The Mija Chronicles

Mexican food and culture, on both sides of the border

La Nicolasa: Organic, gourmet Mexican groceries in Mexico City

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I’ve been meaning to write about La Nicolasa for a long time. It’s a small store in Azcapotzalco that offers organic, natural food products, all of them 100 percent Mexican.

There’s no other store I know of here where everything is both all-natural and domestic. Among the products for sale at La Nicolasa are:

Brie and Camembert cheese, olive oil, turkey burgers, whole frozen organic chickens, tejocote jam (my absolute favorite in the universe), organic ate, ground chiles, homemade potato chips, dried xoconostle, bottled spices to make vegetable caldo, and Mexican wine. You can also buy lead-free clay bean pots at La Nicolasa, similar to the one I purchased last year.

The prices aren’t cheap for Mexico standards, but they’re less than what you’d pay for similar high-quality items in the United States or elsewhere.

Really, what I love about this store is that I know exactly where the products are coming from. In Mexico, food transparency laws are still in their beginning stages and as a consumer, I have no way of knowing whether the packaged ate I purchase in the mercado was really made using fruit from China. (By the way: I heard recently that China supplies a lions’ share of dried chiles in Mexico. So you really never know.)

At La Nicolasa, I know I’m supporting Mexican farmers and food-makers, many of whom live in small rural communities. It makes it worth the trip. Plus Azcapotzalco — a quiet colonia north of Polanco — is quaint and cool anyway. I’d love to live there someday, if Crayton didn’t have to commute to Reforma.

Here are a few pictures of the place. If you’re looking for all-natural, artisanal Mexican food products, this place must be on your list.

Roasted, dried chiles, already ground up and ready to add to soups and sauces. They're made by a community of women in Guanajuato.

Olive oil from Baja California

Organic guava jam. The Savia brand is one of my favorites.

Piloncillo, the traditional Mexican sugar, made in polvo (dust) instead of the usual cone shape.


Xoconostle salsa, banana vinegar, agave syrup and more.

La Nicolasa
Clavería 235, at the corner of Avenida Cuitlahuac
tel. 5342 0099
Open Monday through Saturday, 8 a.m. to 9 p.m.

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Oh,boy. Now I’m really green with envy! On my to do list for my blog is a post on organic foods available in our area, but I wouldn’t have much of a list at all if it were only Mexican-produced. If this store ever wants to branch out, send them to Puerto Vallarta. We have thousands of gringo residents with deep pockets who are looking for these items.

    Kathleen

    • Hi Kathleen: I’ll let them know. I forgot to mention that they’re talking about expanding into Condesa. So other cities might not be far off!

    • Totally! I’m amazed that it’s actually made that way — it’s not a cone that’s been ground into polvo, it’s polvo at the beginning. Cesar, the co-owner of the shop, says he loves it sprinkled on top of a creme brulee. Doesn’t that sound amazing?

  6. This sounds like a fantastic store! I have it on my list and can’t wait to go there. Thank you for telling us about it. Now what else are you holding back from us?

  9. It’s only a few blocks from El Bajio. I’m not sure if it’s gentrifying or not. The area that I saw was quaint and cute and middle-class. I’m sure there are other areas that might be less so.

  10. Lesley, is La Nicolasa near the Azcapotzalco stop? I am trying to figure out where it is located. I will be in DF Sept 2-6 and might have time to check it out. Thanks!

    Joan

    • Hi Joan: The way I always go is on the pesero from Chapultepec Park. Tell them you’re going to Avenida Cuitlahuac and Clavería. Not sure how to get there from the metro, but Google maps is a great resource.