The way that Mexican’s start their day – is that a cure for Mezcal or the love for good food? Does any other culture boast as grandioso breakfasts, as do the Mexicans? Of course early risers have quick street food options too. However as far as my palate is concerned, nothing beat the traditional breakfasts in Mexico City.
Mexican Street Food Breakfast
Classic, simple breakfasts in Mexico City include doughy tamale with atole, fluffy conchas or refreshing licuados off the street.
Tamales are rich corn dough, filled sweet or savory (e.g. with pork, chicken and tangy salsa or hearty mole) steamed in a banana or corn leaf. Traditionally, they are eaten with a cup of atole. The thick rice drink is sweet and sometimes flavoured with strawberry, vanilla or chocolate.
Concha, that is what Mexican’s grab as their second breakfast, the next morning snack. It’s fluffy white bread coated in sugar.
Licuados can be mixed as you like – either to a milkshake or a superfood smoothie. Colourful carts on the street offer an array of fresh fruits, nuts, seeds, juice, milk, yogurt and granola. You choose, they blend. About 30$ for half a liter. Pesos that is.
Hearty Breakfasts
I tried all above, but my favorite breakfasts were the hearty Mexican breakfasts. This country eats more eggs than any other and their breakfasts reflect it. Scrambled or fried – with tomatoes, totopos (chips), salsas, moles, shredded animals, white cheese, sour cream . . . plus a side of frijoles – black, pinto, whole or pureed.
Comforting Chilaquiles
The quintessential version of eggs with corn dough and salsa is Chilaquiles. Some call this a hangover breakfast – hungover after an altitude run I guess? Fried thick tortilla chips, are sogged in a tangy green, or rich red, salsa, add a fried egg or shredded chicken, and it’s topped with crumbly white cheese and sour cream.
We tried so many. The hotels disappointed, too bland. The random no-name family cafés hit the spot with amazing tanginess and balanced spice. Unexpectedly, I also found one of my favorite Chilaquiles on my search for Mexico City’s best third wave coffee shops. Café Passmar, the market stand in Mercado Lázaro Cárdenas, the foundation to high-quality coffee in Mexico, nailed it. So unphotogenic, but sour and hot, tangy, soft center, crunchy outside. No picture, taste for yourself.
For the epitome of this hangover breakfast, head back to street food – a stand so famous, it even has a name: La Esquina del Chilaquil.
The little cart in Condesa masters Torta con Chilaquiles. After waiting in line for half an hour the ladies will ask you “verdes o rojos?”. Watch them add “Beilage” (Chilaquiles) in “Beilage” (a torta, white bread roll), as our German friend calls it. Counterbalanced by a smear of black frijoles, a piece of breaded milanesa (that’s a Schnitzel), white grated cheese and sour cream. What doesn’t kill you makes you stronger. This thing is über-healthy. At least for your mind. It’s like visiting a museum.
Where? Alfonso Reyes 139 (in south Condesa) // Read more on Culinary Backstreets
Two Famous Fondas
Other than no-name cafés, the savory morning meals are best found in Fondas, family-owned restaurants. A few reads of the Ambrosia Mag led me to these traditional breakfast institutions in Mexico City: El Cardenal and Fonda Margarita. Two more incomparable adventures.
El Cardenal
We got the complete meal. A large old building with fancy dining rooms, a large wooden stairwell, white table cloths and folded napkins. The meal didn’t astound us, but the experience did.
Complete Meal means first: “coffee or hot chocolate, which juice and which bread”. No “if”. In front of us, they swirled the jug of hot chocolate with a traditional wooden stick (molinillo) till frothy perfection, then poured it into my cup. For bread we chose a classic concha, but added a bowl of Nata, real cream, that complimented this fluffy pastry suprisingly well. Last came our mains – savory egg creations that we hadn’t seen on any other menu yet. However pancakes seemed to be just at least as popular with the locals. Our senior Mexican neighbours blissfully drowned theirs with the whole jug of maple syrup.
El Cardenal: four locations, (we went to San Angel)
Fonda Margarita
This fonda astounded my mind as well, but it especially astounded my palate. They are open from 5:30AM till sold out, and it’s only half hour bike ride south of Condesa. I new what I wanted: refritos con huevo, as Ambrosia Mag recommends. That is an artistically formed pointy oval mush of refried black beans and scrambled eggs. Fluffy, soft, creamy, so flavourful – I have no idea what the family did to make this thing so unique and tasty.
My Mexican neighbours showed me ways to eat it: Roll a tortilla into a cigar and vary bite by bite. Or ask for crunchy, thin tostadas and smear the stuff on top. Definitely don’t miss out on (aka don’t come after 10am) the warm green pork salsa. It compliments the refritos with a spicy tang, warmth and freshness. Lastly, follow suit and end the meal with a 2cm thick churro?
Fonda Margarita: Adolfo Prieto 1364 B, Tlacoquemecatl del Valle
Mexican breakfasts are so comforting.
Churros. Like an inverted donut, with much better ratios. Crisp coating and a moist fluffy center. Just like Mexican’s comforting breakfasts.
This was the most painful blog to read on an empty stomach… I am desperately in need of a second breakfast, and very much fear that I will be unsatisfied.