Searching for the best concha roll at Snob Bistro

I was itching to get out of the house last weekend, so on Sunday morning I told Crayton: “We’re going to breakfast.”

Didn’t feel like taking a cab anywhere, and I wasn’t in the mood for Sanborns or Bisquets Obregón. So we settled on Snob Bistro, an upscale-ish breakfast and lunch place in the Zona Rosa, about a 10-minute walk from our house. The online menu sounded appetizing enough — it had the typical Mexican chilaquiles and huevos, plus a yummy-sounding eggs with goat cheese in a pasilla chile sauce.

Plus, it was just kind of funny to visit a place called Snob. The website proclaims, “Are you a snob? Us too!” (The Zona Rosa, incidentally, has quite a few of these oddly named shops. I’ve also noticed a lingerie boutique called “Mom.”)

At around 11 a.m., Snob was empty, except for one table of about six people. (Bad sign?) We ordered coffee, and I asked for a concha roll, which was presented in a small basket with a croissant and a cinnamon roll. Wasn’t expecting much, since it was 11 a.m. and past the normal concha-baking hour. But the roll was surprisingly good. The breakdown:

Crumb: Above average — moist, but not so saturated with butter that it leaves an oil slick in your mouth.

Sugary crust: Decent. Stayed on the roll nicely (no loose-sock effect), and tasted faintly of orange blossom water. It seemed like it was missing something, though. Maybe a touch of cinnamon. Or maybe I just prefer chocolate.

Overall: Three stars out of four. I’d buy conchas here if I was organizing a brunch party, and needed to pick up something quick from the neighborhood. Still haven’t tried the rolls from Sanborn’s, though, which is technically closer to my house.

On Snob’s food: It was fine. I got the eggs with goat cheese, and they were tasty enough. Crayton got the huevos divorciados and liked them, too. I’m not sure I’d go back though — the service was quite slow, even for Mexico standards, and the juice didn’t taste fresh-squeezed. (I sound like a yuppie, but seriously: if you cannot get fresh-squeezed juice at a place that calls itself “Snob Bistro,” then what kind of world are we living in?)

The food also needed to be a bit more fabulous for the prices. The corn tortillas that came with my meal had the bitter taste of too much slaked lime. The goat-cheese eggs cost 70 pesos (~$5.50 USD), which is on the high side for one breakfast plate in Mexico. On the way there, we walked past a restaurant advertising an entire paquete — juice or fruit, roll, plato fuerte and coffee — for 54 pesos. Think we may try that place next time.

Snob Bistro
Londres 223 between Praga and Varsovia
tel. 5207 8963
Other branches located in Polanco, Interlomas and elsewhere