We used to do separate posts for different bakeries and restaurants and whatnot we’d go to but now we’re starting to just combine stuff into bigger posts; so here it is: all the food in Mexico City that we ate- location and cost included! We actually did not cook here (rare for us) so it’s mainly cafes and restaurants and whatnot.
We were only here just over four days (6 technical days but four full days) and had a few meals that weren’t just Mexican food so I didn’t cover all the neat and interesting local cuisine you can get in Mexico City, just what we ate while we were there. I think the top thing that I went in really wanting to get but that I didn’t get was a torta. I looked around but could not find a vegetarian torta and with the amount of time there chose to prioritize other activities over getting a torta.
In case anyone is wondering about this: I noted the price only in US dollars if it was paid for using a card so that is what I recorded but I wrote Mexican pesos as well if we paid in cash (though it’s possible there are a couple exceptions). We probably paid cash some places which accepted card but there were some places which only took cash, of course. We tipped anytime we went to a sit-down place but did not include this in the price below. Generally, you want to tip 10-20% (though you can always give more of course) but you can learn more about how to tip in general in Mexico City here or here.
Coffee and Desserts
In addition to covering food in Mexico City, we also cover some of the drinks (coffee) we consumed. I’ll start off by covering the cafes, churros, and other sweets we had in Mexico City (and then go onto restaurants/regular food).
1. Cafe Punta de Cielo
What we ate/what they offer:
I think Kyle and I shared a Mexican hot chocolate (Oaxaca style) and my dad got his standard cafe mocha. Did you know that hot chocolate is actually from Mexico? We took the warm drinks to go so we could enjoy them as we walked around.
Cost:
$5.92 (117 pesos) for both drinks
Where to find it:
It seems like there are several locations. We went to the one at Av. De la Republica, Cuauhtémoc, Tabacalera, 06030 Ciudad de México, CDMX, Mexico. This particular one is actually called Cafe Punta de Cielo Revolution on Googlemaps because it’s right in front of the Monument to the Revolution. District: Centro Historico.
2. Don Porfirio
What we ate/what they offer:
Kyle and I shared a horchata. We all shared a cookie. My dad had a cafe mocha again (I think).
Cost:
I have $2.43 (48 Mexican pesos) recorded and this may have been the price of our drink but I suppose it’s possible that was the price for both drinks. The cookie was $1.37 (27 Mexican pesos).
Where to find it:
So we actually had some trouble finding this place. I only even discovered it after searching around on Google maps and noticed the nice views. Actually, the only reason we went to the other cafe (Cafe Punta de Cielo) was because I thought it was in that area for some reason. The reason for all this confusion is that on Google maps there is a “Don Porfirio Caffe Revolucion” and even a “Cafe don Porfirio” both listed in that other location and reviews for at least one of these locations were showing it as this one.
You’ll notice wrong TripAdvisor reviews (for different cafes) on all of these. I think everyone is confused. Anyway, what you actually want appears as “Finca Don Porfiro Juarez” on the map. Basically, just go to the Palacio de Bellas Artes, look across the street and go up to the 8th story of the Sears building. Walk through this furniture store (I thought, what am I in the wrong place again?) and you will reach this cafe which has great views. District: Centro Historico.
Notes:
I think it can get crowded (not too many people when we were there, though) so you may have to wait to get a seat looking out (and settle for a table still on the deck – also nice seating) instead. I think it was sprinkling a little at the time but was nice.
3. El Morro Churro
What we ate/what they offer:
We got a little confused in ordering and got 8 churros when we meant to get four. Kyle and I shared a Mexican hot chocolate and my dad either also had a Mexican hot chocolate, or maybe he had a coffee. I think what we did was order the drinks paired with four churros each (you can do that instead of ordering them separately) when we meant to only pair it with one. We really liked the churros, though so this worked out. This is a great place and there are multiple locations. Here is the menu on their website.
Cost:
$8.47 (161 pesos) for 2 drinks and 8 churros.
Where to find it:
There are 6 locations. I believe we went to the one in Centro Historico but saw the one in Roma as well.
Notes:
If you get any dessert type food in Mexico City then I think you must get a churro (doesn’t have to be here, but somewhere). I prioritized it for our time here and planned this place in our itinerary because of its reputation but the next place (see below) which isn’t even on Googlemaps was also very good, imo.
4. La Churreria
What we ate/what they offer:
They offer different drink and churro options. I got two churros. Later I think my dad got two for himself too. The churros were good.
Cost:
$0.50 (10 Mexican pesos) for two small churros.
Where to find it:
This place actually does not appear on Googlemaps and we don’t see an internet presence otherwise either but it was right across from the public restrooms and near an animal clinic. We were just wandering the area and I decided I wanted some more churros. It’s this area. District: La Condesa.
5. Pastelería Suiza (Bakery)
What we ate/what they offer:
We got a conch which was large and cream-filled. It was pretty good but not exceptional. The cream tasted a little sour and I’m not sure if that’s how it should be or not. My dad got a brownie but it was so dry he did not eat it and we didn’t finish it either. It was hard and crunchy. It could have been good if not for that. Overall not that tasty but it could have been because we picked up stuff in the evening, not sure. Or maybe you should try something else from there.
Cost:
$2.40 (46 pesos). 35 pesos ($1.84) for the conch and 11 pesos ($0.58) for the brownie.
Where to find it:
Parque España 7 Col. Condesa 06140 México, D.F. Mexico
Notes:
The reason we went here was because I saw it featured as one of Mexico City’s oldest bakeries. Well, the food tasted a little old but it was still nice to check out one of the older bakeries in the city.
6. Heladeria Santa Clara Cafeteria
What we ate/what they offer:
Kyle and I shared a cone. It was pretty good but we no longer remember the flavor.
Cost:
$1.99 or $2.31 (38 or 44 pesos) or for one cone and one scoop. (Discrepancy because we recorded right after and couldn’t remember which number was correct; we bought in cash).
Where to find it:
Av Sonora 164, Hipódromo Condesa, 06140 Ciudad de México, CDMX, Mexico. District: La Condesa but it looks like there are other locations as well.
Restaurants & Taquerias
1. Cafe Cosmos
What we ate/what they offer:
Kyle had 2 tacos al pastor. My dad had one taco al pastor and one with pollo (chicken). They both really seemed to enjoy their meals. I had “Alambre vegetarian”. First off it was okay but I had to eat around the small bits of meat in my “vegetarian” meal. This is really I think the only time I experienced this (actually while traveling period) and I found it pretty easy to find food without meat (just like most places in the world).
Kyle and my dad liked it and it was on the cheap side so go for it if you aren’t veg. I can’t remember if we got drinks.
Cost:
152 dinner ($7.97) for 3 meals
Where to find it:
Esq. Thomas Alva Edison y Alfonso Herrera, Serapio Rendon, San Rafael, 06470 Ciudad de México, CDMX, Mexico. District: Centro Historico.
2. Taqueria Los Compadres
What we ate/what they offer:
I ordered papas rajas which turned out to be potatoes, peppers, and cheese in a tortilla. It was actually far more filling than it looks. It was different, but good. Kyle had tingas pollos (something like a big tostada with shredded chicken) and my dad ordered a ham, cheese, and mushroom omelet (which came with tortillas and fries). To drink, Kyle and I shared a large mango juice and my dad had a coke.
Cost:
$10.46 (200 pesos) for three meals and two drinks. The omelet was 70 pesos ($3.66) and every other item was 35 pesos ($1.83) except the coke which was 25 pesos ($1.31). A pretty good price for some filling food.
Where to find it:
This was in the Food Zone located near the lake in Chapultepec Park. We sat down at a table and people came to take our order (there are also many stands there where you can go up and order). Here is the address for the Food Zone: 1ra Seccin del Bosque de Chapultepec, Gran Avenida, Anzures, 11100 Ciudad de México, CDMX, Mexico. District: Chapultepec park.
3. Restaurante El Chivito
What we ate/what they offer:
(From Kyle since I didn’t visit this place – he went with my dad one night): The food was very good. They had a wide selection of choices, though most were meat based. I had Pozole, which is a soup made with vegetables, hominy, and pork. The food was authentic, service was good, and the facility clean. I felt that the prices were a little high considering the general location – but they were still not bad.
Cost:
$14.03 for 2 meals and a beer.
Where to find it:
A, Calle Alfonso Herrera 11, San Rafael, 06470 Ciudad de México, CDMX, Mexico. District: Centro Historico.
Notes:
This restaurant was a nice establishment near our AirBnb. It is a more formal sit-down restaurant than many of the places we visited – but still casual. The theme was that of a hacienda, with wagon wheels, guns, and cowboy memorabilia hanging on the walls.
4. El Perro Negro
What we ate/what they offer:
We ordered a medium pizza (Kyle and my dad chose some meat toppings), a chile relleno baked potato thing, a coke, and a juice. Now, ordering was a little confusing for us because on the menu papa was listed as a pizza size. So I thought I was ordering a chile relleno pizza (smaller) but when it arrived we saw that it was actually like six baked potatoes with chile relleno on top! Papa also means potatoes in Mexican but as this was a pizza place and I had never even heard of this kind of food I didn’t expect it but I was quite happy with it! Yum!
Of the food in Mexico City we ate, this was probably the most interesting and fun (and one of the best dishes I think). Ultimately we ended up with quite a bit of food so we were able to take some home. You can find some information about their food on their website.
Cost:
$16-$17 (320 Mexican pesos) for two “pizzas” and 2 drinks. Of course, you can look at the website for more specific info.
Where to find it:
There are a few locations in Mexico City. I think we went to this one: Donceles 66, Centro Histórico, Centro, 06000 Ciudad de México, CDMX, Mexico
5. La Gatería
What we ate/what they offer:
The menu is vegetarian (and utilizes local and organic ingredients) which I think makes sense at a cat cafe for a few reasons (one being that the cats will be less interested in the food). Obviously, this worked great for me! They have regular food options and “cute” dessert items like cupcakes with cats on them and things like that.
Kyle and I shared a portobello sandwich and fruit smoothie and both were delicious! Along with my potato “pizza”, probably the tastiest food I consumed in Mexico City (oh, plus the churros if that counts). The burger had a good sauce and I think like a coleslaw or something on it and came with chips. I can’t remember the name of the smoothie we choose but it was just right, yum! I felt like I needed a smoothie to fight off any potential illness and I think it helped. My dad had chips and a soda (I think he wasn’t as hungry at the time).
Cost:
Different cat cafes work differently. The way it works at this one is you are simply required to make some sort of purchase (each person – in this case a minumum of 50 pesos/~$2.50) and then you can stay there with the cats and eat/drink. I actually forgot to record this one because my dad paid for it (he paid for some other things as well but I did remember to record those) but fortunately I have a couple pics of the menu. Drinks (including coffee, smoothies, etc.) were anywhere from 30-55 pesos. Our smoothie was 55 pesos ($2.80). Our burger was 109 pesos ($5.54). All the other food items were less at the time (just for your reference).
Where to find it:
Here is their website (though I think aspects of it are a little outdated as the menu was a little different). And here is their address: Tabasco 337, Cuauhtémoc, 06700 Ciudad de México, CDMX, Mexico. District: just north of Roma/Condesa/that area.
Other notes:
I would check with them (website, facebook, etc.) about when they’re open because it looks like it can vary a bit across the week but they are open on the later side which was nice. This could be a nice place to socialize if there are other people around. We met a nice Brazilian family that recently moved to Mexico City and learned a little more about living there as a foreigner.
6. Caffe Toscano
What we ate/what they offer:
We each got a sandwich and my dad got a coffee and went and got food somewhere else. Most of Roma and Condesa is on the more expensive side for Mexico City so we walked around a while but then we were hungry and decided let’s just eat here. Kyle’s sandwich looked so good to me if not for the meat. I also wanted my dad’s coffee. They both really enjoyed their food. My sandwich was fine. It was pretty good and if I’d been more in the mood for it perhaps I’d rate it better. It was nice that it came with a little salad.
Cost:
$15.66 (252 Mexican pesos). The actual breakdown was: Kyle’s sandwich – 115 pesos/$6, my sandwich – 85 pesos/$4.45, my dad’s coffee – 52 pesos/$2.72
Where to find it:
Av Michoacán 30A, Condesa, 03020 Ciudad de México, CDMX, Mexico. District: La Condesa/Roma
Notes:
It was a nice place to sit outside and eat or drink in this area.
7. VIPS
What we ate/what they offer:
We all got typical breakfast food – it’s basically a Mexican Denny’s or IHOP. Kyle got an omelet with hash browns (and coffee), I ordered the biscuits with cream cheese and berries (and orange juice), and my dad got pancakes/eggs/bacon (and coffee). You can find the menu on their website (you can use Google Translate or just look at the pics)! I felt my biscuits were a bit on the dry side but it was otherwise fine and everyone else thought their food was good.
Cost:
331 Mexican Pesos ($17.48) for 3 meals and drinks
Where to find it:
We think we went to the one at Calle Insurgentes Norte 131 Cuauhtemoc, Guerrero, Mexico City 06300, Mexico but it’s a chain so there are restaurants throughout the city.
8. Terminal Central del Norte (Bus station) Food Court
What we ate/what they offer:
There were actually a lot of food options at the bus station. That being said, the quality of what we got turned out to be about what you would expect of a bus station food court. I got an empanada. While I kind of wanted apple, I got pineapple just in case I didn’t like it so Kyle could eat it. Well, I didn’t like it. I guess I would probably rate it as the worst food in Mexico City I ate. Kyle was not big on it either but he ate it anyway. It was just cold and had a bad taste. Kyle got a beef empanada himself and my dad got a different meat one. They did not like their empanadas all that much but were actually able to finish. I wondered if they would get food poisoning but nope! So we were good there.
I was still pretty hungry so I decided to get some fries. Before I ordered we talked about how fries are never bad. Well, these fries were… okay. It is possible that the places we didn’t get food from were a bit better, though. At least it wasn’t expensive.
Cost:
$3.34 (65 Mexican pesos) for 3 empanadas and an orange juice. The fries were around $1.15 (23 pesos).
Where to find it:
07760, Eje Central Lázaro Cárdenas 271, Magdalena de las Salinas, 07760 Ciudad de México, CDMX, Mexico. (The northern part of Mexico City).
Other Western Food
We also grabbed food at a couple places you can find in the U.S. and more places around the world but are assuming most of our readers are familiar with them or don’t really care to read about them in a post about food in Mexico City so I’ll just briefly mention them.
(1) We got Panda Express one evening on our way back to our place. It was raining and we just didn’t feel like Mexican food at the time and the place had a bathroom. We all really also just felt like Panda Express. We grabbed the food, went back, and ate in our Airbnb watching the rainfall which was kind of nice.
(2) Another night Kyle and I grabbed Dominos (pizza, cinnamon sticks, and breadsticks I think it was). I will say that we actually tried to find a local place and we went inside and they only took cash and we only had a card and not enough cash. So we headed down to Dominos and grabbed food. First, we ordered two of the above items and then I decided I was extra hungry so we ordered another. The transactions were for $5.54 and $4.80.
Other Food Costs
You do not want to drink the tap water in Mexico City so water bottles were another food-related cost. We also grabbed some skittles at a local convenience store as a snack. While exploring Teotihuacan we also got some banana chips as a snack $1/20 pesos. We were really hungry and they gave us the extra boost of energy we needed to continue exploring.
That’s all! Let us know if you have any questions. If you’re interested in more posts on Mexico City, check out our Mexico page (we’re working on more). We also have other posts on food like Desserts we Tried in Budapest and Restaurants in Yogyakarta.
Food in Mexico City – Everything We Ate – Pin It!
