Fellow foodies of the world, this one is for y’all! I’m here to convince you to do a Mexico City food tour with Eat Like A Local. Pero why, you ask? Well, because I did it and it absolutely changed my life forever. But I doubt I’ll need to do much convincing because the photos of everything we ate will do that for me!
I love food. I love Mexico City. And I love travel things that have a deeper impact than you’d originally imagine. Eat Like a Local Mexico City is a food tour company that brings travelers to the heart of the city’s best cuisine. I did their Mexican Food 101 Mexico City food tour on my latest trip with three of my friends. And believe me, this is the best foodie experience you can do in CDMX. It was my absolute favorite thing we did during our trip!
Generally, the trend is to stay away from pre-planned tours because they’re rushed or sometimes scammy. Well, Eat Like a Local’s food tours are the exact opposite of that. And it’s exactly the type of company I love to support. Not only is it woman-owned and completely woman-operated, but it also creates amazing opportunities for people in their community. Plus, they make a true effort to use responsible and sustainable tourism practices.
Eat Like a Local’s founder Rocío was born and raised in Mexico City. The story behind why she created the company is so layered and beautiful. I deeply connected with how passionate she is about her calling and mission. She says she loves seeing people’s faces when they try something delicious. And that went straight to my heart because I’m the same way. It’s part of why I was so excited to do their Mexico City food tour with my friends!
Their women-only team comes from unique backgrounds and experiences. By sharing their stories, they make this unique food tour so much more interesting and unforgettable. The tours provide an immersive look at how the markets work and how the vendors’ lives coexist with them. You’ll eat incredibly delicious Mexican food and also learn about the history and issues facing these communities. Plus, you get to see first-hand the positive impact that responsible tourism can have on a community.
Eat Like A Local’s food tours make a lasting change through their 80 IQ Game Changers program. The program exposes the children of CDMX’s La Merced and Jamaica markets to inclusion, respect, feminism and more. The children’s families have often been part of La Merced or Jamaica markets for many generations. Rocío created this program to bring resources to La Merced’s families that they otherwise might not have had access to. It’s such a meaningful thing to get to be part of that impact by supporting Eat Like a Local.
THE MEXICAN FOOD 101 TOUR: MARKETS & STREET FOOD
Now, let me give you the tasty scoop on the best Mexico City food tour you can do! The Mexican Food 101 tour is the perfect choice for Mexico City first timers. It’s basically a mouthwatering crash course on the metro, markets, street food, bakeries and cafés. For 4.5 hours, you’ll go deep into the real Mexico City on foot, stairs and metro. Elisa, our guide, led us through the guided tasting of a lifetime. She was super fun, informative and passionate about her city, the tour and the company’s mission. Elisa really made this experience one that will be in my heart forever.
EXPLORING THE CONDESA NEIGHBORHOOD
The day started out with soft and tasty traditional pan dulce at a local café in Condesa. And luckily for me, it was my favorite type of sweet bread: Conchas! Conchas are a loved-by-all sweet-dough bread topped with a crunchy topping. Then, we walked through lovely Condesa to find our second stop. And once there, we had the most delicious tacos de canasta I’ve ever had. These are tacos bathed in oil and filled with stews like chicharrón, papa or frijoles (pork rinds, potato or beans). Yep, I was in love by the second stop, and we had a bunch more stops to go.
WALKING TO MERCADO LA MERCED
I won’t spoil all of the succulent details of the tour for you. But I will tell you that we had more yummy tacos at the third stop! Then, it was time to head into the metro to go to the first market. Despite having been to Mexico City many times, this was my first time at Mercado La Merced. Mercado La Merced is the largest market in all of Mexico City. There are endless stalls, and you can buy almost anything here.
From food, spices, fruits and vegetables to sweets, meat and much more, this place is a huge, magical maze. It’s best to visit Mercado La Merced with a guide because it’s easy to get lost in its vastness. This is why it was great to have Elisa, a CDMX native and expert, show us around the market. It was really cool to visit several spots throughout the market because we got to try many delicious things. Plus, it was inspiring as hell to hear the vendors’ stories and how the wonderful women at Eat Like A Local make a difference in that community.
We tried pambazos, quesadillas, sooo much candy, and even an array of edible insects! I’m proud to say I braved my fear of insects and munched on grasshoppers and worms. I even got to try some legendary Chicatana ants, which are a rare pre-Hispanic delicacy from Oaxaca. These ants can only be gathered during the rainy season and they’re hard to catch, as they bite and fly! Knowing what a special culinary wonder this is, I closed my eyes and just went for it. All the bugs were actually very tasty! But it didn’t end there. Well, for me it did. Because next they brought out the big boys, including scorpions and some huge beetles known as Chahuis. And I just couldn’t do that!
Another reason why this is the best Mexico City market tour is that you get to meet the people directly impacted by Eat Like A Local’s programs. The girls that participate in the program come from families that are market vendors at La Merced. Through the program, the girls get to learn and practice English by taking over part of the tour. During our tour, we met Carlitos, one of the first boys to participate in the program. He was the cutest and his English was so good!
FLOWERS, FRUIT & FUN AT MERCADO JAMAICA
Y’all, we were not halfway through the day and I had already overindulged. Happily, of course. After trying all the things at La Merced, we got back on the metro to head to Mercado Jamaica. Mercado Jamaica is a traditional Mexican market also known as the flower market. As a Texas-desert girly coming into the lush landscape of Mexico City, the endless gorgeous, HUGE flowers of all kinds had me in love! Seriously, there were sooo many flowers. But you can also find traditional food here, and you can bet your last dollar that we indulged!
I genuinely still think of everything we ate at Mercado Jamaica on a daily basis. We had tacos de carnitas, slow-cooked pork, with perfectly spicy salsas at the first stop there. Next, we had some fresh, crunchy jicama dipped in colorful, flavorful candy/seasoning powders. And then, we got the coolest little bundle of fruits to munch on. I loved trying fruits I had never even seen before. This Mexico City food tour definitely pushes you to expand your taste bud’s horizons! Because what is the point of life if not to try as many kinds of delightful indulgences throughout the world?!
And we saved the best for last: esquites! Elotes are one of my absolute most-favorite things in the world. Any kind, any presentation, any toppings — it all truly feeds the deepest parts of my little Mexican soul. Some of the best elotes/esquites (corn on the cob/corn in a cup) in all of Mexico are in Mexico City. And this Eat Like A Local Mexico City food tour includes the tastiest esquites you will try in your life!
Obviously photos can’t do the wonderfully delicious flavors you get to delight in on this Mexico City food tour! But just trust me and book one of Eat Like A Local’s Mexico City food tours. It will be 100% worth it! The groups cap out at seven people, so it’s a more personalized, intimate experience. You will eat so, so, so much food, AND you can always ask for more. Plus, you get to learn some history on top of the deliciousness.
HOW DO I BOOK THIS MEXICO CITY FOOD TOUR?
Eat Like a Local’s Mexican Food 101 – Markets + Street Food tour is $120 USD per person. And every single dollar you spend on this tour pays off. You can easily book any of their Mexico City food tours online and see availability by day. One of the coolest things about the tour is knowing you’re supporting more than just tourism in Mexico City. You going on that tour ensures Eat Like A Local can continue to make an impact on their community. And how amazing is it that Rocío and her crew are so passionate about sharing these incredible things with us?
WHEN SHOULD I GO ON THIS MEXICO CITY FOOD TOUR?
Eat Like A Local’s tours are available daily for groups of up to seven people throughout the year. I recommend you book the tour toward the earlier part of your trip. That way you’re full of energy for all the walking involved. This also means you can go back to any of the places on the tour later during your trip. Mexico City can be pretty rainy depending on the season. Check the weather the day before your tour to see if you need to bring an umbrella.
The company offers many food tour options, including Badass Mexican Women and Mexico City Street Food at Night tours. And I can’t forget their seasonal tours! You can explore Jamaica Market when it’s filled with marigolds during Day of the Dead. Or you can take in the jolly atmosphere of the markets at Christmastime. You simply can’t go wrong with any of their Mexico City food tour options!
WHY SHOULD I CARE ABOUT RESPONSIBLE TOURISM?
It shouldn’t be news that Mexico City has been dealing with gentrification and entitled expats acting a fool. And really we should be referring to them as immigrants because that’s what they are. But anyway! As people who love traveling and all the wonderful things that you can get from it — including life-long memories, unforgettable experiences, new friendships and so much more — it’s our responsibility to do our best to not ruin those beautiful places we love to visit. It’s important to remember we are visitors to these places. We are here but for a glimpse of their everyday life. It has taken me too long to be more conscious of this, I’ll admit. But I was very inspired by Elisa at Eat Like A Local really emphasizing their mission to give back to their community.
If we truly love travel, we should strive to limit our negative impact on the places we visit. This means being more conscious of where our money goes. Book the tour done by LOCALS. Stay in the places owned by LOCALS (this one takes a little more work). Support the small businesses. Tip well (especially in Mexico). Learn a little bit of Spanish so you can communicate. Respect the people who live there and are going about their regular day. And that’s really what it comes down to: RESPECT.
I hope this blog post convinced you to book a tour with the badass women at Eat Like A Local. I really loved my experience with them as it allowed me to see a side of Mexico City I hadn’t seen before. It’s the best Mexico City food tour based on cost-to-value, the amount of food and the mission behind it. To top it all off, I had so much fun with my friends on this tour. Now, go book yourself an Eat Like a Local Mexico City food tour!
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