Get FREE email communications from Fodor's Travel, covering must-see travel destinations, expert trip planning advice, and travel inspiration to fuel your passion.
We've compiled the best of the best in Alameda Central - browse our top choices for the top things to see or do during your stay.
Exceptional modern French-Mexican cuisine, charming service, and—most of all—spectacular floor-to-ceiling views of Monumento de Revolución and the Reforma skyline create a memorable experience at this stylish restaurant perched dramatically atop an art deco office building in Tabacalera. Food highlights include esquites with braised oxtail, duck confit with fragrant and fruity mole sauce, and grilled octopus. There's a terrific cocktail list, too.
In a city with as much depth and history as Mexico City, Café La Habana still manages to stand out. Opened in 1952, it has hosted famous writers (Gabriel García Márquez, Roberto Bolaño, and Octavio Paz, to name a few) and revolutionaries (Che Guevara and Fidel Castro planned the Cuban revolution over coffee here), and yet with all its fame, this unhurried and simple diner is a laid-back place to take a break from the world. The food, while decent, is not the star here. Come for the coffee and the history.
Close to the border of the Juárez neighborhood sits this locals' favorite German restaurant, which has been in business since 1947. Serving authentic German food and a very extensive list of German beers, it has been paid a visit by many famous players in Mexican history, as proudly displayed on the walls near the bar. Antiquated German beer signs add to the quaint charm of this small but popular restaurant.
A corner coffee spot clad in dark wood with an impossibly narrow upstairs balcony, El Chavelete is a pleasant spot to stop for a pick-me-up in the vicinity of San Juan. You can also grab your coffee to-go from the window that opens to the sidewalk.
General consensus says that this miniscule taco stand on the border between the Plaza San Juan and Chinatown serves the best al pastor in Centro, and has been doing so since 1959. There are now three branches around the neighborhood, and several more scattered around town, but the original remains the best by far.
At the top of the Sears building, you'll find an only okay coffee shop with one of the city's most famous and beautiful views of Bellas Artes. You will need to buy something to enter, so grab a drink or a pastry and enjoy the view below.
This alluring mesón (tavern) exudes Old Spain with stained-glass windows and a roaring fireplace. On weekdays, classic dishes such as paella, spring lamb, suckling pig, and Cornish hens with truffles keep customers happy, but on Saturday night this place comes into its own with a four-course medieval banquet (starting at 8:30 pm), including a procession of costumed waiters carrying huge trays of steaming hot viands. Further entertainment is provided by a student vocal group dressed in medieval Spanish capes and hats, a juggler, and a magician. For dessert, a real winner is the turrón (Spanish nougat) ice cream.
You'll know this tiny storefront by the cluster of people waiting patiently on the sidewalk for a full loaf or single serving of panque de nata, pound cake made in a style traditional to the nearby state of Queretaro. Pillowy, buttery, and sweet, a piece makes for a perfect snack while winding your way through the nearby Ciudadela and San Juan markets.
You'll recognize this bustling corner stall near the Mercado San Juan by the tangling garlands of chorizo hanging over its flat top. And while the taqueros here serve perfectly good tacos of many varieties, the reason you're here is the fragrant, herbal chorizo verde, or green chorizo, from the nearby city of Toluca, stained emerald with herbs and green chiles.
Founded 65 years ago and moved to its current location three decades back, Taco de Oro specializes in cochinita pibíl, the beloved dish of slow-roasted pork from the Yucatán. This small restaurant doesn’t have much seating inside, so be prepared to eat on a bench on the sidewalk or stand outside.
A pretty café on the border of Centro and Juárez, with a focus on farm-to-table cuisine, Tirasavia is a sweet, sunny spot for a coffee, breakfast, or a cold beer or glass of wine in the afternoon. Set in the street-level corner of a spare, glass-and-concrete modernist building occupied by architecture firms, photo studios, and a design company, this place is the happy cousin to its moodier, bolder neighbors and as pleasant a place as any for a quick refuel.
