Guide to Cantinas in Mexico City / La Colonial, Nearly 100 dishes to choose from for free with your drink.
Facing Alameda de Tacubaya, on the corner of Avenida Revolución and Mártires de la Conquista, stands a yellow building dolled up to disguise its age.
By: Jajo Crespo / Photos: FoodPolice and La Colonial
Just to give you an idea, La Colonial started welcoming patrons while World War II was still ongoing. La Colonial, sister to the now-defunct El Fuerte de la Colonia cantina, was founded in 1944 and has been serving diners ever since. In 2013, La Colonial underwent a facelift to shed a couple of years off its appearance. The renovation lasted a year and the change is noticeable, although once inside, we know the cantina remained true to what made it famous: its extensive selection of snacks.
La Colonial boasts nearly 100 dishes to choose from, divided into four courses, and they pride themselves on having all available daily with the purchase of drinks. The fourth course incurs an additional cost of 85 pesos. There will always be grumblers; La Colonial inherited complaints from its sister El Fuerte de la Colonia, as this extra charge has been in place since its operation, and even today, some feel La Colonial dealt them a betrayal.
Perhaps times are no longer for giving away food. The extra cost surely serves a strategic purpose to keep this relic standing: the dishes that make you drool like boiled nopales are found in the fourth course. Nonetheless, you might find the first three plates sufficient. From the third course section, the beer-braised pork ribs deserve applause from the entire table.
We view the fourth course at La Colonial as an extra pleasure, a treat, and from this perspective, we could say it's even inexpensive considering they offer shrimp, arrachera (skirt steak), rib-eye, salmon, and chamorro (pork shank)...
- Food Police Advise: You can reserve the upstairs area for private celebrations.
- Contact info: 55 5515 4132
- Hours of Operation: Daily from 11 a.m. to 11 p.m.
- Ideal for: Hanging out with friends for drinks, gossip, and dominoes.
- Type of cuisine: Mexican, from seafood and meat to snacks.
- Payment: Cash and cards accepted.
- Accessibility: Yes.
- Parking: None.
- Reservations: Can be made by phone, but not necessary.
- Nearby Public Transport: Metro Tacubaya and Metrobús Tacubaya.
- Pet friendly: No.
- Suitable for children: No, but yes, the upstairs area is very quiet.
- Vegan options: None.
- Price of beer: 75 pesos.
