Iconic restaurants in Mexico City / El Café de Tacuba: chocolate and a very Mexican menu

By: Youyi Mayora Eng

Photos courtesy of: Café de Tacuba website

We still can't understand how we overlooked discussing the timeless Café de Tacuba. Its walls, steeped in a beautiful aroma of history and chocolate, merge with our desire to savor their famous conchas. Its paintings and portraits, embracing pre-Hispanic culture, mestizaje, and memory, invite us to immerse ourselves in its extensive menu. So, before we lose our focus, let's delve into the past a bit.

Café de Tacuba History

Don Dionisio Mollinedo, its founder, succumbed to the temptation to create a dignified meeting space for people. The true spirit of Mexico City's Historic Center had to be a café filled with memories, portraits, and delicious food born from the encounter between two worlds that is today's mestizaje. Thus, in 1912, the famous restaurant opened its doors in a city enduring the toughest years of the Revolution.

A murder, a novel, a movie, a forgotten wedding.

A place that has witnessed over a century of history and endured the most tumultuous years of the revolutionary war could not go unnoticed, including a high-profile assassination that occurred on June 25, 1936, when the elected governor of Veracruz, Manlio Fabio Altamirano Flores, was murdered here while dining with his wife.

We don't know if the writer Oscar Lewis was aware of such a high-profile assassination, but it's highly likely he was. What we do know is that during his frequent visits, he met a restaurant staff member who inspired him to write his novel "The Children of Sanchez," which later became a famous film starring Anthony Quinn. Diego Rivera also remarried at Café de Tacuba to Guadalupe Marín, with whom he conceived his daughters Guadalupe and Ruth. We may never know, but with such a lavish wedding banquet, Frida Kahlo might have felt a tinge of envy years later.

The Present

Café de Tacuba withstands the test of time, serving as a cloud of memories and an oasis of flavors and aromas that pay homage to its glorious past. Simultaneously, it continues to write new chapters of encounters and anecdotes that will forever be cherished by locals and tourists privileged enough to dine there. For breakfast, we recommend the Puebla-style garnachas, and if you want to reach culinary heights, try the chicharrón in green sauce with beans. For lunch and dinner, don't miss out on the chicken "playero" tacos. Remember, some dishes can be made vegan for a small additional cost.

• Address: Tacuba 28, Cuauhtémoc, 06010 Mexico City, Mexico
• Opening Hours: Daily from 8 a.m. to 11 p.m.
• Ideal For: food, breakfast, dinner, coffee, and admiring the surroundings.
• Type of Cuisine: Mexican.
• Payment: cash and cards accepted.
• Accessibility: yes.
• Parking: not available.
• Reservations: not necessary but recommended on weekends.
• Nearby Public Transport: Allende metro station, Zócalo México-Tenochtitlan
• Pet-Friendly: no
• Suitable for Children: yes
• Vegan Options: yes
• Price of Beer: 76 pesos.