Search locations or food
OR
Sign up

What to eat in Mexico? Top 100 Mexican Foods

Last update: Sun Feb 16 2025
Top 100 Mexican Foods
VIEW MORE
01
Quesabirria
Ate it? Rate it
Wanna try?
Add to list

Quesabirria is a popular Mexican street food dish, a fusion between birria (a traditional Mexican meat stew) and quesadillas. The dish originates from Tijuana and typically consists of large tortillas filled with birria-style cooked meat (usually beef) and a generous amount of melted cheese.


The tortillas are cooked on the stove until the cheese melts and the outside of the tortilla becomes crispy. Quesabirria is often accompanied by a side of broth, or consomé, for dipping, adding another layer of flavor to the dish.

02
Ate it? Rate it
Wanna try?
Add to list

Esquites is the name for popular Mexican street food that is usually consumed as a snack on the go. It is made with mature corn kernels, epazote, and salt. Corn is either grilled and shaved, or cooked with epazote, and it is then typically served in small cups, topped with chili peppers, lime juice, or cotija cheese.


Sour cream, mayonnaise, and pequin chili powder are sometimes served on the side so everyone can add the ingredients according to personal preferences. The name esquites is derived from the Nahuatl word izquitl, meaning toasted corn.

MOST ICONIC Esquites

View more
1
2
3
4
5
03

Pork Dish

YUCATÁN, Mexico
4.6
Ate it? Rate it
Wanna try?
Add to list

Cochinita pibil is a Mexican pork dish originating from Yucatan. Pork is marinated in a combination of annatto paste, bitter orange juice, and garlic. It is slowly baked and then shredded and served on tortillas, tacos, or on its own with shallots, pickled onions, salsa, and various roasted vegetables.


Cochinita pibil is characterized by the red color of the meat, imparted by the annatto seeds from the marinade. Originally, pork was wrapped in banana leaves prior to baking, but today a foil or any other suitable wrapping can be used instead. Since cochinita means baby pig, and pibil means buried or underground, it acts as a proof that the original recipe used a whole suckling pig that was buried in a pit for roasting. 

MOST ICONIC Cochinita pibil

View more
1
2
3
4
5
04

Pork Dish

SINALOA, Mexico
4.6
Ate it? Rate it
Wanna try?
Add to list

Chilorio is a Sinaloan dish consisting of fried pulled pork meat that is cooked in chili sauce and spices such oregano, garlic, and cumin. Originally, it was used as a way to preserve meat, but today it is usually used as a filling for numerous Mexican specialties such as tacos or enchiladas.


If chilorio is served as a main dish, it is traditionally accompanied by salsa, guacamole, Mexican rice, or refried beans on the side.

MOST ICONIC Chilorio

1
2
3
05
Ate it? Rate it
Wanna try?
Add to list

Antojitos (lit. little cravings) refers to a variety of Mexican foods that are prepared in market stalls and on the streets. Due to the fact that formal, substantial meals are consumed in the mid-afternoon, most antojitos are eaten either in the morning or the evening.


Typical antojitos include fajitas, tortas, tamales, tacos, tostadas, tlayudas, elote, chalupas, gorditas, empalmes, quesadillas, cemitas, empanadas, pambazo, chilaquiles, and nachos. However, vegetables, fruits, and soups such as pozole and menuda are also classified as antojitos. 
06
Ate it? Rate it
Wanna try?
Add to list

Barbacoa is a term that is mostly associated with Mexico and refers to an ancient technique of cooking meat in underground ovens. There are numerous regional varieties, which usually differ in the type of meat or the cut, but the most common options include lamb, goat, or mutton—and animal heads are traditionally regarded as a favorite barbacoa specialty. Mexican barbacoa involved digging a hole in the ground, lining the bottom and the sides with rocks, and adding a layer of burning wood, which would then be covered with agave leaves.


They would then place the meat on the leaves, and the hole would be covered and sealed. An additional flame would be lit on top to keep animals away, and the meat would be left to cook overnight. Throughout history, the word barbacoa has been associated with numerous meanings. 

MOST ICONIC Barbacoa

View more
1
2
3
4
5
07

Pork Dish

MICHOACÁN, Mexico
4.5
Ate it? Rate it
Wanna try?
Add to list
MAIN INGREDIENTS

Originating from the Mexican state of Michoacán, carnitas is a flavorful dish made from pork (usually front sections or pork shoulder) that is braised, roasted, or slow-cooked in its own fat for a long time until fully tender and succulent.


The heat is then turned up until the meat is crispy on the exterior and can be shredded. Carnitas, which translates to little meats, is often served with tortillas, accompanied by salsas, beans, guacamole, lime, or fresh vegetables. In Michoacán, carnitas are found everywhere from street stalls to upscale restaurants, although the dish is more often made for special occasions such as Christmas, anniversaries, or birthdays. 

MOST ICONIC Carnitas

View more
1
2
3
4
5
08
Ate it? Rate it
Wanna try?
Add to list

Chilaquiles are, at their most basic, an assembly of fried tortilla pieces drenched in chili sauce with optional meat and vegetables. The dish is popular both in Mexico and the United States as a great way to use up leftover, stale tortillas. The name of the dish is derived from chil-a-quilitl, meaning greens or herbs in a chili broth.


Today, there is a great number of regional variations of the dish, so in Sinaloa it is prepared with a white sauce, and in Mexico City, the dish is traditionally topped with epazote sprigs.

MOST ICONIC Chilaquiles

View more
1
2
3
4
5
09

Soup

YUCATÁN, Mexico
4.5
Ate it? Rate it
Wanna try?
Add to list

A traditional dish from Mexico's Yucatan Peninsula, sopa de lima is a spicy, flavorful chicken and tomato soup, contrary to its name that would make one think limes are the main ingredient in the dish. However, the soup is flavored with unique, bittersweet Yucatan limes and spicy habanero peppers.


Since native Yucatan limes are scattered throughout the peninsula, it is no wonder that they are incorporated in numerous recipes of Yucatecan cuisine. A hearty, healthy soup from a warm climate, sopa de lima is also great as a winter comfort food.


Although the origins of this soup are still a mystery, some food historians claim that it was most likely derived from an ancient Mayan dish.

MOST ICONIC Sopa de lima

View more
1
2
3
4
5
10

Soup

SONORA, Mexico
4.5
Ate it? Rate it
Wanna try?
Add to list

Caldo de queso is a simple Mexican soup featuring potatoes, green chilies, chicken broth, and cheese. It is important to add the cheese last in order for it to turn the soup creamy without producing large mounds of cheese in the liquid. The soup is traditionally served with fried corn tortilla chips on the side.

MOST ICONIC Caldo de queso

1
2
11
Street Food Sweets
GUADALAJARA, Mexico
4.5
12
13
Vegetable Soup
MICHOACÁN, Mexico
4.5
14
15
16
17
Cheese
OAXACA, Mexico
4.4
18
19
Wrap
MEXICO CITY, Mexico
4.4
20
21
22
Wrap
CIUDAD JUÁREZ, Mexico
4.3
23
24
25
Cheese
CHIHUAHUA, Mexico
4.3
26
27
28
Appetizer
SINALOA, Mexico
4.3
29
Snack
YUCATÁN, Mexico
4.3
30
Street Food
OAXACA, Mexico
4.3
31
32
33
34
35
36
37
38
39
40
41
42
43
44
45
Snack
OAXACA, Mexico
4.2
46
Meat Soup
GUADALAJARA, Mexico
4.2
47
48
Vegetable Soup
PUEBLA DE ZARAGOZA, Mexico
4.2
49
Street Food
SANTO DOMINGO TEHUANTEPEC, Mexico
4.2
50
Snack
PIEDRAS NEGRAS, Mexico
4.1
51
52
53
Appetizer
PUEBLA DE ZARAGOZA, Mexico
4.1
54
Goat Dish
MONTERREY, Mexico
4.1
55
Dessert
COLIMA CITY, Mexico
4.1
56
Cheese
COTIJA DE LA PAZ, Mexico
4.1
57
Snack
CULIACÁN, Mexico
4.1
58
59
60
61
62
Egg Dish
YUCATÁN, Mexico
4.1
63
64
Street Food
YUCATÁN, Mexico
4.1
65
66
67
Flatbread
OAXACA, Mexico
4.1
68
69
Snack
MICHOACÁN, Mexico
4.1
70
Snack
ZACATECAS CITY, Mexico
4.1
71
72
73
Snack
PUEBLA DE ZARAGOZA, Mexico
4.0
74
75
76
77
78
Hot Dog
HERMOSILLO, Mexico
4.0
79
80
81
82
83
Cookie
HERMOSILLO, Mexico
4.0
84
Pork Dish
YUCATÁN, Mexico
4.0
85
86
87
Salad
TIJUANA, Mexico
3.9
88
89
90
91
92
93
Egg Dish
MOTUL DE CARRILLO PUERTO, Mexico
3.9
94
95
96
Cheese
JALISCO, Mexico
3.8
97
98
Soup
TLALPAN, Mexico
3.8
99
100

TasteAtlas food rankings are based on the ratings of the TasteAtlas audience, with a series of mechanisms that recognize real users and that ignore bot, nationalist or local patriotic ratings, and give additional value to the ratings of users that the system recognizes as knowledgeable. For the “Top 100 Mexican Foods” list until February 16, 2025, 27,048 ratings were recorded, of which 16,472 were recognized by the system as legitimate. TasteAtlas Rankings should not be seen as the final global conclusion about food. Their purpose is to promote excellent local foods, instill pride in traditional dishes, and arouse curiosity about dishes you haven’t tried.

Show Map
Mexican Food