Mercado Clavería

The Mercado Clavería is tiny. It’s one of the most fortunately positioned of all neighborhood markets in Azcapotzalco, if not the entire city. The main commercial drag, adorable as it is, is directly to the north. That’s the calle Clavería with shops, eateries, and a few bars. It’s eclectic and cool.

To the south is the Patio Clavería. That’s the neighborhood shopping center. It’s compact and hardly over-bearing unlike lots of suburban shopping malls. And so the market occupies a happy middle ground, both literally and figuratively. Customers get everything they want under one roof, but without the monopoly pricing and exclusion. The food reflects that liberty.

A 2017 UAM study counted just 95 merchants in the Mercado Clavería. Among all of them, a few mom-and-pop eateries make it the hands down choice for food. Menus here have fewer photos, but that’s cause they change. The food is fresh, seasonal, tasty, and you pay a lot less too. You’re also supporting independent small businesses and, yes, farmers.

Across Irapuato, the shops continue. But the neighborhood is conscious of it past reputation for impassable tianguis. Today’s street vendors are a bit more subdued. The result is a sidewalk strolling experience that’s not as bruising.