Eating With A Local In Mexico City: Street Food In Coyoacán

In an effort to find the best eats around the globe, I’m connecting with food-loving locals and putting my stomach in their hands. Follow along as I challenge them to take me to five of their fave spots for my Eating With A Local series. The only criteria? Good food. The kind you want to share with friends. 

Local Glutton (LG): Anais. Mexico City resident and expert food guide. Hates garlic (calls herself a vampire), but is addicted to chocolate. In fact, her last meal on earth would be a dense chocolate cake. Most obscure food memory? Eating “nana” aka pig uterus closely followed by an international treat: kokoreç (a Turkish sandwich stuffed with lamb intestine). Her culinary hero is Anthony Bourdain.

Street Food In Coyoacán

1. Tostadas

Where do you go for tostadas and what do you order? 

Anais (LG): I go to Tostadas Coyoacán inside the Mercado de Coyoacán. I order my tostadas topped with octopus, red salsa, lettuce and avocado. The tinga (shredded chicken) is also great — just like my grandma would have made!
My Two Cents: One bite into the tostada and I already had a fiesta in my mouth. A perfect combo of textures and flavours — spicy, crunch, creamy, fresh. And the red salsa took the tostada to an entirely different level.

What do you love about this place? 

Anais (LG): This is THE official place to head for the best tostadas in the city. They were the first to open up a stand at Mercado de Coyoacán and were so popular that they had to keep expanding. I also love being in the building itself — no one really knows that it was designed by one of the most influential Mexican architects!
My Two Cents: The ingredients are FRESH, the staff are super friendly and the food is served quickly (they sell thousands of tostadas on weekends). Grab a stool and eat as many tostadas as humanly possible.

Who would you bring here?

Anais (LG): I’ve been coming here since I was a little girl. It’s the kind of place you visit on the weekends with your family.
My Two Cents: My hubby would take permanent residency at this brightly-coloured food stall in the market. With so much variety to nibble on, it’s basically tostada heaven.

2. Pambazos

Where do you go for pambazos and what do you order? 

Anais (LG): I go to Mercado de Antojitos in Coyoacán for my pambazos. The sandwich gets its name from the bread which is dipped in salsa and stuffed before it’s toasted. I get it with potatoes, chorizo, cream, cheese and lettuce.
My Two Cents: I learned that Pambazos are found all across Mexico, but differ from region to region. However, for it to be called a pambazo it must be made with white bread that’s soaked in a red guajillo salsa, stuffed and toasted. I devoured mine with chorizo and potatoes.

What do you love about this place? 

Anais (LG): The secret is in their salsa — that’s actually the case for everywhere you dine at in Mexico. The salsa can really make or break a place. If the salsa isn’t good, locals don’t go back!
My Two Cents: The toasted bread is addictive. Warm, cheesy, saucy. I also really love the vibe of this little market — super casual and local. No frills, good food.

Who would you bring here?

Anais (LG): I used to come here with my mom! The place gets packed with families on the weekends.
My Two Cents: I think this is a great food stall to visit after a few drinks with friends. I imagine the pambazos would soak up the booze nicely.

3. Tacos Al Pastor

Where do you go for tacos al pastor and what do you order? 

Anais (LG): My favourite spot in the city is El Vilsito, but when I’m in Coyoacán I head to El Tizoncito for the best tacos al pastor. The soft tortillas are topped with shaved pork, onions, chunks of pineapple and cilantro. I add lime, salt and red salsa on top, tilt my head (not the taco) and dig in!
My Two Cents: You’d be remiss to visit Mexico City without stuffing your face with at least a few rounds of tacos al pastor. The rotating spit of pork is a heavenly sight (and smell) at nighttime. Def order the tacos al pastor at El Tizoncito since they claim to have invented them! And load on the salsa — it’s really good.

What do you love about this place?

Anais (LG): They still work with charcoal to cook the spit instead of a gas burner, which gives the meat a caramelized, smoky taste.
My Two Cents: Although the tacos are served really fast, they somehow manage to layer them with the perfect amount of each ingredient. It’s also a ridiculously cheap meal (you could have five tacos al pastor for under $5).

Who would you bring here?

Anais (LG): Take your friends after a long day of work to unwind and have a quick snack. Or head here as a final stop after a night of heavy drinking.
My Two Cents: Every taco-lover I know. It’s that good!

4. Elote (Mexican Street Corn)

Where do you go for elotes and what do you order? 

Anais (LG): I get mine from a stand outside the Mercado de Coyoacán. If they have the large-kernel corn (Cacahuazintle which is seasonal) it’s even better! The corn can be served either boiled (covered with mayonnaise, cheese and chili) or grilled (topped with lime, salt and chili).
My Two Cents: I’m not a big fan of boiled corn so I devoured a grilled elote.

What do you love about this place?

Anais (LG): They serve both kinds of elotes. Grilled and boiled so it caters to everyone’s taste.
My Two Cents: The corn is ginormous, fresh and grilled to perfection. Bonus: the large kernels don’t get stuck in your teeth!

Who would you bring here?

Anais (LG): Anyone who loves corn. Definitely not a first date kind of place — you don’t want your face to be covered in chili powder!
My Two Cents: My mom! We’ve been eating street corn together since I was a kid so I think it would be very nostalgic for her.

5. Tlacoyos

Where do you go for tlacoyos and what do you order? 

Anais (LG): She’s not always around, but there’s a lady at Mercado de Coyoacán who makes the best tlacoyos. Her made-to-order, oval-shaped blue corn patties are filled with either requesón (cheese), fava beans or refried beans. I like mine stuffed with fava beans and topped with red salsa, nopales (cactus) and queso fresco (fresh cheese).
My Two Cents: This was my first time trying a tlacoyo so I ate mine exactly the way Anais likes it. So delish!

What do you love about this place?

Anais (LG): There’s something about the flavour of the friend fava beans. Topped with a really nice tomato-based red salsa it’s a tasty treat that I like to eat with my hands.
My Two Cents: The stand is tiny, the lady who does all of the cooking is humble and the tlacoyos couldn’t get any more fresh. The warm masa patty is the perfect comfort food.

Who would you bring here?

Anais (LG): This is a perfect spot for a quick snack when you’re running errands. Get a couple of Tlacoyos and hit the road.
My Two Cents: All of those searching for authentic street food in Mexico City.

We also squeezed in a few extra stops for chocolate (Qué Bo!), churros (Churrería General de la República) and mezcal (Mezcalero) after our mission to devour street food in Coyoacán. The borough is jam packed with mouthwatering eats — one of the many reasons I never wanted to leave Mexico City!

Our accommodations, meals, activities and flights to Mexico City were complimentary as part of a press trip. As always, all reviews and opinions are entirely my own. A huge thanks to CDMX for partnering with us and to Anais for sharing her favourite street food in Coyoacán!