Plaza Cafe at "La Conchita"

Coyoacán is one of those neighborhoods in Mexico City that is nice (and safe) to get lost in. Wandering off of the two main plazas, any number of the small streets you walk down might open up into another, smaller plaza with a colorful church or interesting building to sit in the shade of and admire for a while.

But if you are someone who seeks a specific destination in your escape from the (often oppressive) bustle of Plaza Hidalgo and the Jardín Centenario, I recommend heading south down Calle Higuera for several blocks until you reach La Conchita, a small park centered around La Capilla de la Conchita, a tiny eighteenth century baroque chapel with moorish-inspired details.

balloon seller in La Conchita

The park itself is peaceful and has many benches, good for public necking, but there are some historical sights that make La Conchita worth strolling through. In addition to the Capilla de la Conchita, this plaza is home to the Casa Colorada, historic home of La Malinche (a.k.a. Malintzin to the Aztecs, and Doña Marina to the Spaniards), the mistress/native informant/baby mama of Cortés, symbolic mother of the mestizo, and fascinating historical and cultural figure. Hers is the red house on the corner of Higuera and Vallarta, but it is no longer open to the public.

If you stroll down to La Conchita to escape the bustle of Plaza Hidalgo and the Jardín Centenario (which, at this date, are undergoing major construction, threatening the livelihood of many vendors who usually set up shop there) and are looking for a place to grab a coffee, the Plaza Café, on the northern edge of the park, is not a bad choice.

In addition to hot and cold coffee drinks (between 14 and 30 pesos), you can also buy coffee grounds and beans here. Although I have never done so, the quality of the drinks I’ve ordered in house suggests that this might not be a bad place to come for a bag of freshly ground. Items which caught my eye on the menu (but which I have yet to sample) were the strudel and bisquets served with homemade fruit preserves. There are also many flavors of ice-cream and sorbet. For more savory options, under the section of the menu labeled “Para Matar el Hambre” (“Kill Your Hunger”) there are also empanadas and sandwiches served on bagels from 28 to 43 pesos.

The atmosphere of this cafe is open and relaxed; the music is not obnoxiously loud. It seems to draw a younger crowd (who linger near the front, perhaps just to hang out with the wait staff) as well as people in their thirties and forties enjoying a quiet place to have a coffee. I met an awesome transgender dyke there once, suggesting a pretty queer-friendly vibe among the staff, although not an explicitly lesbian or transgender establishment. The Plaza Café is a perfect place to seek refuge if you are caught in a summer rain while meandering in La Conchita.

Plaza Café; at the corner of Vallarta and Higuera on the northern edge of La Conchita