A good breakfast shapes how you experience the Centro. We start at home, with the Buffet MX at Hotel Punto MX, then move on to the classic cafés and bakeries that have been feeding the city for decades.
In Mexico City's Historic Center, breakfast is serious business. Cafés more than a century old, bakeries that open at the crack of dawn, tamale stands on street corners and restaurants where breakfast can stretch until noon all share the same streets. Choosing where to start your day changes everything that follows: well fed, you can walk the Zócalo, the Cathedral and Bellas Artes at an easy pace.
This guide starts with what we know best, breakfast inside Hotel Punto MX at Uruguay 47, and continues with the classic spots we recommend to our guests. If you're staying with us, you can choose your room and book direct on the official website to have breakfast just steps from your door.
Buffet MX, Inside Hotel Punto MX
The Buffet MX is the hotel's breakfast buffet and the easiest option if you're staying in the Centro: come downstairs, eat, and head out walking. The Zócalo is about 5 minutes away on foot.
What's Served
- A spread of Mexican and international dishes.
- A griddle station.
- Fresh fruit, fresh-squeezed juices, bread and coffee to round it out.
The dining room is stone and brick and sits inside the hotel, so you don't even have to step outside for breakfast.
Hours
- Monday to Friday: 7:00 to 10:00 AM.
- Saturday and Sunday: 7:00 AM to 2:00 PM, with longer hours for a leisurely breakfast.
The extended weekend hours come in handy if you arrived late the night before or would rather linger over breakfast before heading out.
Other Ways to Have Breakfast at the Hotel
- Restaurante MX: the hotel restaurant serves an à la carte breakfast, from hot cakes, fruit and chia pudding to chilaquiles, huevos divorciados, eggs Benedict and avocado toast.
- Café MX: in the lobby, with specialty coffee and pastries, from 7:00 AM to 11:00 PM. Ideal for a quick coffee before you go.
- Breakfast in bed: room service brings breakfast, prepared by the Restaurante MX kitchen, right to your room.
Classic Cafés and Restaurants in the Centro
The Historic Center has places that have been serving breakfast for generations. They aren't secrets, but they're part of the experience. Hours and prices change, so it's best to check before you go.
Café de Tacuba
Open since 1912, it's one of the oldest and best-known restaurants in the Centro. Its interior of tiles, stained glass and high ceilings is worth the visit on its own. It's a traditional spot for Mexican dishes like enchiladas and tamales, served with hot chocolate or coffee.
El Cardenal
A traditional Mexican restaurant best known for its breakfasts. It's famous for its hot chocolate, its pan dulce with fresh cream, and its egg dishes and Mexican stews. There's usually a line on weekends, so get there early.
Sanborns at the Casa de los Azulejos
The Casa de los Azulejos is an 18th-century palace covered in Puebla talavera tiles, and for more than a century it has housed a Sanborns restaurant. Having breakfast in its covered courtyard, surrounded by murals and columns, is a classic Centro experience. The enchiladas suizas are its most famous dish.
Churrería El Moro
Since 1935, El Moro has been synonymous with freshly made churros and hot chocolate. It isn't a full breakfast, but it is a traditional morning stop, or an afternoon snack after a long walk.
Pastelería Ideal
A bakery with decades of history, famous for the enormous cakes on display and its wide variety of pan dulce. Grab a tray and a pair of tongs, pick out conchas, cuernos or orejas, and take them with you for the road.
What to Order at a Mexican Breakfast
If it's your first time in the city, these are the classics:
- Chilaquiles: tortilla chips smothered in green or red salsa, topped with cream, cheese and onion; sometimes with egg or chicken.
- Huevos divorciados: two fried eggs, one with green salsa and the other with red.
- Huevos rancheros: eggs on a tortilla with tomato salsa.
- Enchiladas: tortillas filled and covered in salsa; suizas come with a creamy green salsa and melted cheese.
- Tamales and atole: the most traditional street breakfast. The guajolota, a tamale tucked inside a bolillo roll, is a Mexico City classic.
- Pan dulce: conchas, cuernos and orejas, with café de olla or hot chocolate.
What to Choose Based on Your Plans
Not every breakfast suits every day. Here's what we recommend depending on your plans:
If You Want an Early Start
The Buffet MX opens at 7:00 AM every day. Have breakfast at the hotel and be at the Zócalo or the Cathedral before the tour groups arrive. It's the best time for photos and for visiting the Templo Mayor at your own pace.
If You're Visiting on a Weekend
The Buffet MX runs until 2:00 PM on Saturdays and Sundays, so you can sleep in a little. If you'd rather go out, the Centro's classic cafés are a plan in themselves, but keep the mid-morning lines in mind.
If You're Traveling as a Couple or Want Something Quiet
Order breakfast to your room and take your time before heading out for a walk. It's a lovely way to start a special day; we build it into the plan in our romantic getaway in the Historic Center.
If You Only Have Time for Coffee
A coffee from Café MX in the lobby and a concha from one of the Centro's bakeries are enough to get going. Save the long breakfast for the next day.
Tips for Breakfast in the Centro
- Get up early on weekends: the classic spots fill up by mid-morning. Arriving early means skipping the lines.
- Eat before the museums: many open mid-morning; having breakfast first frees up the rest of your day.
- Match it to your route: if you plan to see the Zócalo, the Cathedral and the Templo Mayor, eat nearby and walk. Our guide to things to do in the Historic Center suggests an order for the day.
- Street tamales: they're sold early and sell out fast. Look for the stands with the most locals.
- Coffee to go: if you're short on time, a coffee in the lobby and something from the bakery are enough to start.
If you're looking for a place to stay with all of this within walking distance, our page on the hotel in Mexico City's Historic Center explains what's around Uruguay 47.
Frequently Asked Questions
Where can I eat breakfast near the Zócalo?
Hotel Punto MX is about a 5-minute walk from the Zócalo, with the Buffet MX, Restaurante MX and Café MX inside the hotel. Nearby, you'll find classic cafés and restaurants like Café de Tacuba, El Cardenal and the Sanborns at the Casa de los Azulejos.
What are the Buffet MX's hours?
Monday to Friday from 7:00 to 10:00 AM, and Saturday and Sunday from 7:00 AM to 2:00 PM.
What does the Buffet MX include?
Mexican and international dishes, a griddle station, fresh fruit, fresh-squeezed juices, bread and coffee, in a stone-and-brick dining room inside the hotel.
Can I have breakfast in my room?
Yes. Room service brings breakfast, prepared by the Restaurante MX kitchen, right to your room.
What is the most typical breakfast in Mexico City?
Chilaquiles and eggs in their many versions are the most popular restaurant orders. On the street, the traditional breakfast is tamales with atole, or the guajolota: a tamale inside a bolillo roll.
