Mexican street food: Top 10 dishes to try

Let’s get the obvious stuff out of the way first. Tacos are Mexico’s greatest contribution to the world of food, and you could easily write a whole separate post on just the best tacos in the country.

Put anything in a hand-sized corn or wheat tortilla and you can call it a taco. This means that each street food spot has its own recipe, resulting in an endless selection of tastes and textures. The soft, tender tortilla is pretty much the only constant. 

Bean, fish, chicken, pulled pork, tacos el pastor, and carne asada tacos are just a few of the most popular options. All often topped with some fresh salsa and a dash of lime juice. 

There are breakfast, lunch, dinner, and late-night taco options available. So, in theory, you could go your whole life from now on eating nothing but tacos. I can’t recommend that, but I won’t discourage you either.

If you’re visiting for a short trip, consider booking a food tour in Mexico City to taste the best tacos to ever come in contact with taste buds. If you’re spending more time, simply stop by any street vendors that have locals around and give their tacos a try.

Another tortilla-based treat (spoiler alert — more tortilla dishes to come), quesadillas are a popular Mexican street food both in Mexico and abroad. By definition, a quesadilla is just a cheese-filled tortilla cooked on a griddle or a stove. That said, most street food spots enhance it by adding beans, vegetables, or meat.

Traditionally made with a corn tortilla, though you can use flour tortillas as well. It’s simple, just like street food is supposed to be. However, when made right, it’s a mouth-watering combination of starches and fats that keeps you coming back for more.

Gorditas, made by stuffing fried masa dough with delicious fillings, is a key part of Mexican food culture. The most common stuffings include chicharron (pork rind stew), refried beans and cheese, Chorizo and eggs, mushrooms, beef and potatoes, and pulled pork and chile sauce.

The slightly salty, thick dough is a perfect vessel for anything you put inside it, from refreshing veggies and salsa to the most savory meats. Only the top of the dough is cut and the bottom remains closed, making it great for eating street food without it getting too messy.

While some other street foods on this list have been around for centuries, nachos are a fairly recent invention. However, they’ve taken the entire world by storm ever since their invention in the mid-20th century.

Made by covering tortilla chips with cheese and a variety of other toppings, it’s a perfect snack for sharing alongside some drinks on a night out. The traditional recipe includes ground beef, refried brands, salsa, guacamole, jalapenos, and a touch of sour cream. That said, local street food stalls aren’t shy about experimenting with a large variety of toppings.

Tamales are an iconic Mexican street food, easily recognized by the corn husk outer layer. Masa dough, packed with a variety of fillings, is wrapped in the corn husk and then steamed to create a delicious, savory snack.

The most popular fillings include beef, chicken, pork, rice, and cheese. While less common nowadays, some traditional recipes used frogs, ants, gophers, and even axolotl for filling. Sweet tamales are also available, often filled with banana and honey.

Fajita is any form of grilled meat served on, you guessed it, a tortilla. It’s usually accompanied by chili peppers, bell peppers, and onions. Some lime juice is often squeezed on for an extra burst of flavor.

In Mexico, fajita is the name of a cut of beef that was originally used for the recipe. The complete meal, served on a tortilla, is actually invented in Texas, USA. Chicken is also used more commonly than beef nowadays. That said, it has become a popular street food in Mexico as well.

If you’re looking for the best street food breakfast in Mexico, chilaquiles are the way to go. It’s made by frying up pieces of tortilla with salsa, cheese, and jalapenos, then served with some fried eggs. Sour cream and proteins, such as beef or chicken, are also often added to the dish.

These simple ingredients thrown together result in a meal that warms both the stomach and the heart. A true example of Mexican soul food.

A tlayuda is a large crispy corn tortilla topped with pretty much everything you’d expect from Mexican street food. The base is usually spread with refried beans, with lettuce, cabbage, shredded meat, cheese, avocado, and a whole bunch of other goodies on top. Chilli, lime, salt, and salsa are also typically added for an extra burst of flavor. 

The dish is often referred to as Mexican pizza because of its shape and looks. The taste, however, is distinctly Mexican and nothing like the pizza you’d get in Italy.

There aren’t many options if you want to avoid tortillas or other masa dough foods when it comes to Mexican street food. However, chicarrónes offer just that.

It’s prepared by deep frying pork skin until golden brown and crispy. The result — a salty, savory snack that has become an important part of Mexican cuisine.

Chicarrónes are often served topped with hot sauce and a variety of dips on the side, which allows you to create different flavor profiles within the same meal.

It feels right to end this list with a dessert, and there’s hardly a more iconic dessert in Mexican cuisine than the churro. While it originated in Spanish and Portuguese cuisine, this cinnamon sugar-topped pastry is a staple of Mexican street food.

Churros are often enjoyed for breakfast, dipped in thick hot chocolate or coffee. That said, it can simply be enjoyed as a snack or a dessert all throughout the day.