Rooster

Rooster is a Cancún café with several branches in the downtown area, and it has long been a regular meeting place for residents who come to work on a laptop, catch up with friends or linger over breakfast. Its main branch for visitors is on Avenida Sunyaxchén, in Plaza Sunyaxchén, and other branches include one on Calle Mero, close to Avenida Nader in the city's oldest neighbourhood, and one near Avenida Kabah.

Breakfast and brunch are what Rooster does best. Morning dishes include waffles, omelettes and avocado toast, and the eggs Benedict with smoked salmon is often recommended. Chilaquiles, with corn tortilla chips in green or red sauce topped with cheese, cream and egg, are a reliable Mexican choice. Later in the day the menu turns to paninis, salads, bagels and burgers, so a second visit for lunch is easy. The café publishes separate food and drinks menus in Spanish and English on its website.

The bakery sets it apart from many coffee shops. Breads and sweet pastries are baked on the premises, so it is worth picking up something for later. Coffee covers the familiar espresso drinks, lattes and frappés, and the salted caramel cappuccino has been a long-standing favourite.

The atmosphere is relaxed and casual. Arrival Guides calls the Sunyaxchén branch a cute little coffee shop, while the Mero branch is cosier and the more modern branches have more space.

Rooster suits remote workers, couples and families looking for a dependable breakfast, and travellers staying downtown who want to start the day with something more substantial than a pastry. The Sunyaxchén branch opens daily from 7:00 to 22:00, so it also works for a late afternoon coffee. The menus downloadable from Rooster's website are split into morning and afternoon sections, which makes it easy to see what is served when.

Mercado 28 is also in the downtown district, so Rooster pairs easily with a morning at the market. Café con Gracia, which roasts its own Chiapas beans, and Café Nader, with its half-hourly batches of sweet bread, are good alternatives nearby if you want to try more than one of the city's cafés.