Illustration by Archinect (background photo courtesy Roger Ce/Unsplash)
Ready to explore Mexico City? With a population of well over 22 million, this bustling metropolis has A LOT to offer. So we asked award-winning Mexican architect and educator Michel Rojkind to host this Archinect City Guide and share a few select locations that architecture and design aficionados visiting the city would also enjoy. Keep reading for some of his personal favorite CDMX spots for outstanding tacos and ceviche, refreshing cocktails and vinyls, unique books and museums, y mucho más.
Are you a Mexico City local with your own go-to spots? Or have a city you think we should cover next? Share your thoughts, suggestions, and favorite places in the comments.
Favorite restaurant?
Maizajo, a Michelin-starred taco bar and restaurant where everything revolves around native corn, milled and cooked in-house using the traditional art of nixtamalization.
If you’re into seafood: Contramar, a classic for good conversations, tuna tostadas that always deliver, and merengue de fresa to seal the deal.
Or Mi compa Chava, if you want laid-back vibes and Sinaloa-style ceviche towers.
Image courtesy Maizajo on InstagramFavorite bar?
If you’re into hidden bars with next-level mixology and curated DJ sets for the after hours, go to OWL, a recent project we completed in the office that nods to 1930s art-deco speakeasies.
Or if you want to listen to a full vinyl on Devon Turnbull’s speakers, visit Shhh, a deep listening room with no reservations.
Image courtesy Shhh on InstagramFavorite café?
I’m more of a tea guy. My favorite is MEZKLA, a secret chai spot in Condesa. The owner, Teresita, only serves 3 days a week through a small window.
If you can’t skip coffee, head to El Minutito. Strong, tiny, and straight to the point. The owner, Lucas Cantú, is a fellow architect and former duo of Tezontle.
Image courtesy El Minutito on InstagramFavorite bookstore?
In Mexico, we say something like “It’s not the one who lends a book who’s a fool, but the one who returns it.” But my friend and artist, Pedro Reyes, puts a clever spin on that idea. From his home in Coyoacán, he runs Tlacuilo, a secret lending library where you can book a visit, browse the catalog, pick up your selections, and borrow them for a month.
Image courtesy Tlacuilo on InstagramFavorite museum?
The mythical Museo Anahuacalli, a lava-stone gem in the south of the city. Part temple, part museum, by Diego Rivera and Juan O’Gorman, and recently expanded by Mauricio Rocha, whose thoughtful intervention earned the 2023 MCHAP Prize.
I’m also thinking of LagoAlgo, a gallery/restaurant in a modernist building I run past every time I go to Bosque de Chapultepec, which is Mexico City’s equivalent of Central Park.
Anahuacalli Museum. Image courtesy Rafael Gamo/Onnis Luque (more here on Archinect)Favorite public space?
Espacio Escultórico, a monumental land-art installation built atop the lava fields of the Xitle Volcano. It was conceived in the late ’70s as a collaboration between six prominent Mexican artists and architects, including Mathias Goeritz. Its centerpiece is a 120-meter-wide sculptural ring that sits atop a natural crater.
Espacio Escultórico. Image courtesy Wikimedia Commons user Luisalvaz (Public Domain)Most underrated building?
Casa Ortega, Barragán’s first major work in CDMX, and rarely visited. A quieter, more intimate expression of his style.
Favorite new architecture?
Don’t miss the work of Fernanda Canales, who is also a critic, a curator, and a leading voice in contemporary architecture.
Also, keep an eye on my young friends from oioioi. Fresh, new school, big vision. A collab might be on the horizon 😉
PILARES Flor de Azucena by Fernanda Canales Arquitectura. Photo: Rafael GamoNew or upcoming projects by your firm in the city?
It’s a secret! I can only say they’re not in Mexico
Archinectors, what are your personal favorite picks for Mexico City? Let us know in the comments!