I’m a big fan of Anthony Bourdain, so if I get a chance to eat somewhere he ate and/or drank I’ll take it.
I’ve ticked off a few of those places in Mexico City: Los Cocuyos, a hole-in-the-wall taco joint in the historic center; Cantina La Mascota, a downtown drinking (and eating) den; El Huequito, famous for its tacos al pastor.
I recently returned to another of Bourdain’s CDMX haunts: Fonda Margarita, a humble but beloved old-school breakfast-only diner in the Del Valle neighborhood that opens — and closes — early.
My niece, who was visiting from Australia; my wife, a Mexico City native; and I arrived fairly early on a weekday morning, but the place was already packed — a good sign for any eating establishment.
While we waited, we scanned the menu, and we had more or less decided what we’d order by the time we took our seats on a communal table between a pair of men in suits and two casually dressed chilangos.
As two elderly gents strummed their guitars and sang from one corner of the fonda, a waiter appeared to take our order.
Soon enough, we had in front of us the following to share: cerdo en salsa verde (pork in green sauce); bistec en salsa pasilla (beef in pasilla chile sauce); chicharrón en salsa verde (pork rinds in green sauce); frijoles con huevo (beans with egg); tortillas, of course; café de olla (coffee sweetened with unrefined cane sugar and spiced with cinammon); and jugo de naranja (orange juice).
The meat dishes — served straight from giant earthenware pots called cazuelas — were all great. Tender meat, a good amount of heat in the salsas — this is homestyle Mexican cooking done extremely well. Make your taco, take a bite and enjoy the bliss.
There are also daily specials — carnero (mutton) en salsa verde and manitas de cerdo en jitomate (pigs’ feet in a tomato-based sauce) on Thursdays, for example.
For the less adventurous, there are egg dishes every day, chicken breasts, beef ribs and the classic and hearty Mexican breakfast that is chilaquiles. Yes, most of this is not light breakfast food.
Still, after savoring everything we initially ordered, we found room for a churro each, edging our satisfaction up an additional notch.
“So how come this place is so popular, what’s special about this place?” Bourdain asks during his visit to Fonda Margarita in 2009.
“I cannot explain that,” responds Martín, one of Bourdain’s two Mexican dining companions and a regular at Fonda Margarita since childhood.
“Probably that it’s normal, ordinary Mexican food that your mother [makes],” Martín concludes.
If you don’t have a Mexican mother, or grandmother, to cook for you (or even if you do), and if you’re in Mexico City, I’d certainly recommend sitting down to breakfast at Fonda Margarita.
Maybe skip dinner the night before.
By Mexico News Daily chief staff writer Peter Davies (peter.davies@mexiconewsdaily.com)
* Fonda Margarita is located at Adolfo Prieto 1364 B, Colonia Tlacoquemécatl Del Valle. See the location on Google Maps here. The closest metro station is Hospital 20 de Noviembre, a 12-minute walk away, according to Google Maps.
Fonda Margarita opens at 6:30 a.m. Tuesday to Sunday and closes at midday. You can check the full menu (in Spanish, with prices) here.
