Mercado de San Juan

The Mercado de San Juan on Calle Ernesto Pugibet is a market where many of the city's restaurateurs buy their produce, and it is a rewarding place for food lovers to explore in the centre. It began as a temporary home for vendors displaced when the city reorganised its markets in 1933, on a site that had been a warehouse for the Buen Tono tobacco factory. The church of Nuestra Señora de Guadalupe del Buen Tono, a few metres away, is what remains of the factory complex, and the market's name recalls San Juan Moyotlan, the old indigenous district of this part of the city.

The market's reputation rests on quality and variety. The city's tourism office describes it as the place for upscale and gourmet foods, including imported European products, hard-to-find tinned and preserved goods, and a strong range of cured meats and cheeses. Its butchers and fishmongers have been trading for decades and are well respected, and the fruit and vegetable stalls are known for their carefully arranged displays. Produce comes from across Mexico as well as from Europe, Asia and the rest of the Americas, and many of the city's restaurateurs buy here.

For visitors, the pleasure is in wandering and tasting. Vendors often offer samples of fruit, cheese and charcuterie, and the colourful stalls make good photographs. Lunch here is informal: counters serve baguettes and sandwiches, some pour wine, and a sweet suggested by the tourism office is mascarpone on toast with rose-petal jam. It suits food lovers and anyone staying somewhere with a kitchen.

Weekends are the busiest time, with crowds of visitors from out of town and abroad, so a weekday is calmer. Allow an hour or so to walk the aisles and eat. Make sure you head to the right building: the separate Mercado de San Juan Arcos de Belén nearby is a very different, everyday market.

The market is next to the Plaza de San Juan in the Centro district, so it can easily be combined with a morning at Bellas Artes or a walk down to the Torre Latinoamericana. The Basílica de San José y Nuestra Señora del Sagrado Corazón is also around the corner.