Tacos Providencia ★ 4.1
Tacos Providencia in Guadalajara is the Avenida Pablo Neruda late-night taqueria, a Providencia favourite for al pastor and suadero past 03:00 nightly.
Try: Tacos al pastor
History
Tacos al pastor descend from the shawarma tradition brought by Lebanese and Syrian immigrants to Mexico in the early 20th century. The Mexican adaptation replaced the lamb with achiote-marinated pork, kept the vertical trompo spit and added pineapple to the top of the cone. Mexico City claims invention in the 1960s, but Tapatio late-night taquerias developed their own style: smaller trompos, more chile-de-arbol salsa and a slice of pineapple per taco. Tacos Providencia and Los Pinches Tacos are the canonical Guadalajara late-night addresses.
Common allergens: Wheat (some tortillas)
Make it at home
Ingredients
- 800 g pork shoulder, sliced thin (3 mm)
- 3 guajillo chiles, seeded
- 2 ancho chiles, seeded
- 3 garlic cloves
- 1 tbsp achiote paste
- 2 tbsp white vinegar
- 1 tsp dried oregano
- 1 tsp cumin
- 1 tsp salt
- Juice of 1 orange
- 1/2 fresh pineapple, peeled, in 5 mm slices
- 16 small corn tortillas
- Chopped white onion, cilantro and lime for serving
- Chile-de-arbol salsa for serving
Method
- Toast the chiles, soak in hot water 15 minutes, then blend with garlic, achiote, vinegar, oregano, cumin, salt and orange juice into a smooth marinade.
- Coat the sliced pork in the marinade and refrigerate at least 3 hours (overnight is better).
- Heat a heavy skillet over high heat. Cook the pork in batches until charred at the edges, about 4 minutes per batch.
- Char the pineapple slices in the same pan, then dice.
- Chop the pork finely.
- Warm the tortillas on a comal, fill with pork, top with diced pineapple, chopped onion, cilantro, lime juice and chile-de-arbol salsa.
Tip from the editors. A home oven broiler under a vertical skewer setup approximates the trompo. Otherwise, the high-heat skillet char gets close enough.
This is the TableJourney editorial recipe, modelled on the canonical bistro / counter version. The first place to try the dish in its city of origin is below.
Where to eat tacos al pastor (tapatio)
Tacos al pastor (Tapatio) in Guadalajara
Los Pinches Tacos ★ 4.0
Los Pinches Tacos in Guadalajara is the Avenida Vallarta late-night taqueria, a Lafayette favourite for al pastor and quesadilla con queso past 03:00 nightly.
Try: Tacos al pastor
More cities are in research. Want tacos al pastor (tapatio) covered somewhere specific? Tell us where you want to eat.