TacoProject

taco documentation

Mexico

Salsa Roja de Chile de Árbol

Toasted árbol and guajillo chiles blended with roasted tomato and garlic. Brick red, smoky, and the reason taqueros hand you the squeeze bottle with a warning look.

Base

Dried chile

Chiles

Chile de árbol, guajillo

Heat (1–5 🌶)

4

Texture

Smooth

Scoville low (SHU)

15000

Scoville high (SHU)

30000

Keeps (days, fridge)

10

Best with

Al pastor, carne asada, birria

Ingredients

  • 15 chiles de árbol, stemmed
  • 2 guajillo chiles, seeded
  • 2 Roma tomatoes, charred
  • 2 garlic cloves, charred
  • ½ tsp cumin
  • Salt, vinegar to taste

Where to find it

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Tacos La Güera

Suadero bubbling in a pan of its own fat since 1987.

A street stand built around a single choricera: a domed steel pan where suadero, longaniza and tripa confit slowly in rendered fat. Tiny tortillas, double-stacked, dipped briefly in the pan juices.

Stand, eat, point at the next thing, repeat. Salsas live in molcajetes on the counter and are refilled constantly.

A street taco stand in Mazatlán
Photo: Rick McCharles / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY 2.0)

At a glance

Price

$

Type

Street stand

Neighborhood

Centro Histórico

City

Mexico City

💵 Cash only. There is an ATM nearby, but it charges a fee.

Ratings

Tortilla /5

4.5

Salsa /5

5

Meat /5

5

Value /5

5

Vibe /5

4.5

Overall /5

4.8

Must order

Campechano (suadero + longaniza)

Skip

Nothing. Order more.

Hours & location

Hours

Daily 7 p.m.–3 a.m.

Address

Calle República de Uruguay 47
Centro Histórico, CDMX

Signature salsas

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Salsa Macha

Dried chiles, garlic, peanuts and sesame fried slowly in oil. From Veracruz originally, now a cult condiment: crunchy, nutty, smoky and shelf-stable.

Base

Seed / nut

Chiles

Chile morita, árbol

Heat (1–5 🌶)

3

Texture

Oily / crunchy

Scoville low (SHU)

5000

Scoville high (SHU)

30000

Keeps (days, fridge)

30

Best with

Eggs, barbacoa, literally a spoon

Ingredients

  • 1 cup neutral oil
  • 6 chiles morita
  • 10 chiles de árbol
  • 4 garlic cloves, sliced
  • ¼ cup peanuts
  • 2 tbsp sesame seeds
  • Salt, a splash of vinegar

Where to find it

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Guacamole Taquero

The thin, pourable avocado-tomatillo salsa you find at street stands, not the chunky dip. Stretches one avocado across a hundred tacos and stays green longer.

A bowl of fresh guacamole
Photo: Nikodem Nijaki / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 3.0)

Base

Avocado

Chiles

Serrano

Heat (1–5 🌶)

2

Texture

Smooth

Scoville low (SHU)

10000

Scoville high (SHU)

23000

Keeps (days, fridge)

2

Best with

Tacos de canasta, carne asada, suadero

Ingredients

  • 1 ripe avocado
  • 3 tomatillos
  • 1 serrano
  • ½ cup cilantro
  • 1 garlic clove
  • Water to thin, salt, lime

Where to find it

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Mariscos El Faro

Battered fish, cold cabbage, and a view of the harbor.

A fry stand near the fish market where the batter is thin, the oil is hot and the fish was swimming this morning. Every taco gets shredded cabbage, crema and a spoon of pico.

The toppings bar is the whole point: pico, crema, chipotle crema, pickled onion, three salsas and lime wedges. Build it yourself.

An Ensenada-style battered fish taco
Photo: Tomascastelazo / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0)

At a glance

Price

$

Type

Street stand

Neighborhood

Malecón

City

Ensenada

💵 Cash only. There is an ATM nearby, but it charges a fee.

Ratings

Tortilla /5

4

Salsa /5

4.5

Meat /5

5

Value /5

4.5

Vibe /5

5

Overall /5

4.6

Must order

Taco de pescado + taco de camarón

Skip

The pre-made coleslaw (dress your own)

Hours & location

Hours

Daily 9 a.m.–5 p.m.

Address

Blvd. Costero & Calle Miramar
Ensenada, B.C.

Signature salsas

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