Coffee, bakeries and breakfast in Mexico City

What this section covers. Coffee, breakfast, bakeries and the afternoon — the unhurried end of eating in Mexico City.

Coffee. Mexico is a serious producer, and the specialty scene here works with national beans from Chiapas, Veracruz and Oaxaca. The Roma, Condesa and Juárez are full of small roasters; Punta del Cielo is the widespread Mexican chain; and the historic cafes of the centre — Café de Tacuba, Café La Habana, El Jarocho — are institutions rather than coffee shops.

Pan dulce. The Mexican bakery is its own world: conchas, orejas, cuernos, bisquets, panqué de elote. The convention is self-service — take a tray and tongs at the door, choose, and pay at the till. Bakeries bake twice a day, and late afternoon is when the second batch comes out.

Breakfast. The real Mexican breakfast is savoury: chilaquiles, huevos rancheros, huevos divorciados, enfrijoladas. Weekend brunch in the Condesa and Roma is a local institution and the tables fill before 10:00.

And the sweet things that are not pastry. Churros with chocolate, late at night; mazapán; cajeta; and pan de muerto, which appears in October and vanishes in November.

Practical notes. Cafes open from 08:00. Many bakeries are cash only. Weekend mornings mean queues in the central neighbourhoods.