The Best Brunch and Breakfast Spots in Oaxaca’s Xochimilco Neighborhood
By Amber Dunlap
Breakfast is giving Xochimilco new life. This ancient aqueduct-lined barrio north of Oaxaca’s bustling city center is an oasis of quiet cobblestoned streets that happen to be brimming with breakfast and brunch possibilities. Take your pick from mom-and-pop cafe restaurants to trendier spots with magazine cover-ready plates and elevated takes on classic Oaxacan and international breakfast fare. Xochimilco has breakfast covered, minus any of the queues and reservations-only requirements of Centro.
Here are our picks for the Xochimilco restaurants and cafes dishing up the best breakfast and brunch this side of Centro.
A.M. Siempre Cafe
Like being invited into a local’s home, A.M. Siempre Cafe exudes the warmth and cozy interiors you crave from a family-run restaurant cafe. Dine in their homey downstairs dining room or ascend the spiral staircase to their rooftop terrace for panoramic views of the Xochimilco neighborhood and Sierra Norte mountains beyond. Their extensive breakfast menu is filled with dishes like poached eggs swimming in a sauce of chapulines or huitaloche y hoja santa, avocado toast made with homemade whole wheat bread, mouthwatering eggs benedict, goat cheese-filled omelets and bagels served six different ways. This is the type of spot that makes you want to stay awhile, so bring a book, your laptop, or just keep the conversation going long after the plates are cleared. Su casa es tu casa at this Xochimilco breakfast spot.
Oaxaca Eats Suggestion: Do not pass up their rolls (danish) of fig, crème brûlée, red fruits or almond. These are some of the best pastries in town!
Address: José López Alavez 1355, Barrio Xochimilco – View on Map
Phone: +52 9515156160
Hours:
Monday to Friday 8am – 9:30pm
Sunday 8:30am – 6:30pm
Ancestral Cocina Tradicional
Ancestral Cocina Tradicional is a tasteful and tasty spot to grab an almuerzo (the Mexican term for a heartier mid-morning breakfast or brunch). Their menu is a tempting line-up of local fare only, including the harder-to-find tetelas, triangle-shaped tortilla pockets made from corn masa and stuffed with black beans, quesillo, and meat or veggies. The setting at this charming Xochimilco brunch spot is both picturesque and atmospheric with its rustic adobe brick walls, lush and flower-filled patio dining room, and occasional swirl or whiff of smoke from the kitchen’s always hot comal. This is a great place to order a few different plates for the table so you can sample your way through a variety of chef-prepared Oaxacan breakfast classics.
Oaxaca Eats Suggestion: Don’t miss their hot chocolate made traditionally with water.
Address: José López Alavez 1347, Barrio Xochimilco – View on Map
Phone: +52 9516887072
Hours:
Tuesday to Saturday 9am – 12pm & 2pm – 10pm
Sunday 9am – 6pm
Antique Cafe
Looking for a Oaxacan breakfast experience that feels quiet and off-the-beaten-track? Then Antique Cafe is the breakfast destination for you. Situated behind Ancestral and down a narrow cobblestoned passageway off Xochimilco’s main drag, Antique Cafe has the air of a hidden gem and a menu that matches its make-yourself-at-home vibe. Grab a table in the cozy entry nook or meander down the hallway to a dreamy patio at the back. All of their breakfast paquetes include a small plate of fruit plus an americano and range in size from a slice of toast or a pancake to a plate of entomatadas or enfrijoladas with cheese, onion, and crema.
Address: José López Alavez 1345, Barrio Xochimilco – View on Map
Phone: +52 9511327369
Hours:
Monday to Saturday 9:30am – 6pm
(Closed Sundays)
Chepiche Cafe
Tucked in a quiet back alley of Xochimilco is this breakfast oasis. Chepiche Cafe is on everyone’s lips these days, a cross-town rival to El Centro’s popular Boulenc. Mexican breakfast staples like chilaquiles del frijol, huevos rancheros, and grilled nopal share the menu alongside American favorites like french toast, eggs benedict, and buttermilk pancakes, as the couple behind it all happens to be one half Oaxacan and one half American. The vision for their space was to create a relaxing and comfortable garden patio-like atmosphere for you to come and enjoy a delicious breakfast in Xochimilco with family and friends. Try their Los Azules for a blue cornmeal spin on the classic hotcake or their red and green salsa-smothered huevos divorciados served on a fried tortilla alongside fresh avocado, refried black beans, chorizo, and queso fresco.
Address: Genaro Vasquez 6A, Barrio Xochimilco – View on Map
Phone: 9515186273 or via WhatsApp +52 9515696121
Hours:
Monday to Saturday 8:30am – 2pm
Sunday 8:30am – 1:30pm
Rupestre Pan y Cafe
Rupestre Pan y Cafe harbors one of the most inviting patios in all of Xochimilco. Find a seat under their massive and shade-giving ciruela tree and order their hotcakes of the day or go for something more traditional like salsa de huevos with a side of tostadas for dipping or chilaquiles. Everything coming out of Rupestre’s kitchen emerges with flair, so much so that you’ll likely feel the urge to snap a picture of your plate before you take your first bite. Though their menu has all of the items you’d expect on a breakfast menu in Oaxaca, they add their own unique twist to every dish, be it their molletes and tostadas served on red wine wholewheat bread or their grilled banana and berry-crowned french toast on a bed of beetroot sauce.
Oaxaca Eats Suggestion: Their vanilla conchitas are to die for.
Address: José López Alavez 140, Barrio Xochimilco – View on Map
Phone: +52 9511433029
Hours:
Monday 8:30am – 8:30pm
Wednesday to Sunday 8:30am – 8:30pm
(Closed Tuesdays)