Eating out seems to
be the main pastime in the
capital, with restaurants,
cafés, taquerías and juice
stands on every block, many
of them very reasonably
priced, even in the heart of
the Zona Rosa, along Reforma
or just off the Zócalo. As
throughout the country,
those on a tight budget
wanting to eat well should
make their main meal a late
lunchtime comida. It is
still the main meal for
working people, but evening
dining is very much the norm
in restaurants frequented by
the well-heeled.
Costs
vary enormously. There are
excellent bargains to be
found all over the city in
small restaurants and taquerías,
but as you move up into the
mid-range places you'll be
paying something approaching
what you would at home. At
the top end you can soon
find yourself paying big
money, especially if you
order something decent from
the wine menu.
The choice of where to
eat is almost limitless in
Mexico City, ranging from
traditional coffee houses to
fast-food lunch counters,
and taking in Japanese,
French, Spanish ,
expensive international
and rock-bottom Mexican
cooking along the way.
There's even a small
Chinatown of sorts where a
cluster of Chinese
restaurants line C Dolores,
just south of the Alameda.
There are also the
traditional food stalls in markets
throughout the city. Merced
is the biggest, but not a
terribly pleasant place to
eat: at the back of the
Plaza Garibaldi, there's a
market hall given over to
nothing but food stands,
each vociferously competing
with its neighbours.
Mexico City also abounds
in rosticerías ,
roast chicken shops, serving
tasty set meals and crispy
chicken with beer, in a
jolly atmosphere. There are
a couple on 5 de Febrero.
For licuados, sodas, ice
cream, fruit salads and
tortas, try a jugería
, and pastelrías ,
or cake shops, sell cheap
pastries and bread rolls for
economical breakfasts.
More so than anywhere
else in the country, Mexico
City has become flooded with
chain restaurants .
International franchise
establishments have a firm
foothold here with McDonalds,
Burger King, KFC, Dunkin'
Donuts and Pizza Hut
all well represented
downtown and in the
wealthier suburbs. They're
not especially cheap by
Mexican standards but can be
a comfort when everything
else seems too hard. On the
whole you're better off at
one of the Mexican chains
found in many of the same
areas. The best known are Sanborn's
, not particularly cheap but
good for a breakfast of
coffee and pan dulce
or for reasonably authentic
Mexican food tailored to
foreign tastes: the most
interesting by far is the Casa
de los Azulejos . VIPS
are almost equally widely
scattered, and serve
somewhat sanitized Mexican
dishes in an American diner
atmosphere, good for when
new in town and still
learning the ropes.
The area around the Zócalo
and west through to the Alameda
is packed with places to
eat, many catering to office
workers (which often close
by early evening) and to
tourists, the latter staying
open later. The selection is
fine for grabbing something
while you're seeing the
sights but, with a few
notable exceptions, you're
better off elsewhere for
serious dining. Most
visitors seem to end up
eating in the Zona Rosa
where there's a huge stock
of more upmarket places
wedged into a few blocks.
The standard is high and new
places open all the time,
but by far the most active
area for cafés and
mid-range restaurants is Condesa
, about twenty-minutes' walk
south of the Zona. We've
mentioned a few in this
area, but they are really
just starting points, and
the real pleasure is in
simply wandering around and
seeing what grabs your
fancy. Top-class restaurants
are mostly concentrated in Polanco
. The southern suburbs of San
Ángel and Coyoacán
are also good hunting
grounds and it is worth
sticking around for your
evening meal after a day's
sightseeing.
Dress standards
are mostly casual, but the
better the restaurant the
more out of place you'll
feel in trainers and a
T-shirt. A few of the very
best restaurants require
jacket and tie, something
we've mentioned where
appropriate.
Something else to look
out for that is becoming
common in the better
restaurants is a cover
charge of US$1-3 per
head that is automatically
added to the bill.
Around the Zócalo
Bertico Café , Madero 66.
Spacious and friendly café
specializing in pasta dishes
(US$4.50) and gelati
(US$1.50), but also good for
breakfast, sushi (from US$2)
and great coffee. Metro Zócalo.
Bolivar 12 , Bolivar 12 (tel...
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Around the Alameda
Cafetería El Cuadrilatero ,
Luis Moya 73 (tel
5521-3060). Like Mexico
City's other wrestling cafés,
El Cuadrilatero - "The
Ring" - is owned and
run by an ex-wrestler whose
old masks are framed on the
walls along with photos
of...
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Zona Rosa
Bellini's , Av de las
Naciones (tel 5628-8305). A
revolving restaurant some
distance south of the Zona
Rosa at the top of the World
Trade Center - the city's
tallest building - this is
where business people come
to impress their clients,
but is also...
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Condesa
Agapi Mu , Alfonso Reyes 96
(tel 5286-1384). About the
best Greek restaurant in the
city, but very low-key and
affordable as long as you
don't go too mad on the
retsina and Hungarian wines.
It's especially fun from
Thursday to Saturday when
there's...
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Polanco
El Buen Comer Mercellín ,
Edgar Allan Poe 50 (tel
5282-0325). Little more than
the garage of a suburban
home but with a very
convivial atmosphere, this
lunch-only restaurant
specializes in regional
French cuisine with
particularly tasty
seafood...
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San Ángel and south
San Ángel is most easily
reached by bus or colectivo
- see the San Ángel
account. The nearest Metro
is Miguel Ángel de Quevedo,
over 2km distant. Addetto ,
Revolución 1382 (tel
5662-5434). Smart modern
Italian establishment
combining a deli...
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Coyoacán
Café El Parnaso , Carillo
Puerto 2. Predominantly
sidewalk café with attached
bookshop; a good spot for
light snacks or just a
coffee. El Globo , cnr
Hidalgo and Corbolocalco.
Local outpost of this
excellent chain of
French-inspired...
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