Local's Guide to the Best Mexico City Street Food

Last Update: 12/4/2024

Cast all notions of fajitas and chimichangas from your mind—the must-try Mexican food you’ll read about here is traditional Mexico City street food!

While Mexican street food makes for very affordable meals, it’s also some of the best food in Mexico City! So, no matter how long you stay in Mexico City, you need this list of the best street food the city has to offer!

Mexico City is Mexico’s capital, a metropolis that’s urban, gritty, high-end, sophisticated, peaceful, and hectic all at once. World-famous restaurants like Pojol Mexico City seem a million miles from the modest, traditional Mexican street food stalls, but both are vital parts of Mexico City’s diverse food scene.

Quintessential Mexico City street food, lots of tacos — The best Mexico City street food is as beautiful as it is delicious.

Mexican Street Food in Mexico City

In CDMX (as the locals refer to Mexico City), you’ll find Mexican street food favorites for just $1 outside lavish palaces and cathedrals. While around the corner, hungry hipsters grab tamales while queuing for the latest brunch café.

This is indeed a city of contradictions (and carbs), but it’s one that has to be on your foodie bucket list if it isn’t already. Reason enough is that the Mexican capital definitely has the best Mexican street food in the entire country.

In fact, there are so many places to eat and different varieties of delicious Mexican delicacies to work into your Mexico City itinerary that you’ll want to spend at least 5 days wandering around and eating your way through the streets of Mexico City.

Mexican street food vendors outside the Mexico City cathedral

Mexico City Street Food You need to Try

Exploring Mexico City will make you hungry! And although there’s rarely a bad meal in this city, it pays to do your homework. Rather than stuff your stomach with the first thing you see, why not suss out the best Mexico City street foods to ensure you try them all?

That’s where this Mexico City Street Food Guide comes in. I’ve already done the research and legwork for you; you just pick out what looks interesting to you and dig in!

And since you never know when you might make it back to this marvelous Mexican metropolis, I’d suggest you eat as many of these amazing Mexico City foods as possible during your visit.

Tacos al pastor: The King of Street Food in Mexico City

At the top of this list is the king of Mexico City street food, tacos al pastor.

Prepare to have all your past taco memories tainted by the quality of Mexico City tacos, especially the meaty, tender, al pastor tacos.

Al pastor is a type of spit-roasted pork that came to Mexico with Lebanese immigrants in the early 19th century. Nowadays, it’s the nation’s favorite dish, well suited for a quick lunch while on the go, late-night snacking, or a satisfying nosh any time in between.

You’ll find tacos all over the country, from seafood tacos in Cabo San Lucas out west in Baja California to the cochinita pibil tacos of the Yucatan on the East Coast—and other delicious varieties everywhere in between. Yet, Mexico City is considered Taco Central because it adopts the best tacos from throughout Mexico and incorporates them into the capital’s vibrant food scene.

Mexico City street food recipes vary, but for a traditional taco al pastor, the meat is sliced straight from the trompo (kebab spit) onto a fresh, soft corn tortilla topped with pineapple, raw onion, and cilantro. Add a generous dollop of salsa roja or salsa verde (red salsa or green salsa, respectively) for a fiery kick.

And thus are made the street tacos Mexico City most adores: the best tacos al pastor in the world.

Tlacoyos: Popular Breakfast in Mexico City

A street food vendor making tlacoyo on a coral — Making the popular Mexico City street food tlacoyo

A popular breakfast in Mexico City is the tlacoyo, a modest morsel found on street corners all around town. Although, like the ubiquitous taco, tlacoyos are made with corn dough (masa de maíz), they have a twist.

These oblong-shaped street snacks are stuffed with many of Mexico’s favorite ingredients: queso (cheese), frijoles (refried beans), and papas (potatoes). What’s more, tasty tlacoyos are topped with salsas, salad, and nopales (cactus pads). With all this going on, these are one of the best foods in Mexico City you need to try!

Luckily, you can find this traditional Mexican street food all over, but an unrivaled location for the best tlacoyos in Mexico City is Tlacoyos Doña Bety in Mercado San Gregorio Atlapulco, a local market in the south of the city.

Swing by after visiting Xochimilco—an area of the capital renowned for its canal network and floating island gardens—for one of the best culinary experiences in Mexico City.

Machete Quesadilla: Famous Food of Mexico City

The extra-large Mexico City street food machetes. — The extra-large Mexico City street food, machetes

In the mood for a small snack? If so, stay away from this Mexico City crowd-pleaser: machetes!

This famous food of Mexico City is made from enormous corn tortillas almost half a meter in length, folded over and stuffed with the ingredients of your choosing.

If you can handle the richness, an unbeatable filling is huitlacoche, an earthy, mushroom-like fungus that grows on corn. It’s often translated as “smut,” but it’s really more like truffles—and a fraction of the price. Considered by many as one of the weird foods of Mexico, you might be surprised by how satisfying it can be.

Machetes are a must-try street food of Mexico City because they can’t be found elsewhere. They are a food truly from Mexico City.

In fact, they’re native to one specific neighborhood, Guerrero, northeast of Centro Histórico, Mexico City’s historic center. The best venue at which to get some is Los Machetes de la Guerrero, a street food–style eatery where you can grab this Mexico City famous food with the locals.

Tostadas: Mexican Street Food at Coyoacan Market

Shrimp tostadas on a green plate — Tostadas are one of Mexico City’s favorite street foods.

While tostadas can be found all over Mexico, it’s impossible to talk about the street foods of Mexico City without mentioning them, especially if you plan to visit Coyoacan.

This suburb of Mexico City is renowned as the former home of Mexican artist Frida Kahlo. However, if you come to visit her Blue House, make sure you stay to eat tostadas in the bustling Coyoacan Market.

A famous food in Mexico City, tostadas are crispy fried tortillas topped with all manner of ingredients. They are thought to have been invented 2,000 years ago in Oaxaca (Oaxaca street food is ancient) near famous Monte Alban, the ancient center of Zapotec and Mixtec culture.

Today, tostadas are best enjoyed perched on a stool at Tostadas Coyoacan, a modest market stall serving some of the best street food in Mexico City. Menu highlights include shrimp and avocado tostadas and rich chicken mole tostadas, washed down with a fresh agua fresca—flavored fruit water.

Tamales: Traditional Mexican Food

Street food tamales — Tamales at one of the best places to eat in Mexico City.

A trip to the Mexican capital wouldn’t be complete without a tamale, the OG Mexican street food. Even the name can be traced back 7,000 years to Nahuatl, the language spoken by the Aztecs.

During the Aztec era, the tamale was an important ritual food, offered to the gods during worship. When asked “What is Mexico famous for?” my answer is always tamales!

To make this Mexican street food, corn masa (cornmeal dough) is steamed and served inside a corn husk. (Tamales from Oaxaca, on the other hand, use banana leaves.) Other ingredients can be found at the tamale’s center, usually meat, cheese, salsa or, in the case of sweet tamales, sticky guava paste.

Did the mention of sweet tamales get you thinking about Mexican sweets? If so, read Mexican Cookies next!

Despite their long history, tamales are still one of the most popular street foods in Mexico. When you walk down any street in Mexico City, you’re likely to see local vendors nursing metal vats with closed lids. Inside are sweet and savory tamales, sold for as little as 10 pesos apiece.

Tamales Torta: Mexico City Cheap Eats

If you like tamales, you’ll enjoy another classic Mexico City street food dish: the tamale torta.

In Mexican Spanish, torta does not mean “cake” (as it does in Spain) but “sandwich.” The most Mexican torta filling of all time is surely the tamale. Instead of its usual corn husk coat, moreish tamales and their fillings are sandwiched between two slices of crusty loaf.

Grab a tamale torta for a handful of pesos and rub shoulders with the chilangos (slang for Mexico City locals). These are truly yummy Mexico City cheap eats, and one of my favorite foods in Mexico City!

Elotes & Esquites: Popular Mexico City Street Foods

Street vendor selling elites on a grill — Mexican street food vendor selling elotes.
*While this post does contain affiliate links where the author may earn a small commission at no cost to you, all opinions and recommendations are the author’s own.*

Have you noticed a theme connecting so many of Mexico City’s street food dishes?

When it comes to Mexican cuisine and most types of Mexican street food, corn is key. As the popular Mexican saying goes, “sin maiz no hay pais,” that is, ”Without corn, there is no country.” This saying is bolstered by a couple more of the famous foods in Mexico City: elotes and elotes y esquites.

When maiz is cooked whole, it’s known as elotes. Eating this dish is messy play: The cooked cobs are slathered with crumbly cheese, mayonnaise, lime juice, and chilli.

Luckily, there’s an easier way to eat corn: elotes y esquites. This Mexico City street food dish is made by scooping the corn kernels into a takeaway pot and mixing in the same tasty yet calorific accompanying ingredients. The result is spicy, saucy, zingy, and overwhelmingly comforting.

Best Mexico City Food Markets

Now that we’ve covered what to eat in Mexico, let’s discuss the best food markets in Mexico City for street food.

Mercado Medellin

Mercado Medellin has some of the best street food Mexico City has to offer. What was originally a Colombian market is now one of Mexico City’s most popular markets for groceries, flowers, fresh fruits, and affordable Mexican cuisine. It has all the famous food from Mexico City and more!

You can browse the bustling market, picking up souvenirs and trying adventurous Mexican street snacks like chapulines (crunchy fried grasshoppers) and the less intimidating chicharrones (pork rinds).

For more famous foods of Mexico City, you can sample tacos, quesadillas, moles, and enchiladas at the sit-down area located at the rear of the market.

Mercado Medellin in Mexico City — Mexican staples at a food market in Mexico City

Mercado de Roma

Mercado de Roma is located, unsurprisingly, in the Roma neighborhood of CDMX, specifically in Roma Norte. In line with the area’s stylish reputation, this Mexico City street food market has a hipster vibe with many popular local cafes serving food from pop-up stalls.

Here you can eat chilaquiles, tacos, and many other delicious Mexican dishes. Just be aware that, due this market’s upscale nature, prices here are higher than elsewhere in the city.

To dive more deeply into this incredibly hot foodie district, take a Colonia Roma Food Tour.

Mercado de Coyoacan

As well as its famous tostadas, this Mexico City market in Coyoacan is known for street food, souvenirs, piñatas, and flowers. Here you can dazzle your taste buds with many traditional Mexican dishes, from breakfast chilaquiles to meaty tacos.

Don’t miss La Cocina de mi Mamá Coyoacán, a modest, traditional Mexican cafe that’s one of the best places to eat in Mexico City.

Mercado de San Juan

One of the biggest and busiest food markets in Mexico City is Mercado de San Juan, located near Centro Historico. It’s known as a chef’s market due to the many high-quality ingredients available.

This Mexico City market is busy and crowded so wear closed-toed shoes, keep your valuables secured, and don’t wear white when standing near the butcher’s chopping board!

Mexico City Market Tours

If these Mexico City markets sound like your kind of place, consider a Mexico City Market Tour! This one is very highly rated and goes beyond CDMX street food to explore some art, architecture, mystic traditions, and medicinal plants as well.

Final thoughts on Mexico City Street Food

Mexico City street food includes some of the most popular foods in Mexico, and food stalls offer some of the most delicious food in Mexico City. An added bonus: Mexico City street food prices are an absolute bargain.

You just need to know what to order and trust that sometimes the best places to eat in Mexico City are literally on the city streets. And truly, food lovers can’t hope to properly eat Mexico City without spending time enjoying the diverse offerings of the capital’s myriad street food stands.

Let us know in the comments below what your favorite Mexican foods are, and whether you have ever had street food in Mexico City. If you have, what is the best thing that you’ve eaten?

For more on the impressive diversity of Mexican cuisine, check out these Fun Mexican Food Facts.

About the Author

Rose is a solo female traveler, blogger at Where Goes Rose?, travel writer, and foodie based between the UK and Mexico City. She can usually be found writing over coffee while befriending nearby pets and plotting her future travel adventures around Latin America and the rest of the world. Find Rose on Instagram and Twitter, and follow her on Facebook.