Restaurants in Mexico City museums / Café de Museo, a lovely terrace at the Kaluz Museum
With a fabulous view, this café offers very creative and colorful cocktail options, as well as breakfasts and snacks.
By Alejandro Pohlenz
Mexico City has the second-highest number of museums in the world (only London has more). It has 190 museums. Impressive, right? I actually didn’t know that, and when I read it a few minutes ago, I felt a little proud (spoken by a chilango born in Colonia Roma). I wasn’t aware of the Kaluz Museum, located across from the Alameda Central in the Historic Center of Mexico City. This museum exhibits the collection of Mexican businessman Antonio del Valle Ruiz and is housed in an 18th-century building that was once the Former Hospice of Tomás de Villanueva. An extraordinary detail: there was once a vecindad there where “Tin-Tan” grew up. Anyway, this museum displays Mexican art from the 18th to the 21st century. I’d highlight the paintings of José María Velasco and Dr. Atl (both notable landscape painters), Diego Rivera and José Clemente Orozco (two of our most important muralists), and María Izquierdo, among others. The Kaluz Museum opened in 2020.
The impressive terrace
On its terrace overlooking the Alameda Central, the Church of San Hipólito, and the Torre Latino, you’ll find the Café de Museo. Although entering the museum costs 60 pesos (if you’re from Mixicalpán; foreigners pay more), visiting the Café de Museo only requires paying 20 pesos and taking the elevator to the second floor.
What is there to eat and drink?
Beyond the view, you can do several things at the Café de Museo. First, have breakfast. Then, grab a snack. For example, how about a salmon bagel or avocado toast? They also serve very original cocktails (in addition to coffee or a hot mix of chocolates). The “Kaluz” cocktail includes tequila, rooibos tea (a South African tea made from the fermented leaves of a shrub), activated charcoal (??), pineapple, and lemon.
The Café de Museo has also hosted events: for example, on Mother’s Day you could buy a package that included tickets to see the Amalia Hernández Folkloric Ballet. There are fascinating workshops as well, like a ceviche workshop or a tamale-making one. Not bad, right?
By the way, there’s also a cheese and charcuterie plate that is… mmm!
- What we love and you must try: Salmon bagel.
- Address: Avenida Hidalgo 85 (in front of Alameda), Historic Center of Mexico City.
- Hours: Closed on Tuesdays. Monday to Sunday, 10:00 a.m.–6:00 p.m.
- Ideal for: breakfast, drinks, and snacks.
- Payment: cash and cards.
- Accessibility: yes.
- Phone: —
- Reservations: no.
- Nearby public transport: Metro Hidalgo or Bellas Artes.
- Pet friendly: yes.
- Good for kids: yes.
- Vegan options: yes.
