A Weekend Away In Mexico City
Everything I packed, wore, ate, and shopped in CDMX, including a capsule wardrobe to help you pack for your next trip.
Prior to 2018, Mexico City was never on my travel radar. Around that time, Sheldon visited the city with a friend, fell in love with it, and was itching for the two of us to return together. I’m never one to turn down a trip, so I happily obliged and packed my bags with zero expectations. The rich culture, phenomenal hospitality, and delicious food of Mexico City (CDMX) quickly won me over. I have yet to meet a person who hasn’t fallen in love with the city after visiting. Naturally, I was thrilled to make a trip back to celebrate Shel’s birthday last weekend.
Our time in CDMX is always too abbreviated. It’s inevitable that we leave wishing we had another day or two. Keeping that in mind, this is by no means an exhaustive itinerary of all the things to see, do, or eat — rather, think of this as a supplement to the other recommendations you’re bound to find as you plan your own trip! Read on for all the details of what I packed and wore, along with where we stayed, shopped, and dined. At the very bottom of this newsletter, you’ll also find a free downloadable PDF for my CDMX weekend capsule.
Day 1 - Friday
Comfort and versatility are key for me when planning a travel outfit. When possible, I like to wear the same travel outfit, perhaps with a few tweaks, as my first day outfit. My new STAUD navy pants (which I recently had hemmed to the perfect length for me) paired with the oversized button up was the perfect mix of polish and undone ease for our early morning flight. I always get cold on planes — in an effort to stay warm, I layered my La Ligne Marin sweater over my shoulders and paired the loafers with socks. Once we landed, I quickly shed those extra layers because it was 75° and sunny with zero humidity in the air.
Where to stay: Las Alcobas
Las Alcobas, a boutique Marriott property in Polanco, is a total gem. From the second you arrive, the service is impeccable. Our room itself wasn’t huge, but it was covered in natural light with hints of fresh greenery — I especially loved the contrast between the wood paneled wardrobe and marbled bathroom. The hotel’s location in Polanco, an upscale neighborhood that reminds me of Beverly Hills, is fantastic and within a short walking distance to numerous restaurants (including Pujol where we dined Saturday night) and luxury shopping (Gucci, Ferragamo, and Hermes to name a few). We stayed at the St. Regis last time and while lovely, I preferred the location of Las Alcobas for the ease of walking through Polanco.
I spent Friday mindlessly strolling through the tree lined streets of Polanco.
Where to shop: Xinu Perfumes
My only must have stop on day one was to check out the fragrance boutique, Xinu. I don’t consider myself a fragrance fianatic, but this is truly such a cool experience. From the moment you enter, it’s a beautifully immersive sensory experience.
My first visit (yes, we returned the following day) was as the sun was setting and the dwindling light casted shadows throughout the space. Their five fragrances, inspired by America’s botany, are each genderless and incredibly complex. Focused on sustainability, the bottles and tops are intended for multi-use. Once finished, you can use the parts as a vase, incense holder, or sculpture — you can see examples of the multiple uses in the pictures above. They also carry home scents and body care. When I returned to the hotel after shopping, Shel immediately raved about how great I smelled. He instantly wanted to return so he could buy his own! We ended up going back to buy two more scents and a candle.
Before I knew it, it was time for dinner. A body suit, long line blazer, and sling back heel are always reliable pieces to style a chic, but simple, outfit to wear to dinner. As much as I love a great pair of denim, I opted for a brown wide leg pant instead of jeans. We originally had dinner at Maximo in Roma North, but soon realized it was going to be a 40 minute uber with traffic — Mexico City is huge and traffic can be heavy, so something to consider when deciding where to stay and eat. We opted to skip the long uber ride and look for something within walking distance.
Luckily, there were a ton of restaurants in Polanco to choose from for a last minute Friday night dinner reservation. We ended up at Rosa Negra.
Where to eat: Rosa Negra
I typically prefer a more intimate restaurant setting than Rosa Negra, but the service was great and food was delicious. Forewarning — what starts out as a normal, albeit lively and loud, dinner scene turns into a full on party with sparklers and table side bottle service. We had zero idea of what we signed up for when we sat down for dinner. It was completely unexpected and not our typical dinner scene, but also such a celebratory and memorable way to kick off Shel’s bday weekend. This spot could be great for a birthday party, bachelorette, or a just because girls trip.
Day 2 - Saturday
This was our only full day in the city so there was no way we were going to let the prior night’s mezcal and margaritas slow us down. We shopped around Polanco again before heading over to Roma North. Prior to the trip, I looked up vintage and concept stores to visit, most of which were located in the artsy and hip Roma North neighborhood. Roma is incredibly charming with its stunning architecture and lush greenery.
We were so full from dinner the night prior that we weren’t hungry for breakfast or lunch, however during our last trip we enjoyed morning pastries from Panderia Rosetta and a leisurely long lunch at Contramar (the grilled snapper is a must). Both spots are incredibly popular (rightfully so!) so make sure you arrive early for your morning pastries and book your reservation at Contramar far in advance.
Where to shop: The Goodbye Folk, Vintage Hoe, and Metate.
If you have more time than I did and are looking for more vintage finds, consider checking out Erre Vintage or Vintrend. If you’re looking for beautiful concept stores and handmade pottery pieces, Perla Valtierra, Proyecto Rufina, and Anfora Studio are three boutiques that I didn’t make it to, but were high on my list — Next time!
For a guided and engaging way to explore the day markets and enjoy the delicious street food of CDMX, I highly recommend a tour with Club Tengo Hambre. Some of our most fond travel memories involve CTH. We’ve done 3 tours with them in the past, including a wine tasting tour in the Baja/Valle de Guadalupe for my 35th birthday. They offer group and private tours, and besides the day market tours, they also offer ways to explore CDMX at night. We did a night “tacos and tequila” private tour in 2018 — it felt like we were out with an old friend! That exact tour may no longer be available, but they have mutiple other current offerings.
After shopping around Roma North, we finally worked up an appetite, so we headed back to Polanco for a quick bite and afternoon cocktail at Sylvestre.
After Sylvestre, we did a quick outfit change before walking to our early dinner reservation at Pujol’s Omakase Taco Bar. Let’s chat outfit details. I was initially planning on wearing black slingback heels with the slip dress and blazer, and while I love an elegant and polished outfit, it felt a little too predictable. I had Alison Bornstein in the back of my mind saying “go with the wrong shoe!!”. So I leaned into that and swapped the slingback for the white loafer. Then added my CADDIS glasses for the final cool girl touch (it sounds silly to type, but true!)
Without a doubt, Pujol will forever be one of our most memorable dinner experiences.
Everything was perfect. The signature scent of the restaurant (also from Xinu!!). The delicate dance of servers weaving through the restaurant to deliver their next dish. The signature almost 10 year aged mole. This experience was what core memories are made of. Reservations book up months in advance so start looking as early as possible!
The experience was topped off with a surprise peek at the kitchen and a picture with the insanely talented kitchen crew. Neither of which we expected, but we happily jumped at the offer. We’re endlessly grateful to the Pujol team for making Shel’s birthday so special.
Day 3 - Sunday
We woke up early Sunday morning and enjoyed breakfast at the hotel restaurant Anatol before hopping in the car to head to the airport. If you stay at Las Alcobas, I highly recommend scheduling their car service for pick up and drop off at the airport. It just makes life a little more seamless.
Our 5 hour flight home called for an extra cozy outfit — the STAUD navy pants paired with the La Ligne Marin sweater, and wrapped up in the Petite Plume cashmere wrap was exactly what I needed.
Like I mentioned earlier, our trips to Mexico City are always far too short. I know we’re just barely scratching the surface of what the city has to offer. If you’ve been to Mexico City, I’d love to read your recs in the comments — and I’m sure others would love to see as well! We’re already plotting when we can return.
Until next time,
Kelly
Shop my Mexico City capsule wardrobe:
Shop all the items in my Mexico City capsule wardrobe here, plus download the free PDF with 15 different outfit ideas! I packed this with the intention of 3 full days away, but you could easily get multiple more days out of it!
Ugh, Mexico City has been on my list forever! You’ve motivated me to prioritize it! This is such a great initial guide and I’ll definitely keep it mind when finally get around to planning a trip. ☺️ I also appreciated the reminder about Club Tengo Hambre! I live in San Diego and did a couple of tours with them in Tijuana and Baja around ten years ago but it sounds like they’ve really expanded their offerings. Thanks so much for such a thoughtful post, as always! 💯