Lowkey Gems in Mexico City (That Aren't In Condesa)
Chef Scarlett Lindeman, co-owner of Cicatriz, on the spots in CDMX that outlast the hype.
Scarlett Lindeman’s Mexico City is lived in. The chef and co-owner of Cicatriz, a neighborhood fixture in Juarez, she’s drawn to “hole-in-the-walls, decidedly uncool spots, and classic, storied stuff.”
Lindeman would rather champion the projects of fellow chefs and friends than chase hype. “I do not give a damn about the newest, trendy hot spot,” says Lindeman. “Let’s see if it still exists in three years.”
For Co-Sign Vol. 004, she shares the spots in CDMX she keeps coming back to.
THE CO-SIGNS
Vol. 004: Scarlett Lindeman
Lonchería Mely, Roma Norte
Every visitor to Mexico City should try comida corrida at least once. I eat it a few times a week. Comida corrida is a set-price, three-course menu that changes daily from spot to spot, served at homey, inexpensive restaurants called fondas; every neighborhood has a few. The meal always starts with soup: chicken consomme or a vegetable soup, followed by a “sopa seca” or “dry soup” meaning rice, spaghetti, or salad, then a heartier main from a short roster of dishes. If you don’t have a Mexican mom to cook for you, this is the easiest way into homey, textbook Mexican flavors in a choose-your-own-adventure meal. At $5 a pop, no less.
Lonchería Mely is a locals’ favorite. The kitchen is particularly good at frying, so the tacos dorados and tostadas for their weekend pozole are hot and crispy. This lonchería is just one of thousands of fondas serving their immediate neighborhood. Look for any handwritten menu on a board or in any public market for others.
Shaanxi Sabor, Amp Granada
Regional Chinese cuisine in Mexico City is thriving. There is a robust diaspora largely serving their own community, due to increasing Mexico-China relations and the installation of Chinese tech companies here. Noodle shops abound and there is a flurry of places opening north of Polanco and in the Viaducto neighborhoods. For when you get tired of eating tacos.
Makes me feel like I’m back in NYC in Flushing, Queens.
Bar El Sella, Doctores
Cantinas are traditional drinking establishments that sometimes, as is the case with Bar el Sella, serve very good food. Order the bone-in chamorro to taquear, chorizo en sidra, and the quince paste and cheese dessert that is doused in amaretto and lit on fire. Go with friends when you want a lengthy, lubricated meal of classic flavors in a room full of doctors on their lunch breaks.
Tacos de Canasta Los Famosos, Coyoacán
A true Mexico City style taco, almost always eaten on the street, from the back of a bicycle, for breakfast or early lunch. They translate to “basket” tacos, because they are pre-filled and layered, warm, into (traditionally) a basket. Soft, filled with mushy fillings like beans or mashed potatoes or stewed chicharon, and eaten with the hands, they certainly may not sound appetizing but they 100% are. Bright green salsa and pickles cut through the grease. I love them. It’s not necessary to go to a specific location for them. If you see a man with a basket on the back of his bike and a big tub of salsa on a street corner, they are most likely tacos de canasta, and you should eat two immediately.
Cárcamo de Dolores, Chapultepec Park
In the second, lesser-traveled section of Chapultepec Park is a hydraulic waterworks installation from the 1950s with an excellent Diego Rivera mural that was originally underwater; now that it is drained, it is much easier to see. The combination of public infrastructure and mid-century art is delightful, as is the surrounding area, an oasis of calm. Rivera also made the sculpture of the sprawled out rain god, Tlaloc, out front.
Cinemex, multiple locations
Cheap tickets, air-conditioned rooms, plush seats, and crazy popcorn flavors. Go see a movie; most are in English with Spanish subtitles, but make sure you check before. If you want arthouse cinema, Cineteca is an obvious option as much for the architecture as the film, but Cinemex is easy. There are multiple locations.
Jellyfish, Roma
My chef friend Tyler Henry’s coffee house/reading room/cocktail bar. It smells so good in here! I come here to read, flip through cookbooks, think, and listen to whatever spaced-out jazz is playing on the decks. An analog space in the best way. I always leave my cell phone at home for a self-prescribed digital break for an hour or two.
Hospital de Jesús Nazareno, Centro
Founded by Hernan Cortes in 1524 this hospital is over 500 years old, in the heart of downtown, on a busy street. Walk through a shoe story on the ground floor to gain access to the central courtyard and garden that holds a respite from the insanity of Centro Historico. Up a flight of stairs are stunning murals by José Clemente Orozco in dark tones and creamy pastels.
Charco, Centro
A restaurant with a great view in the literal shadow of the main cathedral in Centro Historico. Come for cocktails, a comfortable bathroom, and a sunset when you are charging around downtown. The chef, Ricardo Verdejo, is a young talent.
Pulques y Curados La Crema y Nata, San Diego Ocoyoacac
Juan Escalona, who has just published a book on pulque, “Que Viva el Pulque” (go buy it!), showed me this spot under the freeway in Tacuba. The campechano pulque is crisp, slightly sweet, and super fresh. I don’t like curados, pulque blended with fruit juices and purees, but I’ll happily drink them here.
Bosforo, Centro
The O.G. mezcaleria, 15 years old and still going strong. Arturo and his team serve up some of the best pours of ancestral mezcal and his music selection can’t be beat. This bar is a city treasure.
La Polar, San Rafael
This is my favorite bowl of birria (beef, sheep, or goat rubbed with adobo and stewed until brothy) that rights me when feeling sick, hungover, or physically off, it is a balm. They have been serving it up since the 1930s. Sometimes there are two bands playing at once inside of the restaurant, which isn’t great for a hangover, but it sure is fun.
Jardín Ramón López Velarde, Roma Sur
This park is much less frequented than Parque Mexico and Parque España, but I think it’s a sleeper hit. I go here weekly, if not more, for walking, bird-watching, sitting on a bench, and if you have young kids, a spanking-new playground. Mercado 100, the organic farmers market, is here on Sundays in the upper, western corner.
Lina, Roma
A real nice place to have an elegant dinner. Mariana Villegas ran the show at Contramar for a few years before opening her first solo project and has an adept hand with seafood. Vegetables shine too. I go for a drink and a snack at the bar or when friends are in town for dinner.
Tianguis, Doctores
Tianguis, the open-air bazaars on the street that wind through different neighborhoods on different days, are cultural artifacts thriving in the modern era. I normally hit up the Sunday Doctores tianguis due to proximity to my house, which has a nice mix of antiguedades, new shit, vegetables, housewares, and clothes. I like digging through the piles of clothes, “pacas” sold in bulk, and hunting for old cast iron.
Fugaz, Roma
Casual lunch for interesting food and good wine. Giuseppe is the man.
Metro Stop La Raza, Vallejo
The metro system is a marvel and you should absolutely ride it (avoid it). Many stations have different themes and art pieces. The transfer tunnel at this metro stop has a science exhibit called “The Tunnel of Science,” installed in 1988 to teach commuters about space. It’s like a mini planetarium you can walk through (600 meters) while making the long ass transfer to the yellow line. When I want to feel corny and dip into space, but also, the 1980s.
**For a Google map of Scarlett’s CDMX, click here.**
THE CITY INTERVIEW
How did you end up in CDMX, and what made you stay?
After years of cooking in Los Angeles and New York City, I left kitchens to pursue a PhD in sociology. My research remained centered on food, specifically, how Mexican migration to the US shapes foodways there. I was working on the dissertation, came down to write and do research, and never went back. Nine years ago, I returned to the kitchen to open a restaurant, Cicatriz, in Colonia Juarez. Turns out, I’m a better chef than sociologist, but it still informs my thinking.
On your best days, what does living here feel like?
Small islands of pure beauty amid chaos.
How has living in CDMX shaped your sense of self, your creative practice, or your worldview?
Living here for 12 years has slowed my pace considerably. It’s not so much about being more patient but radically restructuring your relationship to time.
What’s one thing people consistently misunderstand or get wrong about CDMX, and what do they miss out on because of it?
Mexico City is not Condesa and Roma. There are 23 million people here, spread out over 575 square miles. Those attractive neighborhoods are lovely, no doubt, but do not define the city.
Describe the soul of CDMX in three words.
Frenetic, miraculous, inexhaustible.
CO-SIGN WORLDWIDE
The sexiest hotel you’ve ever stayed at:
I’ve got some high hopes for São Lourenço do Barrocal & Monte Alentejano in eastern Portugal but haven’t stayed there yet.
The most beautiful place you’ve ever visited:
Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. There’s nothing like it. Such beautiful people too.
Overrated destination:
Paris. Ugh.
Underrated destination:
Salt Lake City, Utah. Utah contains more national parks than any other US state with extreme diversity in bio-climates, so you can rock climb, mountain bike, hang glide, hike, swim, raft and more. A good craft beer scene, old school burger joints, a vibrant LGBTQ community, and a new airport.
A destination, hotel, or experience still on your bucket list:
Turkey, Southeast Asia, Japan. Please take me!
The greatest city in the world right now:
São Paulo, Brazil or Porto, Portugal. Both would be excellent locations for James Bond car chase scenes.
A place you’ve gatekept — until now:
I would have disclosed a special birria stand in Villa de Cortes, Mexico City, but they did not survive COVID. I will forever miss them.
I love this!!!