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.