I first came to Mexico to try the tacos, well, that was at least the original motivation, and I have come back many times since, for similar reasons. It all started on a night out with my boy Javier Burillo and we got to talking about tacos, I spoke about how much I loved hard shell tacos with sour cream and he was horrified, telling me that those weren’t real tacos, to try real tacos, I would have to go to the heartland and try tacos in Mexico, that is what I was told. As the night progressed Javier and I began to plan out a short trip to Mexico the following week, drive by the tacos idea but also just to get away for a few days, 6 days later I was in Mexico City being given a taco tour.
Tacos are life in CDMX and these are my top picks.
Al Pastor
Tacos al pastor are very much a staple in the city as they are super low cost and found all over the place. This is pork which is heavy marinated in spices and herbs and then layered onto a spit where it is cooked. The meat is shaved off the spit into a small tortilla and then topped with pineapple, cilantro, onion, lime and salsa, amazing.
Barbacoa
Barbacoa is mutton which traditionally was slow roasted in an oven beneath the ground, the meat ends up being incredibly soft and supple. This is generally found in the city on the weekend and it is the perfect thing to eat after one too many tequilas the night before.
Lengua
In most countries around the world the tongue of the ox is boiled and then sliced up and served as a cold meat, but here inMexico they instead cook it whole and then slice it up to put in tacos, and they are absolutely delicious. The only point which I would make here is that if you let it get cold it can be tough and chewy, so it is far better to eat it as soon as it is served up.
Mixiotes
Generally mixiotes are made using lamb but they can also be made using chicken or pork. The meat is slow cooked and then pulled apart and heavily marinated in a guajillo chili. The meat mixture is then placed into small bags which are then boiled before they are served. Unlike most tacos these are not topped with cilantro and lime and onions, but instead they will serve it up with sliced radish, a chili and pickled onion mixture and some fresh cucumber, and then some spicy salsa for good measure.
These are by far and away my top 4 picks for tacos but there are so many more styles which you can enjoy when you come to Mexico. Have you been down to Mexico before?If so what were your favorite tacos?Let us know in the comments section.
