Tacos are the national dish of Mexico, dating back to the Mexican silver mines of the 18th century, when the word taco referred to gunpowder that was wrapped in a piece of paper and inserted into rocks. It was used to excavate the precious ore from mines and was called tacos de minero or miner's tacos. Today, the word is widely known to signify the leading street food and fast food item in Mexico – thin, flat griddle-baked tortillas topped with numerous fillings, folded and eaten without any utensils. A taco is basically anything eaten on a soft tortilla, and there is an infinite variety of them. In Sonora, in the north of Mexico, they eat the classic carne asada - thinly sliced meat grilled over coals and topped with salsa, onions, guacamole, and a lime wedge. In Baja, the topping consists of fried fish with cabbage and an acidic mayonnaise sauce. In Mexico City, sudados (sweated tacos) are the most popular option, filled with cooked and steamed meat. In Jalisco and Michoacan, they prepare carnitas, eaten in the morning or in the early afternoon, filled with deep fried pieces of pork that are sliced according to preference. Similar is the taco de cabeza, filled with pieces of cow's head that was steamed for a long time, and the customers can choose from slices of eyes, brains, tongue, lips, cheek, or ears. Tacos are mainly made of corn, except in the north, where wheat flour is used more often. They also differ in size, from the tiniest white tacos (blancas) to bigger ones, often made with blue corn. Most tacos come in pairs of two, in order to be able to hold all the flavorful and slightly wet ingredients. Some of them are fried until they become crispy and crunchy, in which case they're called tostadas. As anything can be a filling, there is a version made with fried veins from dried chiles, usually accompanied by salt, a tasty treat called tacos de venas. However, the standard is ground or shredded meat, cheese, potatoes, or vegetables and a topping of onions and coriander. Eaten at all times of day and night, one can find them on every corner in Mexico, in restaurants known as taquerias. Alternatively, they can be bought from numerous street vendors.
Enchiladas consist of a tortilla that is usually dipped in a chile-based sauce, then stuffed with various fillings such as cheese, meat, or fish. Then it is rolled up, baked, and topped with sauces, onions, beans, or more cheese. This highly versatile dish is believed to have originated from a Mayan dish called papadzules, consisting of corn tortillas dipped in pumpkin purée and filled with chopped boiled eggs. From there, numerous variations developed throughout Mexico and outside of its borders. The word enchilada, which first appeared in print in 1885, comes from the Spanish word enchilar, meaning to season with chile pepper. Today, there are countless versions of enchiladas. In northern Mexico's Sonora, they make them open-faced, topped with black olives and a red chile sauce, while the New Mexico version is prepared by layering the tortillas in a tall stack with cheese and onions between each layer. Enchiladas have become so popular that there is even a National Enchilada Day (in the US), celebrated every year on May 5, also known as Cinco de Mayo.
Tacos al pastor are thinly sliced pork marinated in a complex blend of dried chilies, spices, and achiote, stacked onto a vertical spit, and served on small corn tortillas with pineapple, onions, and cilantro. The origins of this vibrant street food trace back to the 1920s and 1930s when Lebanese immigrants arrived in Puebla, bringing with them the method of roasting lamb on a vertical, spinning spit known as a shawarma. Over the decades, local palates adapted this Middle Eastern technique, substituting the original lamb with thinly sliced pork shoulder and replacing Mediterranean spices with indigenous ingredients. Handling the meat involves a meticulous multi-day process. The pork is bathed in a thick, vibrant red adobo. This marinade relies heavily on rehydrated guajillo and ancho chilies, acidic vinegar, earthy cumin, fragrant oregano, and a dense paste made from crushed annatto seeds called achiote, which imparts the signature crimson hue. The marinated pork slices are tightly layered onto a long metal rod, forming a large, bell-shaped mound called a trompo. An onion and a peeled pineapple are typically placed at the very top of the spit. As the metal rod slowly rotates next to a vertical gas-powered heat source, the outer layer of the pork develops a charred, crispy crust while the interior remains succulent, constantly basted by the dripping juices of the roasting fruit above. While pork remains the standard base, multiple variations exist to accommodate different tastes. Chicken al pastor has emerged as a lighter alternative, utilizing the exact same red adobo but applied to stacked poultry. Plant-based iterations frequently utilize sliced king oyster mushrooms or textured soy protein bathed in the chile paste and griddled rather than spit-roasted. Another highly popular adaptation is the gringa, which takes the carved al pastor meat and places it inside a flour tortilla with melted cheese, then heats the entire package on a flat-top grill until the cheese bubbles. The serving style is fast-paced and visually theatrical. An individual wielding a long, sharp knife shaves the deeply caramelized exterior of the spinning meat directly into a pair of small, warm corn tortillas held in the opposite hand. A flick of the wrist slices a thin wedge of roasted pineapple from the top of the spit, letting it fall perfectly onto the waiting meat. The assembled meal is immediately dressed with finely diced white onions, chopped fresh cilantro, a generous squeeze of lime juice, and a spoonful of spicy salsa—most often a smoky chipotle or a bright, fiery salsa verde made from tomatillos.
Mexican tortas are luscious traditional sandwiches filled with delicious, mostly authentic Mexican ingredients. They are a unique Mexican creation, considering they are served in bread rolls, an ingredient that is not so often associated with Mexico. There are two bread varieties usually incorporated in tortas, the traditional French influenced bolillos, and the similar round teleras, which are an authentic Mexican product from Puebla. The rolls are sliced horizontally, buttered, and stuffed with the most popular Mexican ingredients such as beans, avocados, ham, queso, jalapeños, and a myriad of other typical Mexican dishes like fried beef or chicken, shredded beef, roasted pork, and even tamales. Tortas are traditionally served cold, but in the 1960s, the hot, grill-heated varieties started to appear and soon became equally famous. There is not much known about the origin of this hearty sandwich, but it is believed that during the French colonization, French bakers introduced their tradition of baking bread to Mexicans, who modified it and created their popular varieties, which later became a staple of Mexican cuisine. The birthplace of the torta is usually associated with the city of Puebla, the place where traditional telera originated, but the location where they flourished was Mexico City. Although tortas have not been widely recognized outside of Mexico as tacos, burritos, and tortillas, they are a favorite meal eaten throughout the country. Tortas are usually sold at food stalls and small restaurants, popularly called torterias, widespread across Mexican cities. The variations and regionally influenced creations of tortas are endless. The most common ones are cubana, which usually combines at least four meat varieties and two types of cheese; pepito, made with marinated sliced steak; cochinita, made with slowly roasted pork; and agohada, a Guadalajara favorite made with pork and served in tomato sauce.
Originating from the Mexican state of Michoacán, carnitas is a flavorful dish made from pork (usually front sections or pork shoulder) that is braised, roasted, or slow-cooked in its own fat for a long time until fully tender and succulent. The heat is then turned up until the meat is crispy on the exterior and can be shredded. Carnitas, which translates to little meats, is often served with tortillas, accompanied by salsas, beans, guacamole, lime, or fresh vegetables. In Michoacán, carnitas are found everywhere from street stalls to upscale restaurants, although the dish is more often made for special occasions such as Christmas, anniversaries, or birthdays. Tender, fresh, and tasty, carnitas are a special treat for meat lovers worldwide.
Taco de canasta is a variety of taco that is extremely popular in Mexico City but originated in Tlaxcala, consisting of a soft, moist, steamed taco filled with anything from potatoes, shredded chicken, and refried beans to mole verde and grilled mutton. These tacos are commonly consumed as a breakfast snack in the morning, and they can be bought from street vendors who are easily recognizable because they ride a bicycle with a cloth-covered basket (canasta) and a container with green sauce.
Chiles en nogada or stuffed poblano chiles in walnut sauce is a star dish of the Mexican Independence Day, celebrated every year on September 16. Poblano chiles are large, heart-shaped peppers with thick walls, great for stuffing, and characterized by their flavors which can range from mild to hot. The dish was invented in 1821 by nuns from the city of Puebla who wanted to make a meal using local ingredients that were in season, as a symbol of appreciation for the Mexican General Augustin de Iturbide. It consists of a mixture of ground pork meat and dried fruits, stuffed in poblano chiles that are covered with a creamy walnut sauce and decorated with parsley and pomegranate seeds on top. The dish is available only during that short season of the year, specifically in September, when the chiles are the greenest, the pomegranates ripe and red, and the walnuts just picked from the trees. Chiles en nogada boasts its unusual ingredients for a reason - they represent the colors of the Mexican flag - white, red and green, making the dish as patriotic as it can be. When consumed, the dish releases intense aromas of cinnamon, apple, pear, walnuts, and almonds, contrasted with the strong flavors of pork, garlic and onion, complementing each other in this delicious, festive dish.
Cochinita pibil is a Mexican pork dish originating from Yucatan. Pork is marinated in a combination of annatto paste, bitter orange juice, and garlic. It is slowly baked and then shredded and served on tortillas, tacos, or on its own with shallots, pickled onions, salsa, and various roasted vegetables. Cochinita pibil is characterized by the red color of the meat, imparted by the annatto seeds from the marinade. Originally, pork was wrapped in banana leaves prior to baking, but today a foil or any other suitable wrapping can be used instead. Since cochinita means baby pig, and pibil means buried or underground, it acts as a proof that the original recipe used a whole suckling pig that was buried in a pit for roasting. This Mayan-influenced dish is most often served on weekends in many Mexican homes, usually as a Sunday family ritual.
Barbacoa is a term that is mostly associated with Mexico and refers to an ancient technique of cooking meat in underground ovens. There are numerous regional varieties, which usually differ in the type of meat or the cut, but the most common options include lamb, goat, or mutton—and animal heads are traditionally regarded as a favorite barbacoa specialty. Mexican barbacoa involved digging a hole in the ground, lining the bottom and the sides with rocks, and adding a layer of burning wood, which would then be covered with agave leaves. They would then place the meat on the leaves, and the hole would be covered and sealed. An additional flame would be lit on top to keep animals away, and the meat would be left to cook overnight. Throughout history, the word barbacoa has been associated with numerous meanings. The first mention of the word had Caribbean origins, where it was used for a contraption created with a framework of sticks. Another popular belief is that the word barbecue has its roots in the same word. Mexican barbacoa tradition is believed to have its origins in the ancient Mayan and Aztec cultures. However, they did not use the name barbacoa. In some parts of Mexico, the words pibil, tatema, and birria are used to describe similar dishes cooked under the ground, but it is believed that they are all babacoa styles. Barbacoa is particularly popular in northern Mexico and the southern United States regions. Due to health and safety regulations, the original barbacoa is becoming increasingly rare.
Tostada is a flat, crispy corn tortilla that has been deep-fried or baked, serving as a rigid, edible plate for an immense stack of savory ingredients. Crisping the tortilla requires careful moisture management; fresh, highly hydrated tortillas absorb too much oil and become chewy instead of crisp. Therefore, raw corn discs are deliberately dehydrated in the open air for several hours before being plunged into boiling vegetable oil or pork lard, ensuring that any remaining water violently bubbles away, leaving behind a perfectly rigid, golden-brown shell. When eaten, this brittle disk requires careful hand-held handling, taking small, strategic bites around the outer edges, as biting directly into the center immediately causes the entire structure to shatter. The architectural foundation of this meal relies entirely on a historical method of extending the life of stale maize. Thousands of years ago, across Mesoamerica, families recognized that tortillas left out for several days became too stiff to fold. Rather than discarding these dried remnants, they submerged them in hot fat or baked them on hot clay griddles, transforming the tough starch into a highly durable, crunchy, shelf-stable item. To create a tostada, a thick layer of mashed refried beans or smashed avocado is smeared across the flat surface, functioning specifically as an edible glue to anchor the subsequent layers. Piles of shredded chicken, slow-roasted pork carnitas, or spiced ground beef are pressed directly into the sticky bean paste. A massive canopy of crisp, shredded iceberg lettuce goes on top, followed by diced tomatoes, sharply acidic sliced radishes, and a heavy scattering of crumbled white cotija cheese. Heavy drizzles of tart sour cream and fiery red or green chili salsa finish the vertical stack. Because the heavy, moisture-laden toppings eventually soak into the crispy base, making it soggy, the loaded tortilla must be consumed immediately after assembly. Moving away from heavy beans and roasted meats, coastal environments completely alter the flavor profile by relying on fresh seafood. Raw fish cured in lime juice, chopped octopus, or boiled shrimp are piled onto the toasted maize, frequently swapping the heavy bean layer for a thin spread of mayonnaise to prevent the acidic citrus juices from instantly destroying the crunch. A highly specific variation known as tostadas de tinga stews shredded chicken breast and sliced white onions in a smoky chipotle and roasted tomato sauce, loading the wet mixture onto the shell to create a sweet, smoky, and spicy bite.
TasteAtlas food rankings are based on the ratings of the TasteAtlas audience, with a series of mechanisms that recognize real users and that ignore bot,
nationalist or local patriotic ratings, and give additional value to the ratings of users that the system recognizes as knowledgeable.
For the “66 Traditional Foods You Have To Try in Mexico City” list until July 17, 2026, 514 ratings were recorded, of which 178 were recognized by the system as legitimate.
TasteAtlas Rankings should not be seen as the final global conclusion about food. Their purpose is to promote excellent local foods,
instill pride in traditional dishes, and arouse curiosity about dishes you haven’t tried.
