Eating BIG in Mexico City Pt. 3

Eating like a local:
Regional food specialties
- Ciudad de Mexico

I spent four nights in Mexico City this past April after attending a bachelor party in Cabo San Lucas (report coming soon). I figured if I was going to go to Cabo I might as well go somewhere else that was a little more desirable as far as travel in Mexico goes. Well it’s tough to get more interesting than Mexico City - one of the world’s great cities not just for food but for exploring too.

Pics from Mexico City

This was my fourth trip to North Americas largest city. I don’t rank my best food cities in order as it’s pretty much a preference when it comes to liking a place like London or Paris better. But what can’t be debated is the greatness of the world’s best food cities of which Mexico City is without a doubt included. Simply put it’s one of my favorite food cities in the world with few if any true weaknesses. You can get some of the best street food here as well as interesting chef driven world class dishes. It’s always a good idea to mix it up as far as these type of spots go. I will always give a slight preference to the mom and pop stands that have served their neighborhoods for multiple generations but good food knows no limits in this city despite what a recent article in the NYT might say.

Pics from Mexico City
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Mixiotes Garrido Estilo Hidalgo

We arrived in Mexico City on an early Tuesday morning. Unfortunately my friend who I was traveling with was feeling sick (as were others from our group in Cabo). But we had to wait to check into our Airbnb so we dropped off the luggage and walked over to the Tianguis Condesa which is an open air market every Tuesday in the hip and happening Condesa neighborhood. There’s an excellent taco stand here ran by a family from Hidalgo that takes the 80 minute drive into CDMX each week. They sell lamb mixiote - a traditional pit-barbecue meat dish popular in central Mexico, in which the meat is cooked inside a wrapper, traditionally in the outer skin of an agave leaf. Mark my words readers, these mixiote tacos are some of the best tacos in all of Mexico City. If I’m in town on a Tuesday this place is a must for me. I think I’ve been here every visit to town that I've made. Unfortunately I fell ill about a half hour after eating here and me and my buddy had to post up at a park and wait to get into our Airbnb where we passed out for the rest of the day. Note: it was very likely a touristy spot in Cabo that got us sick, as a handful of others from our group were also sick. I should've known better. 

Lamb Mixiote Taco at The Tianguis Condesa Market
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Canton Mexicali

After passing out for the rest of the day and night we woke up the next day feeling a bit better after my buddy went to the local Farmacia to get us some meds. After that we walked over to Koots Canna for some herbal remedies. FYI cannabis is legal for medicinal purposes and decriminalized for recreational use in Mexico City, and there’s a full blown dispensary that may or may not be licensed although it’s temporarily closed according to Google. The flower that we got at Koots really saved us as we were both feeling much better after smoking and we started to develop an appetite too. Chinese food seemed like a good move as far as eating and we were off to Canton Mexicali, a popular Chinese restaurant named after the Baja California capital that’s home to Mexico’s largest Chinese contingent. The Chinese food in Mexicali is similar to American Chinese but with Mexican influence - think jalapeños in the fried rice and so forth. Canton Mexicali is serving up that style of Chinese food and locals are loving it as this place stays busy. We kept our order rather tame as we weren’t fully recovered but a bowl of Dan Dan, spicy wontons, and fried rice had us feeling better.

Mexicali Chinese food at Canton Mexicali
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TACOS METEORO

Every time I visit Mexico City I come with a list of new and hot taco spots that I want to check out. I keep it handy when walking around and if we happen to pass by any of them I’ll make a stop out of it. That’s how we ended up at Tacos Meteoro in Roma. They serve up traditional Yucatecan-style tacos including a taco de trompo yucateco that grabbed my attention when I was doing a bit of research. I also liked that they only had five total tacos on the menu. I tried the trompo taco and the taco de lechon made with slow roasted piglet and both of them hit the spot. The trompo was super small and the slices were tiny too but as to be expected at a Yucatecan taco spot the salsa bar was stellar.

Yucatecan Tacos at TACOS METEORO
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Fideos Chinos 

By the time dinner time had rolled around my friend wasn’t all that hungry so I pulled out my map and took a look at what was nearby with this Chinese noodle shop being that nights winner. Asian food is really booming in Mexico City right now and I had quite a few spots on my to try list including this Chinese noodle specialist that for some reason calls their bowls of noodles ramen. For those wondering why I would eat Asian food in Mexico City well I eat Asian food all the time and also bc a bowl of noodle soup sounded exactly like what I needed as far as getting better goes. This was a really well made bowl of noodle soup with both the broth and the noodles being better than expected.

Chinese Noodles at Fideos Chinos
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El Remolkito de Sirloin

When my friend decided to call it a day I started to get a bit of FOMO (fear of missing out) and decided I would go check out one of the newly opened taco spots on my list with El Remolkito de Sirloin not too far from our Airbnb. They’re serving up tacos de trompo de sirloin which are all the rage in Mexico City these days. Trompo de Sirloin is the beef version of al pastor and I counted more than eight cones of spinning meat in action at El Remolkito on my visit which was a bit later in the night so there was only like a 10 minute wait granted I was all by myself. I ordered two tacos de sirloin with corn tortillas plus one on flour with cheese. The tacos were delivered with a killer salsa tray that included a bunch of awesome condiment toppings too. The meat for these is sliced fresh to order by one of countless taqueros working in the open air kitchen. Great taste and texture on these.

Tacos de Sirloin and Salsas at El Remolkito
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Tacos de Canasta Los Especiales

We were each feeling much better by our third day in town and we were up early to go check out the Centro Histórico district which is the city’s beating heart. We had no idea that 1000’s of locals would also me making their way over there as it was May 1st aka May Day - a public holiday in Mexico celebrated on May 1st every year in commemoration of workers' unions. The area was packed with tons of different union groups from all over Mexico and many of them had the same idea as us - tacos de canasta for breakfast. As this was my friend’s first trip to Mexico City I made sure to take him to quite a few of the classics and Tacos de Canasta Los Especiales is among the city’s most iconic taco stops. They’re known for their “basket tacos” which are corn tortillas stuffed with stews like tinga, potatoes, or beans, that are fried by dumping a bunch of hot oil on top of them and they’re left to sit and seep up all the oil feeding a ton of flavor in the process. The tacos are then kept warm in a basket for serving. Los Especiales has been serving up tacos de canasta for more than four decades and they sell over 40,000 a day so you can imagine how busy this place was on what’s one of the busiest days of the year in Centro Histórico. That said we just beat the rush but if you do meet a line do know they move it fast. They only offer four types of tacos de canasta so I always get one of each and load them up with the incredible avocado salsa sitting in massive jugs for customers to add as they please. These tacos always hit the spot and are especially good if you drank too much the night before.

Tacos de Canasta at Tacos de Canasta Los Especiales
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Mercado de Jamaica

Next move was to take my friend to my favorite market in town - the Mercado de Jamaica aka the flower market. This lively market is packed with fresh flowers, colorful fruit, and one of the best tacos in town too. I’m by no means a floraphile but like most people I find flowers to be pretty and smell good too and you’ve likely never seen as many as you will at the city’s flower market. It’s truly a sight (and smell) to behold. But truth be told I always come here specifically for the green chorizo taco at a popular food stall inside the market. You can find this life changing taco at a stand called Las Más Altas Montañas however they do not have a sign so instead you’re looking for the food stand with a yellow awning. It’s ran by a man from Toluca, a city located about an hour west of DF that’s well known for its chorizo. Each day of the week, except Tuesday, the owner and his staff make the trip from Toluca to DF to set up shop at the market. Red chorizo, blood sausage, and cecina are all options but the green chorizo is why I come here every time I’m in town. Chilangos come from every direction far and wide to buy meats which are sold raw by the kilo and also tacos too. Green chorizo gets it color from a bunch of herbs used when stuffing the pork. It’s also loaded with pine nuts, peanuts and almonds which are what give green chorizo its unique taste and crunch. The salsas here are also spot on so add whatever looks good and get ready to experience taco nirvana upon first bite.

Tacos de Chorizo Verde at the Mercado de Jamaica
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Tacos el Paisa "Lengua"

My buddy loves lengua (cow tongue) so I did a lil digging and dug up a working man’s stand said to have some of the best tacos de Cabeza and lengua in town. It’s a little corner cart called ‘Tacos El Paisa’ on Google but there’s tons of spots that have that name in some form or fashion so it seems like the locals call this stand ‘Tacos El Paisa Lengua’ but the address is basically Tehuantepec 56B in Roma Sur so it’s easy to find. Just look for the stand with the line that starts forming before they open at 5:30 in the afternoon on every day but Sunday. I could tell those in line with us were all locals, some of whom were finishing their work day while others that were just starting it. I must admit the tacos de cabeza were different then what I was expecting and not the more typical finely chopped meat that I'm used to. But one taco here is more like 3 or 4 as you get a plate loaded with meat and a few tortillas on top to eat it with. I feel like this place is about as local as you can get in these parts.

Tacos de Cabeza at Tacos El Paisa
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Taqueria Los Parados

Taqueria Los Parados was the second stop of a pre-dinner taco crawl consisting of a couple spots that were on the route we were walking. I’d been here before as this was actually the first place I ever tried tacos de trompo de sirloin on my first trip to the city back in 2017. Some people say Los Parados was the first spot to serve beef trompo tacos in Mexico City but we were here for their tacos de arracharra which those in the know say are the best steak tacos in CDMX. These are made with real skirt steak that’s grilled over a live fire before being chopped and crisped up on a hot flattop and you can immediately taste the quality of the beef upon first bite. Believe it or not skirt steak isn’t all that common with steak tacos in Mexico so these cost a little more than the normal steak tacos made with bistec. It’s well worth the small upcharge as we both agreed these were outstanding steak tacos.

Tacos de Arracharra at Taqueria Los Parados
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Voraz

We met a friend of mine from the food world who lives in Mexico City for dinner at a hot and trending place called Voraz. My buddy is from the Chicagoland area originally but now lives with his Chilango wife in Mexico City where he runs a popular pizza place. We had both heard things about Voraz so we decided we would meet up for some food and drink and catching up as this would be the first time we crossed paths since the last time I was in Mexico City back in 2022. Voraz is a self described “Gastro Cantina” working out of a an old mechanics garage in Roma Sur. The menu leans into the food and flavors of Northern Mexico where head chef Emiliano Padilla is originally from. This is a great place to go with a group as the menu is very shareable and there’s some very lively vibes on the inside where there's an open air kitchen utilizing an open fire cooking technique. We sat outside where the restaurant where the surrounding area felt like we could be at a bistro somewhere in Paris. The food however was not mistakable for somewhere in Paris as this was real Mexican food executed at the level of a well trained chef and while there’s plenty of well trained chefs in Paris there’s no such thing as good Mexican food there. All three of us agreed this was a very good meal. I don’t recall there being a dud in the bunch but if I had to pick I would say the fried oyster Gordita was my favorite bite of the meal. That said the McAllen taco, a chef driven crispy taco, was also really, really good.

French lettuce salad with avocado dressing. Topped with toasted beef machaca, cured egg yolk, and Cotija cheese foam

Taco with flour tortilla on the outside and crispy corn inside, intense cheddar cheese sauce, marinated black angus, onion caramelized with mezcal, lettuce and pico de gallo. Accompanied by sauce morita's tatemada


Wood-fired broccoli rabe with epazote butter and chile piquin, served with roasted pumpkin seed milk, hoja santa oil, fried corn powder, and pasteurized egg yolk

Freshly made butter flour gordita filled with fried oysters, avocado, and a celery salad with mizuna and herbal mayonnaise

Baja California rockfish, grilled with garlic butter. Served over black recado emulsion. Finished with tortilla ash and seaweed. Accompanied by charred avocado and tortillas
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Tacos del Valle

As I had mentioned earlier Tacos de Trompo de Sirloin are very popular in Mexico City right now. The trend comes from Monterrey which seems to be a place that heavily influences Mexico City’s taco scene these days. There’s been a handful of Monterrey taco spots to open locations in Mexico City of late. Tacos del Valle in Roma Norte is as popular as any of them or at least it was when we were there in April - food trends can die as fast they rise in CDMX. That said the product here was very good with not one but three different types of tacos de trompo on offer as well as eight different salsas ranging from mild to extra hot. For the tacos de trompo they make a classic with pork belly slathered in red adobo, a carne asada trompo, and a black pork belly version coated in a carbonized-chile rub. They’re all slivered to order and stuffed into very good corn tortillas that were being made by an older lady right in front of us at the taco bar. The charro beans were also of note - some of the best I’ve had.

Trompo Orden Mixta at Tacos Del Valle
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Taquería El Jarocho

On our final day we struck out at a favorite street food stand of mine that was randomly closed but that opened up the door for Taquería El Jarocho which I hadn’t visited before this. El Jarocho is a colorful spot known for their tacos guisados which they’ve been serving up since 1947. The tacos options here are abundant with tacos de milanesa soaked in salsa morita being a big seller so that was an easy call for me while my buddy got the Veracruz style lengua guisado taco. I can’t believe this was my first time here as these were outstanding tacos that I’ll be adding to my regular rotation.

Tacos de Guisado at Taquería El Jarocho
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El Hildalguense

Speaking of regular spots in the rotation we managed to get over to El Hildalguense as it happened to be a Friday which meant it was one of the three days of the week this iconic barbacoa restaurant is open, Saturday and Sunday being the others. El Hildalguense is named after Hidalgo, the state where lamb mutton is pit roasted for barbacoa. Both the sheep and the goat are rubbed down with salt, wrapped in maguey leaves, and buried underground with coals and left to roast overnight. The meat is trucked into DF from Hidalgo and you can order it by weight or get a taco plate made with thick blue corn tortillas and served with salsa, white onion, cilantro, and avocado. An order of consommé is considered an essential part of the meal. Both tacos and salsas were as good as I remembered them to be. If you’re in town over the weekend I wound consider El Hildalguense to be an absolute must.

Barbacoa Tacos at El Hildalguense
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Comal Oculto

We had a lovely little lunch at Comal Oculto where the focus is heirloom corn in many forms. First up was the flauta ahogada which tasted even better than it looks - a chicken flauta is smothered in salsa verde and mole both of which melded so well together. Then there’s the enmolada which is similar to an enchilada except it’s covered in mole which in this case was one of the most complex versions I’ve come across as one bite it was sweet and the next bite it was savory - just so, so good. Lastly I knew I had to try the Taco Chamorro as 1) it came rec’d by a friend in the food world and 2) I watched a guy pull up on a bike and drop off a bag of pristinely cut pork shanks. All of this was made in a kitchen that can fit 3-4 people max. Safe to say this place is great but be prepared to wait as there’s only 14 seats and people are there to try a few dishes each so it’s not quick like a street food stand even though you do eat in the street. After lunch we took a stroll thru the San Miguel Chapultepec neighborhood and it’s a really lovely area that I will try to explore more of the next time I’m in Mexico City.

Flauta Ahogada


Taco Chamorro


Enmolada at Comal Oculto
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Estadio Alfredo Harp Helú

My friend and I have hit up a few baseball games over the years while traveling and we decided to add the Estadio Alfredo Harp Helú to our list of stadiums visited. That’s where the Diablos Rojos del México aka the Mexico Red Devils play their home games in the Mexican League. The Red Devils have won a record 18 league championships and are a popular draw when they play. hey currently feature former New York Yankee Robinson Cano at second base. We got tickets online and took an uber over there which was unfortunately during the height of rush hour thus it took at least an hour to go what was only 10 or so miles. But the experience was worth it as both the play on the field and the food in the stands was fun. We tried a bunch of things including the stadiums most popular and well known food offering, tacos de Cochinita, which were so much better than your typical stadium food.

Food and Beisbol at Estadio Alfredo Harp Helú
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Tacos al Pastor and Vulcans at Tacos El Vilsito

After the game we had one final stop in the taco rich Narvarte neighborhood, or rather two final stops in one swoop. First up was Tacos El Vilsito which for me serves up the best tacos al pastor in Mexico City and the world by extension. Believe it or not there’s not an unlimited number of great taco al pastor options in DF. There’s more here than just about anywhere but not all trompo cones are created equal. Many sit untended for hours and those are the ones you want to avoid. The best tacos al pastor spots aren’t hidden bc the best al pastor comes from a constant crowd of customers resulting in a spit of pork that’s always being tended too. Tacos El Vilsito is open until 1a and it stays pretty busy during the evening hours which is when I like to go. I always get a few tacos al pastor con todo which includes cilantro, onion, pineapple and salsa and are sliced to order. My other go-to item here is the Vulcan al Pastor which is a crisped up corn tortilla that's grilled and not fried resulting in a crisp but semi chewy tortilla that's loaded up with fresh sliced al pastor and tons of melted cheese. Tacos Tony is right across the street and they're popular for their tacos de suadero which is Mexico City's other claim to fame in Mexican gastronomy. Suadero comes from cuts of beef that are fried and chopped to order and it's just as good as al pastor. Some have said they noticed a decline in Tacos Tony which now has a full fledged sit-down spot across the street from their original stand. Sure there's better suadero out there but not paired in an easy 1-2 punch like this. That's it for this trip!

Tacos de Suadero at Tacos Tony
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See ya next time @chibbqking

Click HERE from my Google Maps Guide to Mexico City