Gringas is a typical Mexican dish made with flour tortillas filled with al pastor marinated pork meat, cheese, and, most commonly, pineapple slices, although onions, chili sauce, and coriander can all be added to the dish according to the customer's preference. The combination of these ingredients is then grilled in the same manner as a quesadilla. The tortillas are usually folded in half and consumed like a taco. The name of the dish, a feminine form of gringo, is believed to have come from the idea that flour tortillas are more popular than corn tortillas north of the Mexican border.
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.
Carne asada tacos are the first tacos in history. It is believed that the first tacos appeared in the 1500s, made with thin slices of meat cooked over hot coals. The meat was placed in a corn tortilla and topped with guacamole, onions, chili peppers, and lime – also known as the carne asada taco. Over time, people started to make other versions in different regions, and nowadays we are witnessing a true taco-mania, and it all began with the simple carne asada tacos.
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.
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.
Tacos Arabes is a traditional dish originating from Puebla. The pita-bread wrappers (pan árabe) are filled with thinly sliced cumin-marinated pork, spicy chipotle salsa, and a sauce consisting of yogurt, lemon juice, olive oil, garlic, and parsley. These 'Arabian' tacos are typically served with lime wedges on the side. As the name suggests and many people believe, Middle Eastern immigrants came to Puebla after WWI and brought their shawarma-related culinary tradition of serving sliced roasted lamb (it was replaced with pork in Puebla) in pita bread.
Birria is a traditional, slow-cooked goat (although it can also be made with beef, lamb, mutton, or chicken) stew originating from the Mexican state of Jalisco. Colloquially, birria means mess, used in context to refer to anything of inferior quality, indicating the working-class origins of this humble dish. The slow-cooking method ensures that the meat is extremely tender. Other ingredients in the stew include roasted chili peppers, garlic, cumin, bay leaves, and thyme. On street stands, known as birrierias, birria is served only in the mornings, since it has a reputation of being a great hangover cure. It is commonly served with corn tortillas and garnished with onions, coriander, and lime wedges, especially on Christmas, New Year, and wedding menus, where this flavorful stew is also commonly consumed.
Tacos de adobada is a Mexican dish that's similar to tacos al pastor, but not the same. Both tacos al pastor and tacos de adobada refer to pork that's been marinated in a combination of spices, chili peppers, and vinegar. For al pastor, the pork is cooked on a vertical spit called a trompo, while the pork for tacos de adobada is usually cooked on a grill or braised on the stove. However, in some places, such as in Baja California, people refer to al pastor as carne adobada. Adobada is usually made with pork shoulder, either thinly sliced when grilled or cut into chunks when braised. The tacos are usually topped with diced onions, radishes, cilantro, and lime juice.
Chilorio is a Sinaloan dish consisting of fried pulled pork meat that is cooked in chili sauce and spices such oregano, garlic, and cumin. Originally, it was used as a way to preserve meat, but today it is usually used as a filling for numerous Mexican specialties such as tacos or enchiladas. If chilorio is served as a main dish, it is traditionally accompanied by salsa, guacamole, Mexican rice, or refried beans on the side.
Tacos de cabeza is a popular variety of tacos, especially in Mexico City, Sonora, and the Bajío. It consists of tacos filled with steamed and shredded meat of cow's head, combined with toppings such as red or green salsa, chopped onions, and coriander. Customers can choose which type of meat they want, and usually the choice comes down to either brains, ear meat, or tongue. The dish can be found at taco stands with large metal steamers in which the meat was cooked, often in humble neighborhoods, since cow's head meat is very inexpensive.
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For the “Top 36 Mexican Meat Dishes” list until June 15, 2026, 7,282 ratings were recorded, of which 3,398 were recognized by the system as legitimate.
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