There might be more excellent tacos per square block in Mexico City than anywhere else in the known universe. And the options are virtually unlimited—you’ll find an enormous variety here, ranging from the local staple al pastor tacos all the way to tripes, goat meat, seafood, and a growing assortment of vegan options.
Here are some things you should know about taco eating in Mexico City: spicy salsa is a key element of a good taco, and you should always put at least “some” salsa (and lime) on your tacos. And always order as you go—there’s no need to over-commit from the start, so feel free to get one or two tacos at a time.
In this guide, we’ve tried to give you a bit of everything: the high-end, sit-down restaurants and those that are standing-room-only, the famous touristy spots that are actually worth it, and places you won’t find in any guidebook. And for more CDMX recs, check out our guides to the best restaurants in Mexico City and where to have a great meal in Roma.
THE TACOS
If you come to El Vilsito for lunch, it’s going to be busy. But stop by for a midnight snack, and it’ll be like an outdoor nightclub with a taco shack. Originally—and still to this day—a car repair shop, they eventually added a taqueria to the storefront and stay open until 3am on weekdays and 5am on Saturdays and Sundays.
All the tacos are great, but their specialty is the gringa de pastor, which tastes great with their homemade avocado salsa. And the people-watching is fun: you’ll see locals drive up and park right in front and have a waiter take their order and deliver it right to their car.
Before taquerias were even a thing in the posh Lomas de Chapultepec colonia, La Onda was already a mainstay. It’s an institution for anybody who wants a place that feels down to earth, where you might run into the upper-class residents of this neighborhood but also office workers and even a celebrity or two. Their taco de costilla con tocino y queso is definitely the way to go here, and their chicharrón de queso is also a great shareable dish. Walking in feels as though you’re traveling back in time—their most recent autograph on their wall of fame is from a Mexican soccer player, dated 1996.
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You may already know that Orinoco has some of the best tacos in town, but we’re including it on this list anyway. Their tacos de chicharrón, featuring Monterrey-style fried pork rinds, are as hard to describe as they are to forget. You might be accustomed to crispy, potato chip-like slices of chicharrón, but the Orinoco version involves a soft, melt-in-your-mouth interior and seared exterior so you get a mixture of textures—topped off with thin slices of avocado, and served with baby roasted potatoes and an array of homemade salsas.
And, yes, you should also try their tacos al pastor, arguably the best in all of CDMX. In other words: Orinoco is exactly what you’re looking for after a few rounds of mezcal on a Saturday night—especially since they're open until 3:30am every night.
True to its namesake, this is a standing-room-only taqueria, and a perfect spot for that mid-afternoon taco craving. The taco de chile poblano con queso is both tasty and only costs around $2.50 for an order of two, and their specialty—machitos de carnero, or finely chopped and perfectly cooked goat tripe—is equally as good. Try them both with their salsa morita and some sliced onions with lime from the condiments station. Even though you rarely see deserts at taquerias, Los Parados makes an incredible arroz con leche that’s not too sweet and incredibly satisfying.
The best $2 you can spend in Condesa is Pescadito’s quesotote taco: a corn tortilla filled with an entire chile relleno and fried shrimp. This is a casual, cafeteria-style spot with a short menu of fried shrimp tacos, fried fish tacos, and plenty of beer. And while the menu is short, the variety of unlimited free toppings you can add to your order is anything but, with multiple salsas, coleslaw, and pickled red onion.
You’ll find the best vegan tacos in all of CDMX at Por Siempre Vegana. The taco de milanesa, served with avocado, is incredible, and worth the almost constant wait for a table here during peak hours. This spot is affordable, and sticks to mostly one thing: 90% of the menu is tacos. Make sure to take advantage of the unlimited free toppings, too.
Polanco has every option imaginable when it comes to restaurants. Anzures, the neighborhood just to the south, has Selene. It’s located right underneath a strip club and a couple bigger—and fancier—taquerias, but this is where you’ll find the best al pastor in town. The key difference between Selene and their competitors is the ratio of pastor meat and cheese—theirs features lots of pastor with cheese as a garnish—and the crispiness of their meat. They are the definition of “if you know, you know,” when you ask locals.
The best example of tacos de guisado, a variety of different pre-prepared stews ranging from chicken and beef to vegetarian dishes, can be found here. Everything on the menu, from their chicharrón en salsa to the tinga de pollo and picadillo, served on a delicious fresh tortilla, is outstanding. This spot in the colonia Condesa has gotten busy lately, so try to come off hours (early lunch or dinner) to get a seat. Don’t be shy with the taqueros—shout out your order instead of waiting for them to take it. And always add a hard-boiled egg to your tacos.
El Turix is home to not just the best tacos in CDMX, but some of the best you’ll find anywhere in the world. The menu is small (there are four things total) and served Yucatan-style, meaning everything will be filled with sweet, citrus marinades and salsas.
Your first order of business needs to be the cochinita pibil tacos, which come with slow-roasted pulled pork cooked with achiote paste and citrus juices. But it’s the panucho, an open-face tortilla with thicker corn dough, that’ll be the reason you come back again before you head to the airport. Know that there is very limited seating here, so expect to eat your tacos like everybody else—while sitting on the curb with your face buried in plastic wrap.
You know a taqueria will be good when they originally opened as a tortilla shop. That’s exactly the case with Siembra. They take the highest level of care to make the perfect vehicle—yes, we’re talking about the tortilla—and it all creates a next-level taco. This place is relatively new, and they already have a second location that’s a full sit-down restaurant, but the original taqueria is still our favorite.
Grab a seat at the small bar that overlooks the tiny kitchen and get anything involving shrimp or fish from their daily-changing menu. Order your tacos one at a time to make sure each is served fresh and hot, and pair it with an essential guava Boing juice.
Located right in the hub of Condesa, El Greco is a must-visit when you’re in the area. The place is small, with lots of outdoor seating, and it’s the kind of spot where you might just strike up a conversation with a stranger, whether it’s a digital nomad or a local worker from the hardware shop next door. And they’re probably both ordering the same thing: the doneraky meat plate with cheese that comes with thinly sliced crispy and juicy seasoned pork meat served with hot tortillas on the side for a DIY taco situation.
The pita bread taco with mushrooms and cheese is also a great option if you’d like to skip the meat. The tacos cost around $2 to $3 and they’ve been in business for over 40 years.
We’ve mentioned a lot of al pastor tacos in this guide, but they are the most emblematic taco in Mexico City—plus, we’ll never stop talking about al pastor no matter what. El Huequito was founded in 1959, and they’re the self-proclaimed first place to serve tacos al pastor in CDMX. They’re so proud of their tacos al pastor that each one of them comes with a mountain of pastor meat that you can split into the accompanying 7 or 8 tortillas.
With 10 locations, El Huequito has become a legit franchise, but the homemade quality is still very much there. The best location is the one in Napoles. The decor feels more like an airport lounge than a taco place, but it still has a buzzy atmosphere.
El Hidalguense should be your tacos de barbacoa stop on a Friday, Saturday, or Sunday—those are literally the only days they’re open. They are, though, hands-down the best slow-cooked lamb tacos in town. Their only location is intended to look and feel like a country ranch in the state of Hidalgo and is most busy in the mornings (barbacoa is Mexico’s hangover cure) so come at lunch to avoid the crowds.
Try the pulque as well, a Maguey Aguamiel fermentation with a similar taste to kombucha but with a low alcohol content, which is excellent. The escamoles (ant larvae) are also worth trying, come straight from the state of Hidalgo, and are considered by many as a delicacy.
If you’re staying at an Airbnb in the colonia Escandon, chances are you’re near El Rincon Tarasco. It’s the perfect place, right in the neighborhood, to enjoy an exceptional lunch composed of simply perfect tacos de maciza (slow-roasted pork butt and shoulder) and their famous Pedro Chavez taco made of buche (pork stomach) and pork belly.
The taco de costilla is also a must, and the rib meat is served on the bone but comes off as smooth as butter. The place is small, but not too crowded during off-peak hours (which are between 12-2pm and 5-7pm).
Los Achiotes is in colonia Naucalpan, which is pretty far from central CDMX. However, they make extremely good tacos de cochinita pibil, which are a specialty of the Yucatan region of Mexico. The owner, who is often there, is incredibly friendly and, because the place is away from the Condesa/Roma hub, you won’t find many tourists here. Order their staple: tacos de cochinita pibil, which are slightly spicy and juicy without reaching the point where the sauce breaks the tortilla. Their tamarind agua is the perfect complement.
Don Juan is known for their tacos de suadero filled with thinly sliced beef meat, but they also do an incredible quesabirria loaded with savory goat birria meat and sauce. They’ve been open since 1982, and the decor is pretty simple and not at all fancy. Lately, it’s become a place where you’ll find a lot of tourists, but the price of a taco is still between $2 and $3. Many of their tacos change daily, so if you still have some room, try one of their daily specials or a simple taco de maciza with slow-cooked pork butt.
