Local's Guide to the Best Mexico City Street Food

Mexican Street Food in Mexico City

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!

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.

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 city of contradictions (and carbs) has to be on your foodie bucket list if it isn’t already; the Mexican capital definitely has the best Mexican street food in the entire country.

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 and eating your way through Mexico City.

Mexican street food vendors outside the Mexico City cathedral. — Mexican street food vendors outside the Mexico City cathedral

Mexico City Street Food You Must 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?

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

At the top of the 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’s meaty, tender, tacos al pastor.

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 late-night snacking or a quick lunch while on the go.

You’ll find tacos all over the country, from Cabo San Lucas on the West Coast to the Yucatan on the East Coast and 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.

Mexican street food recipes vary, but for a traditional al pastor taco, the meat is sliced straight from the trompo (kebab spit) onto fresh corn tacos 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 best tacos al pastor in the world.

The King of Mexico City street food, tacos al pastor. — The King of Mexico City street food, tacos al pastor

Tlacoyos: Popular Breakfast in Mexico City

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

These oblong-shaped street snacks are stuffed with many of Mexico’s favorite ingredients: queso (cheese), frijoles (beans), and papa (potato). What’s more, tasty tlacoyos are topped with salsas, salad, and nopales (cactus pads). It’s no wonder why they’re a popular food in Mexico City!

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.

Making the Mexico City street food tlacoyo. — Making the popular Mexico City street food tlacoyo

Machete Quesadilla—Famous Food of Mexico City

In the mood for a small snack? Stay away from this Mexico City food, machetes!

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

Machetes are a must-try Mexico City street food because they can’t be found elsewhere. They are truly a food from Mexico City. In fact, they’re native to one specific neighborhood, Guerrero, northeast of Centro Historico. The best venue is Los Machetes de la Guerrero, a street food-style eatery where you can grab machetes with the locals.

The extra-large Mexico City street food machetes.

Tostadas—Mexican Street Food at Coyoacan Market

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

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

A famous food in Mexico City, Tostadas are crispy fried tortillas topped with all manner of ingredients. They were thought to have been invented 2,000 years ago in Oaxaca near famous Monte Alban, the ancient centre 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 or rich chicken mole tostadas, washed down with a fresh agua fresca (flavored fruit water).

Tostadas are one of the most popular foods in Mexico.

Tamales—Traditional Mexican Food

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

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

Like Mexican sweets? Read: Mexican Cookies next!

Tamales at one of the best places to eat in Mexico City.

Despite their long history, tamales are just as popular today. When you walk down any calle (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 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). Yummy Mexico City cheap eats and one of my favorite foods in Mexico City!

Elotes and Esquites—Popular Mexico City Street Food

Have you noticed a theme connecting these Mexico City street food dishes?

When it comes to Mexican cuisine and most types of Mexican street food, corn is key. As the popular saying goes, ‘no pais sin maiz’ (there’s no country without corn) as is evidenced by the famous foods in Mexico City: emotes and elites 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 tasty yet calorific ingredients. It’s spicy, saucy, zingy, and overwhelmingly comforting.

Mexican street food vendor selling elotes.

While this post does contain affiliate links where I may earn a small commission at no cost to you, all opinions and recommendations are my own.

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. A few options include...

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

Mexican staples at a food market Mexico City.

Mercado de Roma

Mercado de Roma is located, unsurprisingly, in the Roma neighborhood of CDMX. 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 Mexican dishes. Beware prices are slightly inflated.

Mercado de Coyoacan

As well as its famous tostadas, this Mexico City market in Coyoacan is known for street food, souvenirs, pinatas, and flowers. Here you can try 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.

Spices at the best food market 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, put away your valuables, and don’t wear white when standing nearby 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 rated a 5/5 by customers and goes beyond CDMX street food to include art, architecture, mystic traditions, and medicinal plants.

Final thoughts on Mexico City Street Food

Mexico City street food includes some of the most popular foods in Mexico, and food stalls can have some of the best food in Mexico City.

You just need to know what to order and trust that sometimes the best places to eat in Mexico City are literally on its streets.

Let us know in the comments if you love Mexican food, or have had street food in Mexico City!

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 world. Find Rose online: Instagram, and on Twitter , and follow her on Facebook