Guide to Cantinas in CDMX / La Castellana: Azcárraga and Pedro Infante
On Ayuntamiento Street number 64, La Castellana cantina preserves the tradition of snacks with food. With over a hundred years of history, its sandwiches embody the memory of flavors that surpass the passage of time.
Photos courtesy of: La Castellana's Social Media
What is the most famous cantina in Mexico?
It's 1918 in Mexico City's Historic Center, on a street formerly known as Calle de Las Artes, and La Castellana is about to open its doors. Interestingly, to this day, the now Ayuntamiento Street still displays the old sign of Calle de Las Artes, a name it held from 1869 to 1928. In that post-revolutionary context, the once pulquería would open its doors, facing over a hundred years of drinks, sandwiches, and anecdotes. Many stories are remembered within its walls. It's said that Pedro Infante first brought Azcárraga Vidaurreta to the cantina, and from then on, the founder of XEW, now Televisa, would occasionally send for sandwiches. More curious tales suggest there were tunnels underneath connecting to the Zócalo and that outlaws would emerge from the cantina on horseback. With such anecdotes, it's not just the most famous, but one of the most emblematic in the city.
What's inside a cantina?
Upon entering, the screens on the walls contrast with the simple, traditional waitresses. At the back, the wooden bar, which in the past was outside, marks the drink preparation area. In other times, that bar meant no entry for women and uniformed personnel. Today, freedom prevails. Below the bar rests a metal tube, where decades ago there would have been space for patrons to urinate and spit. Fortunately, that traditional cantina custom disappeared half a century ago.
The snacks have arrived. Their aromas hint at homemade seasoning, from daily cuisine, from family cooking, from everyday Mexico. Their noodle soup envelops us in childhood memories, of coming home from school. The beer threads our memories together, something their tub failed to do; we leave it abandoned, near the napkin holder. The atmosphere of nostalgia and tradition invites us to savor the moment. La Castellana Cantina has begun to work its magic. The percussions start to fill the foundations of the place, threatening to be dampened by the storm outside. Let's hope it doesn't flood; the guitar tunes the illusion and suddenly, we're all singing memories from the eighties.
- Address: Ayuntamiento 64, Col. Centro
- Opening hours: Monday to Sunday, 11:00 AM to 1:00 PM, Sunday 11:00 AM to 10:00 PM
- Ideal for: lunch, dinner
- Type of cuisine: Mexican
- Payment: cash and cards
- Accessibility: yes
- Parking: no
- Reservations: not necessary
- Phone: 5614247002
- Nearby public transport: Metrobus Ayuntamiento, Metro San Juan de Letrán
- Pet friendly: no
- Suitable for children: no
- Vegan options: no
