We’ve already tackled some great choices in the Mexican cuisine, but barbacoa holds a special place in this land’s heart. In a nutshell, barbacoa is sheep meat cooked inside a hole on the ground, literally. 

It might sound weird, but how they prepare it is part of the reason why it tastes so good. So, to create barbacoa, they make a hole on the ground that serves like an oven, put some coal inside, light it, then place maguey leaves (they are super long and thick) where the meat is put on. They leave the meat cook for about a day along some vegetables like chickpeas and onion and the result is this tender and delicious shredded meat. 

Usually served as tacos, we accompany barbacoa with lemon, fresh coriander, onion, and sometimes, green or red salsa (I’m not a big fan of salsa, so I always pass on it). Although there might be many barbacoa spots in the city, El Mexiquense is by far the best I’ve tried. 

Along their excellent barbacoa, El Mexiquense offers flautas (fried tacos filled with chicken or barbacoa), hand-made tortillas and quesadillas with different fillings, like cheese, chicharrón (that’s fried pig skin, sounds horrible I know, but trust me on this one, it’s so good) and chicken with onions and tomato. 

El Mexiquense is only opened on the weekends, as barbacoa is curiously a dish you only get to have as a family meal, which I’ve enjoyed with mine on cold, Sunday lunch times.