A Foodie's 3-Day Guide to Culinary Hotspots in Mexico City

If you can position your flight to arrive in the early afternoon, drop your bags at the hotel and head to Contramar for lunch (advance reservations necessary.) This popular restaurant is busy, even in the late afternoons, and you will ooh and ahh at the mouthwatering ahi tostadas and fresh seafood dishes. Don't miss the beautiful fig tart for dessert. Then check into your hotel and relax a bit before heading to the rooftop bar at Condesa DF for pre-dinner cocktails. If you are there in March or April, you may have a view of the purple Jacaranda trees. Have dinner at Lardo in Condesa and enjoy good Mediterranean cuisine and a great neighborhood restaurant vibe.

Head over to Maque Cafe in Condesa for traditional Mexican pastries, chilaquiles, breakfast and coffee. It's a charming neighborhood restaurant with tables on a tree-lined street. Then do a tour of the Teotihuacan pyramids, about an hour north of the city. This ancient Mayan City, built in the 1st century AD was considered the "Birthplace of the Gods" and is a must see. You'll be walking about a mile, and up and down stairs in full sun, so bring plenty of water and wear comfortable walking shoes.

After the pyramids, you'll be hungry for lunch, so head to Cicatriz in Juarez for some great chicken sandwiches or avo toasts; Cafe Nin or Ojo de Agua. You may want to rest up a bit at the hotel, then head to dinner at Maximo Bistrot, where you will enjoy the open kitchen and locally sourced meals by chef-owner Eduardo Garcia (previously of Pujol and Le Bernadin.)

Then finish the night off with innovative cocktails and cool music and ambience of Xaman Bar in Reforma.

You may want to skip breakfast to do a local food tour today... Club Tengo Hambre is one to check out, but I recommend Eat Like a Local as it is a woman-run local business that supports and mentors young women who live at or near the markets in CDMX. After the tour, you may want to walk around the Centro Historico and check out the House of Tiles, Palacio de Bellas Artes, Zocalo Plaza and through the old Gran Hotel Ciudad de Mexico. Don't forget to pick up some churros with chocolate dipping sauce at Churrerio El Moro (the original was founded in 1935; they have several locations.) Or wander Chapultepec Park's Castillo or Botanical Gardens.

Pujol, Mexico's #1 restaurant, is your destination for your final dinner in Mexico City. Advanced reservations are a must for most restaurants in this foodie destination, but plan on reserving at least 6 months out for Pujol. This will be an omakase or tasting menu experience and the service, presentation and food are perfection. Let them know you want to have after dinner cocktails in the outside patio which has fire pits and a beautiful ambience.

Pick up some pastries and coffee at Rosetta Panaderia before your flight and savor your time in Mexico City...