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Taco al pastor

What: A favorite product of Lebanese immigrants to the Puebla-Mexico City area—and a more Mexicanized version of tacos árabe—tacos al pastor have become ubiquitous in D.F. during the past few decades. In fact, this may be Mexico City's most essential dish nowadays. To make a taco al pastor, thin layers of pork are marinated in a tasty concoction—including garlic, vinegar, chiles, and achiote (annatto seeds), the latter giving it a red-orange color—then roasted on a vertical revolving spit. When served, the meat is sliced off into a warm corn tortilla, along with a hunk of pineapple (which often sits at the top of the spit), chopped onion, and cilantro. The taco is always served with lime and a wonderful variety of salsas.

Where: Sure, it’s a chain, but we loved Condesa’s El Tizoncito (multiple locations including Campeche 362-A, cnr. of Cholula, in Condesa, map); the company claims to have created tacos al pastor. Check out our taquero’s skills in this video:

When: Daily, noon-2:30am

Order: Un taco al pastor (11.90p)—as if it’s possible to have just one. You can try a range of other Mexican dishes here, too, like huaraches, alambres, and quesadillas. Wash it down with an agua fresca, like horchata or jamaica.

Alternatively: There are plenty of great taquerias in town doing tacos al pastor. We also liked Tacos Álvaro O. (Álvaro Obregón betw. Orizaba & Cordoba, map) in Roma Norte and El Hueguito (multiple locations including Ayuntamiento 21 nr. Aranda, map) in el Centro, where al pastor pork is also wrapped into flour tortillas to make a burrito of sorts.