Cafeography
Terrazas · Mexico City

Outdoor seating cafés in Mexico City

Sidewalk terrazas, parking-space decks and the months to sit outside.

Photo: Miguel Rodríguez, Pexels License

In Mexico City a terraza (terrace) is usually a row of tables on the sidewalk or in a former parking space rather than a garden, and many date from the pandemic. Guidelines issued under the Ciudad al Aire Libre (open-air city) program in 2020 let businesses in all 16 alcaldías set tables outside, provided 2 meters of sidewalk stayed clear for pedestrians, and use the parking spaces along their frontage.1

The tables stayed. A 2025 study counted 1,192 terraces built on streets and parking spaces across the city during the health emergency, 698 of them in Roma Norte, Roma Sur, Condesa and Hipódromo, and found the wooden structures turning into anchored metal ones wired for lights and sound.2 Juárez & Cuauhtémoc has the most outdoor cafés, just ahead of Del Valle, Narvarte & Portales.

Local tip: From June to September, take the terrace in the morning: July averages rain on about 22 days, and storms are usually forecast for the afternoon and evening.45

Where these cafés are: Juárez & Cuauhtémoc (17), Del Valle, Narvarte & Portales (14), Coyoacán (6), Polanco (5), San Rafael & Santa María la Ribera (5), Centro Histórico (2), Nápoles & Mixcoac (2), Condesa (2), Jardín Balbuena & the east (1), Roma Norte & Roma Sur (1), Ciudad Universitaria & Pedregal (1), San Ángel (1).

At a glance

57Cafés listed
39With opening hours
06:30Earliest opening
00:00Latest closing
  • Opens earliest: Café KRG, from 06:30 (Mon–Fri 06:30–16:30).
  • Closes latest: Cicatriz, until 00:00 (Daily 09:00–00:00).
  • Most common features: wi-fi (30%), open late (19%), takeaway (7%).

Nothing matches those filters here. See all cafés in Mexico City.

The rules for a sidewalk table

The regulation for commercial premises published on September 25, 2024 sets the current limits. Enseres, the umbrellas, tables, chairs and stools that go outside, are allowed only on sidewalks at least 3 meters wide, with a clear 2-meter path for pedestrians, and must be removable and taken in every day.3

Outdoor seating may not exceed 75% of the capacity allowed inside, and none is permitted in residential zones. A business that ignores an order to remove its furniture within 24 hours has to pay the cost of the removal to get it back.3

Rain, sun and the months to sit outside

The dry season is the terrace season. On the 1991–2020 normals for the Tacubaya station, every month from November to April averages less than 25 mm of rain, and December only 5.0 mm over about one day. From June to September totals jump to between 132.5 and 175.6 mm a month, with rain on 16 to 22 days; July and August are the wettest. April is the warmest month, with average highs of 27.5 °C.4

Summer storms tend to come late in the day. On May 25, 2025, for example, the national weather service expected rain after 14:00, heaviest between 16:00 and 21:00, with possible hail.5 A UNAM atmospheric scientist places the city's heat islands in the boroughs of Cuauhtémoc, Benito Juárez and northern Coyoacán, where asphalt and concrete feed passing storms and make them rain harder.6 Cuauhtémoc and Benito Juárez also hold most of the café terraces.

Juárez: Dinamarca, Londres and Hamburgo

Three short streets carry much of Juárez's outdoor coffee. On Calle Dinamarca, BAD! at No. 50 opens 08:00–15:00 on weekdays, La Rifa at No. 47 runs daily 08:30–21:00, and Cicatriz at No. 44 stays open until 00:00 every day. On Calle Londres, Petit Roquefort at No. 37 is closed on Mondays, and Pulso Café at No. 56 opens at 07:00 Monday to Saturday.

On Hamburgo, L'Claire Café at No. 327 and Magio Film Cafe at No. 315 both close at 17:00 on weekdays. Café Nin, at 73 Calle Havre, is one of the bakeries of the chef Elena Reygadas, and opens at 07:00 Monday to Saturday.8 Chilango included Café Nin in its 2021 roundup of 29 terraces for breakfast and brunch.7

Outdoor tables in Del Valle, Coyoacán and the Centro

In Del Valle, Xavier Sorondo has two terraces a few doors apart: Amorês Churros & Waffles at No. 262, open daily 09:00–21:30, and La Vida En Crepa Café at No. 274, open weekdays 07:30–21:30. La Celostina at 1454 Calle Matías Romero runs until 22:00 every day, and La Trigueña - Pan para todos, a bakery at 570 Nicolás San Juan, opens at 08:00 every day.

In Coyoacán, Café Avellaneda at 40 Higuera and Cafetería Azul de Coyoacán on Calle Vicente Guerrero both serve outside until 22:00 daily, and Marabunta café + libreria on Miguel Ángel de Quevedo until 23:00 Monday to Saturday. Downtown, Cafe El Popular at 52 Avenida 5 de Mayo has outdoor tables and never closes.

Sources

  1. Restaurantes podrán habilitar estacionamientos como terrazas, Chilango (August 8, 2020), accessed October 2026
  2. Gentrificación transnacional y nómadas digitales en la zona central de la Ciudad de México, EURE vol. 51 no. 152 (David Navarrete, Ryan Whitney, Aleksandra Krstikj, January 2025), accessed October 2026
  3. CDMX: nuevas reglas para poner mesas de restaurante en banquetas, IDC Online (October 9, 2024), accessed October 2026
  4. Mexico City: Climate (Ciudad de México, Tacubaya, 1991–2020 normals, Servicio Meteorológico Nacional), Wikipedia, accessed October 2026
  5. ¿A qué hora comienzan las lluvias en CDMX este 25 de mayo? Esto dice el SMN, La Razón (May 25, 2025), accessed October 2026
  6. CDMX con clima extremo y récord por lluvias: qué es la isla de calor que causa tormentas, UNAM explica, N+ (July 2, 2025), accessed October 2026
  7. 29 terrazas para desayunar y brunchear en CDMX, Chilango (Paola Alín, February 19, 2021), accessed October 2026
  8. Rosetta (restaurant), Wikipedia, accessed October 2026
Keep exploring

Other ways to browse Mexico City

Wi-Fi

Wi-Fi

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51 cafés
Panaderías

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27 cafés
Desayunos

Brunch

14 cafés

By area: Centro Histórico Roma Norte & Roma Sur San Rafael & Santa María la Ribera Juárez & Cuauhtémoc Condesa Polanco Del Valle, Narvarte & Portales Coyoacán

FAQ

Outdoor seating in Mexico City: questions

When is the best time of year for outdoor cafés in Mexico City?

The dry months from November to April, each of which averages less than 25 mm of rain on 1991–2020 normals; December gets only about 5 mm. From June to September each month gets 132.5 mm or more, with rain on 16 to 22 days. Summer storms usually arrive in the afternoon and evening, so mornings are the safer time to sit outside.

What are the rules for café terraces on Mexico City sidewalks?

Under the regulation published on September 25, 2024, tables, chairs and umbrellas may go only on sidewalks at least 3 meters wide, leaving a clear 2-meter path for pedestrians. They must be removable and taken in every day, may not exceed 75% of the indoor capacity, and are not allowed in residential zones.

Which Mexico City streets have the most outdoor cafés?

In Juárez, Calle Dinamarca has BAD!, La Rifa and Cicatriz, which stays open until midnight, and Calle Londres has Petit Roquefort and Pulso Café. In Del Valle, Xavier Sorondo has Amorês Churros & Waffles and La Vida En Crepa Café a few doors apart. Juárez & Cuauhtémoc has the most outdoor cafés.

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