by Bill Esparza
Photos by Wonho Frank Lee
While Mexico City is a torta city, its variety of regional taco styles are world famous and coveted items for travelers to Mexico’s street food capital. There are multiple trompos slicing al pastor in every neighborhood, sweaty tacos de canasta (basket steamed tacos), suadero (beef belly), and offal simmering in silver discs of fat from tacos de fritanga (fried tacos) vendors. And there’s an endless menu of guisados, where tacos are covered with Mexican rice to absorb the liquid from colorful stews, braises, and deep-fried foods. But perhaps the most popular tacos for locals in CDMX are tacos a la plancha, where slender steaks, thinly sliced bone-in pork chops, spicy longaniza or chorizo, cecina (salt cured beef), and other meats are cooked on a flat top, then wrapped in a corn tortilla dressed with salsas and often generous sides like whole beans, nopales, grilled onions, and fried potatoes.
