Eating In The Street – Mexico City

Dona Ilinca
Mar 12, 2015
2 min read

In every city, nowadays, you see people eating in the street. But nowhere is it like in Mexico City…

If you are expecting to read about the Mexican cuisine and how it is made, this is not the right place. Personally, we didn’t try any street food, not out of fear of getting sick, but we felt that our bodies wouldn’t be used to the local spices and other ingredients. However, the food in the restaurants was amazing. You can learn more about Mexican street cuisine here.

In this post I will describe the “show” put on by street eating. In Mexico City, this performance is unique and it helps you better understand this amazing Latin-American culture. I am so in love with Mexico and its culture!

Street foods or "antojitos" (literally "little cravings") may include tacos, tamales, tostadas, chalupa, gorditas, quesadillas, elote, tlayudas, empalmes, and tortas, as well as fresh fruit, veggies, beverages and soups (menudo, pozole and pancita). In addition to food, there are several kinds of drinks popular on the streets. “Aguas frescas” ("cool waters") are a classic street drink. They are often made with various fruits, grains, flowers, or seeds blended with sugar and water to make light non-alcoholic beverages.

This kind of food is prepared by street vendors and at small traditional markets. One way to distinguish a good street food vendor is if the stall or stand is crowded. Locals tend to know what is good and being busy indicates that the food is not sitting around. The best moment to have a snack is in the early morning, in the evening and late into the night. You can find it in and around markets, public transportation stops, high traffic areas, stop lights, close to highway exists (where the pollution is at its highest)… on second thought: it’s everywhere. You’d think most of the locals are in the street and are selling something. Everyone is a seller but also a buyer.

The notion of “fresh” or “chilled” has a total different meaning in Mexico City. Temperatures as high as 80-90°F / 27-32°C don’t seem to bother the locals… and their foods: uncooked meat, eggs, pastries, candies, fruits, veggies, etc.