Tacos Gus
Amsterdam 171, corner of GlorietaCitlaltepetl
Colonia Hipodromo-Condesa
Tel: 044 55 1384 3077
Gus, the guy who runs this place, has injust a few short months, turned this into one of the most iconic tacodestinations in Mexico City, offering a huge selection of very healthy andtasty tacos. So creative are his offerings, that his vegetarian options areoften better than his carnivorous choices. He opens for breakfast at 9am andcloses at 4pm but if you want the more popular stuff go before 2.30pm. Makesure you also have whatever his agua del dia is,which is a great way to wash down all that healthy goodness.
Azul y Oro (Ciudad Universitaria)
Centro Cultural Universitario (near SalaNetzahualcoyotl)
Ciudad Universitaria
Tel: 5622 7135
Cash only and somewhat difficult to reach,if you make the journey out here you will be rewarded with some of the finestMexican cuisine at the most reasonable of price tags imaginable. Their standardmenu includes fantastic moles, excellently prepared fish and a number of fingerfoods like tamales and quesadillas as starters. Every month too, the restaurant does a new, themed menubased from a different part of the country. For dessert, their pastel dechocolate, which comes hot and served with cheeseice cream, is particularly outstanding.
Turix
Emilio Castelar 212, between Ibsen andGoldsmith
Polanco
Tel: 5280 6449
This no frills hole in the wall serves up aselection of tacos, tortas and other botanas madewith cochinita; a slow roasted pork dish from the Yucatan Peninsula, made withorange, chillies and roasting it in banana leaf under the ground. While thisplace doesn’t cook its meat under the ground, it is still pretty special; somuch so that it manages to haul in huge crowds around lunchtime. Be careful notto get too close to where they prepare the cochinita; many an office worker hasreturned to the office embarrassed, with oily, orange coloured stains on crisp,white shirts.
El Convento: churros y tortas
Plaza del Carmen 4, corner with Revolucion
Colonia San Angel
Tel: 5616 0978
More a hole in the wall than anything else,it has two major advantages; excellent churros (deepfried dough pastries like doughnuts but in long strips) and tortas, which are Mexican style sandwiches made with avocado, cheese, beansand meat. It is also open till late, which makes it a fantastic stop for a latenight bite or an after bar excursion to satisfy a raging appetite. They also dostuffed churros, with chocolate, vanilla or a local sweet, cajeta, which is made caramelised milk and sugar. A particularly handy place if you goout at one of the clubs in the south of the city.
El Cuadrilatéro
Luis Moya 73, near the corner withAyuntamiento
Colonia Centro
Tel: 5521 3060
This place was set up by an ex wrestler ofthe Mexican ilk, with masks, et al. Visiting this place, if you know nothingabout lucha libre wrestling, you’ll sure learnabout it here. The tortas (Mexican sandwiches)come in three sizes, depending on your appetite (the largest, only for the mostravenous) and with a huge array of ingredients. If you’re brave, try eating elgladiador; a 1.3kg sandwich containing fourdifferent kinds of meat and who knows how many kinds of cheese. And if you cando it in less than 15 minutes, it’s free.
La Broka
Zacatecas 126-B, between Jalapa and PlazaLuis Cabrera
Colonia Roma Norte
Tel: 4437 4285
La broka’s concept is deceptively simple;come during the daytime and you’ll get a set lunch with no options but lots offrills. Come in the evening, and you’ll get wine with tapas but again, no menu.Everything prepared is at the caprice of the chef and whatever they have in thekitchen. Whether you come during the day or in the evening, the food is alwaysimpeccably prepared, very tasty, creative and, believe it or not, healthy. Anexcellent place to come with friends to absorb the very vibrant atmosphere, oron a date if you want to get lost in the crowd. Follow them on Twitter(@brokabistrot) to find out what they are serving each day for lunch.
Jardin del Pulpo
Mercado 89 Coyoacán between Malintzin andAllende
Tel: 5339 5708
A classic family venue, the seafood servedhere is some of the freshest and plentiful around. The tostadas are big enoughfor two people while the main courses are huge and should not be eaten alone.Service is swift and friendly and the seating is all outdoor. Make sure you trya ceviche or a coctel de camaron (shrimp marinated in tomato, onions andherbs), and the tostadas, of course.
