Restaurants, Cafés and Street Food
Sit-down restaurants in Mexico City generally expect a tip of 10 to 15 percent, usually left in cash on the table or added to the card terminal when you pay. In Roma Norte and Condesa, servers often bring the card reader to the table and ask how much you want to add; saying "diez por ciento" is enough. Many places already add a suggested tip line to the receipt, so read before signing. If a service charge appears as "propina sugerida," it is voluntary.
At cafés in Coyoacán or along Avenida Álvaro Obregón, a 10 percent tip on a 60-peso coffee is normal, though many locals simply leave the coins from the change. Street food stands and market fondas — think Mercado de Medellín or the stalls around San Juan de Letrán — usually do not expect a tip; rounding up to the next 10 or 20 pesos is a friendly gesture. Tip jars exist but are optional.
Hotels: Housekeeping, Bellhops and Concierge
Housekeeping in Mexican hotels is typically tipped 20 to 50 pesos per night, left daily in cash on the bedside table or under a pillow — daily matters because the same person may not clean every day. Bellhops who carry bags to your room usually receive 20 to 50 pesos depending on luggage volume. In business hotels around Mexico City's Paseo de la Reforma or Tijuana's Zona Río, a concierge who books a restaurant or arranges a taxi may appreciate 50 to 100 pesos, but it is discretionary.
At all-inclusive resorts, tips are sometimes folded into the rate, but staff still appreciate small notes for drinks brought to a lounger. A useful habit is to keep a stack of 20- and 50-peso coins and small bills; asking for "sencillo" at a pharmacy or OXXO helps. Tipping in pesos rather than dollars is kinder, since staff avoid exchange losses and can spend the money locally.
Markets, Guides and Everyday Encounters
Guided tours — from the Museo Nacional de Antropología in Chapultepec to a street-food walk through Centro Histórico — usually warrant 10 percent of the tour cost for the guide, given directly at the end. In Tijuana, a guide leading you through the Mercado Hidalgo or the Pasaje Gómez covered market will appreciate a similar gesture. Museum staff and ticket sellers do not expect tips. Baggers at supermarkets, known as empacadores, often work for voluntary tips; 5 to 10 pesos is the norm if they help pack your groceries.
Public restrooms sometimes charge a few pesos for paper or entry, and attendants keep a small dish; 5 pesos is polite. When in doubt, watch what the person ahead of you does. In Mexico City's upscale Polanco, expectations skew higher than in working-class neighbourhoods like Doctores or Iztapalapa, where rounding up is generous enough. The most useful tool is a pocket of small change rather than a rigid percentage rule.