I snapped this a few months ago at Plaza Meave on Eje Central, in the Centro Histórico. They’ve got the biggest spit (trompo in Spanish) that I’ve seen in the city. It’s always crowded, and fun to just sit and watch — the taquero works like a madman, slicing meat with one hand and catching it in a tortilla.
The tacos are decent. I’ve only had them at mid-day, when the meat isn’t quite caramelized enough. If you want to go, it’s located on Eje Central, north of Mesones.
Holy moly! That is HUGE! Great photo! LOVE Tacos al pastor!
sooooorryyyyyyyy, don´t know it´s “TACOS ARABES”
If you only knew how I love these tacos. I look for restaurants in Manhattan just to have them and nothing else. I just wish I could find a decent recipe that can be made at home. Any idea?
Great photo by the way!
Thanks Norma! (And thank you too, Yvette.) I haven’t made al pastor at home since I can find it so plentifully here, but Rick Bayless and Food.com both seem to have good-looking recipes. The marinades here in DF usually contain a mix of achiote (annatto-seed paste), chile guajillo, cumin and maybe chile cascabel. I’d marinate the meat overnight if possible, and attempt to crisp it under a broiler or on a grill. Hope that helps!
Tortilleria Nixtamal (http://www.tortillerianixtamal.com/) and El Paso Taqueria (http://www.elpasotaqueria.com/)sell NYC’s best Tacos al Pastor. If you haven’t, give them a try! Cheers-
I’m amazed that I didn’t find this blog sooner. I LOVE Mexican food! Constantly searching for a good tacos al pastor recipe, search no more.
http://hilahcooking.com/how-to-make-tacos-al-pastor/
You either love or hate Hilah’s videos, but the recipe is good and she makes it look easy. Don’t know if it’s as scrumptious as Mr. Bayless’ taco.
Thanks Lesley for your awesome blog.
Thanks Melissa! Glad you found me. I hadn’t heard of Hilah, so thanks for sharing.
Wow. That’s the biggest trompo meat I’ve ever seen. Crazy! I will have to check it out for the size alone the next time I’m in the DF.
Wow! That looks so good. Last time I went to Mexico City I had tacos al pastor from el trompito en la zone rosa. They were yummie.
That’s one nice picture!
(I am mexican Citizen) Our Mexican tacos are great at downtown, Zocalo area (near “Pino Suarez tube station” you can walk in this touristic area and found delicious tacos. Ask for quesadillas, or “gringas” (a word that we use to refer to an american citizen, gringo or gringa, (male or female), you can eat 2 gringas easily, or 4 or 5 tacos al pastor, at night, i prefer that hour, (24 hour service) visit Café el Popular, 2 blocks from Zocalo, and ask for chilaquiles or enchiladas with black beans, a lot of tourist (local and foreign) drink our Veracruz great coffee.
And dont forget, when you visit our Teotihuacan pyramids,at Estado de Mexico, (buses everyday at hotels in Reforma Avenue or hotels in Pink Zone) you have to eat our “barbacoa” (lamb in tacos) or nopales or asada tacos (steak with guacamole) Mexico is great, i love England an I love my country, if you need to know something about my country, contact me at Facebook jaimeabryl Will be my pleasure to help you
I love tacos al pastor and it´s one of those things that we can never have enough of when we hit home. In DF I like Copacabana, El borrego viudo and although not my favorite El charco de las Ranas (Mixcoac/Insurgentes) and El farolito are quite decent too.
When are we having your tacos al pastor list? 😉
Heidi: Dentro de poco. It’s after my conchas list! And my list of my favorite moles in the city. (I think I may have too many lists.) I really think the best tacos al pastor has to do with timing… the later it is, the better.
I’ve walked by this guys stand on numerous occasions. It’s definitely the largest al pastor on a spit I’ve seen in town, BUT in my opinion the BEST Tacos Al Pastor are El Huequito (I know I’m not spelling this right). They have a chain of about 6 small taco restaurants. In my opinion the best one is on Calle Bolivar in El Centro.
Thanks for the recommendation Randy. I’ve been to El Huequito (during the day only) and thought the pastor was good, but not terrific. I continue to think the key is arriving late in the day.