Veracruz - Fish Market

One of the places we hoped to visit in Veracruz was the downtown fish market. Unfortunately, it was closed at the end of January and moved to a new location. Apparently the vendors didn't want to go, and had to be forcefully removed by riot police. You can find more information here.

We went to the new market ("Plaza del Mar"), and were disappointed. It is a sterile, uninteresting location north of downtown. The fish stalls are not really inviting for public perusal, and while there were a number of fondas around, they had no customers. Unless things change, I wouldn't recommend going. If you do want to go, take a bus marked "Pescadaría" from the east side of Plaza de la Republica.

Fondas still exist at the old market location downtown on Landero y Cos, but they aren't faring much better. No customers to speak of - just annoying hawkers trying desperately to get business.

The only place we saw any evidence of locals in number enjoying seafood was in fondas in and around Mercado Hidalgo. Unfortunately, we didn't go there until our last day, and had already eaten, so we didn't try anything.

Update: I looked more closely at the link I posted above, and it turns out that the restaurants that used to be in the old fish market have moved to a new location - "two blocks from the Zocalo, between the Holiday Inn and across the street from the Post and Telegraph offices".

Veracruz - Café Lechero at Gran Café de la Parroquia

Gran Café de la Parroquia is an institution in Veracruz. I took the above picture in the late morning when it was quiet, but come evening the place gets packed.

The reason people come is for Café Lechero. In essence, it isn't much different than cafe con leche/latte/au lait, it is more the presentation that makes Lechero special.

You are served a glass partly filled with strong coffee. The waiter then clinks on your glass with a spoon.



Another roaming waiter brandishing a kettle comes by and artfully pours a tall stream of scaldingly hot milk into your glass. It is quite the production, and the end result tastes good, too.



Here is a video I found that gives you a feel for the process.

Veracruz - Port of Veracruz and San Juan de Ulúa

Veracruz is, above all else, a shipping port. Our hotel looked out over the main port area, and one day after snapping the above picture we happened to see the same ship leaving from our hotel window.



The stone fortress you see in the picture below is San Juan de Ulúa.



Originally an island, and now located in, and connected to the rest of the port structures, San Juan de Ulúa was originally built in the 16th century as a defensive structure by the Spanish.



Many of the walls of the fortress are composed primarily of coral, as you can see in the section below.



For a century or so, the fortress served as a prison, primarily for political prisoners. Its thick walls and isolated location provided a perfect site.



Small stalactites have formed on the roofs of many of the rooms.



We spent several hours in fascinated exploration of the place.



It is definitely worth a visit. Our guidebook said that you could get there by bus, but there no longer seems to be one. Instead you need to catch a cab - the best place to leave from is Plaza de la Republica (just east of the Zócalo).

Veracruz - Breakfast at Antojitos Lolita

We happened across this place while looking for breakfast our first morning in Veracruz, and boy were were glad we did. They had a bunch of variations on Mexican breakfast that we'd never had before. Have I mentioned yet that we love Mexican breakfast?

First up was Hueovos Cubanos. You can hardly even see the fried eggs under the lake of (very tasty) pureed frijoles. The fried plantains and meaty pieces of bacon were also great. In particular, we really liked the sweetness of the plantain mixed with the savory of the frijoles.



Huevos Veracruzanos was fluffy scrambled egg wrapped in corn tortillas and then also flooded with frijoles. Topped with spicy chorizo and jalepeños, drizzled with crema and sprinkled with queso fresco. Fantastic.



Since we'd had such a great breakfast on our first visit, we came back again on our last morning in Veracruz. This time it was Heuvos Motuleños - two fried eggs in a stack with ham, corn tortillas and frijoles, decorated with fried plantains and avocado slices, and topped with a few peas for good measure.



And finally, Huevos Divorciados. This wasn't a new one for us, but we like to order it in different places because it gives us a chance to taste both the green and red salsas. In this case, the red was very good and the green a bit lacking (just spicy and without much flavor). Divorciados usually come over corn tortillas, but in this case they were separated by a bed of chilaquiles instead.



Antojitos Lolita is located on 16 de Septiembre between Escobedo and E. Zapata.