At Expendio de Maiz, “the corn stand,” Jesús Tornes is all about preserving nixtamalization – an ancient and important method of processing corn birthed by Mesoamerica. Freshly made dough from blue (prieto) and yellow (cremoso) Guerrero is sold to restaurants across the city, and what they save for themselves is converted into an endless variety of open-faced tacos served at family-style tables steps from the kitchen. Every day changes, but we are bigs fans of the hoja santa and Guerrero cheese.

This locavore charmer in Condesa serves chef-driven versions of Mexican classics. Named for chef Adolfo Schwalge’s grandmother, the food celebrates the women that are the guardians of traditional cuisine. Many of the veggies come from farms in the city’s southern borough. Co-owner Pedro Sañudo is a mezcal expert. Enjoy a wide selection of hard-to-find bottles plus artisanal beers and wine. During Covid, the team cooked for kids in local shelters. Another example of their love of community.

A short walk from the Insurgentes metro, next to a parking lot and opposite a sex shop, this spot is essentially a street food stand gussied up to look like a sidewalk café. Here, the focus is on two hen dishes – soup and enchiladas. Each morning, they cook fresh hens whole in large pots filled with vegetables and broth. The several hours of simmering leaves the hen meat juicy and tender, with a rich flavor not unlike that of dark chicken meat. Open 24/7.

The northwest state of Sinaloa is nestled between the western Sierra Madre and the Gulf of California – putting it between surf and high desert. And the sea doth offer bounty. Be it gigantic squid, run-of-the-mill “fish,” or marlin, the Sinaloenses fear not the chopping block when it comes to seafood, and the state’s devil-may-care attitude (cooking with lime instead of actual heat) comes full force at Los Sinaloenses in Roma Sur. Here are two seafood pillars: ceviche & tacos. Oh, and micheladas

Before the Roma neighborhood became the hip, bohemian mecca that it is now, Moises and Norma Rodriguez opened El Hidalguense, an unassuming weekend Barbacoa spot. Now, more than 30 years on, it is known far and wide for roasting some of the best pit-roasted meat in the city. Theirs is soft-as-butter, served on a warm tortilla and topped with a sprinkling of cilantro and raw onion.

As with so many of the world’s great cuisines, Mexican cooking makes the most of every part of the animal. For many, beef cabeza, or head, is the source of some of the tastiest meat you can find in a tortilla, and it’s best slung from a small stand. In Roma Norte, Tacos Lolita offers the standard menu of a head taco joint: lengua (tongue) tacos, cachete (cheek), ojo (eye), surtido (mixed meats) and one that our taquero called especial. The others were tasty, but the especial blew our minds.

There’s no need to find a table at Taquería Los Parados. Shuffle in (we come for the 2-for-1 tacos al pastor on Monday), wait your turn and dive into your taco. A variant of the shawarma that was brought to Mexico by Lebanese immigrants, al pastor is an essential taco of seasoned pork cooked on a vertical spit. But there are many more tacos to choose from. Here, the lack of chairs, quality food and Spartan décor reflect the utilitarianism of the taco – meat plus tortilla, no fuss.

A bare-bones café tucked into a small space in the hip Colonia Roma, Café de Raíz proudly represents the cuisine of Veracruz. Owner Mardonio Carballo has been preparing a simple but delicious breakfast and lunch menu from his home state since 2009. Carballo uses fresh Veracruz ingredients, starting with the coffee, which is of the highest quality. Start off with a concha veracruzana, a sweet roll cut in half and stuffed with refried beans and melted manchego cheese.