Been a little while since I posted about local life here in la CDMX. This past Sunday was a nice little outing with the wife. Had some good weather and some things to do, so we headed to Coyoacán. We lived in the Del Carmen / Santa Catarina colonias of Coyoacán between 2017 and 2022. Judy gets back at least once a month I think for errands. And I pass through there every couple of weeks on my errands as well. For a while walking through the center was an every weekend activity. But we don't head there together as often now, so it was nice to get out there for afternoon.
Coyoacán is generally great and charming, of course. But one of the things that Judy misses is the top notch La Comer that we had in the neighborhood. And one of Judy's favorites times of the year here is Temporada Naranja. As I recall it first hit our radar 8, 9, maybe 10 years ago when it was a sale that ran in June with many things offered 2 for 1 or maybe 3 for 2. Specifically I recall giant costco-sized packages of toilet paper stacked to the ceiling in our old market over in Del Valle Sur (formerly La Comer, now a Soriana). Over the years it has grown into a monster promotion that spans multiple months with waves of promotions and huge displays at the grocery.
(Correction: a little googling reminds me it was originally "Julio Regalado", which of course ran in Julio)
We do have a local Sumesa within walking distance of our condo, but since we had other things to do in Coyoacán anyway, we stopped by our old favorite grocery store for a shopping run. This foto below is not staged. Judy was indeed taking a pic of the sign to share her excitement with local friends.
We had a productive run, savoring a full lap of both levels. I noticed the the Cafe Britt coffee and took a shot as a benchmark, since I'll be in Costa Rica next month. I'm curious to see what kind of premium they charge here in México.
We stocked up on various things, including our staple Peñafiel and some non-Britt coffee, which should last me a few weeks.
From there we parked the car on our old street and walked into the center of Coyoacán, heading toward the Mercado, but stopping first for lunch at Maratea.
Judy had been before with friends, but it was my first time. It's nice. Feels a bit like an oasis from all the activity outside on a busy Sunday (aka, a typical Sunday) in Coyoacán. That's a common phenomenon in la CDMX. You can't always see beyond the facade of a place, whether it's a house or a restaurant or even a Notaria. But then you step into a courtyard and a whole other experience from what you were just walking through on the other side of the walls.
It was a relaxed, traditional Sunday lunch with family and friends kind of vibe. Orange trees, water feature, garden pebbles. Very tranquil.
We got a margherita pizza and their version of a caprese salad.
Solid and hit the spot. Their reviews are semi mixed, but we had at least a 4.5 star experience. Pizza, caprese, Topo Chico, una naranjada, and a double espresso for about $650 MXN pre-tip.
During our walk over to the Mercado we passed by the Jardin del Arte Allende where they are still having their weekend dance gatherings.
Stopped by the stand of a contact Judy buys decorative tiles from. She'll be restocking her shelves in Paskwarho with them this coming weekend.
Our final stop was over at Viveros, or, more specifically, within the Mercado de Plantas, where every 2-3 weeks we pick up another 3-4 linear meters of pasto cuernavaca for our balcony (aka, el jardin de perros, aka, our version of an outdoor litter box for the hounds). It's a little bit of a trek and not a small amount of effort, but it's always a nice garden-y vibe there.
During my 'last busy day' in Lima (part I, part II, with part III to come), I decided that I did want a place to stash my luggage and maybe nap and shower before my late night flight back to la CDMX. So after my tour of Museo Pachacamac but before my chocolate workshop I scanned Booking.com for something close and inexpensive. I landed on Hotel Casa Suyay. It had solid reviews, was right in Miraflores, and would cost me ~$31 for the night. Deal.
It's right near Parque Kennedy & Parque 7 Junio, which was convenient for what I had on the agenda rest of the afternoon (a workshop at ChocoMuseo and some shopping at Inka Plaza).
Nice enough 'curb appeal' as you walk up to the entrance. This particular street within Miraflores appears to be a calm mix of residential, cafes, and light retail.
Decor is a version of rustic chic, though with definite bullfighting and taxidermy aspects that might be offensive to some. But the reception area is clean, nicely detailed, and they offered me a muña tea while I waited for my room to be available. Pleasant.
Room was about what you could expect for $31. Basic, with a view of a wall nicely painted to give the sense of greenery.
Bathroom was actually solid. Large. Older, but large.
My car picked me up around 7:30 I think, so I wasn't there later at night and obviously didn't stay over, so no idea what it's like to sleep there. I imagine it could be a solid budget option if you're just passing through for a night coming from / going to other parts of the country. I paid $31 for ~5 hours of luggage storage, a hot shower, and a short nap and was happy with my decision.
Update: found a couple shots of the street the hotel is on, which I took walking back from my ChocoMuseo activity.
After my early afternoon spin through Cusco's primary archeological sites, I dropped my gear at the hotel and headed out to meet with a potential partner. But I was semi-starving and had some time, so I ducked into the Centro Artesanal Cusco Paccha to check it out and see what I could rustle up.
It doesn't look particularly charming from the outside.
But inside it's full of colorful stalls selling all the various Peruvian souvenirs you could imagine. Plus some cool murals.
I wasn't here to shop, though. Was just aiming to find maybe a couple of empanadas para llevar, as that had been a fairly trustworthy grab-and-go staple so far in Peru. However as I was approaching this place and scanning the menu, the señora in charge spotted me and gave me her pitch.
No empanadas, but I tell you that simple ham, cheese, and aguacate sandwich plus some fried plantains with that spicy Peruvian answer to pico de gallo HIT THE SPOT. It was comfortable and delicious.
Felt good to sit for 5 minutes, watch the kids of the mercado run around playing, and enjoy a modest, tasty, and filling late lunch. Simple pleasures in life.
So if you find yourself in the mercado scanning the souvenirs, don't hesitate to stop for a quick bite at Restaurant Clave del Sabor 2. You won't regret it.
After a looong morning at Machu Picchu I cleaned up with a shower and headed out for what I was hoping would be a substantial and tasty meal to refuel. The night before I was strolling along Avenida Pachacutec (the main east/west street on the north side of the river, but not the one that runs right alongside the river) and thought it would be a nice place to eat / drink / people watch. So that's where I pointed myself. I was there around 2pm, which is maybe a tweener kind of time. Late for lunch, early for happy hour. So most places were quiet. I saw that the terraza at El Museo de la Papa was open and planted myself there, anticipating a pleasant lunch al fresco.
Service was not exactly friendly. I think my timing coincided with staff lunch, so I was intruding on their quiet/together time. But soon enough I had a refreshing lemonade in hand. (Side note: Peru knows how to make a good lemonade. Enjoyed many and multiple flavors during this trip).
(Note: deliberately did not crop out the lady wondering why I was getting the low POV on my lemonade shot).
Snapped a couple of shots of their attractive but empty interior while waiting for my food.
Maybe 10 minutes later, my burger arrived. Looked okay, not great. Maybe it's because I know how it tasted, but looking at it again now I can see it's overcooked. But those fries were pretty good with the house salsa.
Looking back at their menu, I see a handful of things that maybe would have turned out better.
Quesadillas. Burritos. Grilled Chicken. All sound better to me right now. But it shouldn't be too much to expect a nice, juicy burger, right? Disappointing. Maybe I just had bad luck or timing. If you want a drink on the terraza where you can people watch, perhaps with some light snacks, I'd say give El Museo de la Papa a try. If you want a good burger after hiking around Machu Picchu for 5 hours, maybe Mary's Burger would be the better choice.
Through a combination of walking around eyeballing places that looked interesting and verifying via Google Maps that any candidates had decent reviews, my colleague and I landed on Ponchos Peruvian Kitchen for an early dinner / very late lunch in Machu Picchu Pueblo. It turned out to be a very good call. Based on our experience they deserve their 4.8/5.0 rating.
You can find them on the north side of the river on the main north / south drag running through the town (Imperio de los Incas). It has a relatively small-ish interior, but it is sharp, well-lit, and comfortable. Floor to ceiling exterior glass wall lets in light and allows you to keep an eye on the outside action if you like.
Service was friendly and attentive. I forgot to snap pics of the menu, but luckily Isamarie Alma uploaded a couple in her google review, so I will borrow hers. They have a solid range of options, but for me the choice was clear: Choclo con Queso.
Was delicious. And while I was disappointed that they were out of the porter listed in their beer menu, the IPA was a fine acompaniment. I was very happy with my order.
My colleague is a more adventurous diner than I am (but then, most people are), and she went for the alpaca skewers.
If I'm being honest I wasn't paying close attention to her order, so I was a little surprised when the server came out and set them on fire.
Fun stuff. And for the record, they met with the approval of my foodie companion.
Toward the end of the meal this fella curled up at the feet of the couple dining next to us. Guessing it wasn't his first time there.
Incredibly, I am 99% certain I saw the same dog the next morning up outside the entrance to Machu Picchu.
To sum up: Ponchos Peruvian Kitchen is worth your time. Would recommend.
