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In a district this rich in culture and history, there are a myriad “B-sides” – hidden gems that also deserve to be explored. This is particularly true when it comes to eating in the Centro: For every famous taco stand and restaurant there are countless others that are equally as enticing, if not more so. Along the way, we’ll also get a crash course in Mexico City’s history, layer by delicious layer. The area encompassing the Centro Histórico, Mexico City’s oldest quarter, has been the metropolis’s beating heart for some 700 years; it’s a neighborhood of countless historical layers. This is where the Aztecs first started building their capital, where the Spanish conquerors first planted a flag to build their colonial empire and where modern Mexico City, today a sprawling megalopolis, first emerged. The neighborhood is also home to the city’s “Greatest Hits,” those churches, palaces and museums that are on every visitor’s to-do list. We’ll start the day off by visiting two neighborhood breakfast institutions that have been helping locals start off their day for decades. As we work our way through the bustling Centro’s cobblestoned streets, we’ll also stop by several beloved food stands, from one serving the area’s best carnitas to another that sells escamocho, a tropical fruit cocktail like no other. We’ll duck into a side alley for homey enchiladas at a workers’ lunch spot and explore the edible offerings at a 1930s-era covered market that is also home to a stunning display of public art. There will be a stop for a bite and a drink with the regulars at a neighborhood cantina that remains unchanged from when it first opened 100 years ago and then, to end the day, a sit down at another classic cantina for a meal of botanas, hearty home-style dishes that redefine upwards the concept of “bar snacks.” It will be a day full of rewarding surprises – the kind only El Centro can provide.
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