Uncovering Mexico
Jeremy Schwartz is the Mexico correspondent for Cox Newspapers. He is based in Mexico City.What's on this page?
The entry titled "Insiders' guide to best Mexico City food."
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Home > Uncovering Mexico > Archives > 2008 > April > 11 > Entry
Insiders’ guide to best Mexico City food
This week I had the envious task of sampling some of Mexico City’s best street food for an upcoming story (and video). I know, I know, this is a tough job, especially when your biggest worry is how much weight you’re going to put on eating delicious (but frighteningly fatty) foods.
As part of the story, I talked with Jose Iturriaga, perhaps the foremost expert on Mexican street food and an insatiable foodie. Iturriaga is old school and fairly hardcore - he has no patience for the rash of nouveau Mexican fusion restaurants proliferating in the city and even has disdain for the relative newcomers to the street food scene like bistec and chuleta (he does like tacos al pastor though). Anyways, I had the amazing opportunity to pick this gastronomical master’s brain on some of the best places to eat in Mexico City. Here are his picks:
Best Yucatecan restaurant: “Circulo de Sureste” on Lucerna 12 near Bucareli. Best Oaxacan restaurant: “Guelaguetza” on Andalucia and Xola, near the Communications Ministry. Best carnitas: “El Paisa,” a stand on Manzanillo, two blocks east of the market in Roma Sur. Best tacos de cabeza: In the quesadilla market behind the church on the main plaza. (There’s just one cabeza stand) Best tacos de canasta: On the corner of Insurgentes Sur and Extremedura. Best flautas: At Buena Fe, right off the Coyoacan plaza.
I hope to make it to some of these places soon. Meanwhile I’d love to hear if any of you have tried them or have your own personal faves.
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By Ed Snopse
April 11, 2008 7:14 AM | Link to this
For excellent Mexico City food alot closer to Austin, try Guajillo’s in San Antonio.
By ricky dardar
April 11, 2008 7:59 AM | Link to this
I was there last summer and ate Escamoles (a decidely delicious appetizer) at a very cool tree-house type restaurant. I also ventured to an old convent in the Zocolo which had been converted into a nice restaurant. I ordered a very low-priced 14oz. beef tenderloin that I swear was horsemeat. Oh, and the Hamburguesa Emporium, somewhat close to Antara Mall was pretty good. And I didn’t get the **s(ed.) from any of those meals!
By Michael Wolf
April 11, 2008 8:09 AM | Link to this
One of my favorites is Tacos Chupacabras, located near Plaza Coyoacán, under the bridge that Churubusco passes over. Cheap, surprisingly efficient service, and delicious.
By Angelo
April 11, 2008 10:39 AM | Link to this
Best Taco de Torta (those little omelettes used as taco filling) — there used to be a stand two blocks off Insurgentes on Puente de Alvarado (toward the Centro Historico) that served spinach tortas (not to be confused with the torta sandwich — these are the little omelettes used as taco fillings that you see at most taco stands). These little tortas usually have meat or chicken in them. This stand used spinach. At the time it was the only place you could find a taco de torta de espinaca, and they were quite tasty with black beans and sliced radishes. I lived on those for months once, as they were quite cheap and filling. Last time I saw this stand, the family running it had expanded to about 5-6 stands. This was 5 years ago and I have no idea of they’re still there.
By Karen
April 11, 2008 2:36 PM | Link to this
Our favorite little place when we stopped into DF for the Frida exhibit last summer was a place called Trevi — at one end of Alameda Park in the historic district. Corner of Dr Mora and Colon. We went there for late night eats and limonadas — the best guacamole made to order as spicy as you like. Good mole as well. Wound up finishing our day here 3 nights in a row. It’s got a very comfortable feel — it’s clearly a neighborhood hangout. It finally hit me that I had been here before on one of my first trips to DF in 1990. It’s a great stopover when you are walking between Bellas Artes, Museo Franz Mayer and Rivera’s mural “Dream of a Sunday Afternoon in Alameda Park,” which is just steps away.