How to Eat and Drink Like Alison Roman in Mexico City —

She even discovered good coffee, not an easy feat in the capital city.

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The [Instagram-famous cookbook author](https://enroute.aircanada.com/en/article/alison-roman-cooking “Alison Roman Wants to Get Everyone Cooking (and She’s Well on Her Way)”) (her latestbook, Nothing Fancy, was released in the fall) takes us to her standout food and drink spots in Roma.

I went to Mexico City for the first time a few years ago, which is when I realized it’s actually a pretty quick flight from New York: perfect for a Thursday-to-Sunday trip. The city is massive, but if you concentrate your efforts, it has neighbourhoods you can really hone in on. I like to stay in Roma Norte because it’s central, beautiful, close to Chapultepec Park – home to my favourite museum in the world, the National Museum of Anthropology – and it has a fantastic food-and-drink culture. My main goal when I’m there is to eat and drink, and I probably spend half my time eating on the streets and half my time in restaurants. The food is exquisite everywhere.

  1. Mercado de Medellín has it all: produce, meat, fish, flowers. Markets are a great way to get to know a city, and this is the main one in the neighbourhood. I get a quesadilla or taco from the women who set up on the corner outside, then walk around the market with a green juice and pick up fresh vegetables, herbs and pre-marinated meat so I can cook a meal in my Airbnb.
  2. La Clandestina serves mezcal with sour oranges and chili, and has really good snacks, especially the guacamole. It’s probably my favourite bar in Mexico City: It is tiny, charming and always packed with good-looking people – it’s the kind of place where you can start your evening or end it.
  3. Panadería Rosetta makes an insane guava pastry that’s almost like a Danish, but with pink guava and cream cheese. All of the bakery’s pastries and breads are good, so I like to go for breakfast. They have awesome coffee, too, which Mexico City isn’t known for.
  4. Caldos de Gallina Luis is a no-frills place for chicken soup that I stumbled on one of the last times I was in the city. It was New Year’s Day and I Googled “chicken soup,” and when I got there it was packed. It’s some of the best soup I’ve ever had, with pulled chicken and rice, and fresh tortillas to eat with it.
  5. Cicatriz is run by people who used to live in Brooklyn, and it makes a cute lunch spot. It’s a little north of Roma Norte, but still walkable. The food is fresh and seasonal, with delicious salads and stuff on toast – they change the menu up all the time.