Mandolina

What Mandolina is

Mandolina is an all-day Mediterranean restaurant in Mexico City with three branches, the best known of them at Zacatecas 80 in Roma Norte, a short walk from the Condesa side of Avenida Insurgentes. It opens at eight in the morning and runs through brunch, lunch and, on the middle days of the week, into the evening. The kitchen calls what it does comfort food raised a level, and the menu mixes European, American and Mexican home dishes rather than sticking to one country.

The look is the reason most people come. Roughly 5,000 lemons hang in clusters from the ceiling, tangled with ivy that drops down the columns, with lamps set into the greenery for the evening. Tall windows fill the room by day and there is a terrace at the front. The restaurant’s own line for it is a romantic corner of Mexico City where a ceiling of 5,000 lemons makes you feel like you are in Italy.

Mandolina holds no guide listing or award. It sits at about 4.6 out of 5 across some 2,500 Google reviews as of 2026, and local ranking sites place it in the upper third of Roma Norte restaurants. It is a popular, design-led brunch room, not a critics’ destination, and the weekend crowd reflects that.

Who is behind it

Mandolina is the work of Martha Brockmann, who is described in Mexican press as chef, florist, decorator and administrator of the project all at once. That combination explains the place better than any menu description: the flower arrangements, the lemons and the lighting are treated as seriously as the plates. Executive chef Ricardo Avendaño has run the kitchen, and the house makes its own bread and pasta and buys from local suppliers.

The group grew outward from the original room into Polanco and Bosque de las Lomas, which is unusual for a restaurant built on one strong visual idea. Each branch keeps the lemon ceiling and the same broad menu.

How the menu works

There is one menu that runs all day, so breakfast dishes and pasta sit on the same page. Ordering splits naturally into three modes.

• Breakfast and brunch: chilaquiles with chicharrón, French toast, hot cakes, eggs, French bread, pastries. These are the dishes guests mention most.
• Lunch and dinner: burrata, salads, a crab sandwich, fish, and Italian pasta made in house.
• Drinks: specialty coffee, fresh juices, cocktails, beer and wine. A drinks trolley is wheeled to the tables.
• Sunday brunch: the one service reviewers single out, and the busiest hour of the week.

What I saw when I filmed

I went in June 2026 for the brunch service. The draw is the combination the restaurant is built on: Mediterranean design, good coffee, fresh pastries, and a menu that moves between international and Mexican flavours. The room was full and the wait was real, which is the single practical thing to plan around. Weekends are the worst of it.

What it costs

Prices are in Mexican pesos and were current in mid 2026.

Item	Price
Per person, full brunch with a drink	500 to 800 MXN, about 30 to 45 USD
Average ticket reported by listing sites	About 600 MXN, about 33 USD
Coffee and a pastry only	Roughly 150 to 250 MXN, about 8 to 14 USD

This is a high ticket for the neighbourhood and reviewers say so. You are paying partly for the room, and the cheapest honest version of a Mandolina visit is a weekday coffee and pastry on the terrace. Cards are accepted at all branches. Prices move, so confirm when you book.

How to book

Reservations are taken and, on a weekend, strongly advised.

• Online: Reservándonos and OpenTable both list the Roma Norte and Polanco branches.
• Phone: 55 1168 9624 for Roma Norte, 55 8848 9053 for Polanco.
• Instagram: @mandolina_mx for current hours and menu changes.

Without a booking on a Saturday or Sunday morning, expect to queue, sometimes for more than an hour. The house softens this with complimentary mimosas and small sweet bites while you stand, which is charming the first time and less so with a hungry table. Service can saturate at peak and the kitchen slows with it. A weekday breakfast has none of these problems.

Getting there

• Roma Norte: Zacatecas 80, Roma Norte, Cuauhtémoc, 06700 Mexico City. About ten minutes on foot from Parque México in Condesa and a similar walk from Metro Insurgentes on Line 1.
• Polanco: Avenida Emilio Castelar 135, Polanco III Sección, close to Parque Lincoln, five minutes from Metro Polanco on Line 7.
• Bosque de las Lomas: Avenida Stim 1286, a car or ride-app trip rather than a walk.
• From the airport to Roma Norte: about 12 km, 20 to 35 minutes by car depending on traffic.
• Parking: valet and nearby paid lots at Roma Norte, plus metered street parking on Zacatecas. Ride apps are simpler.

Before you go

• Book, or come on a weekday. This is the whole game. Saturday and Sunday mornings are the busiest hours of the week.
• Go early for the light and the photos. Between 08:00 and 10:00 the terrace is quiet and the lemon ceiling gets the best of the morning sun.
• It is loud. Music volume is a common complaint in reviews. Not the room for a long private conversation or a work session.
• Ask for the terrace when you book. The front terrace is the part people want and it is small.
• Check which branch you are booking. Three addresses share the name and the decor. Zacatecas 80 is the Roma and Condesa one.
• Pair it with the neighbourhood. Marne Café on Avenida Sonora is a stricter coffee and bakery option a few blocks away, and Orquídea on Amsterdam covers the gluten-free and keto side of Condesa brunch.
• Check the hours before you go. The hours on this page come from the venue’s public listings, which drift, so confirm on Google Maps or the venue’s own channels before a special trip.

Watch the visit

The reel above is the short walk through the room, the ceiling and the plates. For every place I have filmed in the city, open my Mexico City map or browse the Mexico City recommendations.