Café Ilusionista, Mexico City, Mexico

Avenida Progreso 33, esquina con, Carlos B. Zetina, Escandón I Secc, 11800 Ciudad de México, CDMX, Mexico
 I’ve  started to begin my days with a visit to one of the two local cafes in order to get my caffeine fix, practice my Spanish, and to take a bit of time to order my thoughts on sights from the previous day and write down my adventures in my travel notebook. On some of these days, I’ve taken to ordering a sweet treat with my morning coffee, and one that has taken my fancy in the run-up to Day of The Dead is pan de muertos, which literally translates as ‘bread of the dead’. This can be found in almost every coffee shop, bakery and supermarket in the preceding weeks to the visit from the underworld and was traditionally something to put on the ofrendas. I find somewhere selling vegan versions and settle down to my almond milk latte with one of these to accompany it. Dusted in a heavy layer of sugar, it has a taste not dissimilar to an Eccles cake but there is also a hint of orange about them too. This comes from the marigold flowers that have their petals pounded into the dough. Extremely light, the sweet bread has the texture of a sponge cake and is topped by a rolled skull and crossbones, a bit like a hot-cross bun, to symbolise the dead. The sugar goes everywhere and it’s impossible not to make crumbs but it goes fantastically well with coffee to dip it in.


El ilusionista cafe is where I’ve sourced this particular pastry and it has become one of two hotspots for me due to the fact it serves great coffee and vegan options. The building itself has really chill, on street vibes as it takes up a corner spot of two intersect roads and its two sides roll up, almost like garage doors, or great window shutters to bring you right out onto the street and serve for a really glorious communal vibe. Painfully hip, the laid back beat of the neighbourhood ebbs and flows all around you whilst you enjoy some really fine coffee. The rhythm of the street is right beside you whist the staff willingly play along with my schoolboy Spanish. I could while away whole days here if it weren’t for the fact I want to see more of Mexico City and it is no surprise that it is one of my last stops before heading off to catch my plane.