Not many restaurants can boast being older than 100 years.
But the Café Tacuba restaurant (or Café de Tacuba) in Mexico’s capital has been around since 1912.
When planning your Mexico City itinerary, be sure to include it for a snack or meal stop!
Cafe Tacuba restaurant
One of the most traditional restaurants in the foodie city, it’s a charming eatery in a colonial-era building.
There are many great things to do in Mexico, and eating here is one of them!
Certainly, Café Tacuba is a restaurant worth seeking out when in Mexico City.
We stumbled upon it by chance when exploring the city’s historic Zocalo district.
Only later did we discover it’s a bit of an institution – so emblematic there’s even a Mexican band calling itself “Café Tacuba.”
The restaurant and café has also been written up in guide books such as Lonely Planet and Frommer’s and is highly rated on TripAdvisor.
Very traditional, very Mexican
Café Tacuba transports you back to old Mexico with its colorful tiled walls, faded oil paintings, stained glass entryway and brass lamps.
The restaurant is popular with locals, especially large family groups who particularly enjoy its breakfasts.
There are multiple elegant rooms – we sat right in the central room to take in the ambience.
Female wait staff (dressed formally in old-fashioned, starched white caps and aprons) bustled about carrying big trays of tamales, Mexican eggs, steaks and cheese-stuffed chilis.
We were there just for a quick pick-me-up and so only ordered hot chocolate (which was thick, creamy, spicy and delicious!) and a toasted, Mexican chicken-and-cheese sandwich.
They hit the spot, and we left Café Tacuba recharged and ready to tackle more of Mexico City’s historical sights.
One of the best restaurants in Mexico City
Go for the experience. You’ll love it!
Prices are reasonable.
It’s popular and all the sounds echo inside, so don’t expect a quiet meal.
Café Tacuba is open Monday to Saturday from 8:00 am to 11:00 pm.
See the Café de Tacuba website.
Cafe de Tacuba location
See this link to Google Maps to find Cafe Tacuba in Mexico City.
Experience more of Mexico!
Colonial Mexico | From Taxco to Queretaro, these are the 11 most beautiful colonial cities in Mexico.
Zihuatanejo | Want a great beach vacay? See the best beaches in Zihuatanejo and Ixtapa.
Tulum | Overlooking the turquoise Caribbean Sea, the Mayan ruins of Tulum are probably the most beautiful Mayan ruins in Mexico.
Cabo San Lucas | Check out our ultimate Los Cabos travel guide. It’s packed with info on where to play, stay and eat.
San Miguel de Allende | From riding a vintage trolley through fairytale streets to visiting a unique mask museum, there are many wonderful things to do in San Miguel de Allende.
Our top travel tips and resources
Hotels: Booking.com is great for scoring a “wow” hotel – or at least a decent one. (We especially like their flexible cancellation policy!)
Vacation homes, condos and rentals: We prefer and use Vrbo (Vacation Rentals by Owner).
Tours: For the best local food, walking and other guided tours, plus skip-the-line tickets to attractions, check out Viator (a TripAdvisor company) and GetYourGuide.
Car rental: Renting a car is often one of the best ways to explore off the beaten path. Discover Cars searches car rental companies so you get the best rates.
Travel insurance: SafetyWing is designed for frequent travelers, long-term adventurers and digital nomads. It covers medical expenses, lost checked luggage, trip interruption and more. We also have and recommend Medjet for global air medical transportation and travel security.
Travel gear: See our travel shop to find the best luggage, accessories and other travel gear. (We suggest these comfy travel sandals for city walking, the beach and kicking about.)
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Photo credits: 2 © Janice and George Mucalov, SandInMySuitcase | 1, 3, 4, 5 Café Tacuba restaurant
About the authors
Luxury travel journalists and SATW, NATJA and TMAC “Best Travel Blog” award winners, Janice and George Mucalov are the publishers of Sand In My Suitcase. Between them, they’ve traveled to all 7 continents. See About.
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Kathryn Burrington
Saturday 26th of March 2016
What a fabulous find! I've never particularly been drawn to Mexico city but now you have me very intrigued and that hot chocolate sounds delicious.
Janice and George
Saturday 26th of March 2016
You have to forget what you think you know of Mexico City - because it's likely to surprise you (in a nice way). We know. We were very pleasantly surprised :-).
Frank
Wednesday 16th of March 2016
Nice to know! I'll be visiting my mom in Mexico - actually going to San Cristobal de Las Casas but we'll meet up in Mexico City. It'll be her 70th birthday so looking for something nice to take her to.
Frank (bbqboy)
Carole Terwilliger Meyers
Monday 14th of March 2016
Been here, done this! and loved it. I remember margaritas and tortilla soup and waitresses with lovely bows in their hair.
Janice and George
Monday 14th of March 2016
So fun that you know it! Now, the margaritas we didn't get into - good excuse to return :-).
Suzanne Stavert
Sunday 13th of March 2016
Loved the tiles too! Old world charm was everywhere. I love authentic experiences. (and the food!)
Janice and George
Sunday 13th of March 2016
So you know the place! After stopping in the first time, we went in again another day for lemonade and coffee. Quite a special place...
Suze
Thursday 10th of March 2016
I love those colourful tiles, this is definitely a place I'd visit if in the area
Janice and George
Monday 14th of March 2016
Completely worth it! A fun spot to sit and watch everything and everyone around you...