Vips Plaza Oriente

The chain. Vips is Mexico's most widespread coffee-shop restaurant chain: a broad Mexican and international menu, breakfast all day, free coffee refills and mid-range prices, with cards accepted everywhere. It solves early breakfast, a predictable meal and a clean bathroom with wi-fi.

This branch. In the Plaza Oriente shopping centre, on Canal de Tezontle in Iztapalapa — the dense, residential east of the city, well outside the tourist circuit and served by its own commercial infrastructure.

What is worth knowing about this side of the city. Iztapalapa has more original pueblos and barrios than any other borough, each with its own parish and festive calendar. Two things draw people from across the country: the Holy Week passion play, staged since 1843, and the Cablebus, the urban cable car whose lines cross the borough and give the best views in Mexico City for the price of a transport ticket.

Practical notes. Av. Canal de Tezontle #1520. Metro line 8 and the Cablebus serve the area; there is mall parking. Traffic on the eastern axes is heavy at both peaks.