El Cardenal has been the place upper-middle-class Mexican families come for Sunday lunch since 1969. The original branch on Palma is the most atmospheric — a colonial townhouse converted into multiple dining rooms with high ceilings and tile floors. Politicians and bankers eat here on weekdays; weekends are family parties.
The order at breakfast is the chocolate caliente with sweet bread and a side of natas — thick clotted cream beaten at the table. At lunch, the pollo en mole verde or the chiles en nogada (in season, August and September) are the classics. Reservations advised for weekend lunches.