¡Provecho!, short for buen provecho, means “enjoy your meal.” In Mexico, people say it to strangers, to the diners at nearby tables when they leave a restaurant. Matador Network, in a Spanish-language list of Mexican customs, calls it a wish “regalada entre extraños” (given between strangers).
In an article on whether saying provecho is bad manners, the news site Sopitas calls it “una manera sutil de desearle el bienestar a un desconocido” (a subtle way of wishing a stranger well).
¿Qué mala cara has visto? “What bad face have you seen?” The magazine Chilango describes the rule for when a guest gets up to leave. The host asks: “¿Qué? ¿Por qué te vas? ¿A dónde vas que mejor te traten? ¿Qué mala cara has visto?” (What? Why are you leaving? Where are you going where they treat you better? What bad face have you seen?)
The guest must answer: “Noooo, si estaba muy a gusto, lo que pasa es que tengo prisa” (Nooo, I was having a great time, it is just that I am in a hurry). According to the grandparents, Chilango writes, the host keeps acting offended until the guest stays a little longer.
In July 2026, El Imparcial reported on a video that spread on social media. A young man walks into an establishment and says “Buenos días.” Only one man answers, quietly. The young man raises his voice: “¡Buenos días!” Then he says: “Si uno entra y dice buenos días, respondan buenos días” (If someone comes in and says good morning, answer good morning).
His closing comment won over thousands of users. One wrote: “Le dio una clase de educación a todo el local” (He gave the whole place a lesson in manners).
The Mexico City government’s guide for visitors advises a greeting “antes de hacer o decir algo, en cualquier entorno” (before doing or saying anything, in any setting). It is “Buenos días” before 11 a.m. and “Buenas tardes” until nightfall. The guide calls this “algo cultural” (something cultural).
The greeting comes before buying something, on entering an elevator, to taxi drivers, and before asking for directions.
“Cuando llegues, o te vayas, saluda a todos” (When you arrive, or when you leave, greet everyone). This was one rule in a 2013 Chilango list on how to behave in the office.
The greeting is often physical. A 2025 Chilango column describes it: between women, a single kiss on the right cheek, and between men, a hug with a pat on the back.