One of the things I love about the Centro Historico is the way the combination of the architecture, the fonts on the signs, and the styles in the storefronts allows you to time travel through decades, even centuries of Mexican history. Simply walking down Cinco de Mayo, from the majestic Palacio de Bellas Artes, past the 16th century decadence of the Casa de los Azulejos and the stylish lines of art deco buildings, all the way down to the Catedral Metropolitana, gives any visitor a sense of the way different eras seem to overlap and bleed into each other in this part of town.

My favorite place to stop for nourishment along Cinco de Mayo is La Pagoda. Formerly called “Cafe Popular,” La Pagoda has all the charm and attitude of a well-run roadside diner. The front part of the restaurant has row of booths for two or four, opposite a long counter. The counter is often full of single gentlemen stopping in for some comida corrida or a piece of pan dulce and some coffee, depending on the time of day. The back room is sunnier and has more booths and tables. The decor is an interesting blend of 1950′s and 1970′s hues and furniture, with small televisions propped in the corners of the ceiling, displaying an ever-rotating slide show of featured menu items.

The service is snappy and provided by sassy waitresses (of all ages) dressed in matching pink uniforms, complete with hair piece. Perhaps the reason the service is so good is that patrons are handed an evaluation card with the check. I’ve never had a reason to fill it out negatively, and usually have something positive to say about the service.

In my experiences, waitresses have never so much as raised an eyebrow upon seeing a large group of machas or an affectionate lesbian couple tucked in a booth. Additionally, I have seen transgender women dining here, without incident.

The menu offers a wide variety of styles of food, from sandwiches served on bagels, to soups (including ass decent sopa azteca), to egg dishes, to salads, to more standard Mexican fare. My favorite item on the menu is the chilaquiles verdes, with chicken, with an egg, or plain; all are delicious and filling. The portions are large and served with a generous amount of cheese. La Pagoda also offers well priced comida corrida during the day (around forty pesos). Nothing on the menu is over 100 pesos, and most items are under 50.

Aside from its savory fare, La Pagoda is well known for its pan dulce and delicious cafe con leche. For those that have never ordered cafe con leche in Mexico, the ritual of the experience is part of what makes it delicious. Dark, hot Espresso is poured first into a glass (you say how much), then topped off a minute later with hot, slightly sweet milk. The glass vessel allows you to witness the color of the beverage get lighter and lighter as the milk reaches the top of the glass. I will admit to not being a very sophisticated coffee drinker, but I love ordering this, and have done so at both 9:30 in the morning and 11:30 at night.

La Pagoda is open twenty-four hours a day, and is a wonderful place to stop for a reasonably priced and delicious meal or snack both during the day between sights in the Centro Historico and late at night in an attempt to prevent a hangover the next morning.

La Pagoda, address: Cinco de Mayo 52, Centro Historico, corner of Filomena

It is impossible to separate the history of this chain and what it represents to chilangos, since Sanborns can be found in each corner of the city. There are eighty branches throughout Mexico City and sixty more across the country. The advantage offered by these kind of stores, is that you can have the same recipes and the same quality; it doesn’t matter where you are in the Mexico. Since 1985, Sanborns has been owned by Grupo Carso, managed by Mexican billionaire Carlos Slim.

The importance of La Casa de los Azulejos is not only the legend of its creation, but the fact that it was the first place in which the Zapatista Army had chocolate and some pan dulce when they took over the city in 1914.

Because of this branch’s historical link to the Mexican Revolution, Sanborns has tried to link its aesthetics to those of the revolution: the waitresses at all locations of this restaurant have to wear an uncomfortable cardboard collar meant to emulate the clothes worn by mythic revolutionary folk hero Adelita.

Foto: ArtMageda

Sanborns sells imported magazines both in English and Spanish that you can flip through for free. You can also find overpriced cigarettes, toys, pharmacy products, fancy-pansy chocolates, cd’s and a useful ATM. It’s best feature is that you can always use the bathroom for free. Sanborns’ ubiquity in the city makes it a convenient spot to look for in a middle of an emergency.

The most recommendable Sanborns for machas visiting the DF, is the one located on the corner of Londres and Amberes in the Zona Rosa. The most interesting time to visit this place is weekends, before the sun rises, when the little café transforms into a diverse people-watching show, in which a wide array of partying characters can be seen. Young fags, punks, darketos (goths), dykes, femmes… all looking for a coffee and some carbohydrates to replace those burned during the night.

The uniformed waitresses attend to this diverse population with indifference—the kind needed to work the graveyard shift. Flirtatious glances are exchanged between tables, the vestiges of the night’s glamour not yet worn off. If you are lucky, maybe someone will ask for your phone number before breakfast…

I find that the architecture, signage, and fashion of the Centro Historico act almost like an erratic time machine, leaping decades and even centuries from block to block, or even storefront to storefront. El Moro is firmly lodged in the mid-twentieth century, with cafeteria style tables, beautiful tiled walls and columns, and smartly-uniformed waitresses.

The menu inside El Moro is simple enough: churros and four different types of chocolate (hot chocolate). Although I encourage enough visits to determine your own favorite, I enjoy the chocolate frances because it is slightly less sweet than the other choices. If by chance the mild temperatures in Mexico City should creep up to the point where hot chocolate is not applealing, El Moro also offers milkshakes served in classic, soda fountain glasses, as well as your usual bottled refrescos.

Do not expect anything complicated–there are no stuffed churros here. The churros are as they should be, crispy on the outside, soft on the inside. Most importantly, they are fried up moments before they are brought to your table, so each batch comes out slightly different from the last. You are welcome to watch the process as the churros are being made in a large vat of oil just to your right as you walk in.

For those without a sweet tooth, during the day there are street vendors set up in front selling tacos and tortas, which, perhaps because of their partnership with El Moro, are better than your standard street fare. You are welcome to bring your tray inside as long as you or someone in your group is also purchasing something in house.

El Moro is open 24 hours, making it an excellent place to attempt to prevent a hangover. There is nothing explicitly macha about El Moro–although I’ve always felt comfortable with lesbian P.D.A. there–it’s just a place not to miss on any trip to Mexico City. A paquete of churros and chocolate will run you just under 50 pesos.