Pulquerías in Mexico City

Founded in 2019, this small museum on Avenida Hidalgo pays tribute to pulque — the fermented agave drink that predates tequila and mezcal. Two floors of exhibits cover the history, production, and cultural significance of pulque and the pulquerías where it's traditionally served, with photos, artifacts, and curiosities about the drink's evolution from sacred prehispanic ritual to working-class staple to modern-day revival.Admission includes a complimentary tasting of pulque or a curado (flavored pulque). The ground-floor pulquería serves a wide range of curados — mango, piñon, tuna roja, avena, even queso — along with food including tlayudas, gorditas, pizza, and an arrachera platter. Hours are Wednesday through Monday 11am to 6pm, closed the 28th of each month. There's also a small ajolotario inside with axolotls on display. Steps from Metro Hidalgo.

El Aserrín is the Condesa go-to for mezcal, pulque, and cold beer in a social, no-frills setting. The mezcal selection runs deep, cocteles are creative, and caguamas stay cold. Karaoke keeps the energy up most nights, and the place stays open well past 3am.Service is generally attentive, and the atmosphere leans lively even on slow weeknights. Chapulines (grasshoppers) make an appearance on the snack menu if you're feeling adventurous.

Epifanio Leyva — known as Pifas — has run this Doctores pulquería for over 60 years, making it one of the city's most enduring spots for pulque curados. The menu focuses on flavors like avena (oatmeal), zapote, strawberries and cream, and huachicol, served in a space where graffiti-covered walls and stickers set the tone before you even step inside.Live music takes over most nights — ska bands on weekends, cumbia and salsa earlier in the week — and the small dance floor fills up fast. The kitchen serves botana like papas and other bar snacks, and cold caguamas round out the drink list. Open Tuesday through Sunday until 10:30pm, and worth arriving early if you want a table.

Founded in 1903, Pulquería La Risa is the oldest operating pulquería in Mexico City, holding down the same spot on Mesones 71 in the Centro Histórico for over a century. The space stays true to old-school pulquería style — compact, rustic, with a jukebox and long communal tables that feel more cantina than craft cocktail bar.The pulque comes natural or curado, with flavors like piña colada, walnut-coffee, guava, and oat rotating through the week. Wednesdays run two-for-one, and the kitchen sends out complimentary tacos with your order. The place is small, simple, and a little rough around the edges, but that's the whole point — this is pulque culture as it's been served for generations.

Over a century old, this Xochimilco institution keeps the pulque tradition alive with more than 50 curados prepared fresh to order. Seasonal flavors like cempasúchil (marigold) join year-round favorites: cajeta, piñón, higo, apio, mazapán, and the house special, cajeta. All curados are mixed on the spot from natural pulque, no pre-made batches.The space feels like stepping into an old-time cantina — classic décor, a working jukebox stocked with boleros and classics, and tables that fill quickly on weekends. No kitchen, but you can bring your own food. The place draws a mix of locals and curious visitors, all here for the same thing: fresh pulque in a room that's been pouring it for generations.

Three floors of distinct environments in Roma Norte, each with its own music and atmosphere — from electronic sets on the ground floor to karaoke on Thursdays to a bohemian-style terrace on top. The pulque menu covers the classics plus house blends like the jamaica-mint-mezcal curado served in a chili-rimmed glass, and the mazapán (marzipan) curado earns regular orders.Tuesday nights bring open mic comedy with local comedians testing material. The terrace offers open-air seating and stays the most popular floor. Prices are easy on the wallet, and the kitchen serves tacos and gajo potatoes for snacking. Moderately priced and accessible across all three levels.

Founded around 1912 during the Mexican Revolution, Las Duelistas is one of the capital's most recognized pulquerías. The small space bursts with colorful murals of pre-Hispanic inspiration, and the walls hold more than a century of chilango drinking culture.Natural pulque flows alongside over 40 flavors of curados — pineapple, mango, guanabana, blackberry, pine nut, and celery among them. Prices run affordable, the music leans into reggae and classic Mexican tracks, and the place fills up fast most nights. Go with patience and an appetite for tradition — this is pulque as it's been served for generations, with no concessions to gentrification.

Traditional pulquería in Obrera serving natural pulque and curados (flavored pulque) in a small space lined with murals and vintage photos. The oat (avena) curado and colonche — made with tuna roja cactus fruit — are standouts, and every drink comes with a rotating botana like mixiote de pollo or espagueti with guacamole.The space is compact, best for small groups of three or four, and the bathrooms are clean with sinks just outside. They accept card, and a liter runs about the price of two craft beers — affordable for what you're getting. Open Monday through Thursday until 9pm, Friday and Saturday until later, and Sunday afternoons until 7pm.

La Antigua Roma has been pouring pulque on República de Perú since around 1907, making it one of the oldest pulquerías in the city — currently run by the fourth generation of the same family. The pulque comes straight from Tlaxcala and they pour both natural and about fifteen seasonal curados depending on what fruit's available — the maracuyá (passionfruit), mazapán, and beet are standouts.The space is small and old-school, with a rocola and a few tables. Service is friendly and they'll let you sample before committing. Cash only, and it's one block from Garibaldi and Arena Coliseo if you're mapping the Centro pulquería crawl.