Mexico City Food and Travel Guide

Mexico City is one of the world's truly great food cities, where centuries-old recipes meet a buzzing modern scene. From dawn tamale carts to midnight taquerias, the capital eats around the clock, and the best meals often cost just a few pesos.

What to Eat

Street stalls, fondas and markets are where the city's soul lives, so eat widely and follow the crowds.

• Tacos al pastor — marinated pork shaved off a vertical spit onto small corn tortillas, crowned with pineapple, onion and cilantro.
• Tamales — masa steamed in a corn husk or banana leaf with salsa or mole, the classic grab-and-go breakfast.
• Quesadillas — folded tortillas with cheese and fillings like squash blossom, huitlacoche or mushrooms.
• Esquites — warm cup corn loaded with mayo, lime, chili and cheese, sold from carts everywhere.
• Churros — crisp fried dough rolled in cinnamon sugar, perfect dipped in thick hot chocolate.

Where to Go

The leafy neighborhoods of Roma and Condesa are ideal for grazing, blending old taquerias and market stalls with a new wave of cafes, bakeries and mezcal bars along tree-lined streets. They make a relaxed base for eating your way across the day.

For the full experience, visit a neighborhood market like Mercado de Medellin, where fondas serve home-style cooking and vendors stack chilies, fruit and fresh tortillas. Markets are best at midday when the food counters are in full swing.

A practical ordering tip at taco stands: order a couple at a time so they arrive hot, and help yourself to the salsas with care, since the innocent-looking green one is often the fiercest. Menus and handwritten signs are usually in Spanish only, so photographing the menu to translate it helps you decode the fillings and salsas and order exactly what you want.