Mexican Food Diners

Mexico has a number of national food diner chains which offer reasonably priced food in a pleasant environment. Many are open extended hours (from the early morning to the wee hours of the next morning) and some are even open 24/7.

Diners are a good place to grab a square meal in Mexico. They are not fast food outlets: they provide fully-waited tables and all-day menus which include traditional breakfast favorites like cereals, granola, eggs, hotcakes and popular Mexican dishes including tacos, quesadillas, tostadas, flautas, sopes, chiles rellenos and pozole among others; you can also select from a range of “international” dishes including home-made burgers, steaks, chicken and fish dishes, sandwiches, french-fries, salads, soups, etc.

Bottomless cups of coffee and soft-drinks as well as milkshakes, hot chocolate, tea, and a selection of Mexican beers are also available at diners.

Here is a summary of the main diners in Mexico:

Sanborns: Sanborns is a unique concept in retail; it’s a mid/up-market department store selling all manner of goods including books, magazines and CDs, confectionery, TVs, computers, clothing accessories, children’s toys and games; it has a pharmacy and an in-house chocolatier; men and women’s gifts; a perfumery; a DVD section as well branches and ATMs of Inbursa Bank (a bank owned by the owners of Sanborns stores); a bar …and a diner. Each day, the diner offers breakfast, lunch and supper “specials” menus in addition to the extensive a-la-carte menu. We consider the taste of the coffee here to be the best of the “diner coffees” (i.e. excluding specialist coffee houses like StarBucks). Sanborns stores and their integrated diner restaurants can be found in many main towns and cities nation-wide.
Website: www.sanborns.com.mx

Vips: Vips is owned by the Wal-Mart group and these diners are generally found in the same location as Wal-Mart super-stores. Their menu is less varied than that of Sanborns, and the coffee is, in our view, below average for Mexican diners. Vips does, however, offer a bar service, where you can sit down and have a quick meal or coffee without having to wait for table service; particularly useful if your time is limited. Vips restaurants can be found in many main towns and cities nation-wide.
Website: www.vips.com.mx

Toks: Toks restaurants are owned by the same group that manages the “Gigante” supermarkets and, like Vips, the restaurants are situated next to the stores. This chain recently underwent a rebrand and remodeling program and updated its menus. They offer a good range of dishes from their a-la-carte menu as well as good-value daily specials. We consider the taste of their coffee to be about average for diners; these restaurants also have a bar area to dine in if your time is limited and you don’t want to wait for table service.
Website: www.toks.com.mx

Wings: Wings restaurants are principally situated in Mexico’s airports, although you can also find them in some other areas, including road-side shopping precincts on major highways. Their a-la-carte menu has a good range of international and Mexican dishes and many Wings restaurants have an adjacent bar, named “El Baron Rojo” (The Red Baron). We consider the taste of their coffee to be above average for diners.
Website: www.wings.com.mx

All diners are particularly busy in the early mornings — between 7am and 10am — for breakfast, as people in Mexico are big on eating “breakfast out” and many business meetings take place over breakfast.

Lunch (in Spanish “la comida“, meaning “dinner”) is the main meal of the day and is taken between 2pm and 4pm; supper starts from 8pm.