I have mentioned how the neighborhood of Roma Norte has gained a reputation as the trendy dining area of Mexico City. That reputation was bolstered this year with the opening of the Mercado Roma.
It's really more of an upscale food hall than a traditional market. It's not very big; I doubt if it took more than a half hour for me to see it all. It houses a few dozen gourmet food stands, many of them operated by fancy restaurants and stores that are located elsewhere in the city.
On the second floor are a couple of restaurants (very pricey, I am sure), and above that there is a terrace bar which is supposedly a very "in" spot with rich, young "chilangos" (residents of Mexico City).
The market, from what I read, is supposedly very crowded with affluent shoppers, although when I was there at 11 A.M. there were hardly any customers at all. Prices here are very high by Mexican standards. (Valet parking costs 50 pesos... around $4 US. That doesn't seem like much to us, but it is exorbitantly high for Mexico City.) I suppose it is nice to see that the Mexican economy has developed to the point where there is a demand for a place like this... but it is still beyond the reach of the vast majority of Mexicans.
The Mexican juice stand goes upscale
Gourmet cheeses
Fancy chocolates
I didn't buy anything to eat here. I'm sure that much of what is offered here is delicious. But frankly, I have been stung too many times by places that are described as "trendy" or "gourmet". Mercado Roma was an interesting place for a quick visit, but I will not be regular customer here during my stay in Mexico City.
From Mercado Roma, I walked just a few blocks to the south into the adjacent "Roma Sur" neighborhood. Trendy is not an adjective you would use for "Roma Sur". It is a very ordinary, middle class, or even lower middle class area. It is also the center of the city's Colombian, Venezuelan and Caribbean communities. As I walked down the street I saw a number of Colombian and Venezuelan restaurants.
Just a ten minute walk from Mercado Roma is Mercado Medellín. Medellín Market is what a Mexican market is supposed to look like... stalls full of fruits and vegetables... butcher's stands where you will find everything from chickens to tripe to pork rinds.
You are, however, aware of the neighborhood's distinct ethnic make-up. Signs advertise "Colombian cuts" of meat or a "selection of Colombian and Cuban products".
As in most markets they are a number of florists' stands.
One stall was still selling the sugar skulls that children receive for the Day of the Dead.
Personally, I'll take a genuine, working-class market like Medellín any day over a hoity toity place like Roma.
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