Trying Out a Breakfast Place

About a twenty minute walk from my apartment, in the neighborhood of Colonia del Valle, is the "Mercado Lázaro Cárdenas", relatively small but pleasant market building where I sometimes buy produce.

(The distinctive skyscraper in the background is the former headquarters of the now defunct Mexicana Airlines.)

I have read reviews that inside the market building there is a small restaurant called Café Passmar which serves, according to some, the best coffee in the city.  I am not a coffee drinker, but my cousin and her friend, who are coming for a visit next month, do appreciate good coffee.  So I figured that I would try the place out and see if it would be a good place to take them for breakfast one morning.  

Wednesday morning I went over to the market.  The café opens at 8:00, and I got there around 8:20. 

  

At that point there weren't many customers there.  I sat down, and, after several minutes, the fellow who seemed to be in charge, told one of the waitresses to bring me a menu.  He later took my order... cherry-flavored hot chocolate, orange juice, and enchiladas with "mole".  He told me that it would be a twenty minute wait for the enchiladas because the cook was not there yet.  It was about forty minutes before I was served my breakfast.

The enchiladas were good, but not worth a forty minute wait.  Although I cannot judge the place's much acclaimed coffee, I decided that I would not take my visitors here for breakfast.  The twenty minute walk to get there, and the long wait for food were the main factors.  Also, even by the time I was done eating, many of the market stalls were still not open, so it would not be a very interesting market visit for them.  And finally, if they need to use the restroom (as I did), the market building's bathrooms would be a bit too much culture shock for the visiting "gringas"..