11 Best Restaurants in Coyoacán, Mexico City

Named for the Silk Road, this inviting café with an enchanting outdoor patio overlooking tranquil Parque Santa Catarina does indeed draw its culinary inspiration from both East and West, serving delectable kimchi omelets, Cuban sandwiches, soba noodle and toasted sesame salads, and anise–avocado leaf cakes. Most of the fair-trade ingredients, from the coffee beans and teas to the whole grains and flours used in the artisan breads and pastries, are sourced organically. If you have trouble scoring a seat, you can always try the small satellite location a couple of blocks away on Calle Ayuntamiento and Avenida Miguel Ángel de Quevedo. There's also a small food cart next door that sells organic snacks (from chocolate brownies to paletas), reusable bags, honeys and jams, and soaps, and next to that is a branch of the artisan ice-cream parlor Carmela.

Detour just a short block off Francisco Sosa to find this inviting, light-filled café that offers up gorgeous breakfast and lunch fare as well as exquisite cakes and pastries based on recipes from the owner's British grandmother, including scones with jam and nata (clotted cream), trifle, and cardamom cakes. Other menu options include lentil salad; eggs Benedict; smoked salmon, ricotta, and egg croissants; and roast beef, gouda, Dijon mustard, and caramelized onion sandwiches on rustic bread. Note that in a different part of the neighborhood, at Avenida México 36, there's a second Olvidado with counter service, a more limited menu, and a cute but tiny sitting area.

Stroll just a block south of Jardín Centenario's inevitable crowds to find this little gem with simple red-and-white-checked tablecloths and a front window lined with tantalizing displays of fresh-made cakes and pies. Indeed, sweets—as well as finely curated teas and well-crafted espresso drinks—are the specialty here, but you'll also find excellent breakfast, lunch, and dinner options, ranging from vegetable frittatas and mollettes with beans and ham in the morning to spinach-and-artichoke casserole and salmon burgers later in the day.

This simple take-out window on a quiet side street serves the best hand-crafted ice cream and sorbet in the neighborhood, always featuring just a handful of flavors that change regularly but might include coffee-cardamom, plum–goat cheese, guava-cinnamon, or matcha tea. Picnic also sells a few kinds of delicious cookies and brownies, too.

A cute, unpretentious local favorite, Alverre has the sort of extensive international menu that's perfect when you and your friends aren't exactly sure what you're hungry for. Excellent bets here include the bountiful jamón serrano salad with arugula and goat cheese, the oven-baked lasagna with Bolognese sauce, and enchiladas suizas with chicken, but you'll also find crepes, omelets, quiches, empanadas, pizzas, and sandwiches.

A block from Plaza Hidalgo, this old-time café whose name translates to "native of Veracruz" has a nearly fanatical following. It has stood at this prime street corner in 1953—many evenings the line for coffee, hot chocolate, mochas, and doughnuts extends down the block well past midnight. There are a few other—generally less crowded—branches around the neighborhood, but the original is still the most popular.

This dapper all-day café with white-brick walls, colorful peltre dishware, and fresh flowers on every table is in a semi-residential section of Coyoacán, well-removed from the crowds and an easy stroll from Museo Frida Kahlo. The owner uses organic coffees and, as much as possible, locally sourced ingredients in the European-influenced Mexican fare, which includes superb chilaquiles (order them with both the green and red sauces), panfried potatoes with paprika and chipotle aioli, and ham-gruyere croissant sandwiches. If you're having trouble finding a seat, there's a smaller location (it's actually the original) around the corner.

The flavorful Lebanese cuisine—including baked eggs, raw kibbeh, falafel, grilled kofta, dolmas, and cucumber salad—at this charming restaurant with amiable servers is perfect for filling up before or after a stroll or run in nearby Viveros park. If you're not sure what to order, the best approach is the extensive sampler platter, or dine here on the weekend, when there's a huge buffet offering. Many items are available to go, including jocoque, baba ghanoush, dolmas, and all of the sweets.

A friendly family with Italian and Mexican roots operates this tiny artisan bakery that's tucked inside a shop near Jardín Centenario and open only Thursday through Saturday, from mid-morning until they sell out (usually by 2 pm or so). You'll find crisp-but-chewy sundried-tomato-Parmesan and cranberry-walnut-fennel baguettes, flaky scones, soft and chewy amaretto and orange pastries, and lusciously gooey chocolate-banana cakes.

The hip Mercado Roma has replicated its success on a slightly smaller scale with this attractive, three-story food hall a couple of blocks from both Avendia Francisco Sosa and the swanky Oasis Coyoacán shopping mall and cinema. You'll find a good variety of options, including mini-outposts of some popular restaurants around town (including El Auténtico Pato Manila and Butcher & Sons, which occupies the entire top floor), serving everything from pizza and burgers to kebabs and Thai curry bowls.