A Quest To Find The Best Tacos in Mexico City
In a city of over 10,000 taquerias and taco stands, you won’t have any difficulty finding great tacos in Mexico City. But if you only have a short time in town, you’ll want to ensure that you eat some of the very best tacos in Mexico City, right? Well, I can help!
Throughout my travel blogging history, I’ve set out on Best-Food Quests in many of the cities I’ve visited. Like the time I quested for the Best Loukoumades in Athens as an example. I’ve even quested for tacos before – tying to pinpoint the Best Tacos in Merida Mexico. So of course I quested for the best tacos in Mexico City during our recent three week stay in town. And in the end, I did crown a personal favorite. Here’s a look at what I found.
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Contents
So Many Taco Options
As I’m sure is certainly obvious, it wasn’t at all realistic for me to visit even a minuscule percentage of all the restaurants, taquerias, and taco stands serving up tacos in Mexico City. And so as usual with my Food Quests, I did a lot of research before hitting the pavement.
I took into consideration the Michelin Guide’s Mexico City page, the Mexico City episodes of Netflix’s Taco Chronicles, Google Reviews, Instagram food stories, and the opinions of other bloggers. I also limited myself to only eating tacos within the large Cuauhtémoc district of central Mexico City. This district covers most of the popular tourist neighborhoods.
And I only ate at one street taco stand on this quest – even though they are literally everywhere. As I will explain in my upcoming Mexico City Travel Guide, I was on a different sort of quest at the same time – a quest to avoid illness. So I mostly avoided street food. (And this secondary quest was successful – I did not experience any GI distress in Mexico City.)
Also, because there are so many different types of great food in Mexico City, I didn’t quest for tacos everyday. I did want to try as many other types of traditional food as I could. (You can read about all those food finds in my post The Best Traditional Mexico City Food You Don’t Want To Miss).
But I did end up eating tacos at 10 different well-known and/or highly-rated establishments. So now, I will rank them in order for you. I’ll begin with my least favorite. And by the end of this post, I’ll reveal my quest-winning Best Tacos in Mexico City.
Seafood Tacos at El Pescadito
El Pescadito is a popular chain specializing in fish and shrimp tacos (Google Rating 4.5). You’ll find several locations throughout central Mexico City. I ate at the one located in Centro Historico. With the exception of a smoked tuna taco, all of their seafood is deep-fried with batter. In fact, as you order your tacos, you will watch the cook select your pieces from the fryer and throw them into the tortillas.
You then take your tacos to a DIY salsa and condiment bar, and load them up as you wish. I was impressed with this bar. All the ingredients seemed very fresh.
However, I thought the tacos themselves were quite average. The batter was thick and a little soggy. And the tortillas came out of a bag. They fell apart quite easily and didn’t hold the taco contents very effectively. I found that the shrimp tacos had better flavor than the fish version (these two taco types are hard to distinguish in the photo below).
And the smoked tuna taco was weird. Lots of tuna. Too much tuna. Dry tuna. Not at all what I expected. I really think you can skip El Pescadito. I ate much better shrimp tacos elsewhere on this quest for the best tacos in Mexico City as you’ll see below. My rating…5/10
Birria Tacos at Broka Bistro
Broka Bistro is a restaurant located in the Roma Norte neighborhood (Google Rating 4.4). I didn’t necessarily go there questing for the best tacos in Mexico City. I was mostly looking for a nice place in Roma Norte with a courtyard to enjoy dinner with Mrs. TT one night. Consequently, it’s a little more upscale than any of the other places on this list.
But I did end up ordering tacos. I saw Birria on the menu and wanted to try their version. Birria is a slowly-cooked stewed meat (beef, lamb, or goat) which is marinated with a mixture of chilis and spices. The tender meat is then folded into fried tortillas that have been dipped in the cooking broth. This broth is also served on the side as a consommé.
I thought these birria tacos at Broka Bistro were just OK. The consome was delicious but the birria meat itself was not as tender or as flavorful as other birria that I’ve eaten. Honestly, the birria tacos I’ve written about from Los Tapitios in my hometown of Salt Lake City are much better. My rating…5.8/10
Suadero Tacos At Taqueria El Paisa
Taqueria El Paisa is a popular street taco stand in the San Rafael neighborhood (Google Rating 4.2). It’s one of a handful of Mexico City taquerias recommended by the Michelin Guide. This however doesn’t mean that it has a Michelin Star. Only one taco shop in Mexico City has a Star, and I’ll be telling you about that taqueria shortly.
Taqueria El Paisa is famous for its Suadero Tacos. These are one of the two most iconic types of tacos that you’ll find in Mexico City (the other is Al Pastor). And so I unquestionably needed to try Suadero on this quest for the best tacos in Mexico City.
Suadero tacos are made with beef, using a fatty cut from the cow’s belly. This beef is then slow-cooked for several hours in fat, using a special type of dome-shaped pan called a choricera. The tender meat is then chopped up when served. The tortillas used for this taco are usually soaked briefly in the cooking fat, adding to the overall flavor profile.
I thought the saudero tacos from El Paisa were very good. The meat was flavorful, though a little fattier than I personally prefer. The toppings were fresh. And the “wet” tortillas added an additional layer of flavor. I thought the street stand experience at El Paisa was fun too. And I did feel comfortable eating there from a food hygiene standpoint. So I can definitely recommend El Paisa as a great place to try Suadero. My rating….6.5/10
Costilla Tacos At El Califa De Leon
Taqueria El Califa De Leon is the famous Mexico City taco shop that was awarded a Michelin Star in 2024 (Google Rating 3.9). It’s the only taco shop in the world with a Star. And I visited on two different occasions while on this quest for the best tacos in Mexico City. In fact, I’ve written an entire blog post about my experiences visiting – Is Eating At Tacos El Califa De Leon Worth It?
El Calife De Leon only has five types of tacos on their menu, mostly featuring various cuts of high-quality beef. And they make their own tortillas. I consider fresh-made tortillas a significant factor when it comes to taco quality.
I tried all three types of their beef tacos over the course of my two visits. And I thought their Costilla taco was the best. The Costilla taco is made from beef rib meat. It is the fattiest of all their featured cuts, but it was tender and had the most flavor. The tacos themselves are quite simple – only the meat, the tortilla, and a choice of two different kinds of salsas. Their philosophy is clearly to let the meat speak for itself.
However, despite the Michelin star, I put the tacos at El Califa De Leon in the mid-tier of my quest to find the best tacos in Mexico City. And the lowish Google Rating really isn’t too much of a surprise either. The tacos are good, but with a Star comes high expectations and longer lines. My rating….7/10
Shrimp Tacos at El Caimancito
El Caimancito is a small restaurant in the La Condesa neighborhood (Google Rating 4.8). It’s a popular local spot for breakfast and also features a seafood-focused lunch menu. I found this place accidentally after finishing up a tour nearby. I was really hungry and wanted to find a lunch spot quickly. It was literally the first place I walked past. I ate their grilled fish dish and it was outstanding. I returned the next day to try their shrimp tacos – as an official leg in my quest to find the best tacos in Mexico City.
And those shrimp tacos were really good. Much much better than the shrimp tacos I tried at El Pescadito (which happens to have a La Condesa branch about a block away). The batter was thinner and crispier, and it perfectly enhanced the flavor of the shrimp. It came with a layer of guacamole atop the tortilla and the perfect amount of fresh veggies. It was an excellent taco and reminded me a lot of the best fish taco I’ve ever eaten (in Merida Mexico) – though not quite as good. My rating 7.5/10
Al Pastor Tacos at Taqueria Orinoco
Taqueria Orinoco is a chain of taquerias across the city which is famous for its Al Pastor (Google Rating 4.6). One of their locations was a three-minute walk from our Airbnb. So it was a no-brainer that my quest for the best tacos in Mexico City should take me there.
Al Pastor tacos are Mexico City’s most iconic type of taco. They are made from pork marinated in spices (including a red achiote paste) and roasted on a vertical spit called a trompo. Notice in the photo below that there is also a pineapple roasting on top of Orinoco’s trompo. Roasted pineapple is an essential Tacos Al Pastor ingredient.
Once ready, the Al Pastor meat is shaved off the trompo and put into corn tortillas along with some of the pineapple, cilantro, and onions. I’ve eaten Al Pastor many times in both Mexico and in the US. The Al Pastor tacos at Orinoco were excellent. And the staff brings a big selection of salsas to your table too. My rating…8/10
Campechano Tacos At Los Cocuyos
Los Cocuyos, located in Centro Historico, is one of the most famous taquerias in Mexico City (Google Rating 4.1). It’s featured in Netflix’s Taco Chronicles. It’s one of the handful of taquerias listed in the Michelin Guide. And most importantly, Anthony Bourdain ate here during his episode in Mexico City (I’ve previously written about following in my travel hero Anthony Bourdain’s footsteps in Lisbon Portugal). So of course I included Los Cocuyos in my quest for the best tacos in Mexico City.
Los Cocuyos was featured in Taco Chronicles because of its famed Suadero tacos. And the busy restaurant puts its choricera front and center. They also serve Al Pastor at Los Cocuyos.
I tried three different tacos at Los Cocuyos – Al Pastor, Suadero, and Campechano. Orinoco’s Al Pastor was better. But I liked the Suadero tacos here better than those at El Paisa. The Suadero meat was chopped into finer pieces, so it seemed more tender and less fatty.
But I thought the best taco of the three was the Campechano. Campechano basically refers to a taco with at least two different kinds of meat. At Los Cocuyos, the Campechano is a combination of Suadero and Longaniza Sausage (cooked together on the same choricera). The sausage added an extra pop of flavor that definitely elevated this taco over the other two. My rating…8.5/10
Trompo Negro Tacos at Tacos Atarantados
Tacos Atarantados is another popular taco franchise with multiple locations around town (Google Rating 4.8). I added it to my quest for the best tacos in Mexico City when my daughter sent me one of their Instagram stories. Their Trompo Negro tacos looked especially good, and so I made my way to their location near the Angel of Independence one evening.
As you’ve probably guessed, Trompo Negro tacos are roasted on a trompo just like Al Pastor. And they are also made with pork. But instead of a red achiote marinade, the pork is marinated in a black recado negro marinade. This is an ancient Mayan marinade made from charred chilis. And it imparts a flavor more intense than Al Pastor.
The Trompo Negro tacos at Taco Atarantados were outstanding. The meat was tender and packed with flavor. The corn tortillas were high quality. And a touch of pineapple never hurts. Plus, like Orinoco, they bring a big selection of different salsas to the table. Additionally, the service here was the best of all the taquerias on this Quest. I highly recommend it. My rating…9/10
Barbacoa Tacos At Barbacoa Edison
Barbacoa Edison is a weekend-only barbacoa restaurant located near the Monument to the Revolution, not far from Centro Historico. Barbacoa is a weekend breakfast tradition throughout Mexico. Barbacoa Edison is only open from 8am-2pm on Saturday and Sunday mornings, when they set up streetside tables outside the small restaurant’s doors.
Barbacoa is sheep or lamb that is slow-cooked overnight in an underground pit. The smoky and tender meat is then served fresh on weekend mornings as tacos. The tacos are usually accompanied by a consommé made from the drippings.
Eating barbacoa tacos at Barbacoa Edison was one of the great dining experiences in all my travels so far. Sitting street side at 8:15 on a crisp January Sunday morning – one of the few times of the week when central Mexico City is quiet. Watching the steam rise from my bowl of hot consommé. And then savoring the smoky meat which was the most tender lamb I’ve ever eaten. Plus all those fresh salsas too. Amazing! My rating….9.7/10
Trompo Negro Fuego Tacos at Tacos Del Valle
Time for a drum roll….the winner of my quest to find the best tacos in Mexico City is Tacos del Valle (Google Rating 4.4). And while all their tacos were excellent, I concluded that their Trompo Negro Fuego tacos were the very best tacos I ate on this Quest.
This popular taqueria is located in Roma Norte and is recognized by the Michelin Guide as a Bib Gourmand restaurant. While this isn’t a Star, it does set the taqueria apart as a “celebrated restaurant that serves exceptional food at great value.” It’s a very popular place and it’s not very big. So you can expect a line. But it’s worth it!
At Tacos Del Valle, you’ll see three different trompos roasting next to a wood fire. One is Al Pastor, one is Carne Asada (beef), and one is the Black Pork. They also make their tortillas fresh. I was lucky enough to sit at the kitchen-side bar during my first visit, and watched all the magic happen.
During that first visit, I tried a taco from each Trompo. And while each was excellent, their so-called Trompo Negro Feugo really stood out with the most flavor. Also, each plate of tacos is served alongside several excellent salsas of varying spice intensity.
I also tried one of their other signature tacos called the Tijuanita (pictured below). It gets a lot of love online, and a local resident sitting next to me at the bar claimed this as his favorite taco in all of Mexico. It’s a corn tortilla, covered in melted cheese, topped with carne asada, a dollop of guacamole, and shredded fried potatoes. I liked it, but I preferred the simplicity and more intense flavor of the Trompo Negro Fuego.
I did return to Taco Del Valle one last time just to be sure of my Quest winner. I’d eaten the Trompo Negro tacos at Tacos Atarantados after my initial visit, and so I wanted to be sure which place served the best version. For my second visit, I exclusively ordered three Trompo Negro Fuego tacos. (Note that they come covered with crushed spicy tortilla chips on top – I presume that’s the Fuego).
And yes indeed…these were the clear winner of my quest to find the best tacos in Mexico City. Compared to the Trompo Negro tacos I’d eaten at Tacos Atarantados, these tortillas were a little better, the meat was little more tender, and the flavors were a little stronger. Plus the crushed chips were a nice added touch. My rating…10/10.
Final Thoughts
So I think it’s safe to say that Tacos Del Valle in Roma Norte serve some of the best tacos in Mexico City. However, I don’t think you’ll be disappointed with most of the tacos I highlighted in this post. And if you have other favorite taquerias in Mexico City, please feel free to share them in the comments below. After all, it would take a lifetime in Mexico City for me to try them all.
If you would like to read more about traveling in Mexico City, then be sure to check out these posts:
The 10 Most Essential Things To Do In Mexico City