One fantastic thing about Mexico? The food! And not just any type, but their street food.
Mexican street foods come in different varieties, invading your senses, and it’s enough to drive any foodie crazy.
You’ll always find a street food stand in almost every corner of the country, with vendors selling everything from beverages to snacks and even a full platter of food.
Whether you’re looking for new dishes to add to your food menu or taking a trip to Mexico and need to know what food to try, here’s a little cheat on what not to miss out on.
Let’s go!
1. Mexican Churros
Real churros are a delicious street treat that is a lot of fun to prepare at home. They taste best when served with lots of cinnamon sugar, which makes them crispy, sweet, and toasty.
Following this recipe is simple, and eating the finished product is easy! Those churros from the county fair won’t stand a chance once you start making these at home!
2. Elote
Mexican corn on the cob, or elote, is prepared by first boiling, grilling, or deep-frying an ear of corn. It’s undoubtedly one of the most popular dishes among Mexican street foods.
After being fried and cooled, a wooden stick is inserted and coated with mayonnaise to help the other ingredients stay put.
The corn is then rolled or sprinkled with crumbled Cotija cheese, lime, chili powder, and the vendor’s daily hot sauce. Given how little mess it makes, elote is one of the best foods on the street.
You grip the wooden stick and treat it like an ice cream sandwich instead of worrying about juggling plates and napkins. We all know how annoying corn kernels can be, so don’t forget the floss.
3. Tostadas
Tostadas are made of various ingredients piled on top of a corn tortilla. They’re quite similar to tlayudas, but there are some slight differences.
Ingredients for tostadas include the preferred meat, such as carnitas or chicken tinga, veggies, refried beans, and tortillas.
Sometimes a fresh salsa of some kind will be added to the dish. Considering that this is an open-faced dish, be ready to spill. But the effort is worthwhile.
About 2,000 years ago, tostadas were originally leftovers. People close to the Monte Alban ruins didn’t want to throw away their leftover tortillas, so they heaped them high with ingredients when the tortilla became too crisp to fold in half.
4. Tortas
Tortas is the Mexican name for sandwiches and is also popular among Mexican street foods.
A few street vendors may sell tortas as chicken and cheese or carne asada with refried beans on a roll. The options are limitless.
If there is such a thing as an authentic torta, it would consist of bolillos or teleras, which are crusty buns that are cut open and placed around the desired toppings.
Tortas are an all-hands-on-deck feast, so it’s preferable to sit down and eat them rather than move around the table.
5. Pambazo
In general, a pambazo is a mouthwatering chorizo-potato sandwich. Regional variations in the fillings of this sandwich include chorizo, potatoes, lettuce, cream, cheese, and guajillo sauce in Mexico City and ham, refried beans, chorizo, and pickled chipotle peppers in the State of Veracruz.
You won’t be let down, regardless of the area you’re visiting. A Pambazo Mexicano, like white bread without a crunchy crust, is stuffed with all the ingredients.
Even though the ingredients are few, they all work well together to create a tasty dish. But take care—eating might be messy, and using bread and potatoes can be very filling.
6. Tamales
The husk of the maize, and occasionally banana leaves, are used in tamales.
They’re among the best Mexican street foods. They are also difficult to make, so give your vendors a good tip!
Tamales come in various flavors: sweet, pork, corn, chicken, cheese, and pepper.
A corn-based dough mixture called corn masa is layered inside a corn husk or a banana leaf, and toppings like carrots, potatoes, and onions, as well as occasionally a salsa, are added afterward.
7. Tacos
Tacos are perhaps the most popular and well-liked Mexican street foods on our list and are famous worldwide for their crunch and simplicity.
An authentic Mexican taco is simple, despite being heavily Americanized. It consists of carne asada in a soft corn tortilla with fresh cilantro and minced white onions.
They may occasionally have fresh pico de gallo, avocado salsa, or salsa verde on top. It differs greatly from the hard tacos, chopped meat in “taco sauce,” and layers of cheese, lettuce, and tomatoes invented in America.
The traditional recipe serves a light dish that satisfies hunger without filling you up too much by letting the simplicity of the ingredients speak for itself.
8. Gorditas
This delicious Mexican treat has a flaky corn pastry with a hollow core for stuffing. It’s among the delicious Mexican street foods.
There are chorizo and eggs, papas with chile, picadillo, refried beans, cheese, barbacoa beef, and Chile Verde inside.
Of course, fillings differ depending on personal desire and vendor preference. Since gorditas are easy to pop open, eating on the go is a breeze. They are also deceptively filling.
Surprisingly, something small, chubby, and adorable would be so filling, but proceed cautiously.
You’ll experience stomach discomfort if you consume a handful of these snacks too quickly.
9. Tlayuda
Tlayuda is a popular local dish with roots in Oaxacan and is regarded as a Mexican pizza.
It’s among the Mexican street foods with few ingredients: chicken, beef, refried black beans, quesillo cheese, crispy corn tortilla, and pork or pork ribs.
Avocado, tomatoes, and shredded cabbage are additional toppings. It’s one of the best street snacks and the trickiest to consume while on the go.
Because they don’t have a top and don’t fold, the toppings can easily slide from side to side. It’s never fun to see half of your delectable meal fall.
10. Aguas Frescas
These drinks live up to their name—fresh—and boy, do they deliver. Aguas Frescas, produced by blending fresh fruit with lime juice, a little syrup, and water, are also quite nutritious.
Since it is an unfiltered beverage, all of the fruit’s fiber and antioxidants are retained. Fruits include strawberries, cantaloupe, pineapple, cucumber (with fresh mint), honeydew melon, cereals, seeds, or flowers.
Although it’s not a street snack, this easy-to-make beverage might help cool you from the relentless Mexican sun.
11. Sopes
Sopes are also among the most popular Mexican street foods. It includes thick cornbread, a common ingredient in many Mexican meals, that is lightly cooked and has a border around the edges to seal the flavor.
Refried beans are often the base of a sope, on top of which the other ingredients are piled.
Shredded chicken, pork, or beef are the main meats, lettuce or cabbage, tomatoes, your preferred salsa, and crumbled cheese.
Avocado, onions, and creams or sauces are additional add-ons, but they differ from town to town and according to preference.
Furthermore, sopes are not just for dinner but also for breakfast.
12. Flautas
Flautas are a popular street meal in Latin America, particularly in Mexico. They offer a simple and enjoyable way to eat Mexican street foods.
Flautas are thin, rolled-up flour tortillas that resemble flutes. They are usually filled with shredded beef or chicken and deep-fried until golden and crispy.
After that, sauces and other toppings are added to the flauta to produce an outstanding dish many have enjoyed for ages.
13. Huaraches
Huaraches are a typical street dish from Mexico designed to mimic the sole of a huarache or traditional Mexican shoe. They’re also among the best Mexican street foods.
The meal is composed of masa dough that has been flattened and is topped with a variety of mouthwatering toppings, such as salsa, pinto beans, onion, ground meat, chorizo, etc.
Huaraches have been compared to sopes, tortillas, and pizza due to their look.
14. Esquites
If you enjoyed elotes, you’ll probably like esquites. Esquites are corn off the cob instead of elotes, corn on the cob.
They are often served in a disposable cup and topped with mayonnaise, lime, cotija cheese, chili powder, and other ingredients.
Due to its simplicity in holding and consuming has become one of the most well-known Mexican street foods.
15. Dorilocos
The name Dorilocos is fitting. Its primary ingredient, Doritos, and the rest of its unusual (loco) combination of ingredients are where it derives its name.
Although numerous varieties exist, the common Mexican street dish is made of Doritos and garnished with cueritos, chamoy, pickled pig skin, Japanese peanuts, carrots, and cucumbers. It’s unique! But how well it works will surprise you.
16. Cemitas
Cemitas are a unique torta native to the Mexican State of Puebla. Its name is derived from the cemita bread on which the sandwich is made.
It is different from the other Mexican street foods on the list since it includes meat, pork, chicken, or beef in a cutlet form.
It is garnished with avocado, chipotle peppers, jalapenos, and papalo in true Mexican street food style. Mayonnaise, tomato, and lettuce are additional toppings.
Although it has distinct regional origins, the famous Mexican sandwich has since spread to other Mexican states and become a national favorite.
17. Marquesitas
This dish is made with a batter that includes eggs, sugar, flour, oil, vanilla extract, salt, and milk.
The batter is then fried to the ideal level of lightness and crispness. You can choose from cheese, jam, or chocolate hazelnut spread as fillings.
The history of marquesitas is fascinating. The dessert was created in Merida, located on the Yucatan peninsula, when ice cream sales were nonexistent due to a bitterly cold winter.
One inventive vendor attempted to recycle the unused waffle cones by adding warmer additives to the excess. Well, history happened after that.
18. Paletas
In a paleta, fresh fruit is often combined with rich, creamy ingredients (like yogurt) and a liquid, which could be evaporated milk, water, or ordinary milk. It’s a delicious dessert among the popular Mexican street foods.
There are many other flavor combinations, including more sophisticated tastes like dulce de leche, Belgian chocolate, and Nutella, as well as more simple ones like pineapple, passionfruit, coconut, and lime mention a few.
Because they are light, convenient for eating on the go, and mess-free, paletas are the epitome of street cuisine. They come with a wooden handle to make carrying them simple, but just in case, bring some napkins.
19. Horchata
Regarding coffee, horchata has a dairy base, making it somewhat similar to lattes. It has a basis of rice or coconut milk and is, of course, devoid of caffeine and coffee.
It’s a flexible beverage that goes well with practically all Mexican street foods on the list.
Don’t be discouraged if you don’t like it immediately; many additives can be added that substantially alter its flavor.
Try another seller or purchase a horchata from a different region if it fits your travel schedule.
While some merchants use oat or almond milk, others supplement with chopped coconut or almonds.
It is a silky, creamy beverage that adds sweetness without going overboard.
20. Churros
A churro is a deep-fried dough ring coated with cinnamon and vanilla sugar. Churros are commonly considered Taco Bell’s version, consisting of crispy, fry-shaped dough pieces.
Original Mexican churros are soft and delicious rather than brittle and hard. The food is surprisingly light for something so sweet and doughy.
The fact that most sellers sell them in cones or other portable containers makes carrying and consuming them much more convenient.
Churros are a great addition to your morning coffee or are ideal for a mid-day sugar boost to counteract travel fatigue.
Conclusion
Mexican street foods have something to offer everyone. There’s a lot to choose from, from savory dishes to refreshing drinks.
Now you know what to try when you visit a Mexican restaurant or include in your home meals. Anyways, buen provecho!
