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What to eat in Pacific Coast of Mexico? Top 43 Traditional Foods in Pacific Coast of Mexico

Last update: Sun Feb 16 2025
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01

Pork Dish

MICHOACÁN, Mexico
4.5
Carnitas
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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

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02

Street Food Sweets

GUADALAJARA, Mexico
4.5
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Bionico is a popular Mexican street food item in the form of a fruit cocktail, originating from Guadalajara. Chopped fruits such as papaya, strawberries, cantaloupe, apples, and bananas are topped with a sweet cream mixture, granola, pecans, raisins, and desiccated coconut.


The dish was invented in the early 1990s as a healthy breakfast meal. As its popularity grew, the dessert spread throughout Mexico and even to some parts of the United States. Today, bionico is mostly served by street vendors or it can be bought at numerous juice bars and ice cream shops.

MOST ICONIC Bionico

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03
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Pescado zarandeado is a signature dish of the Mexican Nayarit region. It is a simple meal made by cooking local fish (preferably red snapper) over mangrove wood charcoal, which gives off a distinctive smoke that permeates the lightly salted fish.


Today, some cooks like to add spices and hot chilis to the dish instead of using only salt, which accentuates the natural flavors of fish. The name of the dish is derived from the word zaranda, referring to the name of the grill used in the preparation of fish.

MOST ICONIC Pescado zarandeado

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04

Vegetable Soup

MICHOACÁN, Mexico
4.5
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Tarascan puréed bean soup hails from the Mexican state of Michoacán, home of the Tarascan or Purépecha people — one of the major pre-Columbian civilizations of Mesoamerica. Their culture flourished from 1100s to the early 1500s, but by the 1530, Purépecha people had succumbed to the Spanish conquistadors who eventually named them Tarascos, hence the name sopa Tarasca.


Apart from the beans — which are usually cooked together with tomatoes in a simple chicken broth — this dish is a great source of both fresh and dried chili peppers, most of which are native to the New World like the smoked pasilla de Oaxaca, which imparts not only a delicate heat but also adds a nice smoky flavor to this hearty soup.

05

Cheese

OAXACA, Mexico
4.4
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Oaxacan cheese is a semi-soft white cheese made from cow's milk. The cheese is characterized by its stringy texture. It has a savory, creamy, mild and buttery flavor, making it ideal for quesadillas, empanadas, and tlayudas. The cheese has great melting properties, which is the reason why it is often used in numerous baked dishes.


It is named after the Oaxaca state in southern Mexico, where it was first produced. The pasta filata cheesemaking process, originally from Italy, was brought to Mexico by Dominican friars that settled in the state of Oaxaca.

06

Street Food

OAXACA, Mexico
4.3
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Tlayuda is an Oaxacan street food dish consisting of an oversized corn dough tortilla smothered with asiento lard, refried beans, and quesillo string cheese. The term tlayuda refers both to the dish and the name of the large tortilla.


It can be served open-face or folded, and is then additionally topped with a variety of meats, salsas, and guacamole.

MOST ICONIC Tlayuda

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07

Sandwich

GUADALAJARA, Mexico
4.2
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Torta ahogada is Guadalajara's signature sandwich, a salted bun that is crunchy on the outside and soft on the interior, filled with pork, and submerged in a spicy salsa consisting of vinegar, cumin, and chile de árbol pepper. The sandwich is then filled with onions, mild tomato-garlic salsa, and a squeeze of lime juice.


It was invented in the early 1900s, and today it is a staple dish for curing hangovers, usually found on small stands on street corners and busy urban centers.

MOST ICONIC Torta ahogada

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08

Snack

OAXACA, Mexico
4.2
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Memela (or tetela) is a popular street food dish originating from the Mexican state of Oaxaca. It is made from masa flour with the addition of refried beans, pressed together into a (usually oval-shaped) tortilla, then cooked on a hot grill.


Once the tortilla is done, it is usually filled with red or green salsa, crumbly cheese such as quesillo, and additional toppings such as fries, nopale cactus, or avocado slices. Memela is traditionally folded in half and eaten with hands, just like a taco.

09

Meat Soup

GUADALAJARA, Mexico
4.2
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Carne en su jugo is a traditional beef soup with bacon, beans, garlic, and onions. The broth can be additionally flavored with chilis and vegetables. The soup originates from Guadalajara, and it was first made in the 1950s in a restaurant called El Gallo, when it was used as a hangover cure in the late hours of the evening.


Today, carne en su jugo is traditionally served in clay plates.

MOST ICONIC Carne en su jugo

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10

Street Food

SANTO DOMINGO TEHUANTEPEC, Mexico
4.2
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Garnacha is a Mexican dish originating from Oaxaca, in an area known as the Isthmus. The dish consists of a small masa dough disk that is fried in lard, then topped with stewed shredded meat, onions, salsa, queso fresco, and repollo – a combination of vinegar and cabbage.


Of course, chili peppers can also be added to the toppings, if desired. Nowadays, garnachas are a common street food in the region, but they are also a staple of the velas – a festival that celebrates the harvest season.

11
Dessert
COLIMA CITY, Mexico
4.1
12
Cheese
COTIJA DE LA PAZ, Mexico
4.1
13
Flatbread
OAXACA, Mexico
4.1
14
Snack
MICHOACÁN, Mexico
4.1
15
16
17
18
Cheese
JALISCO, Mexico
3.8
19
Appetizer
JALISCO, Mexico
3.0
20
Dessert
ZAMORA DE HIDALGO, Mexico
3.0
21
22
23
Spread
OAXACA, Mexico
n/a
24
25
26
27
Stew
CHIAPAS, Mexico
4.3
28
29
30
31
Egg Dish
MICHOACÁN, Mexico
4.0
32
Cheese
TAXCO, Mexico
n/a
33
Stew
MICHOACÁN, Mexico
n/a
34
Insect Dish
TAXCO, Mexico
3.3
35
36
37
38
39
Stew
OAXACA, Mexico
n/a
40
41
Stew
OAXACA, Mexico
n/a
42
43

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 43 Traditional Foods in Pacific Coast of Mexico” list until February 16, 2025, 2,422 ratings were recorded, of which 1,250 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.

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