Home Culture & Language Mexican Food Guide — What to Eat
Culture & Language Updated April 2026 ⏱ 1 min read

Mexican Food Guide — What to Eat

Mexican food is the only national cuisine on UNESCO's Intangible Heritage list — for good reason.

InfoMexico.org · Independent guide · Not affiliated with any government

Breakfast

  • Chilaquiles — fried tortilla chips in salsa with eggs
  • Huevos rancheros — eggs with tomato salsa
  • Molletes — open-face beans-and-cheese on bolillo bread
  • Tamales — corn dough steamed in leaves

Lunch

Lunch (comida) is the biggest meal of the day, eaten 2–4pm. Look for the menu del día (set menu) at neighborhood fondas — usually 100–180 pesos for soup, main, drink and dessert.

Dinner

Dinner is light and late. Tacos, tortas (sandwiches), or street food. Tacos al pastor on a corner stand at 9pm is the quintessential Mexico City experience.

Regional specialties

  • Oaxaca: seven moles, tlayudas, chapulines, mezcal
  • Yucatán: cochinita pibil, sopa de lima, panuchos
  • Puebla: chiles en nogada, mole poblano
  • Baja: fish tacos
  • Veracruz: huachinango a la veracruzana, café lechero

Drinks

  • Aguas frescas — fruit waters (horchata, jamaica, tamarindo)
  • Mezcal — smoky agave spirit
  • Tequila — Jalisco's signature spirit
  • Pulque — fermented agave, ancient and acquired-taste
  • Mexican craft beer — booming, especially in CDMX
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