Upon arrival in Mexico City, one of the first things I always make a point to do is get outside, take a walk, and find a delicious taco. After a long flight, usually without any good food, whenever I arrive in a new city, I’m starving. Since Mexico City is 2,240 m above sea level, you’ll often find the altitude takes a day or so to adjust to. But getting outside, staying hydrated, and grabbing something to eat really helps to settle in. After spending so much time in La Condesa, I now have a little route I take on the day I arrive. It consists of all my favourite taco shops, and I wanted to share it with you all! This is the perfect DIY Mexico City Taco Tour to get you started on your first day in the city!
Honestly any day you’re in town this is a great way to spend an afternoon. But if you’re looking for something chill and fun for your first day this is the Taco Tour for you! La Condesa is a super safe and really relaxing neighbourhood inside bustling Mexico City. This part of town eases you into the history and culture of Mexico City all through food!
All the stops we’ll make along the are established restaurants, so you won’t need to flex any street food savvy just yet. While street food is incredible in Mexico City and something I really recommend everyone try, I realize on your first day you might want to start slow, with more easy-to-find and order at stops. A little bit of Spanish goes a long way as many of these shops don’t have servers that speak English. That being said, since we’re in a touristy area, a few of the restaurants actually have English menus.
We start our tour in the north of La Condesa, inside Taquería Orinoco. Taquería Orinoco serves up Northern-style tacos. Their menu is tiny, with three types of meat; trompo (al pastor pork), res (beef), and chicharron (fried pork skin). You can order each flavour on a maize (corn) or harina (flour) tortilla. Or even opt for the crispy tostada. In the north, eating a flour tortilla is expected, so if you want to go for the traditional version you’ll order the harina.
Once you’re seated, either side or outside, they’ll bring you a large platter of their salsas, which are some of my favourites! Get a glass of freshly made agua fresca (I recommend the hibiscus flavour) to wash it all down! Remember, this is just the first stop, so be sure to only order one taco; you can always come back for more.
Take a walk west along with Avenue Álvaro Obregón until you arrive at Parque Espana. This is a beautiful little parkette worth exploring if you’re taking your time along this Taco Tour. Just off the Parque Espana is the famous El Pescadito. El Pescadito is a little chain in Mexico City that specializes in fish tacos! You’ll know you’ve arrived when you see the cheery face of their fish mascot above the sign on the door beckoning you to enter!
The fish on offer here is the smoked marlin which has the most indearing pink colour against the yellow corn tortillas. They also serve up my favourite which are the shrimp (camarón) tacos. You can also get the campechano taco which combines battered fish and shrimp, so you can try both the options! The best of both worlds. One of my favourite aspects of this restaurant is the toppings bar! Here you can get everything from pickled red onions to shredded cabbage, hot sauce and loads of limes! All self-serve so you can really customize your own perfect taco.
Directly across the street from El Pescadito is another hot spot in La Condesa; Tacos Don Juan! Hidden under a small, unassuming sign inside an old art deco-inspired building is a family-run joint with a handwritten menu that changes daily. Make sure you place an order for the quesabirria taco. Birria is beef stew, and the tacos are made from this incredibly tender and flavourful meat. The Quesabirria taco is served with a scoop of meat, then covered in cheese and given a quick fry-up on the grill. What you’re left with is this incredible crispy yet still moist taco that is bursting with flavour!
Walk south along Calle Atlixco until you reach Avenue Tamaulipas. From here, it’s only one block east to our next stop; El Tizoncito. El Tizoncito claims to be where tacos Al Pastor were first invented. However, almost all shops selling tacos Al Pastor seem to make this claim. Nonetheless, this is one of my favourite places to try out the famous taco.
Tacos Al Pastor was more than likely invented in Puebla in 1930. It was made by a Lebanese immigrant family who introduced the concept of shawarma and roasting meat upright on a spit to the Mexican people. The distinct red colour of the meat is made from marinating the meat in achiote paste. This popular marinade is made from annatto seeds, pepper, cumin, coriander, oregano, garlic and cloves. Once the meat is cooked, it’s shaved off the spit giving it the most intoxicating slightly burnt, crispy flavour. The tacos are served with a fresh slice of pineapple, onion, and cilantro. The meat here is super fresh, and I love how they top it off with their tasty salsas.
At the edge of La Condesa sits a huge taco instituion Taquería El Califa. This is one of the big “grill joints” in town where you can get a ton of different types of tacos. The restaurant is as big as its menu with two floors of seating. Although there are lots of different options, for me, this is where to come to get beef tacos. The bistec (marinated flat iron beef) and costilla (beef rib) are very thin slices of beef, quickly grilled up and placed onto a taco. You can dress it up at the table with their various toppings to your preference. I would be sure some onions and avocado, as the pairing is absolutely perfect.
Head diagonally west across Avenue Nuevo León towards the intersection of Avenue Michoacán. Here you’ll find Taqueria El Greco which is home to the original Arabian bread tacos. Their Doneraky tacos are made in an Arab style using a pita instead of a tortilla. Another gift from the Lebanese immigrants who came to Mexico City in the 30s. They would change the taco game forever by introducing these new takes on the classic taco. The roasted meat is so tender and fresh and the softness of the fluffy pita absorbs all the fatty drippings making it such a delight to eat! Get it along with cheese and avocado for an absolute taste sensation!
The infamous Hola Tacos is just a block down from El Greco, around the corner on Amsterdam Avenue. This taco shop specializes in Guisado tacos. Guisado means “stew” in Spanish. Various ingredients are marinaded for hours and hours, making them super juicy, flavourful and tender. But you can get much more than just meat there. If they still have any of the nopales (cactus pads) available when you arrive (which they might not as this sells out quickly), I would highly advise trying them out. Nopales are a popular filling and topping on tacos. But I find the stew they make here with them adds so much flavour to the nopales than when they are only grilled. The stewed Poblanas peppers with cream is also one of my favourites!
We end our tour here on Amsterdam Avenue, across from Parque Mexico. This is the perfect place to take a rest after all those tacos. Take a seat under the pergola around the Teatro Lindbergh or inside the peaceful Audiorama. As you digest, think about your favourite taco of the day and let me know in the comments if you managed to finish the tour! Or if you had to come back for more 🙂
Known as the "Venice of the North", Bruges is a medieval paradise replete with sweeping…
Summer is the perfect time to refresh your iPhone wallpaper with vibrant, whimsical designs that…
Hakone, located in the picturesque Kanagawa Prefecture of Japan, is renowned for its scenic beauty and hot springs.…
Amsterdam is a vibrant city with incredible food, lively culture and fantastic architecture. Hidden among the…
Deep in the heart of southern France hides one of the most enchanting regions of…
Spain is a place that captures the hearts of travellers from around the world, and…
This website uses cookies.
View Comments
This is wonderful! Thank you for sharing these tips for a taco tour. I am salivating. Question - would you recommend starting this taco tour late at night, e.g. 10pm? Considering whether this is a good idea to do after arriving but our flight lands at 7:30pm.
Hi Marcie! I think a late-night tour would work but not for all the locations. I'm just basing this off their google open/close times but I'd start with Taqueria El Greco as they close around 11pm. Tacos Hola El Güero says they close at 9pm but I'm sure I've seen them open later. They're right across from El Guero so you can easily hop across the street to see if they're still open after. El Pescadito and Tacos Don Juan aren't open late so you could skip those but El Tizoncito, Taquería El Califa and Taquería Orinoco are all open super late so they will be fine. Since these are all located in and around La Condesa the streets are safe enough to walk around late at night but just stick to well-lit areas, as you would in any big city. I'm sure even with the few that will be closed you'll find PLENTY to eat. Have a wonderful time!!!