A complete guide to the best Mexican Street Foods

In every place, we visit we look for street food and as food tourism junkies Mexico was absolutely one of the best places to find a huge variety of famous Mexican street foods. We have found a lot of variations in Mexican Street foods depending on where you are in the country. Popular Mexican food (as thought of by most North American tourists) consists of tacos, tamales, gorditas, salsa and nachos (which are not Mexican by the way). Oh and by the way Mexico is in North America not Latin America.

On the Yucatan Peninsula street food was going to be very different from the standard Mexican street food. It naturally involved many of the same Mexican dishes that we have come to love, but it is a very different food culture and its influences are strongly European.

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What is the most popular Mexican street food?

The most popular types of mexican street food include tacos, tamales, churros, elote (corn on the cob), and burritos. These dishes are often prepared by street vendors and can be found in bustling markets and on sidewalks throughout cities like Mexico City. Each of these dishes showcases the vibrant flavors of mexican cuisine, often incorporating fresh ingredients such as lime juice, salsa, and various toppings like refried beans and avocado.

Why are tacos considered a staple in Mexican street food?

Tacos are a staple in Mexican street food due to their versatility, portability, and flavor and taco carts fill the bustling streets of Mexico. They can be filled with a variety of ingredients, such as carnitas, carne asada, or grilled chicken, and topped with a pico de gallo salsa, onions, cilantro, and a squeeze of lime. This adaptability makes tacos a beloved choice for many, whether enjoyed as a quick snack or a full meal. The presence of tacos de carnitas and tacos al pastor are especially noted among the best Mexican street food offerings.

What makes authentic Mexican street food different from other types of Mexican food?

Authentic Mexican street food typically emphasizes fresh, local ingredients and traditional cooking methods. Unlike restaurant dishes that may be adapted for Western tastes, authentic street foods are often prepared in front of customers, using recipes passed down through generations. For instance, tamales made with homemade masa and filled with fresh ingredients are common. This direct connection to Mexican culture and traditions makes street food in Mexico a unique culinary experience.

What are some must-try Mexican street snacks?

Some must-try Mexican street snacks include churros, which are deep-fried dough pastries coated in sugar, and elotes a corn snack.

What are the top 10 favourite authentic Mexican street foods?

Mexican street food is beloved worldwide for its bold flavors, variety, and cultural richness. Here are ten favorite Mexican street foods:

1. Tacos

A quintessential Mexican street food, tacos are made with soft corn or flour tortillas filled with a variety of ingredients like al pastor (marinated pork), carne asada (grilled beef), barbacoa (slow-cooked meat), or vegetarian options like grilled cactus.

2. Elotes and Esquites

Elotes (grilled corn on the cob) are slathered with mayonnaise, cheese, chili powder, and lime, while esquites are a cup of corn kernels mixed with the same toppings—perfect for snacking on the go.

3. Tamales

Tamales are steamed corn dough filled with meats, cheese, or sweet ingredients, wrapped in a corn husk or banana leaf. They’re a classic comfort food and often found at street stalls.

4. Quesadillas

Cheese-filled tortillas, sometimes stuffed with other ingredients like mushrooms, squash blossoms, or huitlacoche (corn fungus), are toasted on a griddle for a warm, gooey treat.

5. Churros

These crispy fried dough sticks coated in sugar and cinnamon are often served with chocolate or caramel dipping sauces, making them a popular dessert.

6. Tostadas

Crunchy fried tortillas topped with ingredients like beans, shredded chicken, ceviche, lettuce, cheese, and salsa make for a delicious and satisfying snack.

7. Gorditas

Thicker corn tortillas are split open and stuffed with savory fillings like chorizo, beans, cheese, or guisados (stews), creating a hearty and portable meal.

8. Cemitas

These sesame seed-studded sandwich rolls are filled with meat, avocado, cheese, chipotle, and papalo herb, a specialty of Puebla that’s packed with flavor.

9. Sopes

Thick, round corn masa cakes are topped with beans, meat, lettuce, cheese, and salsa, offering a rich and layered bite.

10. Tlayudas

Known as “Mexican pizzas,” tlayudas are large, crispy tortillas topped with refried beans, meat, cheese, lettuce, avocado, and salsa, originating from Oaxaca.

These dishes showcase the diversity and creativity of Mexican cuisine, each bursting with authentic flavors and cultural significance.

Mexican street food desserts and sweets

Mexican street food desserts are a delightful blend of sweet flavors, bold spices, and traditional ingredients. Here are the top six favorites:

1. Churros

Crispy, golden sticks of fried dough coated in cinnamon sugar, often served warm with chocolate or caramel dipping sauces. They’re a quintessential Mexican street dessert.

2. Buñuelos

Thin, crispy, fried discs of dough sprinkled with sugar and cinnamon or drizzled with syrup. Buñuelos are especially popular during festivals and holidays.

3. Flan Napolitano (Caramel Flan)

A creamy custard dessert topped with caramel sauce, often sold in portable cups, making it a sweet and indulgent street treat.

4. Nieves (Mexican Ice Cream)

Nieves, or “snow,” is a refreshing, sorbet-like dessert made from natural fruits, spices, or even tequila, served in scoops and often garnished with chili powder or lime.

5. Paletas

Paletas in the Yucatan are a cool Mexican popsicle treat.  Made from fresh fruits and fruit juices the combinations are endless but at the roadside stalls, the main flavour is coconut.

An old Mexican legend says that the Aztec emperors had servants who would bring ice from the volcano, outside Mexico City. The emperors would eat this ice, mixed with fruits.

In the 1940s, one of the most famous Mexican heladerías opened for business — La Michoacana. Typical flavours include watermelon, lime, mamey, mango, coconut, and pineapple with chilli powder, cucumber with chilli powder, pecan, pistachio or tamarind. Sometimes they are covered with chocolate or nuts, and sometimes they have layers of different flavours.

6. Marquesitas 

These are something that you find made all over Merida and it is a favourite treat for kids and adults alike. This is a crepe that is rolled up around a variety of fillings from blackberry jam, to the real speciality that is queso and caramel sauce or Nutella.  Invented in Merida in 1938 these crepes became the favourite snack of the daughters of a Marquis living in the City so much so that they became named the marquesita after the little girls.

These desserts are a must-try for anyone exploring Mexican street food, offering a delicious way to end a meal or satisfy a sweet craving.

Culinary regions of Mexico and the Origins of Mexican street food

Traditional Mexican food varies a lot from region to region. The Northern region’s culinary heritage is based upon ranching which means a lot of grilled meats including, machaca, arrachera, and cabrito ranging from beef to goat. This food culture also has amazing cheese production from queso frescos to varieties of smoked cheeses. In the northern region flour tortillas are used more often because the territory was more suited to growing wheat for flour.

The food of the Yucatán peninsula is distinct from the rest of the country and is based on Mayan food with influences from Cuba and other Caribbean islands, Europe, Asia and Middle Eastern cultures. Corn is the basic staple and is used in both drinks and food and the most popular Mexican street food here is Conchinita Pibil.

Oaxaca’s indigenous cooking is known for its moles which include Negro (black), Amarillo (yellow), Coloradito (little red), Mancha Manteles (table cloth stainer), Chichilo (smoky stew), Rojo (red), and Verde (green). Chocolate is another important ingredient and is frequently hand ground and combined with almonds, cinnamon and other ingredients and added to moles or used in drinks.

In the Bajio region which includes Michoacan, one of the best-known dishes from the state is morisquesta – a sausage and rice dish along with carnitas, or deep-fried pork. The culinary treats include desserts like cajeta (goat’s milk caramel), chongos (curds in syrup), Arroz con Leche (rice pudding) and bunuelos (fritters). The town of Cotija is the birthplace of the famous Cotija cheese named after it.

Along the Pacific shoreline, you will find dishes like chilorio, birria, pozole, chilayo, menudo and pork dishes. Guadalajara is the region’s gastronomic centre, and the area’s most famous dish is birria, a stew of beef, mutton or pork with chilli peppers and spices.

The Gulf of Mexico is a mix of Indigenous, Spanish, Afro-Cuban, Caribbean, and creole food cultures. The Mayans contributed ingredients like corn, chocolate and vanilla and the region grows a wide variety of tropical fruits such as zapote, papaya, mamey, sour orange, and limes.

Mexico City is a melting pot of local ingredients, Mayan culture, and European cultures. The street foods of Mexico in the city include everything from barbacoa to moles, carnitas, tortas and insects. Mexico City is also where you will find some truly inventive new Chefs incorporating Mexican ingredients into new culinary adventures.

Difference between corn and flour tortillas across Mexico

Corn dough and flour dough tortillas are two popular types of tortillas used in Mexican cuisine. The main difference between these two types lies in the ingredients used to make the dough. Corn dough tortillas are made from masa harina, which is a type of flour made from dried corn kernels that have been soaked in an alkaline solution (such as lime water) and then ground.

This process is known as nixtamalization and it enhances the nutritional value and flavor of the corn. On the other hand, flour dough tortillas are made from wheat flour, which gives them a softer and chewier texture compared to corn tortillas. They also have a milder flavor that goes well with a variety of fillings.

Additionally, flour dough tortillas are more versatile and can be used to make dishes such as burritos and quesadillas, while corn dough tortillas are primarily used for tacos and enchiladas. Overall, the choice between corn dough and flour dough tortillas depends on personal preference and the specific dish being prepared. 

Our adventures included searching for the best street food and Mexican dishes we could find. The Santa Lucia Parque area is the best in town for authentic Mexican cuisine in the Yucatan alongside the newer innovative Mexican restaurants. However, just wandering around any area in any village of town in Mexico will result in you finding some fantastic refreshing Mexican drinks or refrescos and Mexican street foods.

Ultimate guide to Mexican Street Foods to try

Mexican street food is renowned for its vibrant flavors and diverse options. From tacos to tamales, these culinary delights have become a staple of Mexican culture. One popular street food is elote, which is a grilled corn on the cob smothered in a mixture of mayonnaise, cheese, chili powder, and lime juice. The combination of sweet, tangy, and spicy flavors creates a tantalizing sensation that keeps people coming back for more.

Another street food favorite is the iconic taco. With a variety of fillings to choose from, such as al pastor (marinated pork) or carne asada (grilled beef), tacos are a go-to option for locals and tourists alike. Additionally, quesadillas, gorditas, and tamales can be found in almost every corner of Mexico. These handheld delights are made with corn masa and filled with a plethora of ingredients like cheese, beans, or meat. Whether enjoyed on a busy street corner or at a bustling market, Mexican street food offers an authentic culinary experience that captivates taste buds and reflects the rich tapestry of Mexican cuisine. 

Cochinita Pibil

Served everywhere in the Yucatan cochinita Pibil from the finest of gourmet restaurants to simple street stalls. The national dish Cochinita Pibil is pit-cooked pork that has been marinated overnight in a naranja agria (sour orange) and annatto-based marinade. 

Initially devised as a way to preserve meat in the tropical climate, Pibil has become the region’s most famous dish. A Mayan word that means to bury, or to cook underground, Pibil is pork, or other meat, wrapped in banana leaves and then baked in a cooking pit for several hours.

Cremitas de Cocos

Cremitas de Cocos is a popular dessert here in Yucatan, very similar to a flan, the coconut is thickened with cornstarch and eggs into a simple pudding, which costs around 10 pesos. You will find an excellent recipe here on the Locogringo Blog

Coco Frios

Coco Frios are lovely green coconuts with the top chopped off and a straw stuck in to get at the delicious and incredibly healthy coconut water.

Bolitos de Coco con Camote

Bolitos de Coco con Camote are little round balls of sweet potato flavoured with Mexican honey or sugar and cinnamon.  The mixture is formed into a ball and then rolled into freshly grated coconut.

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Kibis

As you pass through rural areas and fishing villages (as well as in Mérida) you will often see handwritten signs advertising kibis it may seem strange to see this Middle Eastern treat here in the Yucatan but there is a large Lebanese immigrant community that has made these little stuffed treats a great street food snack.

Kibis are made from roughly ground wheat kernels (similar to bulgur).  They are football-shaped and then deep fried, once they come out of the oil they are then stuffed with fillings that include; meat, cheese, cabbage, habaneros and onions.

Panuchos

A panucho starts with a tortilla that has been warmed split and stuffed with refried black beans, the tortilla is then fried and finally topped with meat, sour orange pickled onions, and sometimes lettuce or cabbage along with avocado and sliced tomato.

Quesadilla

The Mexican version of grilled cheese sandwich, a quesadilla can be either a flour or corn tortilla folded and then cooked in a pan until the cheese melts. In Mexico, Oaxaca cheese is used but in North America we use mozzarella.

Salbutes

The salbute is similar but the tortilla is simply fried and then topped with everything but refried beans.

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Tostada

Tostadas are a traditional Mexican street food of corn tortillas that are fried till crispy and then topped with pretty much everything you can imagine.

Elotes

Elote’s are a very popular Yucatan street food. A corn treat that consists of grilled corn on the cob that is then dressed with a lime-flavoured crema (mayonnaise), dipped in cotijo or queso fresco (which is cheese) and then sprinkled with chilli pepper.  Unlike North American sweet corn on the cob, Mexican corn has a solid very starchy and sweet kernel. These are sold by street vendors all over Mexico but it is considered a particular Yucatan treat.

Esquites

Esquites are from the same corn but removed from the cob and served in a cup.

Tamales

Mexican tamales vary from region to region and everyone loves a tamale but here in the Yucatan tamales are a rare thing to find as street food. They are a labour-intensive dish that you may find at some of the markets in the area and consider yourself lucky if you do find some to buy. If you get the chance take a cooking class to learn how to make them.

In the Yucatan Mayan tamale recipes call for the tamale to be wrapped in a banana leaf, whereas in the rest of Mexico they are wrapped in a corn husk. 

Gordita and sopas

A sope is a thick corn tortilla topped with beans, cheese, salsa and shredded pork, chicken or whatever you request. A gordita is a Spanish word that means fat little girl and it is a thick tortilla but it can be split (like a pita) with ingredients like shredded port, cheese, and beans added to the centre of the masa before it is cooked.

The tlacoyo is also very similar—it’s made in Mexico City and will usually be made of blue corn. All of these corn treats can be found at street stalls throughout the country but the names and fillings/toppings may vary from place to place.

Tacos

The most popular street foods include tacos. In Mexico, you will find street food vendors with tacos of every variety – carnitas, barbacoa, al pastor, adobada, seafood, and countless other variations. The ancient word is from the Nahuatl “tlahco,” and it simply refers to something folded. Tacos were made from cattle corn kernels that are nixtamalized with an alkaline treatment to remove the husk and then ground into fine corn flour. Historians date the first traces of nixtamalized corn back to the Olmec culture back in 1,500 BC.

Taco al Pastor

Taco al pastor are one of the most iconic Mexican street food treats and they were born from Lebanese immigrants to Mexico to resemble shawarma.  

Soft corn tortillas are seen as more authentic, however, because corn has been a staple ingredient in Mexican cuisine for thousands of years.

Torta Ahogada

Torta ahogada is a traditional Mexican sandwich that originated in Guadalajara, Jalisco. The name translates to “drowned sandwich” because it is submerged in a flavorful tomato and chili sauce. The sandwich is typically made with birote salado, a crusty and slightly sour bread that holds up well to the sauce, and filled with tender carnitas (slow-cooked pork).

It’s served with a choice of mild or spicy sauce and often garnished with onions, lime, and sometimes refried beans. The torta ahogada is a beloved street food and comfort dish, offering a perfect blend of spicy, tangy, and savory flavors.

Torta Cubana

Despite the name a Torta Cubana is a Mexican Sandwich that was probably invented in Mexico City. The Torta is filled with a wide variety of meats including items such as: hot dogs, pulled pork, pork loin, ham, chorizo, cheese, and various vegetables. all beautifully stuffed in a crusty bolillo or telera bun.

Cemitas, Tortas, Empalme and Pambazos

A torta is a Mexican snack which North Americans call a Mexican sandwich but it isn’t called a sandwich in Mexico because for a Mexican a sandwich is something that is made with sliced bread. The torta is made on a crusty bun called a bolillo rather like a French baguette but smaller and will have fillings such as meat, tomato, jalapenos, avocado, and refried beans each side of the bun can have a different spread usually mayonnaise on one side and butter on the other. The torta is then either media ahogada (“half drowned” or partially dipped) or bien ahogada (“well drowned”) in spicy salsa.

A cemita is made with different bread to a torta which is soft and round and the herb papalo is added to the toppings. Papalo is green similar to arugula with a cilantro flavour. Pambazos, are a version of a cemita with chorizo and potato then dipped in guajillo chile sauce and friend.

An Empalme is a type of Mexican sandwich that is particular to certain areas of Mexico, and generally is made from corn flour tortillas. This dish commonly includes refried beans and salsa, as well as pork fat. Other filling ingredients may also be added to create different flavor profiles or specialty versions of the dish.

Tlacoyos

 A widely enjoyed morning meal in Mexico City is the tlacoyo, a humble bite discovered on every block. Despite being crafted with corn masa (dough) similar to the commonly seen taco, tlacoyos possess a unique quality. 

These elongated snacks are filled with a variety of beloved Mexican ingredients such as cheese, beans, and potato. Additionally, they are garnished with salsas, salad, and cactus, making them even more delicious. It’s no surprise that tlacoyos are widely enjoyed in Mexico City.

Mexican street food drinks

Horchata

Horchata is a traditional sweet Mexican beverage made from rice. To prepare it, white rice and cinnamon sticks are blended with water and left to soak overnight. The mixture is then strained to remove the rice and cinnamon, leaving behind a flavorful liquid. This liquid is sweetened and enhanced with vanilla, sugar, and a touch of ground cinnamon.

Raspados

Raspados are found all over Mexico and they are essentially a snow cone, but with one significant difference, the origin of the verb raspar means “to scrape” and the best raspados are hand scraped from a huge chunk of ice.  The raspado is then flavoured with fruit syrups, a pinch of salt and a drench of condensed milk and chamoy if requested. A sweet, cold treat for the hot summer months raspados come in a variety of flavours from coconut to mamoy, pineapple and many more.

Pineapple Beer – Tepache

Pineapple beer is a lightly fermented beverage made from pineapple, water, sugar, and sometimes additional spices or grains. It is popular in many African, Caribbean, and Latin American cultures as a homemade, low-alcohol drink. The process involves fermenting pineapple peels or pulp with sugar and water for a few days, allowing natural yeasts to convert the sugars into alcohol.

Aguas Frescas

In Mexico, fruit drinks made with evaporated milk are often called “aguas frescas con leche” or “batidos”/“licuados” depending on the preparation. These creamy beverages combine fresh fruit, a base of evaporated milk, sugar, and sometimes vanilla or cinnamon for extra flavor. They’re a popular, refreshing treat very like a fruit shake in many regions.

Fresa con Leche – Fresh strawberries blended with a evaporated milk base and sugar.

Plátano con Leche – A banana-based drink, sometimes with cinnamon.

Mamey con Leche – A sweet and rich drink made with mamey fruit.

Guayaba con Leche – Creamy guava blended with milk.

These drinks are served cold and are a delicious way to enjoy fresh fruit with a creamy twist.

Street food in Mexico I consider some of the best in the world and the variety can seem endless. You can walk a Mexican market munching on deep-fried grasshoppers, drink a horchata or stop for some of that famous Mexican tequila.

Whatever you choose for your street food in Mexico be it gorditas, quesadillas, empalmes, tostadas, chalupa,  tlayudas, cemita, pambazo, empanada, nachos, fajita and tortas, or one of the many unusual Mexican fruits I have no doubt you will return again to enjoy the many choices you will find.