Where can I eat cheap tacos in Mexico City?

Taquería El Gato Volador on Avenida Álvaro Obregón is open 24 hours and very cheap, and Taquería Orinoco on the same avenue does costra tacos on flour tortillas. In Polanco, El Turix serves cochinita pibil and El Rey del Suadero its namesake taco. El Vilsito in Narvarte serves al pastor at night inside a mechanic shop.

Which places are walk-in only or cash only?

La Once Mil and Expendio de Maíz Sin Nombre take no reservations, and Expendio is also cash only. Fonda Margarita takes cash only, sells out and closes at noon. At Mi Compa Chava the advice is simply to arrive early to avoid long queues.

Is there an easier alternative to Contramar?

One creator recommends Entremar in Polanco, saying it has the same menu as Contramar and that a table is easier to get. Its signatures match: pescado a la talla with red and green sauce, and a tuna tostada with chipotle and avocado, eaten on a shaded terrace. Contramar itself highly recommends reservations and is mostly a daytime restaurant.

Where Creators Eat in Mexico City: Restaurants From TikTok

Tacos and seafood account for much of the Mexico City that creators post: 41 restaurants, with Roma Norte holding the largest cluster. Mi Compa Chava, a Sinaloa-style seafood spot on Calle Zacatecas, is the most posted with four videos, followed by Contramar and the wagyu taquería La Once Mil with three each. Cheap street stands share the list with Michelin-starred tasting counters.

Polanco adds a second taco circuit, with El Turix and El Rey del Suadero filmed in the same video, and Condesa contributes garden dining at Botánico and seasonal plates at Gaba. Older rooms appear too: San Ángel Inn in a 17th-century hacienda, Café de Tacuba in the Centro Histórico, and Fonda Margarita, a breakfast spot in Del Valle that closes at noon. Several places are walk-in only or cash only, as noted below.

Written from public posts on TikTok, Instagram and YouTube. Updated Oct 2026.

Where creators go

Mi Compa Chava MarisqueríaSeafood Restaurant
Sinaloa-style seafood on Calle Zacatecas in Roma Norte, with an industrial open kitchen and the energy of a beach seafood cart. One creator calls the fish taco massive and very good, and another lists the camarones zarandeados among the best things they ate in the city. The 'Señora Torres' platter is the signature. Arrive early to avoid long queues.
ContramarSeafood Restaurant
A seafood institution on Calle Durango built for long lunches, in a bright, airy dining room. Its tuna tostadas with chipotle mayo and pescado a la talla are the dishes people come for. It is expensive, smart casual and focused on daytime, and reservations are highly recommended. If it is full, a creator points to Entremar in Polanco for the same menu.
La Once MilMexican Restaurant
Tacos with A5 wagyu and suckling pig on handmade tortillas, at a Michelin-starred taquería in Lomas de Chapultepec. One creator calls them the best tacos of their life and says they are worth the wait; another singles out the spicy tuna and trompo tacos and notes the prices are accessible for international visitors. Walk-in only, no reservations.
Expendio de Maíz Sin NombreRestaurant
There is no menu at this counter on Avenida Yucatán. The kitchen nixtamalizes heirloom corn in house, cooks on a wood-fired comal and keeps sending out dishes until you say you are done, changing daily with what is fresh. Seating is at shared tables beside the open kitchen. No reservations, and cash only.
VorazRestaurant
A gastro-cantina in a former auto workshop on Calle Aguascalientes in Roma Sur, with plates made for sharing. Creators remember three things above all: the salty churro with cotija cheese, the tuna tostada and the chocolate tamal. Cocktails use hoja santa and corn. It is expensive and popular, so a reservation is recommended.
BotánicoRestaurant
An Art Deco house on Calle Alfonso Reyes in Condesa with a garden patio full of cacti, plus axolotls. One creator puts it plainly: the outdoor seating is the whole point, and everything on the menu is executed well. Tuna carpaccio and lamb pappardelle are the signatures, and the cocktail list is creative. Pet friendly, and it works for a date or a business lunch.
San Ángel InnFine Dining
A 17th-century hacienda on Calle Diego Rivera in San Ángel, with courtyards and a formal, quiet dining room. Margaritas and martinis arrive in silver goblets, and the kitchen serves tortilla soup and mole. It appears on a neighborhood guide and on one creator's list of Mexico City non-negotiables. Expensive; book ahead, and valet parking is available on site.
Fonda MargaritaRestaurant
A family-run breakfast spot from 1946 in Tlacoquemecatl del Valle, where food is cooked in clay cazuelas over charcoal and diners share tables with locals. The signature is chicharrón en salsa verde. The post mentions Anthony Bourdain's praise and that it closes at noon. Food sells out, it takes cash only, and it is cheap, so come early.

More restaurants in Mexico City

Taquería El Gato VoladorTaco Stand Taquería El TurixMexican Restaurant Havre 77French Restaurant Taquería OrinocoTaco Stand Café de TacubaMexican Restaurant CuinaRestaurant EntremarSeafood Restaurant Tamales MadreMexican Restaurant TicuchiVegetarian Restaurant Birria Estilo JaliscoStreet Food Stall Los Tacos de HomeroMexican Restaurant Tacos JuanMexican Restaurant Siembra TaqueríaMexican Restaurant La BonviMexican Restaurant El Rey del SuaderoMexican Restaurant Taquería OrinocoRestaurant Tacos del ValleMexican Restaurant MaizajoMexican Restaurant Hanks PizzaPizza Restaurant Comal OcultoStreet Food Stall La Once MilMexican Restaurant El VilsitoStreet Food Stall CampobajaSeafood Restaurant TavernaRestaurant EmFine Dining Taquería Regina 64Street Food Stall LinaRestaurant GabaFine Dining Restaurante El CardenalRestaurant MáximoFrench Restaurant MigranteFine Dining Salón Familiar La Mascota CantinaRestaurant Blanco ColimaFine Dining

Tacos from stands and late-night counters

Two taco spots on Avenida Álvaro Obregón in Roma Norte appear in two posts each. Taquería El Gato Volador, on the corner with Insurgentes, is open 24 hours and very cheap; creators order campechano, steak and longaniza with cheese. Taquería Orinoco makes northern-style tacos on flour tortillas, including costras with crisped cheese, with fried mini potatoes on the side and lines at peak hours. In Narvarte, El Vilsito works as a car repair shop by day and serves tacos al pastor and gringas at night.

In Polanco, El Turix is a standing-room counter for cochinita pibil tacos and Yucatecan panuchos, and El Rey del Suadero is named for its suadero taco. Birria Estilo Jalisco on Calle Colima has been family-run for over 30 years, with birria tacos and consomé.

More seafood

Entremar in Polanco serves the same menu as Contramar, according to one creator, and it is easier to get a table; the same post calls its tuna tostada legendary. Campobaja on Calle Colima does Baja-style sharing plates on a terrace full of greenery, with a pétanque court, and people come back for the grilled octopus and the mezcal margarita.

Tasting menus

Em on Calle Tonalá runs a Michelin-starred Mexican-Japanese tasting menu of eight or nine courses at a central dining bar, and a creator says the vegetables steal the show; the same creator suggests the 686 bar upstairs for drinks afterward. Gaba in Condesa, awarded a Michelin star in 2026, serves seasonal shared plates such as wagyu cecina tartare with chicatana ants. Blanco Colima, in a restored Porfirian-era mansion, mixes European and Mexican cooking with a strong cocktail bar.

Good to know

Mi Compa Chava Marisquería in Roma Norte leads this set with four posts, which praise its fish taco and camarones zarandeados. Contramar, the seafood lunch spot on Calle Durango, and La Once Mil, the wagyu taquería in Lomas de Chapultepec, follow with three each. Botánico, Voraz, Expendio de Maíz Sin Nombre and several taco stands have two.