El Cardenal Palma

El Cardenal has been serving traditional Mexican food since 1969, and its branch on Calle de la Palma in the historic centre is the one The Infatuation singles out as the classic. The restaurant's welcome message, dated September 1969, is signed by Oliva Garizurieta de Briz, and today there are six branches across the city. Breakfast is the meal that made its name.

The breakfast menu sets out to recreate a traditional Mexican table. Start with the Chocolate Doña Oliva, a hot chocolate named after the founder, and a basket of freshly baked bread. The conchas, sweet bread rolls, are baked in-house and served with natas, a thick cream made from raw milk that The Infatuation says comes from the restaurant's own dairy farm. Then choose eggs: The Infatuation recommends an egg plate with escamoles, or chilaquiles or enchiladas. Later in the day, the comidas menu moves on to traditional guisos from different regions of the country. The restaurant also makes its own cream, cheese, tortillas, bread and chocolate, and presents these artisanal products as a core part of what it does, so the basics on the table are made in-house rather than bought in.

The Palma dining room is a classic Mexico City restaurant with a large mural on the wall, and The Infatuation lists it among the city's classic restaurants and as a good place to take out-of-town visitors. Service is attentive and efficient, and it needs to be: the restaurant is usually busy, and The Infatuation reports a typical wait of 20 to 30 minutes for a table at breakfast. Arrive early, especially at weekends, or go mid-week.

It is a good choice for a leisurely first breakfast in the city and for anyone who wants to try traditional Mexican dishes in a long-established setting. Allow an hour to an hour and a half, plus any wait.

If the wait at Palma is too long, the Alameda branch at Avenida Juárez 70 and the Tacuba branch at Marconi 2 are also in the historic centre, and there are further branches in Lomas, San Ángel and Nápoles. Since Palma, Alameda and Tacuba are all in the historic centre, breakfast here makes an easy start to a day of sightseeing around the Zócalo and Bellas Artes.