Polanco Mexico City: The Ultimate Guide By Local Expats

Of all the Mexico City neighbourhoods, Polanco is the fanciest. Only in Polanco Mexico City can you find multiple Michelin-starred restaurants, enormous shopping malls filled to the brim with high-end brands, and a state-of-the-art aquarium containing 1.6 million litres of water and almost 300 marine species.

We can tell you from first-hand experience that it’s easy to spend money in Polanco, but not everything here requires wallets full of pesos. The district is one of the best places to come to see art masterpieces for free.

We’ve made repeat visits to the Museo Soumaya and the Museo Jumex, both of which showcase amazing private collections that belong to some of Mexico’s wealthiest people – all without charging an entry fee.

Within the Polanco neighborhood Mexico City is at its most showy and ostentatious. That’s true not just for flashy stores with Instagram-famous displays like the Tane jewellery brand but also for churches built with an eye to being modern and transgressive.

While it’s not as rich in history as the old downtown area or as cutting edge as Roma Norte, Polanco is one of the best places to get a feel for the capital’s future-facing ambitions.

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Polanco Neighborhood Mexico City: Introduction 

One of the nicest neighbourhoods to stay in CDMX, Polanco was extensively developed in the 1930s to create an upmarket residential district for the increasingly wealthy middle classes. It’s been a hub of affluence ever since, blending ornate mansions with luxe apartment blocks.

Everything in this part of town feels just that little more sophisticated, including the local parks where residents go to walk their dogs and exercise their children. It says a lot about Polanco that the Parque Lincoln, built during the initial housing boom, has its own aviary!

In the past couple of decades, the area known as Nuevo Polanco (New Polanco) has exploded into life. Billions of pesos have been pumped into the area by some of the world’s richest men to build fantastic museums that have democratised art.

At the same time, numerous luxury shopping malls and high-end fashion streets have flooded the district, giving rise to Polanco’s nickname as the ‘Beverly Hills of Mexico City.’ 

Home to the only restaurant in Mexico to have received 2 Michelin stars in the country’s first Michelin guide, it’s also a bit of a fine-dining mecca for people who like elaborate tasting menus served with panache.

Best Things To Do In Polanco Mexico City 

With excellent museums, designer boutiques, and even a renowned hole-in-the-wall taco place, there’s a lot to do in posh Polanco. Here are our top recommendations to add to the itinerary.

#1 See Masterpieces At Soumaya Museum

The Soumaya Museum is one of the best things to do in Polanco Mexico City for art lovers. Given it’s completely free to enter, we were pleasantly surprised to discover the breadth of the collection the first time we visited. 

There are pieces by Da Vinci, Rubens, and Monet, among tons of other old masters, as well as works by modern Mexican greats like Diego Rivera and Rufino Tamayo.

The Soumaya also houses the biggest collection of Rodin sculptures and casts outside of France.

You might be wondering why it’s so well stocked. Well, because one of the world’s richest men, Carlos Slim, has been steadily accumulating the artworks over decades. The museum’s name is in fact a tribute to his deceased wife.

That’s not the only familial connection at play. It was Carlos Slim’s son-in-law, Fernando Romero, who masterminded the glittering aluminium-skinned building in which the museum is housed.

#2 Eat Your Way Around Polanco On A Food Tour

A great way to get a flavour (sorry, we couldn’t resist, a food tour is one of our favourite things to do in CDMX) of the area is to go on a Polanco food tour. Not only do you get to eat lots of tasty bits and pieces, but it’s also a laidback way to absorb some info about the neighbourhood.

The best tours we’ve been on, for instance, featured a very engaging guide who told us lots about the area’s history. We managed to cover 7 stops over the course of just 3 hours, learning about some of the district’s most iconic buildings in between mouthfuls of mole and sips from our agua fresca.

The whole experience was very nicely paced and well thought out, beginning with savoury dishes and finishing with sweet treats.

#3 Learn About Mesoamerica At The National Museum of Anthropology

One of the best museums in Polanco Mexico City, the National Museum of Anthropology is home to thousands of Mesoamerican artefacts. 

It’s a stunning collection that tells the story of pre-Columbian Mexico through objects like Olmec stone heads, Zapotec jade masks, and Aztec sunstones.

There’s a lot to see, including replicas of ancient temples, so budget 2-3 hours. Regular free tours run throughout the day, but we found that the numerous English-language plaques provided sufficient information for us to enjoy the experience without getting overloaded.

If you want to avoid the crowds, try and time your visit for 9 am, when the museum opens.

#4 Get Lost In Chapultepec Park

Just south of Polanco district Mexico City, Chapultepec Park is an enormous green area that features lakes, a zoo, botanical gardens, museums and lots more.

To give you some idea of the scale, it’s about twice the size of New York’s Central Park! On sunny days, we like to bike through the area or rent a rowboat and go out on the lake.

One of the most impressive castles in Latin America is also situated inside the park. Chapultepec Castle was commissioned back in 1785 by a former Spanish viceroy. While it’s now open to the public as a museum, some of the magnificent state rooms have been preserved in all their original glory.

Our favourite part of the building is the checkerboard terrace, where you can enjoy a fantastic panorama of the surrounding area.

WHERE: Google Location

#5 Try The Tacos At Taquería El Turix 

The only taco joint in the Polanco area Mexico City that we really rate, El Turix is famous in foodie circles for its cochinita pibil. 

Made from shredded pork that has been tenderised using citrus juices and spiced up with achiote paste, it’s a delicious dish that in our opinion lives up to the hype!

Amidst all the fine-dining restaurants that characterise Polanco, El Turix is a refreshingly simple, authentically local affair. Despite the ritzy address, they still sell a taco for just 26 pesos ($1.50) and a panucho for 39 pesos ($2).

If you’re interested in touring the best taco places in CDMX, make sure you add El Turix!

WHERE: Google Location

#6 Dine In Style At Pujol

Boasting some of the best food in Polanco Mexico City, Pujol is the kind of place you only go to once in a lifetime.

For the past few years, it’s been a regular entrant on the World’s 50 Best Restaurants. Just this year it also became one of only two restaurants in all of Mexico to be awarded 2 stars in the country’s first Michelin Guide. (The other one, Quintonil, is also in Polanco, less than 10 minutes’ walk away.)

Chef-owner Enrique Olvera is continuously changing up his menu with dishes that draw on traditional ingredients and recipes, reworking them into modern masterpieces. We’ve had plenty of tostadas and mole since moving to CDMX, but nothing as sensuously presented as at Pujol!

Be prepared to pay for the unique experience. The tasting menu costs a whopping 3,500 pesos ($190) per person! 

WHERE: Google Location

#7 Explore Modern Art At Jumex Museum 

Right across the road from the Soumaya, the Jumex Museum isn’t quite as flashy or as large, but its focus on contemporary art makes for a great companion piece.

We were recently here for a show on Damien Hirst, but the curators regularly cycle through the collection to present different themed exhibitions and artist retrospectives.

Entrance is free and it took us less than an hour to work our way through, so it’s definitely worth popping by if you’re visiting the area.

#8 Window Shop At Pasaje Polanco

Opened in 1938, the Pasaje Polanco is an upmarket shopping court based in a pristinely white piece of neocolonial architecture. A smattering of craft shops, clothing stores, and restaurants fill the space, which is just off the chichi Avenida Presidente Masaryk.

Admittedly, it’s not top of our list of destinations for shopping in Polanco Mexico City – there aren’t a huge number of stores, and everything is quite punchily priced – but it is worth visiting just for the pretty setting and for window shopping.

WHERE: Google Location

#9 Stroll Along Parque Lincoln

The Parque Lincoln has been the heart of Polanco ever since the neighbourhood’s residential boom in the 1930s. It’s here that residents spend their recreational hours enjoying the aviary, walking dogs, or taking children to the playground.

You might be wondering why it’s named after one of America’s most famous presidents. Well, in the 1960s, Lyndon B. Johnson gifted a statue of the Great Emancipator to the people of Mexico. This statue is still on display today and is one of several sculptures dotted about the park, which also contains a pair of reflecting pools where we sometimes see people manoeuvring their model boats.

WHERE: Google Location

#10 Splurge At Antara

Nowhere is more famous in Polanco Mexico City shopping circles than Antara. Full of international brands, this is where the capital’s wealthiest denizens splash the cash on Swarovski jewellery, Calvin Klein clothing, and Coach handbags.

It’s not all luxury goods though, with froyo stands, sushi restaurants and a large Zara forming part of the expansive mall.

While it’s not as important to see Antara as the National Museum of Anthropology or Chapultepec Park, it makes for an interesting glimpse into the uber-modern side of CDMX.

WHERE: Google Location

#11 Pay Homage To St. Augustine

A wonderfully strange, idiosyncratic structure, the St. Augustine Parish Church was built in 1949 to administer to the spiritual needs of the locals.

Walking towards it from the Parque America, we first thought it looked like fairly standard religious edifice. As we got closer though, it became clearer how wonderfully innovative the whole thing is with its almost industrial-style facade and a half-dome that has been described by some architecture aficionados as reminiscent of a water tank!

WHERE: Google Location

#12 Pass Through Parque America

Although it’s not quite as historic or as pretty as the Parque Lincoln, Parque America is a nice place to wander through on your way from Old Polanco to New Polanco.

We always encounter plenty of dogs and children playing in the park, which has a nice familial vibe to it. If you are travelling with little ones, they might like to have a go at the skat track!

WHERE: Google Location

#13 Take A Photo At Mexico Mi Amor Sign

It might not be on everyone’s list of what to do in Polanco Mexico City, but getting a snap at the Mexico Mi Amor sign is a fun little side mission that makes for a stylish Instagram post.

It’s really a display created by the Tane jewellery store to drum up business, but you don’t have to purchase a diamond-encrusted necklace to take a picture in front of the pinkish-red wall with its green cacti and neon sign.

WHERE: Google Location

#14 Explore Local Designers At Mercado Escondido

Polanco isn’t really famous for its markets, but we like to pop into the Mercado Escondido every once in a while on a weekend just to check out the local designers.

There are usually only a handful of stalls, but they always have something funky on sale, from handmade jewellery to colourful leather satchels.

WHERE: Google Location

#15 Have Breakfast At El Pendulo Book Store

El Pendulo is a fab book-store-meets-cafe concept with several locations throughout CDMX. While we normally hang out at the branch in Condesa, the one in Polanco is just as cool, with an outdoor terrace that spills onto the street.

As well as the various coffee drinks, there’s a broad menu of food items that are ideal for breakfast or brunch. We usually go for the enchiladas with chicken in mole, washed down with a big glass of fresh orange juice.

WHERE: Google Location 

#16 Read Beside The Lake At Libreria Porrua

While we’re on the topic of great cafes that are also bookshops, the Libreria Porrua on the northern side of Chapultepec Park is another of our preferred hangouts. 

It’s not far from the National Museum of Anthropology, so after exploring that massive space, you can come here and refresh with a coffee and a toasted panino.

If you can, get a table beside the lake. It’s one of our fav spots to read a book while enjoying the soothing views.

WHERE: Google Location

#17 See The Sharks At Acuario Inbursa

One of the best things to do in Polanco Mexico City with kids, the Acuario Inbursa is the largest aquarium in Mexico.

Not only are there numerous tanks filled with sharks, jellyfish, and many other kinds of sea creatures, but they also have some really fun interactive elements. 

One of their most popular experiences is ‘meet the penguins.’ We didn’t manage to do this ourselves because it was booked up, but it looked very cute! You can ensure you get a space ahead of time using the official website.

Is Polanco Mexico City Safe?

Polanco is one of the safest parts of Mexico City. Given that this is where many embassy employees and affluent businesspeople live, it’s not surprising that the local authorities have ensured there’s very little in the way of crime. Personally, we’ve never experienced any problems walking around the area.

Best Places To Eat In Polanco Mexico City

Despite being a ritzy part of town, the Polanco neighborhood in Mexico City isn’t all about smart, expensive restaurants – although it has plenty of those! There are also quite a few places we like to go that are ideal for more modest budgets.

Best Brunch & Dinner Spots In Polanco

Rather than focus on the super high-end, our selection of the best restaurants in Polanco Mexico City places you can go without breaking the bank.

🍴 Porter Steakhouse & Seafood – Porter Steakhouse & Seafood does a rather good tuna sashimi, but for meat eaters the highlight has to be one of their steaks, cooked to a beautiful pinkness. The restaurant manages to effectively tread the line between smart and casual.

🍴 Bellopuerto – This is where to eat in Polanco Mexico City if you love your seafood. They do a yummy shrimp aguachile, but our favourite here is the grilled octopus, For smaller bites, there’s a decent choice of tostadas and tacos.

🍴 Catamundi – One of our go-to places for brunch in Polanco, Catamundi does excellent cocktails alongside avocado toast and Mexican egg dishes. Ever since we discovered the flautas ahogadas, it’s become our regular order. Meaning ‘drowned flutes’, the dish is made up of crispy tortillas stuffed with beef and slathered in spicy salsa, cheese, and cream.

Best Coffee Shops & Breakfast

Some of the best coffee shops in Mexico City have branches in Polanco, where you can relax with fortifying drip brews and a mouthful of pan dulce.

☕ Cafe Toscano Polanco – An ostensibly Italian restaurant that also does enfrijoladas, enchiladas, and molletes for breakfast. While the leafy terrace is nice and bright, the inside area is a marvellous mishmash of mismatched furniture and random bric-a-brac.

☕ Toulo Cafe – Bringing a dash of Parisian elegance to the Polanco neighbourhood, Toulo serves everything with panache. The cappuccinos, chai lattes, and affogatos are all beautifully presented, while the food sticks to basics like French toast and the very Instagramable avocado toast with a poached egg on top.

☕ El Pendulo – This branch of El Pendulo is in an attractive Polanco building with a nice terrace and even nicer book-lined insides. It’s a great place to relax with a coffee and a plate of enchiladas, followed by a slice of blueberry cheesecake. 

Where To Find The Best Tacos In Polanco?

Tacos may seem a little too street for swanky Polanco, but we’ve actually found several rather good places to eat these stuffed tortillas. 

🌮 El Turix – Hands down the best street tacos in Polanco Mexico City, Turix does killer tacos and panuchos stuffed with cochinita pibil. They don’t have any seating (aside from a concrete stoop outside), so take your order and head to Parque Lincoln.

🌮 Castelar – We first tried Castelar because we noticed it sitting right opposite El Turix. They do a solid line in trompo (al pastor) tacos – the beefy ones are especially palatable. Don’t skimp on the delicious sauces!

🌮 TAKOS TAKOS – Giving off vaguely canteen-y vibes, this place has plenty of seating if you want somewhere to take the load off. The menu is a bit all over the place with salads, soups, and meat plates, but stick to the tacos made with arrachera (skirt steak) and you can’t go wrong!

Polanco Nightlife 

The nightlife Polanco Mexico City has to offer may not have the edginess of Roma Norte, but you can still find plenty of mischief to get up to!

There are quite a few flashy clubs that we’ve been to where they go heavy on the pounding beats and strobe lights. In that category, you have places like Vanderbilt Masaryk and Kennedy Social Room. Despite the ludicrous names, they have a good vibe for partying.

If you’re not much of a clubber, one of the best bars in Polanco Mexico City to try is Limantour. Personally, we prefer the Roma location, but the quality of the drinks and the skill of the bartenders are just as good at the Polanco branch.

Best Places To Stay In Polanco Mexico City

Polanco Mexico City: Wrap-Up

In only a century, Polanco Mexico City has become an iconic part of the capital. Thanks to the steady flow of money into the area, it’s established itself as a place that can afford to offer free museum entry – alongside decidedly not free designer apparel and jewellery! There’s no better place in CDMX to experience the high life on streets paved not with gold but with gold credit cards.