The OPs observations of the Zona Rosa match my own. People unfamiliar with Mexico City and that part of the city, which is hugely popular with local residents, don't track with reality, IMO.

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I had to walk through the Zona Rosa, at least twice a day, a few years back. It was high energy and perhaps a bit trashy/tacky, but not offensivly so. No hookers that I noticed.

Of course it's a vibrant and fun place, but "reality" is that sex tourism/commerce is alive and well Zona Rosa regardless of what anyone sees on a given day. Of course it's hugely popular with locals, it's the home of fast-food chains and cheesy pleasures. Anyone "familiar" with Mexico City, including any Chilango, fully understands what goes on there, and most choose to either ignore it or be a part of it (especially after their wives and children have gone to bed after having gone there for their Burger King in the afternoon). Viva la Zona Rosa... I guess.

Hookers tend to work at night, so it's not surprising you didn't see many of them.

At the end it is a matter of tastes; I personally find Zona Rosa, as someone else said, trashy and tacky, but for others it might be OK. Each to his own, It's definitely not an area to avoid, but to me it is a place with no appeal. I still go there from time to time to have lunch with a friend who works in the area, but I wouldn't go for a drink at night.

I don't understand the comments about fast food. Zona Rosa has them, sure, but they also have many places that cater to office workers in the area where you can get home-made style with different courses (what we call 'comida corrida'). Plus, places like Los Bisquets or Sanborns, that have good food (not for special occasions, but good for a regular meal).

For sure the area is popular with local residents. There's more than 20 million of us and with all sorts of budgets, tastes and needs. It doesn't have to be sex based either. Many are going to be in the area for all sorts of reasons. You finish work with your friends and grab a quick beer before going home; you might park there if you want to bike on Sundays; you could grab lunch there after visiting one of the many medical offices in the area; I used to wait there for my wife to finish a training she took once close by, etc.

I just find the concentration of American/foreign fast food chains to be more oppressive there than in other places, but of course that's just a personal observation and is a big plus for some people. Heck, I've had lots of fun times in the nabe... I just think a lot of the "warnings" or negative things said about it are to prevent people from staying there on their first visit to the city and getting a skewed perspective when there are much better options. Then again, those looking for the kind of atmosphere that the ZR offers would probably be happier there.

...note that if you're walking around with a family, you'll probably get a lot less in the way of solicitations than a single guy. Naturally.

I agree with Julian. And also think there are not more fastfood places than any other place on the city. I remember the Mc and maybe a burgerking, starbucks and i think a wings stop or army. But tons of other places to choose from.

Besides, zona has a relatively big bookstore with a selecction of books in english (not that easy to come across everywhere).

My personal reason for going there: the selection of korean restaurants/markets.

I love the differing opinions on here! Some real Zona Rosa aficionados, which is refreshing as it's rare for people to admit that in public.

However, if you really believe that there isn't a higher concentration of fast food places there, you may want to check out Condesa, Roma, Coyoacan, San Angel, the Zocalo, etc., which really have very few. ZR is well-known for being ground zero for these types of businesses – and again... some people are totally into that! For many tourists it is a big plus and there is no reason to leave the area for the duration of their trip.