The cave breakfast

What is the cave breakfast at Teotihuacan?

A sit-down breakfast in a restaurant built inside a natural volcanic cave near the pyramids, served after the balloon lands.

It comes with the all-inclusive or breakfast options on most listings. The van takes you from the landing field to the cave, breakfast takes about half an hour, and some groups get a dance show. A flagship guest: "Breakfast was pretty tasty and they got us out in around 30 minutes." A Gran Vuelo guest: "breakfast in the cave, it was excellent and they had dancers perform."

La Gruta or La Cueva: what is the difference?

La Gruta is the older, larger restaurant behind the Pyramid of the Sun, open to anyone. La Cueva Teotihuacan, in San Juan Teotihuacan, is the cave most balloon itineraries name.

Both are natural caves with tables inside. You don't choose: the tour does.

La Gruta seats up to 500 and takes Visa, Mastercard and American Express. It asks weekend visitors to reserve, with a 10-minute grace period. More background on Wikipedia.

What do you eat at a balloon tour cave breakfast?

Coffee, juice, bread and a hot Mexican plate: chilaquiles or an omelette on most tours, with vegetarian options. Some tours serve a buffet instead.

Guests describe a set menu with two or three choices. A flagship guest: "The breakfast at the cave is beautiful and delicious (chilaquiles or omelets)." Another ate chilaquiles at La Cueva. Gran Vuelo and Globo Tetris guests describe a buffet. A Cielo Azteca guest found "accommodation for those with certain allergies", but check ahead if yours are serious.

The snack before the flight is separate. At the flagship's port it was muffins, cookies and sweet coffee, and one guest warned that the muffins contained nuts.

Is the Teotihuacan cave breakfast worth it?

For the room, yes. For the food, it depends on the morning: guests rate it anywhere from delicious to forgettable.

The praise: "The breakfast at the caves was also amazingly delicious!", "The food at the cave was also very good and a great atmosphere." The other side, from the same listings: "The cave was a cool location to eat breakfast afterwards and service was good, if the food was a bit forgettable." "Breakfast was bland, but the cave was really nice." And on Globo Tetris: "The breakfast buffet was very mediocre; pancakes were cold [...] the buffet breakfast is not worth the extra cost."

Our read: it is a fun 30 minutes in a remarkable space, with ordinary hotel-style food. You are paying for the setting.

A bilingual guide from pickup to landing, a sunrise flight and breakfast in a cave.

★ 4.9 · 3 to 8 hours · from $160

Explore the Cielo Azteca flight → Tour details

Which balloon tours include the cave breakfast?

Only the higher options, never the from-price, except on the two fixed packages that include it outright.

Where breakfast sits on each listing:

One Globo Tetris guest paid for breakfast and wrote that it "was mentioned as part of the tour, but was not provided". A Volar en Globo guest had to hunt for the breakfast they had paid for. Ask the crew at check-in where and when you eat.

What is the shop and tasting stop after breakfast?

A visit to Tlalocan artesanias y experiencias: a talk on agave and obsidian, a tasting of pulque, tequila and mezcal, then a shop. Many guests call it a sales pitch.

It lasts 30 minutes to an hour. Some enjoy it: "we had the opportunity to learn about and taste mezcal, including getting an education on the agave plant, which was such a fun and unexpected part of the day." Others don't: "The tequila tasting was meh, it's your time to shop for souvenirs." One Gran Vuelo guest noted that the shop's goods are cheaper from the vendors inside the zone.

You can sit it out. Nobody makes you buy, and the van leaves on time either way.

Can you eat at La Gruta without a tour?

Yes. La Gruta is a public restaurant, open daily from 8:00 to 18:00, about 200 m from Gate 5 of the zone.

Breakfast runs until about 11:00, then lunch. OpenTable puts its prices in a band of roughly 310 to 500 MXN. The menu is a la carte, with barbacoa and chicken mixiote among the house dishes. Reserve at weekends through lagruta.mx.

This is the move if you book the flight only and stay near the pyramids: land, take a taxi to Gate 5, eat in the cave, then walk into the zone as it fills up.

Fly with Al Sol Globos, then breakfast in the cave on your own terms: 30 to 50 minutes in the air, coffee and a certificate.

★ 4.9 · 1 hour 45 minutes · from $135

Explore the Al Sol Globos flight → Tour details

Should you skip the cave breakfast?

Skip it if you are staying near the pyramids or want more time in the zone. Keep it if you are on the van from Mexico City anyway.

Guests who skip it don't regret it: "Skip the breakfast as it isn't worth it, but the rest was great!", and "I am glad I didn't take the breakfast included". A Globo Tetris guest on the transport-only option was back in town by 10:00.

From the city, the van stops at the cave whatever you choose, and you need to eat after a 4 a.m. start. There the breakfast option makes sense. Read the price guide to see what each option adds.

Frequently asked questions