When you look at the stats, Mexico City can be a daunting place. The population of the metropolitan area is almost 22 million, making it the largest Spanish-speaking city on the planet.
Don’t be afraid. Mexico’s capital city is a cutting-edge jurisdiction when it comes to queer rights, culture and nightlife. Mexico City legalized same-gender marriage in 2009, beating the rest of the country by five years or more.
Give us a moment for a numbers dump—we’ll get to the coolness momentarily. The city proper, often referred to as CDMX, is a federal entity that almost has the powers of a state. Confusingly, there’s also a State of Mexico, which surrounds CDMX on three sides. (That’s where you have to go to visit the historic site Teotihuacán.) Mexico City itself has 16 boroughs (or alcaldías), which are divided into—wait for it—1,999 neighbourhoods, which are called colonias.
Don’t freak out. Most of those colonias hold little interest for visitors. In fact, most attractions—and most LGBTQ+ life—are located in the borough of Cuauhtémoc, which covers the oldest parts of the city before it started to dramatically expand, consuming the towns and villages around it. The adjacent borough of Miguel Hidalgo also has sites of interest—and lots of rich people—as does the southern borough of Coyoacán, which was a village before it was incorporated into the federal district in 1857.
Even within each borough, colonias can be very architecturally and culturally distinct from each other.
Here is our quick guide to finding the queerest Mexico City neighbourhoods, which are (coincidentally?) the ones that are also the most hipster filled. Some of the venues mentioned below may be just on the outskirts of the designated colonia; we’re going to cheat a bit.
Roma Norte
Established as a middle-class neighbourhood in the early 20th century, Roma, specifically Roma Norte, is probably CDMX’s most famously trendy neighbourhood. Its angled streets, picturesque plazas, and stylish cafés, bars and galleries draw epicureans, hipsters, trust-fund kids, dilettantes and digital nomads from all over the world. There are times when it feels there are more gringos than locals chilling among the mix of Art Nouveau, Neoclassical and ultramodern buildings—and the penis of the replica of Michelangelo’s David in Plaza de Río de Janeiro. Gay director Sebastián Silva’s sexually explicit 2023 film Rotting in the Sun was, in part, set here, as was Alfonso Cuarón’s 2018 film Roma. In the evenings, Glorieta de los Insurgentes, the location of the metro stop for Roma Norte and Juárez (see below), runs amok with queers on their way to clubs, bars and parties.
Roma Norte’s queer stop
Revuelta Queer House (Puebla 94, Roma Norte). Though you’ll find queers everywhere in Roma Norte, there are not so many self-declared queer venues—it’s too cool for labels. This small cultural centre, which opened in 2023, has an art gallery, event spaces and a small restaurant.
Condesa
Comprising three colonias, Condesa is the park-filled area west of Roma Norte. Together, Condesa and Roma Norte are referred to as Barrio Mágico Turístico, that is, the Touristic Magic Neighbourhood. Almost as fashionable as Roma Norte, Condesa is less flashy and less urban, better for walking while holding hands than flaunting your fierce runway looks. Condesa’s wide tree-lined streets, curving around Parque México and Parque España are perfect for walking, biking and occasionally stopping into a chic boutique.
Condesa’s queer stop
TOM’S Leather Bar (Av. Insurgentes Sur 357, Hipódromo). Though the name is misleading (serious leathermen might be disappointed), this bar for gay men of all ages is friendly and cruisy. They also have good drink specials and go-go dancers, though they’ll occasionally stop the party music to play something operatic, just for kicks.
Juárez
You might have heard that many of Mexico City’s LGBTQ+ venues are in the Zona Rosa, that is, the “pink zone,” a term originally coined because it’s a district for frothy fun—though “pink” also describes the colonia’s current sexual orientation. Yeah, it’s that gay. Zona Rosa comprises roughly half of Juárez, just west of Avenida Insurgentes (Mexico City’s Yonge Street/Broadway). Here, you’ll find Calle Amberes, a dense strip of gay bars, gay-oriented boutiques and even a couple of sex clubs/saunas. Zona Rosa is more unapologetically g-a-y than Roma Norte, too excited by dance music, drag queens, flirting and frolic to worry about being cool. The eating here is less fussy, with more chain restaurants than elsewhere—grub for before and after the clubs. The iconic and much-photographed El Ángel de la Independencia statue is here, out in the middle of Avenida Paseo de la Reforma, a huge boulevard where you’ll find many of Mexico City’s brand-name hotels and the mall Reforma 222, which is beloved by gays. On the east side of Avenida Insurgentes, Juárez is home to many small affordable indie hotels, making it an ideal base for visiting CDMX, even if you spend most of your time elsewhere.
Juárez’s queer stop
Cabaretito—Punto y aparte (C. Amberes 61, Juárez). So hard to choose from so many options! But even at 7 p.m. on a Monday evening, a visitor will find people at this multi-room come-one-come-all LGBTQ+ drag and dance bar. And if it’s Saturday at midnight, watch out. This is the flagship of three Cabaretito clubs, which also include Fusión (Londres 77, Juárez) and El Taller (basement, Florencia 37-A, Juárez).
Centro Histórico
This large, attraction-filled colonia centres on the Zócalo, CDMX’s historic main plaza, which often hosts festivals, concerts and other public events. Avenidas Francisco I. Madero and 16 de Septiembre are pedestrianized shopping streets leading from the Zócalo to Alameda Central, a large public square where you’ll find the other of Mexico City’s most photographed attractions: Palacio de Bellas Artes. Everybody who visits Mexico City even once will find themselves wandering around these bustling streets. The area northwest of the Zócalo, particularly along República de Cuba between Eje Central Lázaro Cárdenas and República de Brasil, is CMDX’s “other” gaybourhood, with several venerable clubs that fill up on the weekends.
Centro Histórico’s queer stop
El Marra/Marrakech Salón (República de Cuba 18, Centro Histórico). The cavernous space feels like something that might have been an old automotive shop. The crowd, LGBTQ+ and allies, is young, energetic and knows the words to all the songs, both English and Spanish. Drag, too.
Polanco
The Mexico City neighbourhood that makes the Upper East Side/Yorkville/7th arrondissement/Knightsbridge look scruffy. Swing by El Palacio de Hierro (Av. Moliere 222, Polanco) for that Balenciaga bag you’ve been eyeing before lunching at a chic bistro on Avenida Presidente Masaryk. Then head to Parque América, where you may happen upon so many maids, some in uniform, walking dogs and kids. “Fresa” is slang for posh/upscale, and this is where fresa gays love hanging out. Perhaps you’ve seen sexy Netflix shows like Casa de Flores and The Club. Those shows are set in nearby Las Lomas, which is a residential neighborhood for the ultrarich. But there’s nothing to see or do in Las Lomas unless you’ve been invited to one of the mansions there—because those bitches come to Polanco to shop, eat, drink and party.
Polanco’s queer stops
Museo Jumex (Blvd. Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra 303, Granada). This contemporary art gallery usually has two or three special exhibitions on at a time, many of them including queer artists. For guys, there’s the gay bathhouse So.Do.Me (Calz. Gral. Mariano Escobedo 716, Anzures).
Coyoacán
All the neighbourhoods we’ve mentioned so far are within walking distance of each other—kinda. If you’re ambitious, you can walk from Museo Jumex in the far west to the Zócalo in the east in about two hours, passing through Polanco, Juárez and Centro Histórico en route. It’s a hike, but safe and pleasant. The colonia of Coyoacán (within the borough of the same name) is farther south, so pedestrians have to pass through some “meh” neighbourhoods to get there, though it’s easily reachable by metro, Metrobús, cab or Uber. The stomping grounds of Frida Kahlo and Diego Rivera (known both for their art and their open marriage), this former village has a relaxed bohemian vibe, centred around twin squares Jardín Hidalgo and Fuente de los Coyotes. Mercado de Coyoacán is a great place to buy souvenirs and handicrafts, and there are many cultural institutions (theatres, dance troupes, etc.) located here, which partly accounts for the high queer quotient of residents. It’s more a place for an ice cream in the park or sipping mezcal in an old-school (but LGBTQ+ friendly) pub like La Cervecería de Barrio (Parque Centenario 9, Coyoacán) than partying hard.
Coyoacán’s queer stop
Teatro Bar El Vicio (C. Madrid 13, Del Carmen, Coyoacán). This cabaret theatre hosts an array of performers and troupes, many of them queer and/or female-focused, including feminist comedians Las Reinas Chulas. Yeah, you need to understand some Spanish, and more specifically, some Chilango slang.
