Guisados for breakfast in the Centro Histórico.
Breakfast in Mexico City is one of my favorite meals. Usually it’s a fruit plate or a glass of freshly squeezed juice, followed by a heavy, spicy, substantial dish that will keep you satiated until the 3 p.m. lunch hour. Pancakes in DF can be a dinnertime snack.
The most typical Mexican breakfasts offer a lovely array of textures: the half-crunch, half-sog of a perfectly executed plate of chilaquiles; the spongy curl of a piece of chicharrón drowned in salsa verde, the toothsome bite of a grilled cactus paddle paired with a slab of queso panela. Everything comes with a stack of hot corn tortillas, either wrapped in a cotton towel or a straw basket. Breakfasts at restaurants and fondas can sometimes stretch into two hours, but no one ever hurries you.
Here in New York I’ve been eating muffins or oatmeal in the mornings, which has been fine, because you know, es lo que hay. But I’m totally missing the presence of chilaquiles, cecina, huevos divorciados, and those thick, dreamy bean sauces they used to serve in the cafeteria at my old gym.
Here are some of my favorite Mexican breakfast photos from my archives. Hope you’ll enjoy them as much as I do.
Please feel free to share your favorite Mexican breakfast (and why) in the comments!
Eggs, salsa and a rice tamal, at Cafe Raíz in Mexico City
Verdolagas con espinazo en salsa verde, from Fonda La Margarita in Mexico City.
Enchiladas and tasajo, eaten in Santa Catarina Minas, Oaxaca. (This is on my top breakfasts of all time list.)
Chilaquiles with chile pasilla salsa, from Buenas Migas in Mexico City.
A noir-ish plate of chilaquiles rojos, from Café Zena in San Miguel Chapultepec, Mexico City.
Huevos divorciados, anyone?
Grilled queso panela and nopal, from Fonda La Garufa in Condesa, Mexico City.
The chilaquiles I made at home in New York.
Whoa! You just increased my desire to go to Mexico by thiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiis much! The only Mexican breakfast I’ve really ever had is huevos rancheros, which I love. But I can’t imagine how much I would like all this other stuff =D
Awesome! You do need to go — the food there will blow your mind. I only showed you breakfast… can you imagine lunch? 🙂
Loved this article! I am very much a breakfast person and there is nothing more satisfying than un buen desayuno mexicano! Me, I love scrambled eggs, papas, frijoles de olla, salsa and tortillas de maiz hechas a mano — that will keep me going almost all day 🙂
Mmmm. You’re right. All you really need are beans, tortillas and salsa — the papas and scrambled eggs are sort of the icing on the cake. My great-grandmother made the most excellent frijoles y papas. Wish I knew how she made them. Thank you for sharing!
When my Pennsylvania born husband talks about breakfasts he ate growing up I’m utterly shocked that cold/hot cereal with a side of toast was his typical breakfast. I told him my traditional breakfast was always fresh flour tortillas (made by my mom), beans, fried potatoes, and either green or red chili (green chili with chicken/red chili with pork) and a fried egg. My father would have thrown a bowl of cold cereal against the wall. LOL!
AZ: I think it’s that way in the South, too. My husband’s grandfather, whom I adore, told my mother-in-law once that he had not eaten breakfast — when he had, in fact, eaten cereal. But that didn’t count. Only eggs and other things with substance!
Molletes deliciosos!
Oooh. Love molletes. And that is something I can make in New York. Thanks for the reminder Sofía!
I’m a big fan of chilaquiles, but also love machaca, huevo con chorizo and the super simple torta de huevo con frijoles. The mix of fried egg with mashed up beans and cheese (always!) was my breakfast probably once a week growing up and what my mom would pack in burrito form for roadtrips. It’s not a pretty food, but I love it.
The torta de huevo sounds fantastic… actually makes me want to go make a pot of beans right now, just so I can have some leftover. This is sounding like my perfect Saturday morning food. Thanks for sharing, Cindy!
Chorizo mixed with potatoes (add an egg, optional), re-fried beans and my mom’s homemade flour tortillas. Can be eaten any time, but I love it for breakfast.
Scrumptious! I would say migas, but we usually end up eating them as a late dinner or snack. One of mi abuelo’s simple favorites was scrambled eggs and refried beans with flour tortillas and salsa — I still love that combination.
Me, too. But substituting flour with corn. 🙂
What is there not to love about mexican breakfasts!! It is by far my favorite meal. Let’s not forget that all those delicious eggs, salsas, beans, and tortillas are also joined by delicious pan dulce, hot chocolate and fresh fruit. Really, the possibilities are endless. I now live in Canada (been here for 10 years) and still can’t get used to the boring menus offered around here.
Now you made me really crave a good concha….
Yep, the Mexican breakfast has it all. And don’t get me started on conchas — I haven’t found any good ones yet here in Queens, NYC, but I’m sure they exist. (I hope.)
Speaking of Saturday morning food, how about menudo (con grano, of course)? My boyfriend and I can’t see eye to eye over whether menudo is supposed to have grano or not. What do you say: ¿con grano o sin grano?
What’s the English word for verdolagas?
One of my favorites is a simple huarache with green salsa, particularly from one of the vendors at the Saturday tianguis on Eje 10. I also like migas with a fried egg or also pan de yema from one of the markets in Oaxaca. In Quintana Roo, I really liked huevos con chaya and some fried plantains with beans!
Your tasajo/enchiladas breakfast looks amazing!
Oooh, huevos con chaya. My second favorite. And then pan de yema is up there too, but only if dunked in a warm cup of chocolate atole.
Chorizo con huevo and some refried beans!!! Or menudo on a Sunday morning. I think the grano issue is depending on the region you are from. Northern states I believe make it with, where as the central part make it without.
Lesley, I just returned to Los Angeles from my first ever visit to D.F., and I loved it!! And the breakfasts in our little hotel were great – a buffet with chilaquiles and other delivious things, plus a wonderful assortment of fruit. I loved the Mexican cottage cheese, too – large curds and a saltier flavor than American. It was always so great to start the day of sightseeing with a full satisfied stomach. I’ve just discovered your blog and am enjoying it. If you’d like to see some of my impressions of Mexico City, I’ve written some posts on my blog.
Glad you enjoyed your visit to DF! And yes, you’re never ever hungry there — the street stands make sure of that. Appreciate you sharing.
Me está entrando una hambre terrible…! I love everything thats been mentioned so far, but you can’t beat a glass of freshly squeezed orange juice, a plate of huevos a la mexicana (that should wake you up), a basket of fresh warm tortillas and, above all, a plate of fresh fruit (pineapple, cantaloupe, watermelon and, although its not so traditional at breakfast, some pan dulce.
Barry: Totally, and utterly, DITTO. The fresh-squeezed juice is the killer.
Just stumbled accross your blog- very nice indeed!
I”m an expat who’s been living in tulum, Ajijic and finally back in Baja in Todos Santos. I just love the food here more than words can express.
The whole farm to table thing has been going in Mexico for thousands of years, fresh is always best.
Yikes I’m so hungry reading your blog.
Can you explore for us Mole’s more this is truly a complicated but wonderful trip.
Para el desayuno…fresh carrot juice with beets(Vampiro), or a licuado de guayaba. My family is from el rancho, simple eggs and fried beans with lots of chile and tortillas.
Eating is a matter of what you are used to…a concha and coffee would be fantastic, but these dishes are fine for lunch or dinner, but not first thing in the morning— it would be complete gastritis for me. I can just feel my stomach crying.
Nani: Usually I get my stomach “ready” by having something lighter beforehand. But I’m going to steal your “stomach crying” phrase. Love it. 🙂