Chiles en nogada is a signature dish of Mexico; we have verified places to eat it in Mexico City and Puebla. A roasted poblano chile stuffed with picadillo of pork, beef, apple, pear, peach, almonds and raisins, topped with a creamy walnut sauce and pomegranate seeds.
Chiles en nogada · Mexico City
A roasted poblano chile stuffed with picadillo of pork, beef, apple, pear, peach, almonds and raisins, topped with a creamy walnut sauce and pomegranate seeds. The green, white and red colors echo the Mexican flag.
Chiles en nogada were created in 1821 by the Augustinian nuns of the Convento de Santa Monica in Puebla, in honour of Agustin de Iturbide passing through after the signing of the Plan de Iguala. The dish's three colors match the Mexican tricolor flag, which is why the dish is the patriotic-season specialty served late July through early September. The 1821 origin is documented and the dish is now obligatory across Mexico City's traditional Mexican kitchens during the patriotic season.
Where to eat in Mexico City:
- El Cardenal
- Azul Historico
- San Angel Inn
- Nicos
Where to eat Chiles en nogada in Mexico City: the editor picks
Chiles en nogada · Puebla
A roasted poblano chile stuffed with sweet and savoury picadillo, covered in a cream of fresh criollo walnuts and finished with pomegranate seeds and parsley. Strictly a seasonal dish.
The plate is tied to 1821 and the signing of the Treaty of Cordoba, and its green, white and red are read as the Mexican flag. What matters more for eating it is the calendar: the criollo walnut and the pomegranate both ripen in the Puebla valley between July and September, and outside those months the nogada is made with dried or imported nuts and loses its point. Atlixco, forty minutes from the city, runs a nogada route through the season with kitchens across the town taking part. In Puebla, El Mural de los Poblanos, Augurio, Casareyna, La Noria and Salon Mezcalli all put it on when the walnuts arrive and take it off when they stop.
Where to eat in Puebla:
- El Mural de los Poblanos
- Augurio
- Restaurante Casareyna
- Restaurante La Noria
- Salón Mezcalli
Where to eat Chiles en nogada in Puebla: the editor picks