Tacos al pastor are probably Mexico City’s most iconic dish; the most chilango of all chilango dishes. While found throughout Mexico, the tacos al pastor in Mexico City are the best. The meat is pork, and it is marinated in a sauce of chiles, vinegar and achiote. It is skewered, and cooked like shawarma in front of an open flame. The taco is prepared on a corn tortilla with thin slices of meat, topped with chopped onion, cilantro, and a slice of pineapple.
Anywhere you can find tacos al pastor, you’ll also find another delicacy: the gringa. No, I’m not talking about women from the United States. The gringa is a magical preparation of meat al pastor topped with cheese on a wheat tortilla. It’s a favorite dish – or was before I stopped eating cheese.
Here are a few spots where you can find the best tacos al pastor in the city. Pro tip: if you’re ordering at La Casa del Pastor or El Califa, get an order of guacamole as well. It’s good by itself and on top of the tacos!
El Vilcito
This is hands down the best spot in the city for tacos al pastor, gringas and tortas de pastor (giant sandwiches made with meat al pastor, avocado, mayo, tomato, lettuce and a smear of refried black beans – take a look at this post for more on tortas). By day, the location is an auto repair shop. By night, they open up the restaurant which features two troncos (the skewered pork, slowly roasting on its rotating spit), a few tables on the sidewalk, and a few seats inside. They open at 8 pm, but are a common spot for local party goers to stop for tacos on the way home, so you’ll find them open until well after midnight.
La Casa del Pastor
When you’re craving a good taco al pastor, but it’s not after 8 pm yet, La Casa del Pastor is a solid option. They offer a wide variety of tacos in addition to al pastor and gringas, as well as chicken soup and pozole. Their agua de tamarindo (tamarind water) is tart and sweet and very good. They have several locations throughout the city. Most are in large shopping malls, except for the one on Mazaryk, Polanco’s main street.
El Califa
When you feel like spending a little extra on high end tacos al pastor, visit one of El Califa’s many locations. To the extent that tacos can be high end, that is. The company guarantees a higher than average quality for their meat, and their tacos are pretty good.
Locations: El Vilcito: Petén 248 (esq. Av. Universidad) 03020 Benito Juárez, Distrito Federal // La Casa del Pastor: Alfredo de Musset 3, Polanco III Sección, 11550 / Perisur / Centro Comercial Santa Fe / Oasis / Lomas de Atizapán, Lomas de Atizapan, Ciudad López Mateo // El Califa: Condesa Altata 22 / Pedregal Avenida San Jeronimo 265 / Avenida de las Palmas 425 / Interlomas Vialidad de la Barranca 6 / Bosques de las Lomas Avenida Stim 1328 / Satélite Circuito Médico 15 / Avenida Universidad 654 / El Palacio de Hierro Polanco Avenida Moliere 222 / Paseo de la Reforma 382