The taco is Mexico’s most versatile format - a vehicle for almost any filling, served at every price point, from markets and street stalls to high-end restaurants. What makes a good taco: a warm, fresh corn tortilla (not flour, not Old El Paso); a filling cooked properly; a salsa. Here’s every type worth knowing.
Tacos al pastor
The most iconic. Pork marinated overnight in achiote (annatto paste), dried guajillo and ancho chiles, pineapple, and spices, then stacked on a vertical metal spit (trompo) and slow-cooked. The cook shaves thin slices from the exterior of the rotating spit directly onto the tortilla, adding a small slice of pineapple from the pineapple crown at the top of the trompo.
Origins: introduced by Lebanese immigrants to Mexico City in the early 20th century (the trompo is a direct adaptation of the shawarma spit). Now universal across Mexico.
Where best: Mexico City. The CDMX version is the definitive one - try El Huequito (Bolívar 58, Centro) for a legendary version.
Tacos de carnitas
Pork slow-braised in lard until deeply tender and slightly caramelised on the outside. The best versions offer a range of cuts: maciza (lean shoulder), buche (stomach), trompa (snout), lengua (tongue), surtido (mixed). Order surtido if in doubt. Served with salsa verde, lime, and fresh tortillas.
Origins: Michoacán, specifically the town of Quiroga.
Where best: Sunday morning at the market in almost any Mexican city - carnitas is the traditional weekend dish.
Tacos de birria
Braised goat or beef in a red chile and spice broth. The taco version has become globally famous: the tortilla is dipped in the fat that rises off the broth, griddled until crisp, filled with the meat, and served with a small bowl of consommé for dipping.
Origins: Jalisco (Guadalajara region), though now nationwide.
Where best: Guadalajara. Also excellent in Tijuana, which has its own strong birria tradition.
Tacos de suadero
Beef belly or brisket slow-cooked until soft, then crisped on a comal. A Mexico City speciality - found at dedicated suadero stalls throughout the city, particularly at night markets.
What to order with: salsa verde or roja, onion, cilantro. Nothing more.
Barbacoa
Lamb (traditionally) or beef slow-cooked in an underground pit (pozo) wrapped in maguey leaves for 8–12 hours. The meat is tender, smoky, and slightly sweet from the maguey. A Sunday dish - barbacoa stands open at dawn and sell out by midday.
Where best: Hidalgo state (Pachuca area) for the traditional lamb version. Toluca is also known for a beef barbacoa variation.
Tacos de pescado (fish tacos)
Baja California’s contribution to the taco canon: battered or grilled white fish in a corn tortilla with shredded cabbage, crema, pico de gallo, and a lime squeeze. The Baja version uses beer batter; the Sinaloán version uses breaded (empanizado) fish.
Where best: Ensenada and La Paz are the pilgrimage destinations. Los Cabos, Mazatlán, and Puerto Escondido all have good local versions.
Cochinita pibil tacos
Yucatán’s great taco: achiote-marinated pork (or occasionally chicken) cooked in a banana-leaf-wrapped packet in a traditional pit oven (pib). Deeply orange from the achiote, tangy from the bitter orange juice, tender. Served with pickled red onion and habanero - the combination is the point.
Where best: Mérida, specifically from the markets and early-morning stalls that sell it as a breakfast taco.
Tacos de canasta
“Basket tacos” - small, soft tacos precooked, stacked in a cloth-lined basket, and kept warm for hours. The steam inside the basket gives them their characteristic soft texture. Sold from bicycles and street stalls throughout Mexico City. Fillings: bean, chicharrón en salsa, adobo, potato with chorizo. Typically MXN 10–15 each.
A note on tortillas
Always corn tortillas in traditional taco culture. Flour tortillas are common in the north (Sonora, Baja California, Sinaloa) and for certain preparations (tacos de guisado in some northern cities). The double-tortilla presentation (two small tortillas per taco) is standard at street stalls - it prevents breakage. Eat both together or save the second as a bonus.
Plan your trip: tours in Mexico City · tours across Mexico.