The Best Tacos in Mexico City

The tacos here are imaginative creations that dare to break orthodoxy in the mecca of tacos. Converts abound. Asian flavors fuse with Mexican ingredients in offerings like the siu yuk, with crispy Chinese-style pork, pickles and a tangy Thai salsa. There are beers and Cokes here like a traditional taquería, but order a glass of natural wine or some housemade vermouth for the full blasphemous experience.

Maizajo is a leader of the kind of next-gen taquería that reigns in the trendy Condesa district. These are not fussy productions: thin cuts of steak are grilled simply and embellished with little, save for a few strips of crispy potato. But the quality of the ingredients makes this something special: the tortillas are chewy, cooked in-house with heirloom corn from local growers; the salsas are bright and balanced. Standing at the pink mosaic counter, everything goes down best with a local craft beer.

The bubbling cauldron perched on the counter of this longstanding Centro Histórico spot is brewing up some of Mexico City’s best tacos. Inside, cooking slowly in a golden concoction of water, oil and grease, are some of the more adventurous cuts of meat you’ll find on this list: tripe, head and the city’s famous suadero, a briskety beef from near the flank of the cow. Once you work your way through the crowd to order, your taco will come quickly and dripping in juices.

There’s no denying La Once Mil, the only MICHELIN-Starred taquería in town, serves high-end tacos: the restaurant’s name itself is a reference to the zip code of the tony Lomas neighborhood where it sits on a leafy corner. The excellent cuts and accompaniments on the menu confirm it: wagyu beef, pork belly and truffle all make an appearance, alongside a trompo — the vertical spit typically reserved for pastor — stacked with rich Black Angus sirloin.

This is the quintessential Mexico City hole-in-the-wall, a no-frills counter in the working class San Rafael neighborhood cranking out delicious tacos. Their speciality is the gaonera, a gossamer slice of beef passed over the grill and served with nothing else on a warm tortilla that’s just been made by the señora in the corner. All it needs is a squeeze of lime and a stripe of the neon green tomatillo salsa.

Tacos de Canasta Los Especiales is the master of the basket taco, a distinctive variation of a taco that’s sweated in the steam of its grease until it turns melt-in-your-mouth. There are just four kinds on the menu at this downtown spot: mushy chicharrón in a red or green salsa, refried beans or a smooth potato purée. A plate of one of each, alongside a glass-bottle Coke, runs just 65 pesos, or a bit less than $4 USD.

Smoke fills the air at Taqueria Los Parados, a lively spot in Roma Sur that’s been open since 1965. On a long grill in the back, blue-aproned taqueros slice and sear meat, tangle it up with gooey white cheese, toss it on a tortilla and pass it over the counter. The menu — the size of a billboard — will have something for everyone, even a rare, appealing vegetarian option in the taco of chile poblano mixed with melted cheese.

Be careful to check the hours of this institution in the neighborhood of Narvarte — if you arrive too early, it will be filled with cars on lifts and greased-up mechanics. In the mornings, El Vilsito is a body shop. In the afternoon, out come the tables and grills and spits of glistening pork meat. Grab a seat at an outdoor counter, order some pastor tacos con todo (with diced onion and cilantro) and marvel at the ingenuity of the taqueros in this city.