Family Dinner at Mercado el Mango
The best way to make sure everyone can eat what they want is a food hall.

In what feels like forever, somehow, we all managed to get together for a nice family outing. Including my notoriously reclusive grandmother. It was particularly peculiar that we found a place we could all agree on, where we could all fit, and had something for everyone. Even if we did end up getting nothing but flatbreads.

As usual, I’m getting ahead of myself. 

A couple of us had gone on a short hike, and caught up with the rest of the family who were already comfortably installed at Mercado el Mango. They had stolen all chairs and pushed together all tables posible to accommodate our 10+ group. 

It was quite late by the time we settled in; only one other couple was finishing up, and some of the stands were getting ready to close. We still managed to get our order in: 4 different varieties of flatbreads, of which we ended up getting quite a few of. I lost count after the 5th one.

A Margherita, with dried basil instead of fresh but delicious nonetheless;

A Prosciutto, with prosciutto, fig, arugula, and Gruyère;

A Carnes Frías, with pepperoni, salami, turkey, and Manchego cheese;

And a Vegetariana, with calabacita (squash), portobello, sun dried tomatoes, tempura onions, mozzarella, and ricotta for the base.

I’ve had better Margheritas and Carnes Frías elsewhere, but they were pretty ok. The Prosciutto was pretty tasty, but the real star was the Vegetariana. Not only was it the tastiest of the four, but it is one of the most creative vegetarian pizzas (sorry, flatbreads) I’ve tried before. Like, it was great. We ordered three more. 

True to all the flatbreads, the dough was barely thick enough to hold the multitude of toppings, staying soft near the middle but with a decent crunch around the edges. Satisfying enough to fill the stomachs of six hungry hikers.

Other stands in the market include a Cevichería, a burger and hot dog joint, a Carne Asada grill, a build-your-own snack stand, a sushi place, a healthy living stand, and a chocolate shop (which we did drop by). There are also a few rotating artisan stores, including a textiles and home good shop which was closed when we visited.

Maybe we’ll come back here next time we’re trying to get together.

Mercado El Mango is located at Callejón de los Campesinos #7, Tepoztlán, Morelos, México. They’re open Thursday through Sunday from 1pm to midnight.