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Four days · Roma, the Centro and the markets

Mexico City with friends, for the food: markets, taco nights and lucha libre

Reviewed Oct 23, 2026How we verify

Four days of eating your way across Mexico City as a group: conchas and hot chocolate in an old Centro dining room, the long tuna-tostada lunch at Contramar, a night of lucha libre at Arena México and trompo tacos after, the chile stalls of La Merced and one splurge dinner in Polanco.

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4 days / 3 nights Nov–Mar Friends

Original illustration

Avenida Álvaro Obregón in Colonia Roma, Mexico City, with its tree-lined central walk — **Avenida Álvaro Obregón** · the tree-lined avenue at the heart of Roma Norte

The trip in 60 seconds

Trip at a glance

Who it’s for: A group of friends who plan the day around the next meal and want one loud night out at the lucha libre
Route: Roma Norte base (three nights) → the Centro Histórico → Arena México → La Merced and Medellín markets → Polanco for one dinner
Best timing: The dry season, roughly November to March: clear mornings, cool evenings and little afternoon rain
Pace: Easy to moderate: city walking, app rides between neighbourhoods, and the city sits at about 2,240 m (7,350 ft), so go slow on day 1
Sleep: Three nights in Roma Norte, a short walk from Contramar, Orinoco and Máximo
Getting there: Fly into Mexico City International Airport (MEX); an app ride or an authorised airport taxi to Roma takes about 30 to 60 minutes depending on traffic
Rough budget: Market and taco meals are cheap; Contramar, Máximo and Quintonil are the big bills. Carry small pesos for stalls and tips
Good to know: The US State Department’s Mexico advisory is Level 2, exercise increased caution (May 29, 2026); use app rides or sitio taxis, and check the advisory before you go

Reviewed Oct 23, 2026How we verify

Illustration: route map of the four days, a bird’s-eye view of central Mexico City with numbered pins in Roma Norte (Days 1 and 4), the Centro Histórico and Arena México (Day 2) and La Merced market to the east (Day 3) — Roma Norte base · the Centro, Arena México, the markets and back to Roma

Postcards from the trip

The Palacio de Bellas Artes in Mexico City with its domes — **Bellas Artes** · The white marble opera house and its golden domes.

Stalls of candied fruit and sweets at the Mercado de Dulces beside La Merced — **Mercado de Dulces** · Candied fruit and sweets beside La Merced.

Paths and trees in Parque México in Colonia Condesa — **Parque México** · Shade, fountains and dog walkers in Condesa.

A concha, the Mexican sweet bread with a sugar-shell top — **A concha** · The sugar-shell sweet bread of every Mexico City breakfast.

The idea

Four days, four friends, one very long list of things to eat.

Mexico City is loud, and you can hear the food before you see it: a griddle hissing at a market corner, a vendor calling out tamales, the clatter of a breakfast room in the Centro. This trip follows that noise. It is built around meals for a group, with the sights fitted in between, and a base in Roma Norte where the best taco counters are a walk from the hotel.

Day 1 is conchas and hot chocolate at El Cardenal, the long tuna-tostada lunch at Contramar and dinner at Máximo. Day 2 walks the Centro, lunches at Masala y Maíz, then goes to Arena México for lucha libre and trompo tacos at Orinoco. Day 3 is the markets, Medellín and La Merced, and a splurge at Quintonil. Day 4 slows down around Plaza Río de Janeiro with a last long lunch at Máximo.

Want the museums and Xochimilco instead? See Mexico City for couples, Barcelona with friends, for the food or every food trip.

Day-by-day summary

The pedestrian Calle Madero in the Centro Histórico of Mexico City

Day 1 · arrive · on foot and app ridesThe Centro, then Contramar in RomaConchas and hot chocolate at El Cardenal, the long tuna-tostada lunch at Contramar and dinner at Máximo.

Lucha libre wrestlers in the ring at Arena México

Day 2 · Centro and the arena · on foot and app ridesThe Centro, Arena México and OrinocoThe Zócalo and Bellas Artes, lucha libre at Arena México if CMLL lists a show, and trompo tacos at Orinoco after.

Fruit and vegetable stalls inside the Mercado de Medellín in Colonia Roma

Day 3 · the markets · app rides and on footMercado de Medellín and La MercedFruit and juice at Mercado de Medellín, chiles and blue-corn tlacoyos at La Merced, and a splurge dinner at Quintonil.

The fountain and trees of Plaza Río de Janeiro in Roma Norte

Day 4 · Roma · on foot, then homeRoma Norte: Plaza Río de JaneiroA slow morning round Plaza Río de Janeiro, the art-nouveau houses of Roma and a last long lunch at Máximo.

Photo: Palacio de Bellas Artes lit in the evening, seen from across Eje Central Lázaro Cárdenas. — Palacio de Bellas Artes in the evening, from across Eje Central Lázaro Cárdenas. Photo: Daniel Case, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons

The route

Four days, one base, eaten in order

Three nights in Roma Norte, with the Centro, Arena México and La Merced each an app ride away.

Illustration: a lunch table at Contramar seen from above, tuna tostadas with chipotle mayo, crisp leeks and avocado on a plate, a whole grilled fish split and dressed half red and half green, lime halves, salsas, tortillas in a cloth and four friends’ hands reaching in, illustrated day card for Day 1

01Centro · Contramar

Base: Roma Norte, three nights. Mexico City sits at about 2,240 m (7,350 ft), so drink water, go easy on the mezcal and keep day 1 gentle. Walking the Centro and Calle Madero is free; the spend today is food. Pace: easy: about 2 miles on foot plus two app rides, with the long sit-down lunch at Contramar as the break.

Conchas at El Cardenal

Where to eat: El Cardenal, at Palma 23 in the Centro Histórico, for breakfast: its own hot chocolate, conchas and the bread basket.

Clattering cups, waiters in white jackets, a basket of sugar-shell conchas in pink and white. El Cardenal makes its own chocolate and bakes its own bread, and the breakfast room fills with families and office workers early. Order hot chocolate for the table and one of everything from the basket, then argue about which concha won.

Calle Madero

Walk it off down Calle Madero, the pedestrian street between the Zócalo and Bellas Artes, past old palaces, churches and shopfronts. Today is only a look; you come back to the Centro properly on Day 2. Expert tip: keep phones and wallets in front pockets on busy Madero, and grab an app ride for the trip to Roma.

The long lunch at Contramar

Where to eat: Contramar, at Durango 200 in Roma Norte, open for lunch Monday to Friday 12 to 8 p.m. and weekends from 11 a.m.; reserve a table for the group.

This is the lunch the city is known for: tuna tostadas with chipotle mayo, crispy leeks and avocado, then the grilled fish split and dressed half red and half green to share, if it is on the menu that day. Lunch here runs long, the room gets loud, and nobody minds. Order more tostadas than you think you need.

Dinner at Máximo

Where to eat: Máximo, at Avenida Álvaro Obregón 65 Bis in Roma Norte, open Monday to Saturday from 1 to 11 p.m. and closed Sundays; reserve.

A market-driven menu that changes with the season, a room full of light, and a relaxed first-night dinner a short walk from the hotel. Walk back afterward and turn in early; the Centro starts early tomorrow.

Where to eat and stop

Breakfast · El Cardenal — Palma 23, Centro Histórico; its own chocolate and bread. Why here: Hot chocolate and conchas at a classic Mexico City breakfast room.
Lunch · Contramar — Durango 200, Roma Norte; Mon–Fri 12 to 8 p.m., Sat–Sun 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. Why here: Tuna tostadas and a long, loud group lunch.
Dinner · Máximo — Av. Álvaro Obregón 65 Bis, Roma Norte; Mon–Sat 1 to 11 p.m., closed Sunday; reserve. Why here: A seasonal first-night dinner a short walk from the Roma base.
Quick stop (other): Calle Madero — pedestrian street between the Zócalo and Bellas Artes. Why here: A first walk through the Centro after breakfast.

Reserve the big three now. Contramar, Máximo and Quintonil all fill up; book for the group as soon as dates are set, Quintonil weeks ahead.

MEX airport → Roma Norte: about 30–60 minutes by app ride. Roma → El Cardenal in the Centro: about 20 minutes by app ride. The Centro → Contramar: about 20 minutes by app ride.

Where to stay

A hotel or apartment in Roma Norte, near Avenida Álvaro Obregón — three nights; ask for a quiet room off the avenue.

Dinner: Máximo, in Roma Norte.

Tomorrow: the Centro, Bellas Artes and a night at the lucha libre.

Bad-weather plan

An afternoon shower? It passes fast in the dry season; stay at the Contramar table a little longer, then take an app ride to Máximo if it is still raining.

Stay: Roma base · Anchor: Contramar · reserve lunch

Good to know: Contramar is a lunch place: it opens at 12 p.m. on weekdays and 11 a.m. on weekends and closes at 8 p.m.

Illustration: a lucha libre night at Arena México, two masked wrestlers in bright costumes mid-leap in a ring under hard white lights, ropes and ring posts in the foreground, a roaring crowd in the dark stands and four friends from behind with raised arms, illustrated day card for Day 2

02Centro · Lucha libre

Base: the same Roma room. Lucha libre at Arena México runs on set nights of the week: check the CMLL schedule (cmll.com) for this week before you plan the evening. The arena is in Colonia Doctores, so take app rides both ways at night. The Zócalo, Madero and the Alameda are free to walk. Pace: moderate: about 3 miles on foot in the Centro, app rides, and a late night.

Breakfast by the Alameda

Where to eat: El Cardenal’s second dining room, at Avenida Juárez 70 by the Alameda, for breakfast before the Centro.

Back for more, because one El Cardenal breakfast is never enough for a group: eggs, sweet bread and chocolate again, this time looking out toward the Alameda park.

The Zócalo, the Catedral and Bellas Artes

Bells ring out over the Zócalo, one of the biggest public squares in the world, with the huge Catedral Metropolitana on its north side and the Palacio Nacional along the east. Walk inside the cathedral, then head west to the Palacio de Bellas Artes, the white marble opera house with its orange-and-gold domes. Expert tip: cross Avenida Juárez to the Alameda side for the best view of the whole Bellas Artes front.

Lunch at Masala y Maíz

Where to eat: Masala y Maíz, at Calle Artículo 123 No. 116 in the Centro, a few blocks south of the Alameda; open 12 to 6 p.m. and closed Tuesdays; reserve on Tock.

Chefs Norma Listman and Saqib Keval cook between Mexico, South Asia and East Africa: masa and spice on the same plate, small dishes for the table and a lot to talk about. Rest at the hotel afterward; the arena runs late.

Lucha libre and trompo tacos

Where to eat: Taquería Orinoco, at Avenida Álvaro Obregón 100 in Roma Norte, for trompo tacos after the show.

Check the CMLL schedule (cmll.com) for which nights Arena México has a card this week, and buy tickets from CMLL or at the box office. Inside it is pure noise: masked luchadores flying off the top rope, the crowd shouting at the villains, vendors selling masks and beer in the stands. Take an app ride back to Roma and finish at Orinoco, where the trompo turns by the counter and the tacos come fast.