"If Bush wins again, I'm moving to Canada or Mexico." Think back to 2004. This phrase was a common refrain. I heard it often and across a large swath of the country. I said I'd always be impressed if I saw someone live up to their word and make the move. Now spring forward to 2009. Mexico. Tlalpan. An adorable, cozy, dimly lit cafe, bar that feels like it was lifted from Brooklyn and plopped right down here. Then, hours into the first night there, we met the owner and his girlfriend / wife, and lo... she's from Jersey, moving to Mexico after saying "if Bush wins again, I'm moving." And she did. And she's helping run this bar which was such a warm welcome on our 20 day trek through a new city.
Tucked away on the backside of a courtyard square off the center of Tlalpan is a small door with a small bar, smattering of tables and couches, and then upstairs an even cozier collection of seats. The bar serves Cossack ale, which we learned is made a lot like the traditional way of chica: you dig a hole in dirt then let the ale / booze ferment in it, then barrel it. Yes, pretty gnarly, but the barnyard funk takes you back in a good way.
I checked their updates over the past couple of years and it looks just the same, they're still serving this Cossack ale, which the owner said wasn't too many other places, if at all, and I've never found it online or anywhere else in DF.
We stayed at the Fiesta Inn which is just on the other side of the Perefico Sur, so you can cross the bridge, and walk straight into the town square for this bar. If you're traveling for anything at Estadio Azteca, and staying at any nearby hotel, this is a wonderful little jaunt into a hole in the wall that will give you a warm welcome to your visit. And if you're a local reading this, consider yourself lucky because it doesn't take another Bush to win or lose for me to consider moving to this neighborhood. read more
