Layer by Layer: A Mexico City Culinary Adventure

Day 1

Welcome to Mexico City

Arrive in Mexico City and check into our group’s hotel, located in the Centro Histórico, a neighborhood studded with monuments and a place where all of the city’s incredible layers collide, making it the perfect starting point for our trip. Have a quick look around this historic neighborhood before meeting for a welcome dinner at Limosneros, where the chefs work with pre-Hispanic ingredients, colonial techniques, and modern creative twists – all elements which we will encounter during the rest of the trip – to create an unforgettable meal. In a private room, we’ll share our first of many meals and discuss our plans for the week. We’ll also get to know our trip leader, Paco, who will regale the group with stories of his past exploits as a bullfighter and young chess master.

Day 2

The Many Layers of Mexico City

After breakfast at our hotel, we’ll be spending the day in downtown’s Centro Histórico, exploring our trip’s themes through food, history, and culture. Today will be a crash course in the history of Mexico City, with visits to major monuments and to sites that are hidden from view including Aztec Temples and iconic mid century murals, as well as a visit to a locals only market that is home to spectacular public art. For lunch, we’ll be dropping by a family-run Oaxacan grocery/restaurant in the heart of one of the city’s oldest commercial districts.  

In the evening, we’ll set out on a taco tour, hitting a number of nighttime taco stands, including an al pastor spot housed in an auto repair shop. Along with classic tacos, we’ll also have the chance to taste ones made with brains, bull’s eyes, and intestines, a suitable survey of the city’s taco scene.

Day 3

Mole & Milpa Alta

Today, we’ll head to Milpa Alta, a center of mole production on the outskirts of Mexico City. We’ll be delving deep on the subject of all things mole, learning about ingredients, production techniques, regional varieties, and how this food represents the colonial heritage of Mexico.

On our way to Milpa Alta, we’ll stop by the home of a local farmer to learn about the artisanal production of pulque, a pre-Hispanic drink made from the sap of the agave-like maguey plant. During the afternoon, we’ll visit private homes and markets to gain a better sense of daily life and the food that shapes and defines it. Together with a local host and mole master, we’ll also learn how to make the iconic sauce from scratch, using all of the 101 ingredients traditionally used to make it. After getting a taste of what we’ve just made,  we’ll finish our visit with a late lunch starring – what else? – mole. We’ll also have a chance to bring some of the mole we’ve made home. 

Day 4

Shop, Cook, Feast & Lucha Libre

This day will be spent with well-known chef Graciela Montano, who will take us on a guided shopping trip through a colorful market in the hip Roma Norte neighborhood and then bring us back to her nearby atelier for a cooking lesson. Step by step, she will lead us through the recipes and techniques of classic Mexican cooking, focusing on the materials we’ve picked up in the market, with a particular emphasis on salsas. After the lesson, we’ll feast on what we’ve prepared, celebrating the native ingredients we’ve tracked from farm to market to our table.

In the evening, we’ll get our fix of local culture by attending a Lucha Libre wrestling match. Beforehand, we’ll have an exclusive behind-the-scenes tour with a historian of this uniquely Mexican sport, and a special meeting with some of wrestlers. The bravest among us will even have a chance to step into the ring and grapple with the wrestlers. Afterwords we’ll feast on some fantastic local birria tacos.

Day 5

Floating Farms of Xochimilco

Rise again to a refreshing breakfast in our hotel, before an action-packed day exploring Xochimilco, a highlight of the region and treasure of Aztec-era living culture. Unlike many pre-Hispanic era monuments that are entombed in museums, Xochimilco is a living place with working farms and much to see, eat, and drink, all linked to pre-Hispanic Mexico. 

We’ll hop aboard a traditional flat-bottomed boat as we float along canals that predate the Aztecs. We’ll have a chance to visit one of the chinampas, the area’s famous “floating farms,” where we’ll have a meal using locally-grown ingredients and prepared by a chef. 

For dinner, we’ll meet together for our farewell evening at a beautiful private home, where we’ll enjoy a meal prepared by a local chef, along with a paired mezcal tasting led by a bottler who travels the Mexican countryside in search of small batch producers of the spirit. The mezcal will be paired with classic Mexican dishes with a creative spin. A truly unique and fitting sendoff to our week in Mexico!

Day 6

Farewell and Departure

After breakfast at our hotel, we’ll say adios. If you are staying on in Mexico City or the region, we will be happy to give recommendations for further exploration. Until our next adventure!