Ranking Mexico City's Best Taquerias
- ajgolemme
- Feb 10, 2019
- 5 min read
Updated: Feb 17, 2019
Mexico City is a food lover's dream. The city has an abundance of delicious and cheap street food around every corner. As an avid researcher, I read through too many blogs and rankings, gathered recommendations from locals and friend's who've visited, and stopped at any place that smelled great.
The rules for the taco rankings were first impressions, first bite - provide a score 1 to 10, 10 being the best taco in the world. The ratings are an average of two scores, one provided by an Al Pastor connoisseur and one by a vegetable forward, corn tortilla lover. All prices are shown in MXN as of November 2018.
11. Tacos Hola - 7.63
Before heading to Mexico City for the first time, when I imagined the taquerias I'd explore, this was exactly what I pictured. This tiny shop, with multi-colored plastic plates and clay pots filled with delicious looking stewed meats, always has a crowd on the sidewalk stools outside. The specialty here is tacos de guisado - slow-cooked taco fillings. Some of their offerings are surprisingly vegan friendly. Unfortunately when we went, most of their best sellers were sold out. Had we had their top dishes, the ranking may have been higher. We tried the Guisado Chicharron, which was a little too chewy, and Chorizo tacos adding beans and queso to both.
Ratings:
Guisado Chicharron Taco ($20) 7.05
Chorizo Taco ($20) 8.2
Location: Amsterdam 135, Hipódromo, 06100 Ciudad de México, CDMX, Mexico
10. El Califa - 7.75
When researching El Califa, I was surprised by what the taqueria ended up looking like. It resembled a restaurant chain set up, like Ruby Tuesday's or TGIF in the US. We were recommended to try the Gringa tacos here by a local. Gringa tacos are essentially an al pastor taco with cheese that's been grilled like a quesadilla and on a flour tortilla. Based on our palettes being an al pastor purist and lover of corn tortillas, this did not hit the mark for us.
Ratings:
Gringa Pollo ($65) - 7.5
Gringa Pork ($61) - 8
Location: Altata 22, Hipódromo, 06170 Ciudad de México, CDMX, Mexico
9. Molina el Pujol - 7.75
The affordable sister restaurant of Pujol, keeps the same quality of ingredients as the acclaimed restaurant. The tacos may not be the most traditional if that's what you're looking for; however, the tortillas are the best tortillas we had the entire trip, hands down.
Ratings:
Taco Aguacate ($34) - 7.75
Location: Gral. Benjamín Hill 146, Hipódromo Condesa, 06100 Ciudad de México, CDMX, Mexico
8. Los 3 Reyes - 8
There were two places that repeatedly came up when looking for the best barbacoa tacos. Los 3 Reyes is such a fun environment. The tables were covered in checkered cloths, families were crowded all around happily eating, and enjoying the live music. We weren't quite sure how to order, but the chef was really sweet and offered us tastings of the barbacoa and stew. The barbacoa was tasty with great handmade tortillas, however, we preferred the taste of the other barbacoa tacos we had less than thirty minutes prior.
Ratings:
Barbacoa Tacos - 8
Location: Pablo Veronés 12, Alfonso XIII, 01460 Ciudad de México, CDMX, Mexico
7. Pujol - 8.08
There's endless reviews and accolades you can find about Pujol. We opted to try the taco omakase and I fully believe we made the right choice. After some small bites, including the infamous elote, plates of tacos kept coming out. The same delicious tortillas as were in Mulino el Pujol were the base for each taco. Each taco was unique, delicious, delicate, and full of delicious flavors.
Ratings:
Eggplant Daikon Taco - 8.3
Fish Marinated in Seaweed Taco - 7.2
Al Pastor Tripe Bass Taco - 8.35
Soft Shell Crab Taco - 8.45
Location: Tennyson 133, Polanco V Sección, C.P. 11560, CDMX, México
6. Taqueria Los Cocoyus - 8.09
These tacos are for those who like the more adventurous cuts of meat. At a counter in not the most exciting area of the city, some delicious tacos are found. While some cuts are better than others, the best is the mix of everything - campechano.
Ratings: (~$35 each)
Suadero Taco - 8.15
Lengua Taco - 8.35
Sesos Taco - 7.05
Campechano Taco - 8.8
Location: Calle de Bolívar 57, Centro Histórico, Centro, 06000 Ciudad de México, CDMX, Mexico
5. Taqueria Los Parados - 8.42
This was one of those spots you pass by and just know it'll be good. The meat visibly roasting on the spit looked perfectly charred and there was some delicious looking meat on the griddle. The salsas here were amazing, which is always the telling sign for finding a good taqueria. The poblano con queso taco was the favorite here, with the poblano having a great charred flavor. This taqueria clearly nails the a la plancha tacos.
Ratings:
Al Pastor Taco - 8.1
Poblano con queso Taco - 8.75
Arrachera Taco - 8.4
Location: Eje 2 Pte. Monterrey 333, Roma Sur, 06760 Ciudad de México, D.F., Mexico, Mexico
4. El Farolito - 8.44
Although it's quite a large chain, El Farolito surprised us with the quality of it's meat in the tacos. The meat here is charcoal-grilled to the perfect tender yet smoky charred balance. The char grilled onions were a bonus complementing the spicy salsas.
Ratings:
Al Pastor Taco ($27) - 8.425
Campechano Especial Taco ($60) - 8.45
Location: Altata 19, Hipódromo Condesa, 06100 Ciudad de México, CDMX, Mexico
3. El Hidalguense- 8.45
While it doesn't have quite the neighborhood, mom and pop feel of Los 3 Reyes, El Hidalguense was packed with families on the weekend. There was even a wait for being seated despite having two levels! Everyone around us ordered the barbacoa by weight, which was served on an agave leaf with all the fixings to make the tacos yourself. Since it was just two of us, we ordered the pre-portioned barbacoa tacos to avoid ordering more barbacoa than we needed. The tortillas were not as fresh tasting as Los 3 Reyes, but the barbacoa meat was some of the juiciest, most tender sheep's meat I've ever had. If you're looking for barbacoa in Mexico, this is a must-try.
Ratings:
Barbacoa Tacos - 8.45
Location: Campeche 155, Roma Sur, 06760 Ciudad de México, CDMX, Mexico
2. El Vilsito - 8.85
For the best Al Pastor tacos, this is the spot - no hesitation. Be warned that it's only open from 10pm to 4am. The later you go, the more of a party this place is. The unassuming auto repair shop during the day is a short Uber ride southeast of Condesa. The place is packed with people spilling onto the street, and for good reason. The only thing that tops the near perfection of the Al Pastor is watching how skillfully the pineapples are sliced from the trompo and always somehow manage to land on a plate.
Ratings:
Al Pastor Tacos ($16) - 8.85
Location: Avenida Universidad, Narvarte Poniente, 03020 Ciudad de México, CDMX, Mexico
1. El Turix - 9.05
We almost didn't go to El Turix as it's located in the affluent Polanco neighborhood, home to one of the richest streets in Latin America, which seemed an odd spot to find the best tacos of Mexico City. The taqueria, barely fitting eight people, appears unexpectedly after walking past a few high end stores and kosher markets. Had we not decided our last night to stop by, I would've been saved from dreaming of these tacos every day since. Tacos back in New York City have been ruined for me because of these - nothing compares. The Yucatan style here is showcased by the Cochinita Pibil tacos, slow-roasted suckling pig in a citrus-achiote sauce. You can also get it as a torta, which we did, after already eating eight of the tacos. The homemade corn tortillas are the perfect sponge for the succulent marinated pork that need nothing else besides the scattering of pickled onions and the fiery salsa. Warning - you will make a mess and never have a taco live up to these standards.
Ratings:
Cochinita Pibil Tacos ($18) - 9.05
Location: Calle Emilio Castelar 212, Polanco III Sección, 11550 Miguel Hidalgo, CDMX, Mexico
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