Gentrification in Mexico City: myths and realities

INSIDE THIS BOOMING CULINARY DESTINATION.

- BY DANIEL HERNANDEZ

SIGNS and graffiti protest the gentrification of Mexico City's La Condesa neighborhood, top. The dining scene at Ticuchi, below.

YURI CORTEZ APP VIA Getty Images

I NOTICED A slight social shift on the second or third time I sat down for a quick catch-up meal with a fellow bilingual person in Mexico City.

If the people sitting at the table next to us were native-born locals, they'd invariably shoot a scowl upon hearing us skip between English and Spanish in conversation (the way I and many others speak anywhere in Mexico or the United States). A few times, upon leaving, our neighboring patrons didn't offer a word in our direction. The silence was heartbreaking. Why? Because in Mexico City it is a custom to say "Enjoy your meal" -"Buen provecho"- to the strangers still dining next to you.

As normal as shaking hands or a kiss on the cheek to say hello, the greeting transcends class lines.

I was pretty stunned. The other tables assumed we were totally uncultured or undeserving of their greeting. In summer 2025, it was pointedly uncool to be perceived as a "gringo" in the capital of the former Aztec Empire.

The restaurants of Mexico City are experiencing a dynamic and ambitious renewal that is attracting food lovers from around the world. Yet the buoyant mood is marred by skyrocketing housing costs and antigentrification protests decrying the booming population of "digital nomads," a.k.a. remote workers, and their effect on neighborhoods long identified as foreigner-friendly.

As a former resident and frequent visitor, I've found that much of the discourse about this moment feels a bit warped from reality. I hear many people in Los Angeles wonder aloud if it is still possible to dine and drink ethically or at least more conscientiously - as a shortterm visitor.

Of course it is, and I encourage it, especially for Angelenos.

The taco, after all, is our primary unit too.