Mexico City Craft Beer Bars and Shops
The demand for excellent craft beer in the city is constantly on the rise. It feels like virtually everyday a new brewhouse opens its door, beckoning you through the with hoppy IPAs, creamy stouts and honey-tinged browns. Some surprisingly good beer is being brewed right here in the city from locals Monstruo de Agua, Cru Cru, Escollo, Harlem, Interstellar, Radical OH and 19° Norte, to name a few.
Adding to my previous list, here are a few new stops on my personal Mexico City craft beer crawl :
Cru Cru – Romita #8, Colonia Roma
One of my favorite groups of Mexico City brewers, the guys at Cru Cru have been brewing in the city for over a decade and make inspired creations and fantastic collaborations with other breweries. Hibiscus seltzer and the capulin gose are some of the wilder options on a solid list of favorites — IPA, American Lager, and the Tripel Mexicana. Their tiny brewery in the heart of Roma is now open from 6 to 11 on Thursday and Friday and Saturdays from 2pm to 10pm.
A brewery with a real heart for eco-production, Monstruo de Agua has a little paradise of a location on the edge of the Ajusco national park. They have an edible garden filled with local herbs, spices and flowers that are used in their beer, along with a massive rainwater catchment system that they use to filter the water for their beers. They’re in-city taproom is Agrotaberna on Amsterdam Avenue in Condesa, a small tasting room where you can try their beer, mead, and probiotic sodas, but you can also arrange a trip out to their brewery or book a tour with me to try some of their brews!
HOP, The Beer Experience – Roma 13, Colonia Juarez
Colonia Juarez is just beginning to sprout craft beer bars. HOP is a narrow outpost on Roma street whose brews are listed on the giant chalkboard wall and include a handful of hyper-local brews made right here in Mexico City. The bar is generally not overcrowded and they say that their busiest night is usually Thursday because of the theater crowd — La Juarez has been a traditional theater district in Mexico City for years and continues to have several good venues for plays.
There is a second HOP location now in Colonia Narvarte (Av. Cuauhtémoc 870) that is about twenty times as big. The outdoor beer garden style of it makes it a great spot for watching a ball game on their massive TVs. The food is kinda of meh, but the beer selection is extensive — both Mexican brands and international imports.
Beer Bros – Luz Saviñon no number, corner with Juan Sanchez Azcona, Narvarte
A tiny place that packs a punch, Beer Bros is still going strong after almost a decade with a wide range of Mexican and imported beers to choose from. With a handful of outdoor tables this is mainly a pub, but it’s one of my favorite places for a casual beer outside of the hubbub of Roma/Condesa.
Drunkendog – Nuevo Leon 4A, Colonia Condesa
A hip little spot along a main drag in Condesa, Drunkendog is a perfect stop on a citywide pub crawl. They have over two dozen beers on tap, mostly Mexican but with a few U.S. and German brands thrown in and even some local microbreweries like Itañeñe. Then there are the dozens of other options in cans or bottles, all kinds of Mexico City craft beer breweries if you want to get a real local taste. I love that they have a section of the bar that is television-free and the new pandemic-era outdoor seating. They also have quite a substantial menu of classic Mexican snacks like tlacoyos or esquites or more U.S:-style sliders and hotdogs.
Cerveceria Metropolitana – Diagonal San Antonio 1931, Colonia Narvarte
With a high school snack bar aesthetic and a foosball table in the back, La Metropolitana feels like an old-school hangout. There are 20 local beers on tap, a few from some very tiny Mexico City breweries. I haven’t tried the food, so place let me know what you think, but the menu includes bar snacks and sandwiches, burgers, and fries. The handful of tables on the sidewalk and the family-style picnic tables inside give this place the right vibe for an afternoon of summer drinking.
Cerveceria Xolotl – Ignacio Allende 24, Centro Historico
This tiny hole-in-the-wall brewpub is inside and upstairs a multi-purpose space in the Centro Historico, they have half a dozen or so beers on tap and lots more in bottles or cans, mainly Mexican brands. The place is dedicated to their xoloescuincle (the Mexican hairless dog) that you will sometimes find sitting at a bar stool. There is a tiny balcony from which you watch the comings and goings of the Centro Historico below.
Las Tlayudas – Luz Saviñon 1211-A, Colonia Narvarte
Not only some of the best tlayudas (and chilaquiles!) in the Narvarte, Las Tlayudas also stocks delicious Oaxacan craft beer, not available just anywhere in the city. An oatmeal stout and IPA are available from the Consejo Cervecero de Oaxaca, a wheat, red ale, stout and golden ale from Tierra Blanca and various other styles from Teufel, another Oaxacan brand. They also sell Bazooka, Yubarta and 4 Jinetes del Apocalipsis, all local breweries from Mexico City.
La Roma Brewing Company – Yucatan 84, Colonia Roma
This place is a revamp of the location which used to be called Escollo. I have tried to discover the real difference between the former and the current space and the only thing I can come up with is now they have a bar on the Yucatan side of the street and one on the Queretaro side. All the beers on tap when I went recently where still the Escollo brand beers and I only really liked a small handful — the Manfred red ale, the Blonde and the double IPA. But it is a great space for a big group of drinkers.
Itañeñe, Miguel Velázquez 48, Colonia Providencia
One of my latest finds, Itañeñe is a reservations-only kind of visit, and they are a ways outside of the center of the city, BUT I love their beers, the space is small but adorable, and it’s a nice excuse to see another part of the city. Try their sour and refreshing XXX with peach or the XXX. Lucia, the co-owner and head brewer is a wealth of info and super awesome.
Morenos Tasting room, Zacatecas #43 , Colonia Roma
While I don’t love all of the beer at Morenos, THey have enough different styles that I think everyone can find something that they vibe with. I had only gone to the space on Chiapas street which is fine but nothing special until I visited the upstairs terrace on Zacatecas above the Foro Indie Rocks, an independent music venue in Roma. The terrace is way cooler, with a big ample space and long family-style tables. They have a small menu of snacks and small plates and even a list of very decent cocktails if you want to mix it up.
Want to take a Mexico City craft beer tour?
We will spend an afternoon wandering in and out of Mexico City’s hippest breweries, trying what is local and on tap and getting to know the city’s local beer scene. I will take you to 3-4 of my favorite dives, bars, and tasting rooms, as well as make a few spots for delicious tacos along the way. Click here for more details about the Mexico City Streets Craft Beer tour in Mexico City.
