Mexico’s tipping culture is impromptu and often spontaneous.  Tipping is always optional although the people serving you will appreciate the small token of your appreciation in exchange for good service.

Frequent tipping is a routine that takes getting used to, especially if you come from a place where tipping is not commonplace, or where tipping is practiced but only in certain, specific circumstances.

Common situations where tipping is practiced

In Mexico, la propina is employed in all kinds of everyday situations. Here are some examples, followed by a link to our guide that gives a more comprehensive list of situations where you should consider tipping:

Eating and drinking out

Waiters working at restaurants and bars should always be tipped for good service; a sum equivalent to 10-15% of the total bill is appropriate.

Taxi drivers

Local cabbies and App Cab drivers (e.g. Uber, Cabify, Didi) appreciate a tip. Consider rounding-up the fare on the meter from a street cab to the nearest $5 or $10 pesos; app-cab apps now allow you to add a tip at the end of your journey, or you can pay the driver a tip in cash.

Hotel stays

When you stay at a hotel in Mexico it’s customary in Mexico to leave a tip for your hotel room chambermaid, a sum between US$1 and US$5 (equivalent in Mexican pesos), for each night’s stay spent at the hotel. If you’re staying more than one night, it’s a good idea to leave the tip daily as chamber maids work on a rota.

Car parking and valets

Car parks in Mexico’s bigger towns and cities are oftentimes kept under vigil by men (and occasionally women) who ‘patrol’ the car park, helping drivers to find a free space, keeping an eye on the cars, and helping drivers to reverse out when they leave.   It’s optional, but customary, to pay $2-$5 pesos as you depart.  If your car is attended by a valet service, a small tip of $10-20 pesos to the valet attendant, commensurate with the class of the establishment, is expected.

Home deliveries

When you have goods or services delivered to your home, it’s customary to tip the service providers.  Examples include: gas deliveries, water bottle deliveries, supermarket deliveries, postal and courier services (e.g. Amazon, Mercado Libre). $10-$20 pesos is sufficient.

Other situations

Other ‘informal’ situations where a tip is customary include the porter at the hotel who carried your bags; the concierge for booking a table at a local restaurant or who arranged a taxi for you; the person who washed your windscreen at the stop-light; the attendant at a gasoline station; the person (usually a student or retiree) packing your groceries at the local supermarket; and attendants keeping washrooms/restrooms clean (provided you did not pay to enter the facility.)

Learn more by reading our guide to Tipping and Bargaining in Mexico for guidance about who, where, when, and how much to tip in Mexico.

A footnote about small change

Ironically, despite the constant need to pay tips small change can sometimes be difficult to get hold of in Mexico when you need it most, and appears in abundance when you don’t need any.  It’s good practice to build-up a cache of small change as you shop. If you’re staying at a hotel or resort, the front desk can break larger notes into small bills and coins for you: the $20 peso bill is popular for tipping at hotel resorts.

A bygone era of old-world coffee shops

In years past, the coffee shop/restaurants run by Chinese immigrants —of which there were several in and around the Chinese quarter of downtown Mexico City and more beyond that— were nearly always full.

The “café chino,” as these were only ever referred to, was typically a long thin hall moving back from the street front. Half of the façade would be taken up by a glass window filled with different kinds of sweet bread to eat in or take away (and the odd bluebottle).

Down one side of the entrance would be the coffee bar and the cash register, and the other side would be taken up by a row of tables or booths.  The specialty of the house would be café con leche: a small amount of concentrate would be poured from a metal coffee pot into the bottom of a glass mug, and hot milk from another poured on top, with the server lifting the spout farther and farther from the mug as it filled, creating, if done precisely, a frothy top.

Black coffee —café americano— was steam-pressed from the machine behind the bar, and each cup was charged at the same rate.  Hygiene was hardly of first importance to the café chino, and patrons did well not to be over-zealous inspecting the specks on the table or trying to steal a glance at the kitchen.

Perhaps the king of coffee shops was Café La Habana, on the corner of Bucareli and Morelos, a stone’s throw from the historical Chinese clock.  La Habana brewed the strongest coffee, served in thick white cups that were slightly wider at the base than at the brim (awkward for stirring).  It was popular among intellectuals and, being about a block from such erstwhile giants of the Mexican press as Excelsior and El Universal, a frequent meeting place for journalists of the old school: threadbare suits, beaten-up leather briefcases stuffed full with dog-eared press releases, political “tips” several times removed from reality.

The emergence of contemporary coffee houses

Against this, the chain restaurant/coffee shops such as VIPS, TOKS, and Sanborns provided free refills on drip-brewed coffee, competing in quality with “Golden Cup” plaques awarded by the Mexican Coffee Council, and in convenience with quick-service bars where the temporarily idle could while away several hours loading up on caffeine without having to keep paying.  This is still true today, although people are generally much more rushed.

In addition to these places, with the advent of the mall culture there sprung up a number of smart coffee shops —Coffee House, Coffee Station, and so on— which added snacks, coffee paraphernalia, and an assortment of home-grown and imported coffees, ground or whole, to the standard offerings while also increasing the number of derivative beverages to their range of refreshments on offer.

And then Starbucks came.  Agreeable to the modern business class, the tourist looking for something familiar, and the lover of things American, this comfortable hybrid of convenience and recreation proliferated and also became a favorite daytime hangout of the country’s middle-class youth.

Straddling this period from local shop to chain to franchise is Bisquets Obregon, which developed from La Perla de Oriente on Alvaro Obregón Avenue in the historical Colonia Roma.  Like the café chino, Los Bisquets is also a place to get café con leche, and the house specialty, scones.  Brighter and cleaner, with its characteristic green and yellow décor, the restaurant also sports a selection of freshly-baked sweet bread at the front counter.

Small independent coffee shops continue to thrive

Perhaps the most famous of the traditional Mexican cafés is El Jorocho, that serves quality coffee principally sourced from Veracruz; customers can also buy the beans and ground coffee in bags for home brew.  This family-run shop was set up in Mexico City during the early 1950s in the heart of the bohemian district of Coyoacán—a neighborhood that remains one of the capital’s most popular quarters for friends and families to meet and spend an afternoon or evening out together.

In towns and cities across Mexico, small independently-run coffee shops continue to trade, and thrive.  Like the local neighborhood tienditas, they have prevailed even in the presence and growth of franchise coffee shops.

The owners of these independent establishments often create comfortable nooks where patrons can meet, socialize, and take light refreshment amidst informal and often homely surroundings that are usually more intimate and feel less rushed than the cookie-cutter franchises.

Serendipitous discovery of independent coffee houses can happen by taking an exploratory walk down side streets of any towns you visit or asking locally.  Digital generations are likely to consult their map-app, or search on Instagram.

Affordable flavor is cooking at your local fonda or comedor

When you fancy something to eat that’s authentically Mexican, seek out a local comedor. They are sometimes also referred to as fondas or cocinas económicas.

In Spanish, comedor means dining room or dining table, and in Mexico the word is also lent to describe places where you can sit down in an informal atmosphere and order from a set menu of the day’s dishes which feature delicious home-cooked meals prepared using fresh local produce.

Simple settings that are long on flavor

Comedores and fondas don’t feature shiny doors, air-conditioned dining rooms, or gimmicks like soulless toys dispatched alongside the food. More often the traditional ‘open kitchen’ comedores are situated in private patios, converted garages or other rooms in private houses—or at local markets.

Most comedores are family-run efforts and serve at least two or three ‘specials’ each day, plus a range of home-cooked ‘staple’ options, each one offered with a bowl of the day’s soup, and Mexican-style rice and beans on the side.

Also included in the price is the agua fresca —juice of the day— freshly prepared using seasonal fruit; or you can choose from a selection of sodas from the ice box. (Some places also offer a small selection of Mexican beers.)

Some places offer sopes and tacos with various topping and fillings; and some even offer a vegetarian option; and salads in lieu of rice or potatoes on the side.

Affordable and authentic cooking on your doorstep

A home-cooked authentic Mexican meal at a comedor, including soup and a drink, trades for between $80-$100 Mexican pesos: US$4-$5.  Beers and desserts (where offered) are extra.  Always remember to leave a tip!

Every town and city features local comedores and fondas; in larger towns and cities you’ll probably walk past a few without even trying too hard.  The best places to look are at the local markets (and vicinity); or better, ask someone locally for a recommendation.

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The stores, however, are rather unique.  They sell books, magazines, cakes, toys, tobacco, gifts of all kinds (watches, pens, backgammon sets, even telescopes…), some clothing, confectionery, music, electronic goods, jewelry, and pharmaceuticals.

Sanborns is owned by Carlos Slim, the telecoms magnate who bought the chain from the US drugstore chain Walgreens in 1985.  But the original business was set up by the American brothers Frank and Walter Sanborn early in the 20th century; first as a drugstore, to which later a soda fountain was added.

The concept became so popular that dictator Porfirio Díaz used to stop-by at one of the Sanborns soda fountains.  Revolutionaries Emiliano Zapata and Pancho Villa took refreshments at Sanborns when they marched into the capital over a century ago.

Walter Sanborn returned to California, tired of the political turmoil in Mexico at the time, while Frank and his two sons —represented by the three owls on the Sanborns logo— continued to run the business until 1946, when they sold it to Walgreens.

If asked about a bookstore in Mexico, you’d be more likely to think Gandhi, Porrúa, or Casa del Libro.  If a drugstore, Farmacias del Ahorro or even Dr. Simi if you’re into generics.  El Globo springs to mind when cakes are needed, and one of the big three department stores (Liverpool, Palacio de Hierro, Sears) might be where you’d go if shopping for a gift.  But if you don’t really know what you want, or just feel like browsing before or after lunch, you might well end up at Sanborns.

Eclectic might be the best way to describe Sanborns, which just about everyone in Mexico has heard of, and most urbanites visit at one time or another.  Most states and virtually all the main cities have at least one —and some several— Sanborns stores.  The list of stores can be found online.

Many of the stores (there are about 170 and several dozen stand-alone Sanborns Café coffee shops) are located in shopping malls or at commercial plazas, although a number of them are situated inside elegant buildings in historic districts of Mexico’s more picturesque cities.  A prime example of this is the Casa de Los Azulejos on Madero Ave. in downtown Mexico City.  The building houses one of the original Sanborns stores and a large restaurant which operates on several floors.

Sanborns is well-known locally for its generously-stocked magazine stands, which carry a wide selection of contemporary titles published in Spanish and English. These stands are also used by some people as a meeting point, helpful in a country where punctuality isn’t exactly a national trait.  The store also stocks a wide range of books, including the 10 top U.S. best-sellers of the moment, and a selection of greetings cards—the sending of which isn’t a particular habit in Mexico.

Mexicans tend to have mixed feelings about Sanborns, a store that is an established institution of the Mexican retail terrain and which at the same time commentators say is struggling to convey a clear identity in today’s rapidly-changing retail landscape.  Some of the existing stores have undergone a re-fit; the new decor  clearly aims to retain some of the old world charm while bringing forth a brighter, and more contemporary, feel.  Regardless of individual predilections, Sanborns remains an iconic brand across the country, and the food served at its restaurants remains among the best served up by the principal food diners in Mexico.

• bien cocido,
• tres cuartos, and
• medio.

So, when the waiter asks you ¿qué término? as you order your meat, it refers to that.

There’s no need to repeat what you just asked for, glance around the table with that “help!” look, or stare uncomprehendingly at the waiter as if he hadn’t got your order.

The three términos are roughly equivalent, so that bien cocido means well-done; tres cuartos (three quarters) means medium; and medio would be rare—more or less.

In fancy restaurants, where you probably expect to be served higher quality meat, the tendency appears to be to err on the raw side of what the customer orders, so to avoid the embarrassment of sending the food back for additional cooking —with the added awkwardness of insisting that the others around you eat before theirs goes cold— it’s well to aim for one término above.

That way you can avoid the fate of  the Texan who ordered his meat medium —medio— only to exclaim when the food was served:  “I’ve seen a steer wounded worse’n that, and live!”

The ban, included in city’s law of solid refuse, actually prohibits plastic items for “single use,” and it’s hard to find anyone who knows someone who throws out the bags once they get their shopping home.  Most people use them as garbage can liners, or for separating organic from non-organic waste. But they can also be used for taking lunch to work or school, for transporting dirty items like muddy shoes or oily replaced car parts that mechanics’ workshops insist on slipping into your trunk while you’re paying the bill.

Supermarkets have jumped at the idea, suddenly declaring themselves greener than the vegetable section and offering to sell reusable cloth bags for your groceries. Panaderías had no problem adapting to the change as most already offered customers the choice of plastic or paper bags, and now simply offer the paper ones.  Some supermarkets offer the thick paper grocery bags at a price, which is a bit cheeky as the plastic bags were ‘free.’  Restaurants have taken to offering patrons ‘biodegradable’ straws made with corn starch or other plant-based materials.

The intention behind the law —which mirrors similar legislation now trending in Europe— is to get customers to take their own bags, or buy a reusable cloth bag at the checkout: as often as necessary until they start remembering to take shopping bags with them.

Speaking of waste, restaurants and diners have mostly done away with refillable glass sugar shakers and instead furnish sugar in small sachet bags, presented to diners on a porcelain tray along with several different brands of zero-calorie sweeteners.  The ratio appears to be about two or three-to-one in favor of the fake sugars, and there are never that many sachets of each.  So if you take sugar in your tea or coffee and are in the habit of drinking several cups at a sitting, you will find yourself in short supply.  This was never a problem during the sugar shaker era.  Now you must ask the waiter for more sugar —which could take a while— or glance around for an empty table with a full tray of little sugar bags and help yourself from there.

One can’t help but suspect that there is more than “fanciness” at stake here.  Even the highbrow restaurants that provide sugar lumps or cubes in little silver bowls do so in diminished quantities.  Mexico is a country that produces millions of tons of cane sugar each year, so the rationing is hardly a matter of supply.  Are they trying to embarrass the sweet-toothed into reducing their intake?  Granted the country has an obesity problem and a prevalence of diabetes; the government introduced new taxes on sugary drinks and snacks in 2014, but it’s hard to see how the sugar rationing in restaurants is really addressing the issue.

Some years ago, Mexico City made it obligatory for restaurants to hide the saltshakers and make patrons request salt if they want it.  Apparently, Mexicans were consuming more than the recommended daily allowance, with a risk of hypertension. One would think authorities have more pressing things to do.

People visiting Mexico on vacation might stop-by at one of the diners to take a quick meal out, and foreign residents living in Mexico can often be seen taking a meal there, or using the diners as venue for a working breakfast or lunch.

The principal restaurant diners in Mexico are Sanborns, Toks, Vips, Wings and Bisquets de Obregón. They have outlets in most major towns and cities, and Wings is also present at several of Mexico’s airports.

Diners are a good place to grab a square meal in Mexico.  You won’t find haute cuisine at these diners, but you can get a good tasty meal for a reasonable price accompanied by fully-serviced tables in an agreeable atmosphere.  Menus include traditional breakfast favorites like cereals, granola, eggs, hotcakes, as well as popular Mexican dishes like molletes, tacos, quesadillas, tostadas, flautas, sopes, chiles rellenos and pozole among others.  You can also select from a range of “international” foods including burgers, steaks, chicken and fish, sandwiches, french-fries, salads and soups.  A small selection of vegetarian and vegan options are available on the menus and most of the diners also offer a ‘light’ menu featuring specials for customers on a low-calorie diet.

As eating out at diners is so popular here, the chains compete against each other for custom by offering ample menus with a wide assortment of dishes, promotional discounts, and monthly a-la-carte specials.

Mexican diners are open extended hours, seven days a week, serving breakfast, lunch, and dinner in addition to a range of all-day meals and light snacks.  In years past, these diners were often frequented by patrons seeking coffee and sweet roll, and although specialty coffee houses are now the preferred venue for quick refreshment, you can still call-in to a diner for a coffee if you’re passing-by.

During festive periods the diners usually offer Mexican specialties related to the season and festivity.  Theme-based promotions have been popular of late, for example, spot-lighting a specific Mexican state or region and offering a range of traditional dishes served there.  On occasions when foreign countries are spot-lighted in this way, the dishes usually have a Mexican twist applied to them, adding to the variety and novelty of flavors on offer.

All of the dining establishments offer an ample range of beverages including freshly-pressed juices from locally-produced seasonal fruits and vegetables; sodas, coffees, teas, beers, and some also offer a range of cocktails in the evening.  Some have an adjoining bar where, on selected evenings or weekends, a live cabaret act may perform.

Summary of Mexico’s principal Diner Chains

All diners are particularly busy in the early mornings —between 7 a.m. and 10 a.m.— as people in Mexico are big on eating “breakfast out” and many business meetings held at restaurants commonly take place over breakfast.

Lunch (in Spanish la comida) is the main meal of the day and is traditionally taken between 2 p.m. and 4 p.m.; supper in Mexico, la cena, starts from 8 p.m.

The book and blog are born out of Gilman’s love and appreciation for authentic Mexican cuisine.

Like many contemporary champions of good food, Nick Gilman appears aware of the natural connection between food on the table and its place of origin.  He is an advocate of organic growing methods and the “slow food” movement, a philosophy that attempts to counteract the fast-food culture that pervades so many industrialized nations.  His work has captured the consciousness of many like-minded people: those who care about food, and how it is commercialized.  Nick’s commitment is also demonstrated by the time he invests heading the Mexico City Chapter of Slow Food International.

His descriptive and regularly-updated blog offers articles which review old and new restaurants in the city, describe the produce on offer at the local tianguis (market), and promote food events, especially those which support slow food and organic food in Mexico City.  Articles are complemented by illustrative photos which give readers a visual aspect to the words which themselves capture well the flavors, textures and aromas of the food they describe.

Gilman’s writings also bring readers’ attention to Mexican food establishments where guests may enjoy delicious food and support local chefs and the independent food purveyors who are passionate about bringing fresh local flavors to the people they serve.

In the ocean of ‘Mexico food blogs’ which flood the internet, Nick’s blog stands out by offering readers a well-structured, updated, and authoritative insight to local foods and great places to enjoy good food in Mexico City.