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8 Tortas Varieties Ranked From the Best To the Worst

Last update: Sun Feb 16 2025
8 Tortas Varieties Ranked From the Best To the Worst
01

Pork Dish

YUCATÁN, Mexico
4.6
Cochinita pibil
Cochinita pibil infographic
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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

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02

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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03

Sandwich

PUEBLA DE ZARAGOZA, Mexico
4.1
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Cemita is a popular Mexican sandwich originating from Puebla, consisting of a fresh, sesame seed-sprinkled bun filled with tiny strands of shredded cheese, avocado slices, pickled jalapeños, papalo (herb with a unique flavor), and cutlets of meat such as pork, beef, or chicken, all fried in breadcrumbs.


The sandwich can be additionally stuffed with tomatoes, lettuce, and mayonnaise. The name cemita refers both to the bun and the sandwich.

MOST ICONIC Cemita

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04

Sandwich

LEÓN DE LOS ALDAMA, Mexico
3.8
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Guacamaya is a Mexican torta originating from León, Guanajuato. It is made by filling a bolillo roll with crispy chicharrón pork rinds, avocado, spicy salsa, lime juice, and salt. In the city of León, these sandwiches are usually sold from guacamaya carts – tricycles that are equipped with a glass case containing all that is needed to assemble these spicy tortas.


But fear not, as they also offer a refreshing local beverage called cebadina to counter the spiciness of guacamaya.

MOST ICONIC Guacamaya

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Torta Cubana is a Mexican sandwich filled with a variety of meats and sauces, a meal that is different from one vendor to the next. It was invented in the 1950s on Calle Republica de Cuba in Mexico City, when a cantina cook first started serving tortas with everything he had available.


The sandwich quickly gained popularity and got its name from the street where it was first made. Torta Cubana should not be confused with the popular Cubano sandwich, as the two have nothing in common except their similar names.

MOST ICONIC Torta Cubana

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06

Sandwich

MEXICO CITY, Mexico and  one more region
3.6
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MAIN INGREDIENTS

Torta de tamal or guajolota is a popular Mexican street food item that is usually consumed for breakfast, consisting of a soft bolillo roll (or telera bread) filled with a tamal.


For example, the Oaxacan-style tamal is typically filled with mole negro and shredded chicken, but there are many other kinds of tamal. Besides tamal, various sauces, cheeses, and other ingredients are also often added. 

MOST ICONIC Torta de tamal

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07
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Tortas hamburguesas is a Mexican take on the hamburger. The sandwich consists of split and toasted bread rolls that are filled with a beef patty, cheese, avocados, tomatoes, lettuce, and coriander sprigs. There are a few variations on tortas hamburguesas, so the sandwich might also be filled with hot sauce and jalapenos, if desired.

08
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Torta de la barda is a traditional sandwich originating from the city of Tampico. The base is a crusty white bread roll called telera, bolillo, pan blanco, birote, or pan francés, depending on the region.


The rolls are filled with shredded beef, pork rinds in green salsa, refried beans, pork cheese head, thinly sliced ham, cheese, tomatoes, onions, avocado slices, and Mexican chorizo. The sandwich is stuffed with a large number of ingredients because it was originally sold to marine and train station workers in the early 1930s from small stands that were setlled along the fence (barda) of the Tampico Marine Terminal and near the train station. 

MOST ICONIC Torta de la barda

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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 “8 Tortas Varieties Ranked From the Best To the Worst” list until February 16, 2025, 613,493 ratings were recorded, of which 396,437 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.