Cholula ★ 4.5
Famous for: Sopa cholulteca, cemitas, bean tamales and traditional cacao
Cholula sits ten minutes west of Puebla and eats differently: sopa cholulteca, orejas de elefante stuffed with beans, and cacao served the old way.
Food destinations within easy reach of Puebla. worth the train, the rental car or the early start.
Worth the trip
Atlixco ★ 4.4
Famous for: Consomé atlixqueño, cecina, tlacoyos and artisanal ice cream
Atlixco is the cecina town of Puebla, its consome loaded with avocado, cheese and chicharron, and in August it runs a cecina fair and an elotada at once.
Cuetzalan ★ 4.3
Famous for: Smoked cecina with mushrooms, tlacoyos de alverjón and pipián ranchero
Cuetzalan is the Sierra Norte food town of Puebla, cooking smoked cecina with wild mushrooms, tlacoyos de alverjon with chiltepin and pipian ranchero.
Zacatlán ★ 4.1
Famous for: Apples, cider, mixiote, mole de guajolote and cheese-filled bread
Zacatlan de las Manzanas grows the apples behind the cider Puebla drinks at Christmas, and its kitchens cook mixiote, mole de guajolote and stuffed bread.
Chignahuapan ★ 4.0
Famous for: Escamoles, barbacoa de hoyo, carnitas and conejo al chiltepín
Chignahuapan cooks escamoles in spring and barbacoa de hoyo year round, roasted in a pit rather than a pot, an hour north of Puebla on a good road.
Xicotepec ★ 3.8
Famous for: Molotes xicotepeños, gorditas in sauce, fresh-fried cecina and coffee
Xicotepec grows coffee in the northern sierra of Puebla and fries molotes xicotepenos smaller and denser than the city version, plus gorditas in sauce.
Huauchinango ★ 3.6
Famous for: Tamales de puñete, miniature taquitos and river trout
Huauchinango sits in the Sierra Norte of Puebla and serves tamales de punete, toasted peanuts and reservoir trout, plus taquitos sold a dozen to the order.