The plates that define Mexico City: what they are, and where to eat the canonical version.
The plates that define Mexico City. what they are, where they came from, and where to eat the canonical version.
Adobo-marinated pork shaved off a vertical trompo, served on a small corn tortilla with a sliver of pineapple, raw onion, fresh cilantro and a wedge of lime. Mexico City's defining street food, invented in the late 1930s.
Where: El Huequito, El Tizoncito, El Vilsito, Tacos El Califa de Leon, El Califa Condesa
Price: MXN 25 to 35 per taco
A complex Puebla-rooted sauce of 20-plus ingredients including chiles anchos, mulatos, pasilla and chipotle, almonds, peanuts, sesame, raisins, cinnamon, cloves, anise, plantain and Mexican chocolate. Served over turkey or chicken.
Where: Azul Historico, Nicos, Cafe de Tacuba, El Cardenal
Price: MXN 220 to 380
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.
Where: El Cardenal, Azul Historico, San Angel Inn, Nicos
Price: MXN 300 to 550
Steamed corn masa parcels wrapped in corn husk or banana leaf, filled with chicken in mole, pork in red or green salsa, rajas con queso or sweet versions with strawberry. Eaten with atole for breakfast.
Where: Tamales Dona Emi, El Cardenal, Cafe de Tacuba, Azul Historico
Price: MXN 25 to 60 per tamal
A hominy-corn soup with pork or chicken, garnished at the table with shredded lettuce or cabbage, sliced radish, lime, dried oregano, ground chile and crisp tostadas. Comes in white, red and green varieties.
Where: Casa de Tono, Cafe de Tacuba, El Cardenal, El Bajio Polanco
Price: MXN 130 to 240
Hand-pressed oval cakes of blue or yellow corn masa stuffed with frijol refrito or requeson, cooked on a comal and topped with nopales, queso fresco, salsa verde and chopped onion. Pre-Hispanic street food.
Where: Tlacoyos Dona Jose, Expendio de Maiz Sin Nombre, Molino El Pujol, Mercado de Coyoacan
Price: MXN 35 to 75 per tlacoyo
Sweet white corn kernels boiled with epazote and salt, served in styrofoam cups with mayonnaise, cotija cheese, chile piquin powder, fresh lime juice and the smoky depth of charred kernel.
Where: Esquites Don Fermin, Mercado de Coyoacan, Mercado Roma, Mercado Jamaica
Price: MXN 40 to 75 per cup
A crisp fried corn tortilla topped with chipotle mayo, sliced raw yellowfin tuna, sliced avocado, fried leeks and a chipotle reduction. Mexico City's most-copied modern dish, invented at Contramar in 1998.
Where: Contramar
Price: MXN 95 per tostada
Crisp fried ribbed dough piped from a churrera and dusted with sugar, served with a thick cup of Mexican hot chocolate for dipping. Late-night street food and breakfast dish.
Where: Churreria El Moro
Price: MXN 95 for 4 churros with chocolate
Adobo-marinated pork shaved off a vertical trompo, served on a small corn tortilla with a sliver of pineapple, raw onion, fresh cilantro and a wedge of lime. Mexico City's defining street food, invented in the late 1930s.
History: Lebanese-Mexican immigrants brought the Levantine shawarma technique to Mexico City in the 1920s to 1940s, replacing lamb with pork marinated in adobo of guajillo, achiote and pineapple juice. The trompo stack and the pineapple finish became the signature in the late 1930s; El Tizoncito on Tamaulipas (1966) claims to have invented the modern small-tortilla version. El Huequito (1959) was an even earlier operation on Ayuntamiento. The 2024 Michelin Guide recognised El Califa de Leon on Ribera de San Cosme as the world's first taqueria to earn a Michelin star.
Where to try it: El Huequito, El Tizoncito, El Vilsito, Tacos El Califa de Leon, El Califa Condesa
A complex Puebla-rooted sauce of 20-plus ingredients including chiles anchos, mulatos, pasilla and chipotle, almonds, peanuts, sesame, raisins, cinnamon, cloves, anise, plantain and Mexican chocolate. Served over turkey or chicken.
History: Mole poblano was created in the 17th century by the nuns of the Convento de Santa Rosa in Puebla, when Sor Andrea de la Asuncion is said to have invented the dish to honour the visiting Archbishop. The Puebla original recipe runs about 30 ingredients and takes a day to make. The dish migrated to Mexico City through the colonial era and is now the canonical Sunday lunch across the capital. Azul Historico, Nicos and Cafe de Tacuba run some of the city's most respected versions.
Where to try it: Azul Historico, Nicos, Cafe de Tacuba, El Cardenal
Watch out for: Tree nuts, Sesame
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.
History: 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 try it: El Cardenal, Azul Historico, San Angel Inn, Nicos
Watch out for: Tree nuts, Dairy
Steamed corn masa parcels wrapped in corn husk or banana leaf, filled with chicken in mole, pork in red or green salsa, rajas con queso or sweet versions with strawberry. Eaten with atole for breakfast.
History: Tamales date to Pre-Hispanic Mesoamerica, originally a portable food for the Aztec army made from nixtamalised corn masa wrapped in corn husks. Spanish lard transformed the texture after 1521. The modern Mexico City tamal includes the corn-husk style of the highlands and the banana-leaf style brought from Veracruz and Oaxaca. The Feria del Tamal runs every January 29 to February 2 at the Museo Nacional de Culturas Populares in Coyoacan for Candelaria.
Where to try it: Tamales Dona Emi, El Cardenal, Cafe de Tacuba, Azul Historico
A hominy-corn soup with pork or chicken, garnished at the table with shredded lettuce or cabbage, sliced radish, lime, dried oregano, ground chile and crisp tostadas. Comes in white, red and green varieties.
History: Pozole is a Pre-Hispanic ceremonial soup dating to the Aztec era; the word comes from the Nahuatl pozolli (foamy). Originally made with the meat of sacrificed prisoners, the dish became pork after the Spanish arrival. Three regional styles dominate: blanco (Mexico City and the central highlands), rojo (Jalisco and Sinaloa) and verde (Guerrero, with pumpkin seeds). Today pozole is the Thursday lunch ritual across Mexico City, served from late afternoon at fondas and pozolerias citywide.
Where to try it: Casa de Tono, Cafe de Tacuba, El Cardenal, El Bajio Polanco
Hand-pressed oval cakes of blue or yellow corn masa stuffed with frijol refrito or requeson, cooked on a comal and topped with nopales, queso fresco, salsa verde and chopped onion. Pre-Hispanic street food.
History: Tlacoyos are a Pre-Hispanic dish dating to the Aztec era, originally made on the comal griddle from nixtamalised corn masa stuffed with the same wild beans, fava beans or chickpeas. The name comes from the Nahuatl tlatlaoyo (corn cake). The blue-corn version comes from the heirloom maize varieties of Tlaxcala and Estado de Mexico that still survive at Mercado de San Juan and Tlacoyos Dona Jose. Modern restaurants like Expendio de Maiz have built modern Mexican cuisine around this canonical dish.
Where to try it: Tlacoyos Dona Jose, Expendio de Maiz Sin Nombre, Molino El Pujol, Mercado de Coyoacan
Sweet white corn kernels boiled with epazote and salt, served in styrofoam cups with mayonnaise, cotija cheese, chile piquin powder, fresh lime juice and the smoky depth of charred kernel.
History: Esquites comes from the Nahuatl izquitl (toasted corn) and dates to Pre-Hispanic Mexico, where toasted maize was the traveller's food. The modern version uses fresh white corn boiled with the wild herb epazote and finished hot with mayonnaise, cotija and chile. The dish dominates the late afternoon and early evening across Mexico City sidewalks, from cart counters in Hipodromo Condesa to market vendors in Coyoacan, Roma and Jamaica.
Where to try it: Esquites Don Fermin, Mercado de Coyoacan, Mercado Roma, Mercado Jamaica
Watch out for: Egg, Dairy
A crisp fried corn tortilla topped with chipotle mayo, sliced raw yellowfin tuna, sliced avocado, fried leeks and a chipotle reduction. Mexico City's most-copied modern dish, invented at Contramar in 1998.
History: The tuna tostada was created in 1998 by Gabriela Camara at Contramar on Calle Durango in Roma Norte, when she retro-engineered the simple coastal Mexican tostada with raw tuna, chipotle mayo and fried leeks. The dish became the city's most-copied modern Mexican dish and has been the Contramar lunch order since. Contramar is recognised in the 2024 Michelin Guide Mexico City selection.
Where to try it: Contramar
Watch out for: Fish, Egg, Gluten
Crisp fried ribbed dough piped from a churrera and dusted with sugar, served with a thick cup of Mexican hot chocolate for dipping. Late-night street food and breakfast dish.
History: Churros came to Mexico from Spain in the colonial era; the Mexican version is shorter and more tightly ribbed than the Spanish original. Churreria El Moro opened in 1935 on Eje Central in the Centro Historico and runs 24 hours a day, with four chocolate styles for dipping (Mexican, Spanish, French and the thick chocolate especial). The 24-hour churro-and-chocolate stop is a Mexico City institution.
Where to try it: Churreria El Moro
Watch out for: Gluten, Dairy
Peak food season in Mexico City is year-round.
Local dining hours: lunch around 12:30, dinner from 19:30.
service is typically included; small extra is welcome but not expected.
If you only have one meal, eat Tacos al pastor. It is the dish most associated with Mexico City.