March 16, 2024

Daily Blog – 16 March 2024 – Walking to Polanco

By In Daily Travel Blogging

Have you ever considered walking between neighborhoods? We usually think of walking around in our own neighborhood but then taking a car, Uber, bus, or subway between neighborhoods. However, Kevin and I walk between neighborhoods quite a lot when we are on vacation. It is not uncommon for us to walk 15,000 to 20,000 steps in one day—or seven to ten miles.

Why would we do this? When we are exploring new cities, we don’t like going to the touristy spots. Instead, we want to feel the city as if we were locals. We want to feel the culture and the life of the city as a resident – not as a tourist. And we find the best way to do this is to get lost in the city literally – pick a direction to walk and go forth. Let the streets guide us around the city. Plus, in 2024, with Google Maps ubiquitous, we’ll never actually get lost. 🙂

Walking to Polanco from Roma Norte

We love Roma Norte. We have stayed here both times we visited Mexico City because it has an amazing selection of restaurants, it is super close to the subway (when it is not under construction), and it is a short walk to the Zona Rosa (Mexico City’s LGBT district). At the same time, we also appreciate Polanco for its glitzy shops and skyline. We often go to Polanco and spend an entire day there on the weekends.

But what about the neighborhoods between Roma Norte and Polanco? If we only ever take an Uber or the subway between Roma Norte and Polanco, then we miss out on experiencing the streetlife in the area between the two neighborhoods. We wanted to change that today, so decided to walk from our Airbnb in Roma Norte to the Antara shopping center in Polanco – a distance of 5.5km (3.4 miles) or around a 90-minute walk.

Colonia Anzures

The main neighborhood between Polanco and Roma Norte is Anzures. While everyone talks about staying in Polanco, Roma Norte, or La Condesa, no one mentions Anzures. Yet, Anzures was super peaceful to walk through!

It is primarily a residential neighborhood, although there are restaurants and shops on Calle Leibnitz and Av. EjĂ©rcito Nacional Mexicano. The residential part is mainly one or two-story homes and apartment buildings. We did not see much new construction at all, although some properties were renovated. The streets were clean and quiet. It was very peaceful. They aren’t as beautifully tree-lined as the streets in Polanco or Condesa, but still more than good enough.

Fancy Panda Express in Anzures at Calle Leibnitz 117.

If we were looking for a long-term place to stay, I would definitely consider Anzures as a cheaper alternative to both Polanco and Roma Norte. Anzures is very close to all of the main neighborhoods, but it felt off the tourist path. Anzures had a much more local feel than the glitz of Polanco, the international financial feel of Juárez and Cuauhtémoc, and the touristy feel of Roma Norte. In this respect, Anzures could be a great substitute for La Condesa while being a lot closer to the other neighborhoods.

Having said that, I could also see Anzures being a bit too boring for me. That is the main drawback I have against La Condesa—it is too sleepy. At least it is easier to walk to other places in Anzures, whereas La Condesa is at the southern end of the Polanco-Roma Norte-Condesa region. But that brings me to the other drawback of Anzures: there is no subway station.

Although the subway line through Roma Norte has been under construction for a couple of years, at least it exists. Anzures doesn’t have a station, meaning you have to walk or take a taxi/Uber to get to places. You could say the same is true if you stay around the Parque MĂ©xico area in Roma Norte/Condesa, but the distances are longer in Anzures.

Gluten-free Pizza in Polanco?

I love pizza, but eating excellent gluten-free pizza is very hard, especially outside of the United States. In the U.S., Blaze Pizza and MOD are our two favorite gluten-free pizza places. Domino’s Pizza also serves gluten-free pizza, but it just isn’t that great. It is quite plain and like an afterthought compared to actual Domino’s pizza. But MOD and especially Blaze really treat gluten-free pizza akin to its gluten counterparts.

Outside of the U.S., we haven’t fallen in love with many gluten-free pizza places. The two that come closest were both in Punta del Este, Uruguay. Both places served genuine pizza that happened to be gluten-free – a thick, doughy bread with authentic tomato sauce and high-quality toppings. In Ecuador – where we live most of the year – Cassave serves good yuca-based pizza. While we usually have it once a week, Cassave’s pizza is more like a good-quality frozen pizza – not that oven-fresh, handmade pizza you expect from a restaurant.

Therefore, we were so pleasantly surprised when we stumbled upon MFY – a gluten-free pizza place – across the street from Sam’s Club in Polanco.

Photo of MFY Restaurant in Polanco, CDMX.
MFY (Made For You) Gluten-Free Pizza in Polanco.

Made For You Pizza (MFY Pizza)

Address: Lago Tanganica 75, Polanco

Cuisine: Gluten-Free Pizza

Price: US$30 for a pizza and two bottles of water

MFY – which stands for Made For You – is all gluten-free and is a cute hole-in-the-wall pizza place. They have several pizza combinations to choose from. We tried the Meat Lover’s pizza today (Pizza con carnes frĂ­as). (Side note: we also tried the Hawaiian pizza on a future visit and it was also amazing).

Wow! I can’t express how amazing MFY’s pizza was. It was thick and doughy—I hate thin-crust pizza—and so fresh-tasting. The ingredients—salami, pepperoni, olives, and tomatoes—tasted so fresh and lively. Not to mention, the cheese was amazing. The size was perfect for Kevin and me and cost around US$30 for the pizza, two water bottles, and tip.

The Meat Lover’s Pizza at MFY in Polanco.

After eating, we had a short conversation with the waitress in Spanish. She told us the dough is made from chickpea flour (garbanzo beans), which we thought was unique and creative. Most gluten-free pizza places use either cauliflower crust or a dough made from rice and almond flour. We live garbanzo beans in general, so that helps, too.

Additionally, while conversing with the waitress, we had a comical moment. She asked if we lived in CDMX, and we said no, that we are tourists. She then asked where we were from, expecting us to say the United States. (I speak Spanish with a heavy American accent, so there isn’t much doubt.) However, since we live in Ecuador, I said we are from Ecuador. Her face froze, unable to process us being Ecuadorian. After a few seconds, I explained we were originally from the U.S., but we now live in Ecuador. She laughed. You had to be there to get it fully, but it was a cool bonding moment. 🙂



A Newsletter for People Who Love the Behind the Scenes of Travel! Subscribe!

* indicates required
1 Comment
  1. DA April 29, 2024

    That pizza looks delicious, and Blaze Pizza is excellent. I’m sure the waitress was confused at the Ecuador/U.S. moment!

    Reply

Leave a Comment