Street Food in Mexico City – What To Eat & Where!

Best street food dishes in Mexico City

How many of these dishes are made from corn (maiz)? Likely all of them. This is the staple ingredient in Mexico. It’s even believed that the first man and woman were made from corn by the gods, and a famous expression says there’s ‘no pais sin maiz’ (no country without corn).

With that said, here are the best dishes for enjoying that corn-based goodness…

Although some of the popular Mexican foods served overseas like fajitas and nachos are rarely found in Mexico (they’re Tex-Mex not Mex), there’s one dish you’ll have heard of and see everywhere on the streets of CDMX: quesadillas! These are made with either regular or blue corn. I like the latter.

A popular debate that arrises between locals relates to whether or not quesadillas should automatically have cheese or whether you need to ask for it. Although you’d have assumed it’s a given based on the name (queso = cheese, after all), locals from CDMX don’t always think so.

I’ve even heard the argument that their name comes from the nahuatl word ‘quesatl’ meaning ‘to fill’. Some say the similarity to the Spanish word, queso, is just a coincidence.

Where to eat quesadillas as street food in Mexico City?

Jenni’s Street Quesadillas may be in the touristy bubble of Roma Norte, but customers include loyal locals who have been visiting for years. Quesadilla options include chicken tinga, chorizo, mushrooms, huitlacoche (corn fungus – better than it sounds!, and flor de calabaza (squash flower).

They also do tlacoyos (blue corn dough stuffed with ingredients like frijoles and potato) topped with cheese, nopales, and salsa. I didn’t think these were as good as the quesadillas, however.

Almost every dish costs 25 pesos.

Machetes

For the biggest quesadillas you’ve seen in your life, take a trip to Los Machetes de Amparito. They specialize in ‘machetes’ AKA giant quesadillas measuring almost half a meter in length and stuffed with ingredients of your choosing (meat or veggie). Just wow!

This casual eatery is off-the-beaten-path in Guerrero neighborhood not too far from Centro, and near some lesser-visited but beautiful attractions like photogenic Vasconcelos Library and Santa Maria Kiosko. If you have more than five days in CDMX, take a visit after you’ve done the typical sightseeing stuff.

Tortas

Tortas are one of my favorite Mexico City street foods. Sandwiches in white bread rolls with a crusty exterior are stuffed with indulgent ingredients like milanesa (fried meat cutlets), cheese, pineapple, chipotle, and more.

Often the stands have a list of combinations available with three or so ingredients; handy if you don’t know what to go for.

You’ll find tortas all over Mexico, not just the capital. In Oaxaca, they commonly have quesillo cheese. They’re also a popular food in Puebla but called cemitas and served in a different type of bread.

Where to eat tortas in Mexico City: You’ll find the vans everywhere! I think the best I’ve had was at Tortería Los Güeros with huge portions, affordable prices, and loads of combinations.

There’s also a stand I like on Medellin in Roma Norte between the Cibeles roundabout and Blend Station (one of my favorite Mexico City coffee shops and a great place to co-work).

Tacos

There are SO many types of tacos found in Mexico! Here are a couple of the typical Mexico City street food tacos:

• Tacos al pastor – the quintessential CDMX tacos are made from pork meat cooked on a trompo (similar to kebabs). The style of cooking came to Mexico with Middle Eastern immigrants after WWII. Expect onion, cilantro, and often pineapple as toppings.
• Suadero – thin cuts of meat from the flank of a pig or cow.
• Longaniza – pork sausage, a bit like chorizo.
• Campechanos – mixed meats for when you can’t choose.
• Barbacoa – sheep, goat, or beef is slow-cooked overnight wrapped in maguey leaves, keeping in the juices and deep flavor.  

Some of my favorite places for street tacos (as opposed to restaurants serving tacos) are…

Tacos El Gato Volador: another busy stand in Roma Norte that’s always popping. Try one of all the types like al pastor, longaniza, campechanos etc.

El Califa de Leon: the only street food in Mexico with a Michelin star is a cool spot to say you’ve been! The bistec/beef (50 pesos) tacos and costilla/ribs (80 pesos for two tacos) are the star dishes, and the salsas are fantastic. It’s located in San Rafael, a lovely neighborhood not far from Reforma and Centro.

Take a tortilla and deep fry it. What do you have? Crispy tostadas ready to be topped with all kinds of deliciousness!

They’re commonly associated with seafood and best eaten on the coast piled high with shrimp and ceviche. However, there’s a place in CDMX that does ALL the toppings imaginable…

Where to eat tostadas in Mexico City? There’s only one place you need to know about, Tostadas de Coyoacan in (unsurprisingly) the charming neighborhood of Coyoacan. The bright yellow stall isn’t hard to find in the bustling market.

Grab a stool and choose between flavors like chicken tinga, ceviche, pulpo (octopus), cochinita pibil, chicken with mole, and even veggie options like mushroom and nopales.

Birria

Birria is one of my favorite Mexican dishes. While it’s technically from the state of Jalisco (be sure to check out my Puerto Vallarta food guide if you visit because I had some of the BEST birria of my life there), it’s readily available in the capital.

Goat or beef is marinated with chili, vinegar, garlic, and spices and served as a rich stew. It’s delicious scooped into tacos or tostadas although you have to eat it fast before the tortillas dissolve. A fusion trend is birria ramen: Mexico meets Japan!

Where to eat birria: the best I’ve had is from El Compita in Roma Norte. They use carne de res (beef) rather than the traditional Jalisco recipe of goat, but the taste is still incredible.

You can have it served on tacos (with or without cheese), volcanes (fried tortillas with cheese), costras (tortillas with a cheese crust), or as soup. Toppings include pink onion, lime, and beans. Eat standing with the locals at this typical CDMX street food stand.

Tlacoyos

Made with either white or blue corn, tlacoyos are tasty patties stuffed with ingredients like beans, potato, and cheese. They’re usually topped with nopales (cooked cactus leaves), cilantro, and cheese.

They’re a quick and tasty snack or casual street food meal. You find them everywhere on the streets, often alongside quesadillas. I’ve had good ones at the Friday market on Campeche… Probably the cheapest place to eat in La Condesa!

Tamales are one of the most famous Mexican dishes, not to mention one of the oldest. They’ve been eaten in this region for over 2,000 years! Corn masa (dough) is steamed inside a corn husk and stuffed with fillings including cheese, meat, salsa, and even sweet flavors like guava (pictured above).

They’re a popular street food in the capital often served from stationary street vendors, as well as roaming ones who call out the options. If you hear the sing-song chant ‘tamALes OaxQUENos’, you know what’s passing (a cart serving tamales prepared in traditional Oaxaca style).

For a carb-on-carb feast, keep an eye out for tamales served inside tortas (sandwiches), often served from street stands alongside atole, a warming corn-based drink.

Where to eat tamales in CDMX?

Tamales Dona Emi is not exactly Mexico City street food; it’s more of a casual restaurant (open since the 1950s, dontcha know!) but I can’t not mention it. They serve the most delicious tamales with the widest range of ingredients I’ve ever seen!

Gorditas

These round corn patties translate as ‘fatty’, a word also used to describe people, but usually as a term of endearment. Rather than having a higher fat content than any other Mexican dish, I guess the name refers to their rotund shape.

Gorditas are half cut open and stuffed with cheese, meat (like chicharrones and carnitas), salad, lettuce, and other fillings. Grab one as a snack or three to make a meal.

Like quesadillas and tlacoyos, you’ll find these by keeping your eyes peeled as you wander around.

Pambazos

Tortas aren’t the only famous sandwiches in town. Pambazos are softer bread rolls (without the crunch of a torta) fried in delicious guajillo chili sauce. The most popular ifillings are chorizo, potatoes, lettuce, cheese, and cream.

Huaraches

Another common street food variation is the huarache, named after a shoe (apparently because of their similar, oblong shape). Like their cousins, the quesadilla and tlacoyo, they’re made of corn masa and topped with ingredients like beans, salsa, onions, and potato.

Sopes

What’s this, another corn delight? Sopes are small, flattened circles of corn masa topped with ingredients like beans and cheese. They’re often served as street food in Mexico City, as well as central and southern states like Oaxaca and Chiapas.

Elote

When corn is in its fresh form, it’s called elote (rather than maiz). It’s a common and veggie-friendly street food, with the corn kernels served in a cup topped with mayonnaise, chili, lime, and cheese.

It’s cheap and tasty. You’ll find it all over the city.

Vegan street food in CDMX

Did someone say Roma Norte?! This cool neighborhood is the epicentre of vegan food in CDMX.

Paxil (‘fish’ tacos)

Even though I also eat regular fish tacos (El Pescadito is my favorite place to do that), I’m a huge fan of Paxil, a food stand near Plaza Rio de Janeiro.

They serve amazing faux seafood tacos using ingredients like battered mushroom and cauliflower. Expect to pay around 40 pesos a taco; two is probably enough as they’re quite large.

Other vegan tacos using fake meats

With a street food stand and restaurant in Roma Norte, I highly recommend Gracias Madre to try authentic Mexican street food, sin carne. The faux meats have been carefully designed to mimic al pastor and suadero.

The other place that does a great job with fake meats is Por Siempre. You can’t go wrong with either. For somewhere that uses natural ingredients like watermelon and chickpeas rather than processed faux meats, I love Taco Santo Vegano also in Roma Norte.

All these places are close together so you could easily do a street food crawl!

The best place for a vegan torta made with fake meats is Gatorta (above right)… Read more in my CDMX vegan guide.

Best street food markets

In addition to the specific places I’ve already mentioned, here are a few places to browse and try a variety of dishes.

Mercado Medellin

This authentic market in Roma Sur is overflowing with fresh veggies, butchers stands, nuts, seeds, piñatas, and other bits and bobs. It’s an atmospheric place to wander and experience a true Mexican market.

Don’t miss the food court at Mercado Medellin which is a fantastic place to try different Mexico City street food dishes; many offer three courses with a drink for 100 pesos!

Mercado Roma

Don’t visit this place for cheap, authentic street food but DO visit for a cool, hipster hang out with stands serving Mexican and international food. Although there are cheaper places elsewhere, you can still get decent tortas and the like, as well as everything from ramen to cocktails.

Don’t miss Mercado Roma’s rooftop beer garden!

A few extra places:

• Stands on Puebla – there are SO many foods running along this street including several decent seafood ones. I don’t know how you feel about seafood served from a street cart but I can vouch for eating it and not getting sick!
• Bazar del Oro – beside the Fuente de Cibeles in Roma Norte, this market is a good place to eat casual street food and browse stalls selling everything from clothes to trinkets. I believe its operation days are Wednesdays and Sundays.
• Friday and Tuesday markets in Condesa – my favorite is the Friday market across from Cardinal Coffee House in Condesa. Buy fresh goods and eat tlacoyos and seafood tostadas.
• Mercado El 100, Roma Sur (Sundays) – this is more of a farmers market but there are stands serving coffee and street food.

For dessert

Yes, you can get street food dessert in Mexico City! As early as 8am, I’ve seen street carts overflowing with doughnuts and conches (Mexican sweet bread with sugar icing). Don’t miss:

• Churros – although you commonly see food stands serving these deep-fried sticks of dough, the best place to try them is Churreria el Moro, around for decades.
• Paletas (ice pops), helado (ice cream), and nieve (sorbet) are popular treats to eat on the go. Try them all at Neveria Roxy, a local intuition with 100 years of history and a wild array of flavors.

Thanks for reading!

More Mexico City food blogs:

• Top places for tacos in CDMX
• Best brunch & breakfast in CDMX
• Cocktail bars in Mexico City
• Speakeasy bars in Mexico City
• Veggie and vegan food in Mexico City
• Top Roma Norte restaurants
• Top Condesa restaurants
• CDMX cafes and coffee shops
• Best places for dessert in Mexico City
• La Esquina del Chilaquil (torta de chilaquiles) review

Neighborhood guides:

• A guide to CDMX Centro Historico
• Roma CDMX neighborhood guide
• Condesa CDMX neighbourhood guide
• Juarez CDMX neighborhood guide
• San Angel area guide

More CDMX blogs:

• Mexico City museums you need to visit
• San Angel Sabado Market
• Hiking in Desierto de los Leones National Park