Eating at the Pagoda

You may recall that a while ago, I ate at "Café El Popular", a very traditional, old restaurant in the heart of Mexico City.  Open 24 hours a day, it might be compared to the old-style diners in the U.S.  When I was downtown last week, I visited a similar restaurant just down the street called "Café La Pagoda".

"Café La Pagoda" dates back to the mid-twentieth century.  It's not open 24 hours a day... only from 7 A.M. until 4 A.M. the next morning.  There is a long lunch counter and booths at the other side.  Similar to "Café El Popular", "La Pagoda" is usually quite crowded.  When I arrived, the only seat available was at the counter. (As you can see, the place was still decorated for Christmas.)

I ordered from the "Menu of the Day", in which you have several choices for each of three courses plus a beverage of either "agua de sabor" (fruit-flavored water) or coffee.

The first two courses on a "Menu of the Day" are generally soup and a rice or pasta dish.  I had potato soup. (Yes, I know it doesn't look like our version of creamy potato soup, but there were indeed a lot of potatoes hiding in that broth.)  I also had red rice, to which I added a bit of the very spicy salsa served on the side.  To drink, I had an "agua" of lemon with chía.

My main course was a mild poblano pepper stuffed with cheese and served in a cream sauce.

The meal was OK, nothing spectacular.  However, the whole meal cost 123 pesos (about 7 U.S. dollars), so I certainly can't complain.  Perhaps I should have ordered off the regular menu for a better indication of how good their food is.  

After eating I went to the restroom, and I could not resist taking a photo of this sign posted there.

I have never seen a sign like this before in any restroom anywhere in Mexico.  It says, "It is prohibited to brush your teeth or use mouthwash in this sink."