Where to brunch in Mexico City: morning rooms worth the queue.
Where to brunch in Mexico City. the morning rooms worth the queue, and the kitchens still doing it right at noon.
Lalo in Mexico City is chef Eduardo Garcia's Roma Norte breakfast counter on Zacatecas, the all-day room with communal tables that anchors the Maximo Bistrot crew's morning agenda.
Order: Huevos con chorizo or chilaquiles verdes with a Mexican wine by the glass.
Maque in Mexico City is the Condesa morning room on Ozuluama on the Parque Mexico spine, the brunch counter that pairs handmade pan dulce with chilaquiles and huevos divorciados.
Order: Chilaquiles verdes with chicken; a concha de vainilla; cafe de olla.
El Cardenal Centro in Mexico City is the Briz family's 1969 traditional Mexican breakfast institution on Palma, the Sunday-morning room that built its name on hot chocolate frothed tableside with raw-milk nata.
Order: Hot chocolate frothed tableside with pan de nata.
Lardo in Mexico City is Elena Reygadas' Condesa all-day room with a strong wood-fired-flatbread brunch and Mediterranean morning plates that run from 08:00 weekends.
Order: Wood-fired flatbread with eggs; Roma garden tomato salad.
Fonda Margarita in Mexico City is the 1948 Del Valle morning fonda on Adolfo Prieto, the open-air patio breakfast counter that has served cabbies and politicians the same plates for over seven decades.
Order: Huevos con chorizo with frijoles puercos; a side of cafe de olla.
Panaderia Rosetta in Mexico City is Elena Reygadas' Roma Norte bakery with the larger Puebla branch that supports counter brunch, the morning stop for laminated guava rolls and conchas.
Order: Rol de guayaba; concha de vainilla; cafe de olla.
San Angel Inn in Mexico City is the 1692 hacienda turned restaurant in San Angel, a courtyard-and-garden colonial room where Saturday brunch sits under the bougainvillea with a Margarita Sabra.
Order: Chiles en nogada (July to September); a Margarita Sabra.
Havre 77 in Mexico City is the Juarez French bistro from Eduardo Garcia, the Maximo Bistrot sister room that runs a Sunday plateau de fruits de mer and a long natural-wine list.
Order: Plateau de fruits de mer; steak frites with a Loire natural wine.
Cafebreria El Pendulo Condesa in Mexico City is the multi-floor bookstore cafe on Nuevo Leon since 1993, the wood-floor balcony reading room with weekend live music and Mexican brunch.
Order: Mexican chocolate with espresso shot; French toast with cajeta.
Peak food season in Mexico City is year-round.
Local dining hours: lunch around 12:30, dinner from 19:30.
service is typically included; small extra is welcome but not expected.
Ask the next local you meet what they would order. Mexico City rewards trust.