La Condesa Is Mexico Cities Ultimate Hidden Gem
A two-day walking tour of Mexico City's most European-feeling neighborhood — tree-lined streets, rooftop bars, and $1 orange juice.
So when my bill came for $20, I knew I would be going out every night I was here.
Our reviewerMexico City's Most Unexpectedly European Corner
La Condesa upends the dense, dirty-urban image many people carry of Mexico City. Tree-covered streets lined with old, beautiful buildings and hip coffee shops make it easy to imagine calling the neighborhood home.
A colorful street market appears down the right side street, and the best plan is often no plan at all — just wandering until you wish you had more days.
Nights lean toward the rooftop bar Condesa DF, where a bill that would run $60-70 for drinks at an equivalent Los Angeles hotel rooftop came to about $20.
Mornings are built for fancy coffee — La Condesa is covered in hipster coffee shops, more than a visitor could work through in a month. Afternoons are best spent on an EcoBici bike, which gives riders the first 45 minutes free, enough to cover plenty of ground without paying a cent if timed right.
On the food side, a torta sandwich and fresh-squeezed orange juice — sweeter than anything easily found elsewhere, and under a dollar — round out the neighborhood's cheap, easy meals, alongside street food for the more adventurous.
Why We Love It
- Rooftop bar drinks run roughly a third of comparable Los Angeles prices
- EcoBici bike share gives the first 45 minutes free, enough to cross the neighborhood without paying
- Fresh-squeezed orange juice costs less than a dollar
Considerations
- Street food is described as 'as delicious as it is dangerous' for the adventurous
Two Days in La Condesa
Day one was a walking tour through tree-covered streets and a colorful street market, capped by a low-key night at the rooftop bar Condesa DF, where the bill landed at about $20 versus the $60-70 a similar night out would run in Los Angeles.
Day two opened with a morning working through La Condesa's hipster coffee shops, followed by an afternoon on an EcoBici bike — free for the first 45 minutes — riding toward one of the neighborhood's markets.
What to Eat
A torta sandwich and fresh-squeezed orange juice, both cheap, are the easiest wins — the OJ runs less than a dollar and is sweeter than what's typically found elsewhere.
We Recommend This To Readers Who:
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Want a budget-friendly night out
A rooftop bar tab came to about $20, roughly a third of a comparable Los Angeles bill.
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Like exploring on two wheels
EcoBici's first 45 minutes are free, enough to get around the neighborhood without paying.
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Are coffee shop regulars
The neighborhood is covered in hipster coffee shops worth a slow morning crawl.
A Closer Look
One of Mexico City's Most Beautiful Neighborhoods
Between tree-lined streets, cheap rooftop drinks, and free bike rides, La Condesa rewards wandering more than any fixed itinerary could.
