl jazz spinning. It’s just a handful of seats for a cinematic, almost private experience.
The menu is a tightly choreographed tasting—10–12 courses blending Japanese precision with Mexican flair: pristine sashimi, truffle-topped bites, wagyu indulgences, all explained course-by-course like a performance.
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A light-filled, quietly chic neighborhood bakery—simple, European in spirit, with a polished counter and locals drifting in for a slow breakfast.
The menu is classic French with a Mexico City twist: impeccably laminated croissants, almond pastries, cruffins, and elegant cakes—everything made from scratch, rich with butter and precision rather than showiness.
Feels more like a hybrid café-gallery than a cake shop—bright, minimal, and quietly curated, with shelves and displays that make the space feel part shop, part cultural salon. This coconut meringue stack!
Cafe Nin
It’s a bright, airy daytime elegance spot—part bakery, part café—with Parisian calm but Mexico City energy. A steady flow of international and local people lingering over coffee and pastries across its marble counter.
If I lived here this would become my spot too. I returned each day as soon as I discovered. CDMX is a 3 cup- at least - a day place to sample them all!
We even went post Jardin Pushkin flea market: there’s our painting!
A romantic, design-forward Italian restaurant set in a luminous casona with a terrace, marble kitchen, and an easy, social buzz. The menu is regional Italian made with ouse-made pastas, standout stracciatella, and rich mains like wagyu and lechón, all paired with a strong Italian wine program.
High-energy Sinaloa-style marisquería that feels like a coastal seafood party dropped into the city. The first place we touched down on and it set the perfect tone.
The setting is loud, bright, and beach-cart inspired: yellow metal tables, open kitchen, and a buzzing crowd waiting for towers of ice-cold seafood and aguachiles.
The menu is all about Pacific freshness and heat: massive seafood platters, aguachiles, ceviches, tostadas, and spicy, lime-heavy raw bar dishes built for sharing.
Made room for the famous banana-coconut dessert!
Caravanserai - Maison Francaise de The
Orizaba 101-A, esquina Alvaro Obregon Colonia Roma C.P. 06700, Mexico City
A slightly hidden, old-world tea salon tucked into a Roma Norte building with a very European, almost literary atmosphere—think vintage Paris tea room meets Orientalist salon.
