Salón Corona (the original)

Opened in 1928 in downtown Mexico City, the Salón Corona is one of those rare family cantinas that welcomes all patrons with simple, but excellent food and numerous kinds of beer—even draft. If you've only sampled bottled beer in Mexico, this popular and friendly bar is the place to try big tarros (mugs) of light and dark draft Corona beer.

Among the two dozen different fillings for the tacos, the most popular are the tacos de pastor (roasted lamb tacos served with toppings like tomato and onion) and the tacos de bacalao (codfish). You can also get torta sandwiches. The delicious caldo de camáron (shrimp stew) is a piping hot, spicy tomato broth with shrimp, carrots, potatoes and onions, served in a tall glass.

The bar opens at 8 a.m. for breakfast and doesn't close until about 2 a.m., for the night owls. You can sit in the front of the establishment at one of the two counters for a good view of busy Bolívar street. Or you can sit at one of the 40 or so little tables in the back, where three flat-screen TVs can't overpower the loud conversation of a wide cross-section of Mexico City, men and women, old and young, rich and not so rich.

On the walls is an interesting series of photos taken in the Salón Corona during the 1986 FIFA World Cup in the final moments of the soccer game between Mexico and Paraguay. The fans on hand in the cantina are seen going nuts with agitation when Mexican footballer Hugo Sánchez misses his penalty kick. Architecture fans will notice that the Salón Corona is on the first floor of the Casa Borda, which was built by Mexican mining magnate José de la Borda in 1775.

Location:

Bolívar No. 24, Centro Histórico

Restaurant

Prices: Budget

Currencies accepted
Mexican peso

Price Description: $1.66 (22 pesos). a tarro mug (500 ml.) of light or dark draft corona costs $2.50 (33 pesos). a small caña (225 ml.) of draft corona costs $1.50 (20 pesos). a taco de pastor costs $0.68 (9 pesos), a taco de bacalao costs $1.13 (15 pesos). a caldo de camáron (shrimp stew) is 20 pesos. flan is $1.50 (15 pesos). every order comes with a free bowl of pickled vegetables (peppers, carrots, zucchini) to munch on.

Regulations: No

Reservation: Not necessary

Contact Information:
Zip: 06000
Phone: (52) (55) 5512-5725 or (52) (55) 5512-9007
E-mail: info(at)remove-this.saloncorona.com.mx
URL: www.saloncorona.com.mx