🍽️New to Us: Ajeno in Roma Norte

We recently had a delightful brunch at Ajeno, a small coffee bar and restaurant on Avenida Álvaro Obregón in Roma Norte

Note: We are starting to create short write-ups of places we visit for the first time, places that may or may not eventually be included in our book, 📖Eternal Spring: Our Guide to Mexico City. This is the first.

We woke up too late on Saturday to get tamales at 📲Tamales Doña Emi, so we walked north from our apartment into Roma Norte, searching for brunch. Predictably, 📲Madre Café was packed, and there was a long line of people waiting on the sidewalk to get in. And so we pushed on to Avenida Álvaro Obregón, figuring we'd find something new and interesting there.

We did.

📲Ajeno is a small barre de cafe (coffee bar) and restaurant on the south side of Álvaro Obregón, between Jalapa and Calle Orizaba. It has indoor and outdoor seating, the latter on the sidewalk terrace. The interior is gorgeous, with traditional clay brick arches, and one wall is lined with vinyl records. There's a small bar in the back, behind a DJ station.

There was no DJ when we visited for brunch, but we elected to sit outside for the sun and the people-watching. The brunch menu is small, but there is something for almost anyone, including a few pizza choices. And our server also provided lunch and cocktail menus.

We shared the fruta de temporada (seasonal fruit), which comes with miel (honey) and granola.

I got the croissant de jamón con queso (ham and cheese croissant), which came with a light mustard and ensalada, a small salad with a light vinegar and oil dressing. Both were excellent. The croissant was fresh, and the mustard put the sandwich over the top. And while this is a small thing, many places in the city serve a side salad without any dressing, so I was happy to have that.

Stephanie had the toast de aguacate (avocado toast), which came on a big slab of white bread with avocado, diced tomatoes and onions, salad, and a large, perfectly cooked poached egg.

Ajeno was advertising two-for-one brunch mimosas, so we of course tried a pair. They were small but good, and it was garnished with a raspberry. So we ordered two more. What the heck.

The food and service were both exceptional. Everyone was very friendly, and we enjoyed our visit enough to try it again later, probably outside weekend brunch hours, as we're curious what the vibe is like at night. We were also especially happy to run into a friend we know from another restaurant who is working there now.

We'll be back!