La Casa del Mendrugo: Where to Eat in Puebla (4.7★)

A college turned dining room

You eat inside a former Jesuit college. La Casa del Mendrugo sits at Calle 4 Sur 304 in the Centro, Puebla’s grid of colonial streets. The building’s past is the reason to come here rather than somewhere else. A museum is attached, so a meal can turn into a short look at the building and its collection.

The kitchen cooks two traditions: Puebla’s regional food and Spanish dishes. It’s one of the most-reviewed restaurants in the historic centre and is consistently well rated. Prices are mid-range. It’s dressier than a market stall, but you don’t need to save it for a special occasion.

What lands on the table

Poblano cooking is the main draw, and it’s the half of the menu you can’t easily get at home. Look for the dishes the city is known for:

• Mole poblano, the dark sauce of chiles and chocolate that Puebla claims as its own
• Chiles en nogada, a seasonal dish built around the chile harvest of late summer, so ask whether it’s on
• Chalupas and other small antojitos (snacks) if you only want a light bite

The Spanish side of the menu gives you a fallback if someone in your group doesn’t want mole. Opening at 8am every day makes it a real option for breakfast as well as dinner.

Timing a table around the crowds

This is a busy, well-known place, but the measured foot traffic is reassuring. On weekdays it stays calm the whole time it’s open, 8am to 11pm, so a Tuesday dinner needs little planning.

Weekends are different. Saturday and Sunday are busiest from 11am to 9pm, so try not to arrive for a weekend lunch at noon. The quieter weekend window starts at 8am. Breakfast is the easiest way to get a table without waiting.

Check the day before you go:

• Monday to Saturday: 8:00am to 11:00pm
• Sunday: 8:00am to 6:00pm, so there’s no Sunday dinner

Allow about 90 minutes for a sit-down meal, plus extra time for the museum.

Sitting down the Poblano way

Meals in central Puebla are unhurried. The waiter won’t bring the bill until you ask for la cuenta, por favor. Lunch (comida) is the main meal of the day and runs well into the afternoon. That explains the long weekend peak.

• Tipping: 10 to 15 percent is normal in Mexican sit-down restaurants. Say whether you want it added when you pay by card.
• Booking: if you want a weekend table inside the busy window, reserve ahead or arrive early in the morning.
• Prices: check the current menu at the table. Prices change, and we don’t print them.

The address puts you a few blocks east of the Zócalo and Puebla Cathedral. The Templo de la Compañía, the Jesuits’ church on Calle 4 Sur, is a short walk north. To the south you’ll find the antique stalls of the Callejón de los Sapos. You can walk to all of them, so plan the meal as one stop on a walk around the centre rather than a separate trip.