Puebla! This place was a surprise to me. I was really really excited to visit when I saw pictures of the colorful buildings and beautiful streets and read about the cultural aspects of Talavera pottery and mole. And while I won’t say that it disappointed, I will say it’s not a city that I would make an entire trip for again unless you’re in Mexico City for a long period of time since it’s a quick 1.5 hour drive from the city. That doesn’t mean that there wasn’t a lot to love, there definitely was (all of which I’ll share here) but compared to the other inland cities that we’ve visited in Mexico (Mexico City, San Miguel de Allende, Guanajuato, Oaxaca) this just didn’t live up for me. I think it had to do with a few things: we were there Monday - Thursday and it seems like a lot of things open up Thursday - Sunday so we might have missed some “cool” aspects, the food just didn’t live up to other places but I will say Moyuelo is very high up there for places that I’ve eaten in Mexico, and it really was not very touristy. Which for some might be a plus, but for me we just felt very isolated in a big city.
That being said, I would encourage a 2-3 day weekend trip from Mexico City if you have the time and would like to check it out! Here are some highlights:
Where we stayed:
Banyan Tree Puebla - I know some people might see the name Banyan Tree and scoff given the chains typically exorbitant prices, but fear not! These rooms are under $200 / night ($150 in our case) which I think was a damn steal. This hotel is amazing. From the beautiful rooftop pool, where you HAVE to have a carajillo and stay for the insane sunsets, to the beautifully designed and comfortable rooms (that I will be stealing design inspo from for this “future house” of ours), to the hidden speakeasy bar, there wasn’t really much not to like. The only complaint was the food was definitely higher priced than something else you can get in Puebla but that’s to be expected and it was all delicious. Honestly this Banyan Tree property might be worth that 3 day weekend trip alone.
Other options:
Where we ate:
Moyuelo - Best place that we ate in Puebla (maybe all of this Mexico trip) for a late lunch. Delicious gnocchi, pulpo, and the cheesecake at the end was INCREDIBLE. Also served natural wine which we are very big fans of and you don’t see it much in Mexico. The one that we got was very sweet but not their fault. Great service and ambiance.
Augurio - Delicious and trendy. Had a lovely bottle of red wine from Valle de Guadalupe called Lomita Cabernet. The goat cheese croquettes with mole were just okay. The salad was delicious but the star of the show were the bone marrow tacos AMAZING. Then we finished with a pork dish with green mole. This is where Tim and I instituted the rule that we can only order 3 things at a restaurant because we absolutely over ordered. We have since broken it still but we try hard to keep to this. Either way, definitely go here.
Restaurante Casareyna - Very upscale restaurant known for moles. Tim got the poblano mole and I got a white mole. The setting is absolutely beautiful in an open courtyard.
El Mercado Sabores - I don’t remember the name of the stall but it was the big one in the middle. These chicken sandwiches are MASSIVE. Like the size of my head. We got the Milanese with queso and the enchilada one. They were delicious and definitely a must get in Puebla (or other parts of Mexico) but I would recommend splitting one here!
Banyan Tree Puebla - Since we were staying here we ate breakfast here a couple times, lunch on the roof and a late night snack at the INSERT NAME speakeasy. Everything was really quite good but definitely pricey. If you’re not staying at the Banyan Tree I would recommend going for lunch or dinner on the rooftop (the Thai restaurant was only open Thursday - Sunday so we missed it but it’s supposed to be delicious). The views are worth it, especially at sunset.
Talavera!
Talavera - Puebla is known for Talavera pottery which has it’s origins in pre-hispanic pottery. When the Spanish came along they replicated their methods of pottery making but added more color and design. Today Talavera is mostly in vibrant colors of blue and white with some orange and yellow additions and I absolutely fell in LOVE with it. I wanted it all. Much to Tim’s chagrin. You can find more modern designs which were our favorite. The best places to see Talavera and find modern designs:
Uriarte Talavera - This place is more like an art gallery and they display custom Talavera pieces with information about the artist. The building itself was beautiful and we loved a lot of the pieces here. They were very unique and had some fun designs like Frida Khalo and others. We ended up buying a vase with a beautiful tiger design for the Year of the Tiger
Talavera Talateca - A small shop with modern takes on classic Talavera. A little pricier than what you’d find in street stalls but these pieces are authentic and original. We bought a plate with a white and gold design. Would definitely recommend checking them out.
While these are the places that we loved the most there are TONS of shops selling Talavera all over Puebla. Definitely wander the streets and see if you can find something you love.
Other things to do in Puebla:
Try Mole! One place that we were recommended to go multiple times but didn’t make it to was El Mural de los Poblanos because they do a sampler of mole. You can order a protein and get a sampler of all their mole’s on the side! Great way to try in case you don’t like the one that yours gets slathered in. The Poblano mole was a bit too sweet for Tim and I’s taste but we liked the White and Green moles
Walk around and see all the churches. There are around 365 churches in Puebla City + neighboring Cholula so you’ll likely run into one on every single block (almost), but some of the most beautiful to see are Capilla del Rosario, Santo Domingo, Temple de San Francisco
Biblioteca Palafoxiana - We didn’t make it here but I wish we did. It’s right on the main square and it truly looks like something out of Harry Potter, swoon.
Museum Hop: Amparo Museum and International museum of the baroque
Day trip to Cholula - This was one of our favorite days during our visit to Puebla. Cholula is a town about 25 minutes outside of Puebla City that has a long and storied history. Cholula is the home to the largest temple remains in North America (the base is 4x the size of the Pyramids of Giza) and is also the longest running and oldest city in all of the Americas. Cholula was a very important trading city positioned between the coastal Veracruz and Mexico City. Which is why it was quickly taken over when the Spanish arrived. The pyramid itself is sadly only partly unearthed (a very small part at that) but it is still worth a visit to see even just for the dazzling Catholic Church they put right at the very top of the Pyramid. The Spanish really were subtle. One very interesting tidbit is that the pyramid is a series of pyramids built on top of each other. Every 52 years, the pre-hispanic tribes would construct a completely new pyramid over the existing structure creating a Russian nesting doll-esque situation. It seems like a horrible use of time and resources to me but hey what do I know, I wasn’t a King that needed to show I was bigger and better. Outside of the history, the town of Puebla itself is really cool. There is a large University which brings along benefits like cool dining options, vegan food options that are rare to find in Mexico, beautiful street art and a generally good “vibe”. I would compare it to the Oakland of San Francisco for whoever might get that reference. Also the history has a great way of sneaking back in. When we were walking, our guide just randomly picked up pieces of pre-hispanic pottery that was lying in the dirt on the sidewalk. You could still see the painting and everything. Probably the coolest souvenir we got to take home! If you want to get the full Cholula experience, I’d absolutely recommend this AirBnB Experience. The hosts were knowledgeable, the first of which gave us all the history and a tour of the ruins and the second, a chef, who cooked the most incredible bites only using techniques and ingredients that that common pre-hispanic person would have access to (think no butter, cheese, meat, etc.). They also introduced us to pulque, a fermented drink made from the sugar of agave leaves. It has the alcohol content of about 4% and is really quite delicious.
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