History

The pelona is the most Pueblan sandwich after the cemita and the least exported. The roll goes into hot fat whole, which turns the crust brittle and slightly greasy in a way that would be a fault anywhere else and is the whole appeal here. It is then split, spread with refried beans, filled with shredded beef or chicken, and finished with lettuce, salsa and a heavy spoon of crema. Antojitos Acapulco on 5 Poniente fries them to order for around thirty pesos, and Comal on 16 de Septiembre serves a tidier version at about forty-nine.

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Oaxaca

Guided tour · 2h 30m

Oaxaca: Food and Markets Tour

Taste the real traditional food at Oaxaca's markets, which are some of the best places to try traditional Oaxacan cuisine. Try local Oaxacan food and...

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Common allergens: Gluten, Dairy

Make it at home

Yield Makes 4Hands-on 25 minTotal 40 minDifficulty Easy

Ingredients

  • 4 small bolillo or crusty white rolls
  • 300g beef brisket, cooked and shredded
  • 200g refried black beans
  • 1 little gem lettuce, shredded
  • 150ml crema or soured cream
  • Red salsa to taste
  • Oil for deep frying

Method

  1. Heat oil to 180C and fry the whole rolls for about ninety seconds, turning, until the crust is dark gold and hard.
  2. Drain on a rack for a minute so the outside sets.
  3. Warm the refried beans and the shredded beef separately.
  4. Split each roll most of the way through and spread the inside with beans.
  5. Fill with beef, then lettuce, then salsa, and finish with a heavy spoon of cold crema.
  6. Serve at once, while the bread is still hot enough to steam against the cream.

Tip from the editors. Fry the rolls whole rather than split. Splitting first lets the oil into the crumb and you end up with a greasy sandwich instead of a crisp shell.

Where to eat pelonas

Pelonas in Puebla

Antojitos Acapulco ★ 4.2

$ Street foodCentro Historico

Antojitos Acapulco is a narrow 5 Poniente counter in Puebla frying molotes and pelonas, plus tacos de canasta, from mid-morning until eleven at night.

TryMolotes and pelonas

Directions

Comal ★ 4.4

$$ PueblanCentro HistoricoUntil 00:00 daily

Comal looks straight at Puebla cathedral from 16 de Septiembre, cooking blue-corn chilaquiles, chanclas, pelonas and mole poblano from breakfast to midnight.

TryChanclas and mole poblano

TipThe kitchen runs to midnight seven days a week, which is unusual for a Centro dining room of this quality.

Directions

Antojitos Tomy ★ 4.3

$ PueblanCentro Historico

Antojitos Tomy on 5 Poniente is where Puebla eats cemita poblana, chanclas and chalupas at one counter, from nine in the morning until nine at night.

OrderCemita poblana, chanclas and chalupas ordered as one round.

TipThe cemita poblana here is genuinely large, so order one between two before adding the chalupas.

Directions

Antojitos Mellos ★ 4.2

$$ PueblanLos Remedios

Antojitos Mellos is the weekend mole and pipian stop in Barrio de los Remedios, Puebla, with pozole and mole de panza on the board the rest of the week.

Why locals goWeekend-only mole and pipián in Barrio de los Remedios, far enough from the Zocalo that the queue stays local.

TipMole and pipián are cooked on Saturday and Sunday only, so a weekday visit gets pozole and mole de panza instead.

Directions

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