When you talk about a trip to Mexico, nothing is more important than dispelling the myth that tacos are hard yellow shells filled with ground beef. Real Mexican tacos come in a variety of fillings, toppings, and cooking methods, all centered on stuffing good stuff into a tortilla. And since tacos are going to likely make up 80% of what you eat there, having a starting point on what you’re about to eat is critical.
General knowledge:
Tacos, logically, always come in tortillas. Flour tortillas aren’t really common in central Mexico (they’re more a Northern thing, closer to the US border), so you’re usually looking at small soft corn tortillas, stacked two or three deep depending on how messy things might get.
Fillings can be grilled, fried, stewed, poached, heck I don’t even know what you would call whatever it is that carnitas is doing in one word — confited?
Most taquerias will put out homemade salsas to top your tacos with – at least a red one made with smoked or dried chiles, and a green one made with fresh chiles and tomatillos (and sometimes avocado). Nine times out of ten, contrary to what at least one person in this group would assume, the green one is the spicier of the two. I mean, go crazy, sauce them up, I know you all grew up with spicy food, whatever.
Now — the specifics.
AL PASTOR
Tacos al pastor (literally translated: “shepherd style”) is the one truly Chilango invention. When Lebanese immigrants came to Mexico in the early 1900s, they brought with them the same spit-roast setup that you see for shawarma or döner kebab. Tacos al pastor take the spit, use adobo-marinated pork instead of lamb, and pile layer upon layer of thinly-sliced pork onto the spit before standing it up and browning the outside with the flame from the spit-roast. The taquero will slice off layers of crusty pork into a tortilla, top it with a bit of pineapple from the top of the spit, and then add cilantro and onions.
This is hands-down Heather’s favorite taco, and you will likely judge all taco places by their tacos al pastor. For me, the pineapple is a must, although not every place will have it.
Map locations for tacos al pastor: El Tizoncito (Condesa), El Vilsito (Navarte), El Huequito (Centro)
I kid you not — this will be the go-to taco. They are ubiquitous in Mexico City, and even taquerias that specialize in other types of tacos will likely have an al pastor spit. It’s only natural to pick a favorite — ours from our trips in 2011-2012 turned into a KFC, so we’re still on the hunt for a new favorite.
ÁRABES
Associated more with Puebla rather than Mexico City, tacos árabes use the same spit-roast that tacos al pastor use, but are more in line with their Mediterranean origins, using more European spices. They also can come in almost a flatbread instead of tortillas. We have a pretty good stand near the apartment that H and I went to often last year.
Map locations for tacos árabes: Taqueria El Greco (Condesa)
CANASTA
Canasta literally translates as “basket,” and canasta tacos are exactly that: tortillas are usually dipped into some sort of flavored oil, filled with some sort of filling, and then layered into a giant basket one of top of the other to sort of sweat on top of each other, getting soft and steamy. They come out more like a casserole version of a taco, with everything kind of mingling together and the tortilla getting very soft, almost tamale-like. They are popular for breakfast and lunch.
Map locations for canasta tacos: Los Especiales (Centro), Tacos Joven (Navarte)
CARNITAS
Take a whole pig, chop it up into various pieces, and then cook the whole thing in a giant vat of pork fat for hours on end until it becomes tear-apart tender — that’s carnitas. It can be tough to find taquerias that specialize in carnitas because it generally tends to be a “special occasion” or weekend preparation. (The place H and I found last year, in Mercado de Medellin, only has carnitas on Sunday!)
Map locations for carnitas tacos: Taqueria El Abanico (Tránsito)
SUADERO
Suadero is two things at once — the beef equivalent of carnitas (ie, a giant vat of beef parts cooked in beef fat), but also a specific cut of meat that’s similar to brisket. I feel like suadero is a lot more “whole animal” than carnitas is, though, and you’ll often find that good suadero places have a lot of organ meat or offal available as well. Longaniza sausage is also a popular complement.
Map locations for suadero tacos: Taqueria Los Cocuyos (Centro)
GUISADO
Guisado means “stew,” and that’s exactly what these are — stewed meats or vegetables, usually stacked in towers of cazuelas, finished with beans or rice to make almost a complete meal in a taco. Guisado fillings are typically a little more “home cooking” and come in dozens of varieties, from chile-sauced chicharron to chicken tinga, potatoes and chorizo to braised fish. The variety is definitely a draw!
Map locations for guisado tacos: Tacos Hola! (Condesa)
AL CARBON
Obviously you can’t get through talking about taco types without mentioning the cooking method most likely to be relatable to you cavepeople: charcoal grilling. Often the cut of meat being grilled here is skirt steak, but you can also find other cuts of steak, chicken, mushrooms, or chorizo sausage. Good solid grillin’!
Map locations for tacos al carbon: El Farolito (Condesa), Taqueria Los Parados (Roma)
And of course there are tons of one-offs, unique mash-ups, and even non-taco things to eat all over Mexico City. My opinion is, if it smells delicious, put it in your face. Mexico City is certainly one place where you will reap the benefits of being adventurous — and hungry!