El Péndulo, which has seven locations in Mexico City, is a cafebrería with a chic design inside and out, a cozy atmosphere, and an extensive array of menu options. The Polanco location in particular was selected by a British newspaper as one of the top ten most beautiful bookstores in the world.
El Péndulo in Polanco
Polanco is a high-class residential neighborhood that’s home to embassies and numerous foreign nationals. The streets are densely packed with cafés and restaurants, and the area is full of parks and art galleries as well. The fact that the Polanco El Péndulo is full of people from all over the world definitely gives it a distinctive character. And the shop is simply beautiful—not just on the outside, but on the inside as well.
Beautiful color palate and curved handrails in El Péndulo
You can spend all day there relaxing over a meal or tea, buying books and miscellaneous goods of course, or even enjoying one of the events they host. There’s a pendulum (which is how El Péndulo got its name) that kids—including my daughter—love to play with.
The péndulo (pendulum)
Another cafebrería worth mentioning is Un lugar de la Mancha in the New Polanco district. This one’s in a complex that includes condos and commercial areas, and it’s walking distance from the El Péndulo shop I just described. It’s popular between 10 a.m. and noon, which are the desayuno (breakfast) hours in Mexico, but you can enjoy a full range of menu options at any time of day. I get the feeling that most people go there for the café rather than for the books.
The company also has another cafebrería named Otro lugar de la Mancha. This one has a bigger shop area, and a lovely classic feel.
Otro lugar de la Mancha
Finally, there’s Porrua, located in an oasis of Mexico City, Bosque De Chapultepec park. There are a lot of Porrua bookstores in Mexico, but the Chapultepec location has an incredibly airy feel, with trees growing inside the shop. Actually, it’s more accurate to say that they built the shop around the trees that were already there. A delightful terrace faces the lake, making it the perfect place to sit and relax. They have children’s books as well as a play area with a slide and toys, making it a lively place on the weekends when all the kids come to play.
There is a Starbucks across from this Porrua location, and though it isn’t technically a cafebrería, I thought I’d go ahead and mention it because it’s such a unique shop. Built half outdoors with huge trees in the center, it’s completely integrated with its natural surroundings. The Porrua shop itself is famous, but this Starbucks is also counted among the 17 most beautiful Starbucks in the world.
All of these shops are in Mexico City, making a cafebrería a perfect addition to your tour of Mexican cuisine and museums.
