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Penthouse “El Cielo De Roma” – Guide to Mexico City

Escandón on Foot

Why Escandón

Escandón is the colonia you cross on the way from Condesa to Tacubaya without noticing. It has a real market, a Tuesday street market, a pulquería with swinging saloon doors, two cantinas that have been pouring since the 1940s and 50s, and some of the best Art Deco housing in the city. It has very few tourists.

It sits just south of Condesa, across Benjamín Franklin, with the Viaducto Miguel Alemán on its southern edge, Avenida Revolución and Tacubaya to the west and Nuevo León to the east. Avenida Patriotismo runs through the middle of it. The ground is flat, and you can cross it in about 25 minutes.

This walk suits people who have done Roma and Condesa and want to see what those neighborhoods looked like before the brunch places. It is not pretty everywhere. Patriotismo and Revolución are loud, fast roads, some blocks are just apartment buildings and auto repair shops, and the Tacubaya end is chaotic. The good parts are worth it.

Practical basics

The walk is about 2.8 km, one way, and takes a morning or an afternoon with lunch. Take an Uber or taxi to the start and home from the end. Do it on a Tuesday for the street market, or on a Sunday and finish with the mariachi at El León de Oro.

Start Edificio Isabel, Av. Revolución 119–121 at José Martí, on the Tacubaya edge
Finish Centro Cultural Roldán Sandoval, José Martí 280, near the Viaducto
Distance About 2.8 km; roughly 40 minutes of pure walking
Time needed About 3 hours with coffee and lunch; more with a drink at the end
Best day Tuesday, when the tianguis fills Avenida José Martí; Sunday afternoon for the cantina mariachi
Avoid Monday mornings: the parish church is closed, Amoxtli opens at 13:00 and several restaurants are shut
Toilets Buy something: Café Escandón, Kolobok and El León de Oro all have them

El León de Oro (from 13:00) and La Pirata (until about 18:30) are not numbered stops, but both are 12 to 14 minutes’ walk from the end, so plan to finish in the afternoon if you want a drink. If you are short of time, skip the Tacubaya edge (stops 1 and 2) and start at San José de la Montaña, by Metro Patriotismo. That cuts about 1.5 km.

If you come by public transport, Metro Tacubaya (Lines 1, 7 and 9) is about five minutes south of the Edificio Isabel. Metro Patriotismo (Line 9) and Metrobús Line 2 Patriotismo, at Benjamín Franklin and Patriotismo, are next to stop 3. From the end, Metro Chilpancingo (Line 9) on Insurgentes is roughly ten minutes north-east.

Escandón is a residential neighborhood and feels safe in daylight. Cross Patriotismo and Revolución only at the lights, watch your phone around Tacubaya, and don’t linger near the Viaducto after dark.

A short history

The colonia stands on what were fields of the Hacienda de la Condesa, formally the Hacienda Santa Catarina del Arenal, owned by the Condesa de Miravalle. The land changed hands several times in the 19th century: Antonio Batres bought it in 1841, then the brothers Estanislao and Joaquín Flores, and in 1869 the Flores sold it to the Escandón family.

The Escandóns were a large Veracruz family, 19 siblings born to a Spanish father, who had moved to the capital and made money in stagecoaches, mining, tobacco, textiles and property. They divided the land into lots in the 1880s and 1890s. A plan of Tacubaya from 1897 already shows streets called Patriotismo, Prosperidad, Progreso, Unión and Agricultura. Time Out credits the brothers Pablo and Manuel Escandón y Barrón with the colonia. Pablo governed Morelos from 1909 until the Revolution removed him in 1911. In 1900 he, Manuel and their brother Eustaquio won a bronze medal in polo at the Paris Olympics, on a team with an American.

The street names tell you where you are. East of Patriotismo they are ideals and trades: Progreso, Prosperidad, Unión, Sindicalismo, Agrarismo, Agricultura, Comercio, Minería, Ingenieros, Astrónomos. West of it they are people and dates: José Martí, Salvador Alvarado, 11 de Abril, 28 de Agosto.

Building took off after the Revolution. In 1929 architect Juan Segura finished the Edificio Isabel on Avenida Revolución, and around 1931 the Edificio Ermita next to it, both for the Fundación Mier y Pesado. Francisco J. Serrano built the Edificio Martí in 1931. In the 1930s more land was divided into lots for generals and colonels of the revolutionary army, and the Mercado Escandón opened in 1958.

Then the city ran roads through it. The Viaducto, the Circuito Interior along Revolución and Patriotismo, and in the 1970s the ejes viales that widened Benjamín Franklin cut the colonia off from Condesa and took down a number of mansions. By the 1980s it had a bad name; people called it “la Espantón”. Since the 2010s it has come back: Ecobici stations arrived in 2015, prices rose after the 2017 earthquake, and in February 2026 residents of the Edificio Isabel hung banners on its facade protesting evictions ahead of the World Cup.

The route

The walk runs one way, in 8 numbered stops. It starts at the Edificio Isabel on the Tacubaya edge, goes north to the Ermita and east to the church on Benjamín Franklin, then down through the park and the market and east along José Martí to a little theater near the Viaducto. Follow it on the Escandón on Foot map, which shows every stop, the walking route, cafés (brown circles), bakeries (gold circles) and the nearest chain cafés.

Escandón on Foot map
Red circles are the numbered walk stops.
Coffee 9Espacio Amoxtli · 10El Ilusionista Café · 13La Crepería Mexicana · 14Café Escandón · 15Cleotilde
Bakeries 11MUF vegan bakery · 12Panificadora La Real
Click to enlarge. Map data © OpenStreetMap contributors.
# Stop What it is
1 Edificio Isabel Juan Segura’s 1929 housing
2 Edificio Ermita Art Deco landmark
3 San José de la Montaña 1950s church
4 Jardín Morelos and Faro del Saber Park and library
5 Mercado Escandón and the Tuesday tianguis Market and street market
6 Parroquia del Espíritu Santo Parish church
7 Edificio Martí Art Deco apartments
8 Centro Cultural Roldán Sandoval Family theater

The walk, part 1: Segura’s buildings and San José

The first part covers Juan Segura’s two Art Deco giants on Revolución and the quiet church on Benjamín Franklin.

1. Edificio Isabel

Revolución 119–121, at José Martí · exterior only · free

Have the driver leave you on Revolución at José Martí. This is Juan Segura’s earlier building, finished in 1929. Behind the tiled street front, a tunnel leads to a garden and three-story houses around patios, 64 homes in all. Look through the entrance; people live there. In February 2026 residents hung banners protesting rent increases and evictions. There are restaurants in the ground-floor shops, including Marea Chida for paella.

Coffee before you start: Espacio Amoxtli (José Martí 49, Local 4) is a minute away around the corner. It is a cooperative bookshop and café, strong on politics and local producers, with pottery workshops on some weekday evenings and Sundays. Chai, golden milk, vegan cakes and coyotas. Mon 13:00–19:00, Tue–Fri 9:00–19:00, Sat 11:00–18:00, Sun 15:00–20:00 (brown circle on the map).

2. Edificio Ermita

Edificio Ermita
Edificio Ermita. Photo: [1]

Revolución 23, at Jalisco · exterior and ground-floor shops · free

Walk about seven minutes north on Revolución to the triangular building everyone in Tacubaya calls “el Canadá”, after the shoe store sign that hung on it for decades. Juan Segura designed it for the Fundación Mier y Pesado, which still owns it, and it was finished in the early 1930s. Seven floors and 78 apartments made it one of the city’s first tall buildings. The Cine Hipódromo opened inside in 1936 with about 2,400 seats; it later became the Teatro Hipódromo and closed in 2017. Spanish Republican exiles lived upstairs, among them the poet Rafael Alberti. So did Ramón Mercader, Trotsky’s killer. Strictly speaking, it is in Tacubaya.

Coffee break: on the way east, El Ilusionista Café (Progreso 33) does specialty coffee, sandwiches and molletes, and MUF (General Francisco Murguía 61) is a vegan bakery (brown and gold circles on the map).

3. San José de la Montaña

San José de la Montaña
San José de la Montaña. Photo: [2]

Benjamín Franklin at Patriotismo · check hours · free

Walk about 13 minutes east to Benjamín Franklin at Patriotismo. This is a quiet church from 1954, a few steps from the Metro. Time Out called it a pool of peace, coolness and silence, and they were right; the traffic on Patriotismo disappears once the door closes. The nuns who run it are friendly. Mass is at 10:00 and 12:00 on Sundays.

The walk, part 2: the market to the Roldán Sandoval

The second part goes south through the park and the market, then east along José Martí past the parish church and the Art Deco block to the theater near the Viaducto.

4. Jardín Morelos and Faro del Saber

Comercio, behind the market · park open 24 hours; Faro Mon–Fri 8:00–20:00, Sat–Sun 8:00–19:00 · free

Walk about four minutes south. The colonia’s park, also called Parque Escandón, sits behind the market, with a jogging track, a dog run, a skate ramp and exercise machines. In the middle is the Faro del Saber, a borough library and community center with classes in music, languages, martial arts and chess. People dance here in the evenings. It is small and a bit scruffy, and always full.

5. Mercado Escandón and the Tuesday tianguis

José Martí at Agricultura · Mon–Sat 8:00–19:30, Sun 8:00–19:00 · free

Walk around to the front of the market on José Martí, about three minutes. It opened in 1958 and is cleaner and calmer than most. Inside are butchers, nut sellers, a tortillería, flowers, juices and lunch counters. On Tuesdays the tianguis runs along José Martí east of the market from about 8:00 to 18:00: produce, shoes, clothes, esoteric stalls, and a family selling minipays.

Lunch: the crowd goes to Playa Escondida, inside the market, for ceviche, tuna and tostadas (from 11:00; Fri–Sun until 18:30). Get there before 14:00 or wait. For a sit-down room instead, Kolobok (José Martí 160) is two minutes west, with Russian food in Escandón: borscht, chicken Kiev, kvass and honey cake. CDMX Secreta recommends the meatball soup. It is open Mon–Thu 11:00–21:00, Fri 11:00–23:00, Sat 10:00–23:00, Sun 10:00–21:00. Kolobok shares its address with El Fuerte de la Colonia, a cantina with a 1946 plaque; check whether it is open.

6. Parroquia del Espíritu Santo

José Martí 233 · closed Mon; Sunday Masses from 8:00; check hours · free

Walk about five minutes east on José Martí to the parish church of Escandón, built in the early 20th century and listed with its interior decoration as national heritage. Its full name now adds Señor Mueve Corazones. Neighborhood lore says that when the Cristero War ended in 1929, its bells were the first in the city to ring. Neighbors still complain about the bells.

Bread: Panificadora La Real (Unión 15, Mon–Sat 5:00–22:00, Sun 7:00–22:00) is around the corner from the church (gold circle on the map). It is a plain, busy panadería, the kind where you take a tray and tongs. Bolillos and teleras for the neighborhood, conchas and cakes for everyone else. Time Out listed sweet bread here at 7 pesos (~0.40 USD) a piece in 2024. The milhojas are the thing to get.

7. Edificio Martí

José Martí at Sindicalismo · exterior only · free

Two minutes further east is the corner of Sindicalismo. Francisco J. Serrano built this block in 1931, also called the Edificio Jardín, as apartments for well-off tenants. That was a new idea at the time. It wraps around gardens and interior terraces, and the facade was restored around 2020. It is a private residence, so look from the sidewalk on both streets.

Coffee break: Café Escandón (Sindicalismo 53, Mon–Sat 8:00–22:00, Sun 9:00–19:00) is two minutes north up Sindicalismo, on the corner of Progreso (brown circle on the map). Time Out and Chilango wrote about it as Yume. It now goes by Café Escandón and serves breakfast all day, sandwiches and Mexican antojitos, with a small shop of ceramics, toys and illustrated books by Mexican designers. The kitchen is slow; the menu says so. Order and look around.

8. Centro Cultural Roldán Sandoval

José Martí 280 · shows mostly weekend mornings; check what’s on

Walk about four minutes south-east on José Martí to a neighborhood theater one block from the Viaducto, opened in 1977 by actors Fred Roldán and Lupita Sandoval. It mostly puts on fairy tales for children, Snow White and Pinocchio and the like, with weekend shows around 11:30. It occupies an old house, and the chandeliers inside are original. This is the end of the walk.

To finish: Cleotilde (Progreso 240, Mon–Fri 7:00–20:00, Sat 8:00–16:00, closed Sun) is three minutes north (brown circle on the map). It is a takeaway coffee bar with two benches and a large window. Get something to carry, and a cinnamon roll if they have them. For a drink, Pulquería La Pirata is about 12 minutes west towards the Viaducto, and El León de Oro is about 14 minutes back west along José Martí. Both are described below.

Coffee, food and drink

For coffee, go to Cleotilde or El Ilusionista; for lunch, Playa Escondida in the market; for the evening, El León de Oro.

Place What Where
Cleotilde Takeaway coffee, cinnamon rolls Progreso 240, near stop 8
Café Escandón All-day breakfast, design shop Sindicalismo 53, near stop 7
El Ilusionista Specialty coffee, sandwiches, molletes Progreso 33, between stops 2 and 3
Espacio Amoxtli Bookshop café, chai, vegan cakes José Martí 49, next to stop 1
Panificadora La Real Traditional bakery Unión 15, next to stop 6
Playa Escondida Ceviche, seafood tostadas Inside the market, stop 5
Fonda El Vitaminas Mole de olla, beef broth José Martí 194, near stop 5
La Poblanita de Tacubaya Mole, enchiladas, handmade tortillas Patriotismo 87, near stop 5
Oppa Korean home cooking Prosperidad 29 C, near stop 6
VIA SOL Dumplings and natural wine Unión 88-C, near stop 7
Kolobok Russian food José Martí 160, near stop 5
Pulquería La Pirata Pulque 13 de Septiembre at 12 de Diciembre, 12 minutes from stop 8
El León de Oro Cantina, mariachi on Sundays José Martí 103-A, between stops 1 and 5

Two old places for a drink:

El León de Oro (José Martí 103-A, at Francisco Murguía; Mon–Wed and Sat 13:00–23:00, Thu–Fri 13:00–24:00, Sun 13:00–20:00) is where Escandón spends its afternoons. It has been open since 1954. It is a big cantina with free botanas as the drinks come, a kitchen known for cabrito, suadero and glazed ribs, and a mariachi on Sunday afternoons from about 16:00 to 18:00. Order a torta and a beer and stay longer than you meant to.

Pulquería La Pirata (13 de Septiembre at 12 de Diciembre; daily 9:00–18:30, check hours) has been on this corner for more than 70 years, with swinging doors, sky-blue chairs and a jukebox. It serves pulque from Tlaxcala and Hidalgo, plain or as curados (mamey, celery, oatmeal), and older men in groups toasting each other from midmorning. Pulque before noon is perfectly normal here. Tip well and keep it alive. Call an Uber from the corner when you are done.

If you just want a familiar cup, the chains sit at the edges of the route:

Shops worth the detour

Escandón has no shopping street. Its best shopping is food, and the rest hides inside cafés.

Which day to walk

Tuesday gets you the most; Monday morning the least. Only the stops with limited days are listed below.

Stop Mon Tue–Fri Sat Sun
5 Tianguis No Tuesday only No No
6 Espíritu Santo Closed Open Open Masses only
8 Roldán Sandoval No shows Check Shows Shows

Of the food stops, Amoxtli opens at 13:00 on Mondays and 15:00 on Sundays, and Cleotilde closes at 16:00 on Saturdays and all day Sunday. On a Sunday, start around 13:00 and finish at El León de Oro by 16:00 for the mariachi. La Pirata may be closed by then.

Keep walking

Escandón borders three areas that are worth carrying on into.

North: Condesa. Cross Benjamín Franklin from stop 3, or walk north from Cleotilde at the end, and you are in the Hipódromo within five minutes. Condesa and Roma on Foot covers it.

West: Tacubaya. From the Edificio Isabel, the Museo Casa de la Bola (Parque Lira 136) is a ten-minute walk, an 18th-century house with its furniture and garden (Sun–Fri 11:00–14:00). The Casa Luis Barragán, at General Francisco Ramírez 12, is about 15 minutes further; book a tour online before you go.

South: Nápoles. Cross the Viaducto on Patriotismo or Insurgentes to the World Trade Center tower and the Metrópoli Patriotismo mall.

About the author and where to stay

Brian has lived in Roma Norte for about five years and writes the See Mexico City guides. He speaks seven languages and still gets lost on purpose.

When you visit, stay with us at Penthouse El Cielo de Roma in Roma Norte.

Photo credits

Photos via Wikimedia Commons, used under the licenses shown. Numbers match the captions.

  1. Edificio Ermita.jpg, ,
  2. Iglesia de San José de la Montaña (detalle) (Av. Patriotismo, Escandón, México, D.F.) 03.jpg, Correogsk, CC BY-SA 3.0

Map: drawn from OpenStreetMap data, © OpenStreetMap contributors, Open Database License.

Sources

Hours and prices checked October 2026; confirm before you go.