Food

Coatepec punches above its size on food, and it’s a real reason to stay a night rather than day-tripping from Xalapa.

The coffee, first

Obviously. Beyond the espresso drinks, order a café de olla (coffee brewed with cinnamon and piloncillo) or a lechero, the Veracruz milk-and-coffee ritual you pour to taste. A cup runs cheap, roughly 30 to 60 pesos depending on how fancy the café is. Approximate.

What to eat

Veracruz cooking leans coastal and highland at once. Look for:

• Seafood in the mountains. Sounds odd, but the state’s seafood culture reaches up here — you’ll find good fish, and dishes like camarones or fillets in local sauces.
• Regional antojitos. Picadas, gorditas and tamales, especially at the market and morning stalls.
• Trout. Freshwater trout from the highland streams shows up on menus around Coatepec and Xico and is worth ordering.
• Pan and pastries to go with the coffee — the town takes its bakeries seriously.

Where to eat

• The Mercado for the cheapest, most honest meals — a comida corrida at a market fonda runs roughly 80 to 130 pesos and fills you up.
• Sit-down restaurants around the center for the nicer trout, seafood and regional plates; mains commonly land in the 150 to 300 peso range. Approximate.
• Café counters for breakfast — eggs, pan dulce and coffee is the local start to the day.

Skip nothing in particular; this is a town where wandering into a busy place usually works out.