Hi.

I'm going to have a 12hr layover in MEX coming up mid-late April. It will probably be on Sat 19th (but not 100% sure yet) and I'll be on the ground from 1245-0055. Can anyone suggest an area of town to have a look around and perhaps somewhere to have a nice (yet reasonably priced) meal? I have never been to Mexico City before so I'll also need transportation suggestions.

Thanks in advance.

I'd probably head for Zocalo Square in the Centro Historico.

http://www.delange.org/Zocalo/Zocalo.htm

Taxis are available after you exit customs and all the way to the right.
I'm sure you'll get all types of advice about the taxis in Mexico City but I avoid issues and use the "official" airport or hotel taxis. Sure I pay more but I've never had a problem.

Take the official "Sitio 300" sedan taxi to the Centro Historico. If the traffic is bad, get out in front of Bellas Artes and from there you can walk to the Zocalo in about ten minutes. Visit the Templo Mayor (don't miss the onsite museum), cathedral and the presidential palace (to see the Diego Rivera murals, bring ID). If you are in the Bellas Artes area, visit that building too.
Lunch is late in Mexico, but be at the restaurant around 2pm to ensure a seat. There are no really top-notch places to eat in the Centro Historico, but Cafe Tacuba is fun, with a good set menu and musicians passing from table to table. Girasoles next to the art museum has some reasonably inventive food and the Opera Bar has bags of atmosphere.
The Centro Historico is dead at night, but you could hop in a cab to Condesa where there are heaps of chic bars etc. Get dropped off at the ultra-trendy Condesa DF Hotel, which is a good place to drink and people watch. If you want an evening meal, just a couple of blocks away is Rojo Bistro (on Parras) or across the park, Bistro Mosaico (on Michoacan, between Amesterdam and Insurgentes). There is a 'sitio' cab stand across from Condesa DF to get you back to the airport, or get your restaurant to call you one. Since you are a newbie to the DF, I don't recommend hailing a cab in the street, especially at night. However, the Condesa area itself is very safe and there'll be plenty of people out an about, especially on a Sat evening. Have fun.

PS. Just seen your arrival time:
Maybe better to hold off eating until the evening and get the best out of the daylight around the Z�calo. At sunset there is the taking down of the flag, which you might enjoy seeing. Then head for Condesa for a drink and some grub.

Agree completely with seeing Zocolo. I think the flag ceremony is at 6:00 PM. I was blessed to see the flag lowering / Army procession after a project celebration lunch / dinner at Casino Espanol. http://www.casinoespanol.com.mx/index.php

Great wine list, good to great tapas, excellent cheese course + olives, roasted peppers, olive oil, bread, most of the entree's were very good but the lechon stood out, outstanding service. The rooms around the restaurant are stunning. The restaurant ambiance itself is very simple, almost plain in comparison to the banquet rooms and salons on the other floors of the building. I think the name of the dessert we had was leche frita.

Also, the orginal blue tiled Sanborn's is near this area. Not a big Sanborn's fan, but it is interesting to see the original.

Interesting to hear that the Casino Espa�ol has a public restaurant. I never knew, and have always been curious to see the interior.
Sanborns in the Casa de Los Azulejos is on Madero, one block in from the Bellas Artes on the left. Food and coffee are not good, but the atmosphere is nice.

Actually, lunch is at a normal time in Mexico. Lunch in Anglo-Saxon countries is really early...

Portions of the post that previously appeared in this space have been deleted. I would provide you with a reason why, but doing so would likely be against the TOS.