Mexican cuisine was named in 2010 by UNESCO as an Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity. Mexico has incredible variety in dishes, ingredients and cultural nuances. The indigenous staples including corn, seafood, turkey, tomato and chili with the Spanish introductions of beef, dairy, pork and rice. The food from the north, central and south differs greatly, this guide will tell you the best foods to try in Mexico City.
Don’t fear if in any mercado or taco stand you get a plate covered in a plastic bag. Mexicans have found a way to maintain hygiene without sometimes proper plumbing. If you do not feel comfortable eating street food, try the restaurants I suggest but don’t leave without trying the best food in Mexico City. If you do want to eat street food then head out to the mercados and eat the best street food Mexico City.
Best Food in Mexico City: 7 things you need to try
Tacos
You cannot leave Mexico without trying the many different iterations of tacos, the most popular food in Mexico. Try tacos al pastor, tacos de suadero, or even better tacos de canasta, one of the many street foods chosen by Mexicans. You can find amazing tacos on many street corners. If you’d rather try from a restaurant you can try Tizoncito in Polanco area (one of the best neighborhoods to stay in Mexico City) or my husband’s favorites Taquería la Susy (Avenida Fortuna, Tepeyac Insurgentes). Try the classic al pastor, or maybe order a gringa (with melted cheese) or de bistec (beef). For those who don’t eat meat, try the nopales or the chicharron de queso.
Near the Zocalo in Mexico City on Francisco I Madero Street you can find one of the most famous, Los Especiales. The small local restaurant is easy to miss, so be on the lookout. First pay for how many tacos you want, there are three different ones so at least get three tacos. Then order uno de cada uno, or one of each, of beans, chicharron (pork grinds with sauce), and potatoes. The tacos de canasta are soft and greasy, a messy and cheap delicious staple of Mexican cuisine.
Always try the sauces scattered around the room, my favorite is the green one with avocado, and don’t forget to add lime!
Quesadillas
There is a constant battle between Mexico City and the rest of the country on what a quesadilla is. We all agree it is either a dobladilla, a folded tortilla, or a fried quesadilla, corn flour in a half moon filled with deliciousness. But does it have to have queso to be a quesadilla?
According to chilangos, those from Mexico City, it does not. So if you want queso be sure to ask for con queso. Try the quesadillas with flor de calabaza (zucchini blossom), mushrooms, huitlacoche, and, of course, the original with just queso.
Try them at Maria Isabel (Av. Emilio Castelar 14, Polanco) where my parents used to go when they were little or at the Mercado la Industrial (Constancia 45, Industrial, G.A.M.) where in any of the stands you can try their quesadillas or any other garnacha (or Mexican street food).
Or you can always stop in Tres Marias off the highway on your way to Acapulco or Cuernavaca and have some here at the many little restaurants. The best one is El Tio Abel.
Barbacoa
Not to be confused with barbecue. Barbacoa is a way of preparing meat to make it savory and rich. In the center of Mexico, barbacoa is normally made from sheep meat. This meat is seasoned with different chilies and sauces and then slow-cooked in a brick oven covered in maguey or banana plants. In traditional settings, this oven is made in a hole in the ground, then covered again with dirt overnight, making the meat juicy and soft.
You can try barbacoa in any of the mercados or head down to Restaurante Arroyo (Insurgentes Sur 4003, Tlalpan) during lunch (3-5:30pm) to enjoy some mariachi music while you eat their most famous dish.
If, like me, you are not a fan of gamey meats, try the cochinita pibil. This southern dish from Yucatan Peninsula is made in the same style, so it is a barbacoa, but from pork seasoned with annatto and citrus. Delicious!
Pozole
Pozole is a rich stew made with corn, pork and chilies. It reminds me of Mexico, of Christmas posadas and of home. It is one of the traditional foods in Mexico. You should definitely try it in Mercado Coyoacan (one of the best markets in Mexico City) or small restaurant specializing in it, like Pozoleria Jalisco (Av. La Fortuna 100, Tepeyac Insurgentes). It is absolutely delicious and my mouth is watering just thinking about it, one of the best foods to try in Mexico City. Do get it with the radishes on top as it adds that thing missing. Don’t overdo the powdered chili that is brought along with it.
Fun fact: Researching the words for maíz pozolero, I came about the term hominy. Apparently there is an English word for corn that is nixtamalizado, corn that has been treated in an alkali process that gives the real tortillas that special flavor!
Nata
I remember in a very small town Guanajuato one summer staying at Doña María’s house, the milk man would ring the doorbell and Maria would run outside with a pan. This pan was filled with milk and then boiled. Boiling it first allowed us to drink it, and. second, it produced nata. Nata is the cream that thickens and congeals when you boil raw milk. You will not get nata from processed and bottled milk.
Nata is delicious! It is the creamy more fabulous cousin of butter. Definitely one of the best foods you will try in Mexico City. You can eat it on normal bread, add a little bit of sugar, or with conchas. Conchas are an amazing Mexican sweet bread (All of our sweet bread is delicious).
My grandma can tell you that the nata at El Cardenal (Av. Paseo de las Palmas 215, Lomas Chapultepec or Centro Historico) is absolutely lick-your fingers worthy. I think she let me have just a tiny teaspoon, I did drink it with their wonderful Mexican hot chocolate. Or go to Maque (Calle Ozulama 4, Hipodromo Condesa) and have their conchas rellenas de nata, you won’t regret it. In both of these restaurants you can get the best breakfast in Mexico City.
Esquites
Is another Mexican antojito that I love having while out and about. Whenever I see a man or woman with a cart with esquites, I have to get some. They are cooked in boiling water and salt with epazote, and served in a little cup. If you order them con todo, they have butter, sour cream, cheese, lime and chili powder.
They are such a staple that they are served in weddings for the tornaboda, or the meal served a couple of hours after the main meal to keep the party going and bellies full.
I would never pay for esquites in a restaurant where they overcharge, instead get them authentically from a market or a street cart.
Tamales and Champurrado
I am sitting here in Rome, dreaming of Mexican food. Especially the food made by my grandma and mom. For every Candelaria, or the day of the Virgin of Candelaria on February 2nd, we celebrate in Mexico with tamales and champurrado.
Tamales are masa (corn flour) filled, and steamed in a corn leaf. The filling can be made of different things like pork, meat, beans, and some are even sweet. They are one of the best foods you can try in Mexico!
The tamale normally is drank with champurrado and atole. Atole is a corn based drink, if you add chocolate it becomes champurrado. This is different than Mexican hot chocolate because hot chocolate does not have masa, even though they both have cinnamon. I normally have a more fish and plant-based diet, but when my grandma makes champurrado, I can’t have enough! It is just a creamy, sweat, warm and comforting drink that tastes like chocolatey home. Try them on the street or in a mercado, as mercados are one of the best places to eat in Mexico City.
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By Dennis Schrader
These are only 7 of the best foods to try in Mexico City. There are so many other foods in Mexico that are worth trying, like tortas de tamal, carnitas, birria. I will dedicate different posts to the different foods of the different regions and states of Mexico, like Morelos and Yucatan, and one to only breakfast foods!
And if you want to try a more upscale Mexican cuisine head to one of my favorite restaurants with what we call comida de autor. They are mostly in the area of Polanco or close by. (Polanco is one of the best neighborhoods in Mexico City to use as a base).
Porfirio’s (Av. Presidente Masaryk 214, Polanco) very lively and loud. $$$
Pujol (Tennyson 133, Polanco) only has a tasting menu and no a-la-carte $$$$
Dulce Patria (Anatole France 100, Polanco) uses traditional ingredients in different and unexpected presentations. $$$
Guzina Oaxaca (Av. Presidente Masaryk 513, Polanco) less expensive and a must try! $$
Carmela y Sal (Torre Virreyes, Calle Pedregal 24, Virreyes) they’re tostadas de mentiras are amazing! $$$
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Wow, all this looks so yum! My tummy’s rumbling even though I literally just had dinner!
My mouth is watering! Mexican food is my FAVORITE! Great post! Mexico City is high on my travel list!
Do visit Mexico City! After years of hating it, I started to see how incredible it really is!
YUM! My mouth is drooling. Foodie blog posts are by far my favorite to read. I would love to go to Mexico right now and eat all of these! I especially want to try the esquites.
I know my mouth was drooling just writing it! I miss esquites so much!