Chef Lupita

Chef Lupita

Central Mexican Tacos, Cemitas & Handhelds

Updated May 27, 2026

The street grammar of the Altiplano: the spinning trompo of CDMX and Puebla, the concave comal of suadero, the basket of tacos sudados, the weekend barbacoa pit of Hidalgo, and the torta and cemita roll-sandwiches that feed Mexico City and Puebla every day. Each handheld pinned to its state.

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Machetes de la Guerrero - Chef Lupita

Chef Lupita

Machetes de la Guerrero

Colonia Guerrero's two-foot corn quesadilla stretched on the comal and stuffed with quesillo, huitlacoche, flor de calabaza, or chicharron prensado. Named for the blade it resembles. Torn and passed around the table.

Tacos de Buche y Nana (Nenepil) - Chef Lupita

Chef Lupita

Tacos de Buche y Nana (Nenepil)

Mexico City's fritanga taco built on buche and nana simmered together, then crisped in lard until the edges turn amber. Two small tortillas, raw onion, cilantro, salsa de chile de arbol, lime.

Tacos de Suadero - Chef Lupita

Chef Lupita

Tacos de Suadero

Mexico City's late-night taco, thin beef confited in its own fat on the concave comal, chopped fine, crisped to order, served on two tortillas with raw onion, cilantro, lime, and salsa. Con todo.

Tacos Placeros de Toluca - Chef Lupita

Chef Lupita

Tacos Placeros de Toluca

Toluca's market taco from the State of Mexico, built on a big hand-pressed tortilla layered with cecina enchilada, chicharron, queso Oaxaca, avocado, and nopales. The plaza taco you finish at the table.

Hamburguesa al Carbón Estilo DF - Chef Lupita

Chef Lupita

Hamburguesa al Carbón Estilo DF

Mexico City's street-cart hamburguesa al carbón, ordered 'especial' with a slice of ham and a split frankfurter laid over the patty. A chilango institution that has nothing to do with American burgers.

Tacos de Chicharrón en Salsa Verde - Chef Lupita

Chef Lupita

Tacos de Chicharrón en Salsa Verde

The fonda guisado of central Mexico: real puffed chicharrón simmered tender in a charred tomatillo and serrano salsa verde, ladled from the cazuela onto warm corn tortillas with raw white onion and a squeeze of lime.

Tostadas de Pata Estilo CDMX - Chef Lupita

Chef Lupita

Tostadas de Pata Estilo CDMX

Mexico City's tostadas de pata: trotter slow-simmered to silk, picked from the bone, drowned in a sharp tomato-and-serrano vinagreta, and stacked on a crisp tortilla over refried beans, crema, queso, and avocado.

Gringas de Pastor - Chef Lupita

Chef Lupita

Gringas de Pastor

Mexico City's al pastor pork and stringy Oaxaca quesillo pressed between two flour tortillas and griddled on the comal until the cheese pulls in long strings. The taqueria's richer cousin, born on a Roma sidewalk after midnight.

Huaraches de Bistec - Chef Lupita

Chef Lupita

Huaraches de Bistec

Mexico City's huarache de bistec, an oblong masa sole crisped on the comal and piled with refried beans, chopped grilled steak, salsa, onion, crema and queso fresco. Born in the puestos of the chilango streets.

Torta de Milanesa - Chef Lupita

Chef Lupita

Torta de Milanesa

Ciudad de México's everyday torta: a hollowed telera toasted in manteca, packed with crisp breaded milanesa, refried black beans, avocado, crema, and pickled jalapeños. The lunch of office workers, students, taxistas, and anyone with twenty pesos and twenty minutes.

Quesadillas Fritas de Comal - Chef Lupita

Chef Lupita

Quesadillas Fritas de Comal

Mexico City's hand-pressed corn-masa quesadillas, stuffed with flor de calabaza and epazote, folded over and crisped in lard until the masa turns deep gold and crackles under a spatula. And yes, in CDMX they will ask if you want cheese in it.

Cemita Poblana de Milanesa - Chef Lupita

Chef Lupita

Cemita Poblana de Milanesa

Puebla's round sesame cemita, stacked with crisp milanesa, strings of Oaxacan quesillo, ripe avocado, smoky chipotle adobado, and the herb that makes it real, pápalo. Anybody who calls this a torta has not been to Puebla.

Tostadas de Tinga Poblana - Chef Lupita

Chef Lupita

Tostadas de Tinga Poblana

Puebla's smoky shredded chicken in chipotle and roasted tomato, piled on a crisp tostada over warm refried beans, dressed with crema, queso fresco, lettuce, and avocado.

Tacos de Barbacoa de Borrego Hidalguense - Chef Lupita

Chef Lupita

Tacos de Barbacoa de Borrego Hidalguense

Hidalgo's weekend barbacoa: lamb wrapped in maguey leaves and slow-cooked until it falls apart, piled on tortillas with consome alongside and a fierce salsa borracha drunk on pulque.

Tacos de Cabeza al Vapor - Chef Lupita

Chef Lupita

Tacos de Cabeza al Vapor

Mexico City's steamed cabeza tacos. Cachete, lengua, and maciza pulled from the vaporera onto doubled tortillas with charred salsa verde, raw onion, and cilantro. Ask for cachete.

Torta Cubana Chilanga - Chef Lupita

Chef Lupita

Torta Cubana Chilanga

Ciudad de Mexico's maximalist torta, built on a telera and stacked with milanesa, pierna, ham, salchicha, queso, fried egg, and avocado. Nothing Cuban about it. All chilango excess and proud of it.

Tacos Árabes Poblanos - Chef Lupita

Chef Lupita

Tacos Árabes Poblanos

Puebla's Lebanese-rooted taco: marinated pork shoulder seared dark, folded into thick pan árabe flatbread, dressed with smoky chipotle morita salsa. The grandfather of al pastor, and not a piece of pineapple in sight.

Tacos al Pastor con Piña - Chef Lupita

Chef Lupita

Tacos al Pastor con Piña

Mexico City's signature taco: adobo-stained pork shaved off the spinning trompo, dressed with charred pineapple, raw white onion, and cilantro. The taquería at night, brought home to your kitchen.

Tacos Sudados de Canasta (Surtidos) - Chef Lupita

Chef Lupita

Tacos Sudados de Canasta (Surtidos)

Mexico City's bicycle-borne basket tacos, pre-filled with papa, frijol, and chicharron prensado, bathed in hot chile oil and sweated soft inside a woven canasta. Sold by nine in the morning, gone by noon.

Tacos Acorazados Morelenses - Chef Lupita

Chef Lupita

Tacos Acorazados Morelenses

Cuautla's market taco from Morelos, doubled corn tortillas armored with red rice and chicken tinga, crowned with crisp milanesa or a fried egg. A full meal that costs what a snack costs and feeds you like dinner.

Pepito de Bistec - Chef Lupita

Chef Lupita

Pepito de Bistec

Mexico City's pepito de bistec, a hot telera packed with thin-seared steak, melted queso Oaxaca, frijoles refritos, and avocado. The taquería's honest answer to a steak sandwich.

Tacos de Longaniza - Chef Lupita

Chef Lupita

Tacos de Longaniza

Central Mexico's longaniza taco: spiced pork sausage crisped on the comal in its own red fat, doubled up on hand-pressed tortillas with raw onion, cilantro, salsa roja, and lime.

Tacos de Cecina de Yecapixtla - Chef Lupita

Chef Lupita

Tacos de Cecina de Yecapixtla

Morelos's cecina from the town of Yecapixtla, beef salted and sun-dried into long mahogany sheets, seared hot on the comal and folded into corn tortillas with crema, queso fresco, and avocado.

Torta de Chilaquil - Chef Lupita

Chef Lupita

Torta de Chilaquil

Ciudad de Mexico's stacked morning torta: a crusty telera packed with charred salsa verde chilaquiles, Mexican crema, queso fresco, and raw onion. The breakfast Condesa runs on.

Chanclas Poblanas - Chef Lupita

Chef Lupita

Chanclas Poblanas

Puebla's chanclas: oval rolls toasted in lard, filled with braised pork and avocado, drowned in a warm guajillo and pasilla salsa, finished with vinegared onions and crumbled queso fresco. Eaten with a fork.

Tacos Campechanos - Chef Lupita

Chef Lupita

Tacos Campechanos

Mexico City's mixed taco off the comal: suadero confited in lard, longaniza crisped in its own fat, and chicharron prensado for the crunch. Doble tortilla, raw onion, cilantro, salsa. Order it con todo.

Tacos de Bistec con Todo - Chef Lupita

Chef Lupita

Tacos de Bistec con Todo

The everyday Mexico City taqueria taco: thin-sliced beef seared hard on the comal, chopped fine with a cleaver, doubled corn tortillas, raw onion, cilantro, salsa, lime. Con todo.

Cemita Árabe Poblana - Chef Lupita

Chef Lupita

Cemita Árabe Poblana

Puebla's domed sesame cemita stacked with thin-sliced árabe pork, quesillo, avocado, pápalo, and chipotle en adobo. The Lebanese-Mexican handshake, all on one roll.

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