10 Authentic Mexican Tacos You’ve Probably Never Heard Of (But Need to Try ASAP)

Tacos arabes meat is about the same as the tacos al pastor pork meat, but seasoned with different spices so it’s not red in color.

Like al pastor, these types of tacos are made on that same vertical spit that came by way of the Lebanese immigrants in Mexico.

Tacos arabes (Arabian tacos) traditionally come served on pan arabe (Arabian bread), a tortilla/pita bread hybrid, but you can order them with regular tortillas.

They are among the most popular types of street tacos in Mexico, and can be eaten on the go, like a gyro.

If taco al pastor are a Mexican-Middle Eastern hybrid, tacos arabes more closely resemble a true Middle Eastern gyro or shawarma.

Like pastor tacos, they are topped with diced white onions and cilantro, and each diner adds a squeeze of fresh lime and salsa to their taste.

The word cochinita means “little pig,” and to make cochinita pibil, you’ll need a whole suckling pig.

It is traditionally slow cooked in an underground oven called a pib — hence the name cochinita pibil contains the word “pib.”

If pastor is the king of meats in Central Mexico, in the Yucatan Peninsula, it’s all about cochinita pibil.

In fact, many say it’s hard to get good cochinita pibil (pronounced co-chee-nee-tah pee-bill) outside of the Yucatan, as the ingredients only grow there locally.

This Yucatan food delicacy is both marinated and cooked in a mixture of naranja agria citrus juices, and a spice called achiote (known as annatto outside of Mexico).

Both achiote (pronounced ahh-she-oh-tay) and naranja agria (also called sour orange, bitter orange or Seville orange) are two flavors unique to the Yucatan Peninsula.

As with all slow-cooked meats, cochinita pibil comes out tender and juicy, and you can shred it easily for tacos.

Try your cochinita on a taco, or the more traditional panucho, a tortilla stuffed with refried black beans, or salbute (puffy, fried tortilla).

Cochinita pibil tacos, panuchos and salbutes are traditionally eaten topped with pickled red onions and (at least a little bit of) habanero salsa.

Want to try other tacos in Yucatan Mexico? Don’t miss tzic de venado tacos (shredded venison or deer leg meat), and poc chuc tacos (grilled pork fillet).

Suadero meat can be from both a pig or cow, depending on where you are in Mexico.

It is essentially flank steak or beef brisket, and comes from the area between the leg and belly of the animal.

Tacos al suadero meat is cooked in plenty of lard for a yummy, greasy taco. They rank among the best Mexican street taco meats after a long night of drinking 🍻

In fact, Señor Anthony Bourdain (RIP) filmed an episode of his No Reservations show in Mexico City, and enjoyed some suadero tacos from Taquería Los Cocuyos in Centro Historico.

Tacos suaderos are a beloved Mexico City street food, especially as a late night taco (or a long night of drinking).

Guisado translates to “stew” in English, and tacos guisados are basically the home cookin’ style tacos you’d find in someone’s home.

This particular type of taco will have hearty stewed meats and veggies that get wrapped in a tortilla, instead of eaten with a fork.

You’ll know a traditional tacos guisado restaurant in Mexico because they will have all their different taco fillings in a cazuela (casserole dish).

These are the terra cotta-colored earthenware clay pots that the guisado is both cooked in, and also served in.

There are a few standard guisados used as taco fillings, like chicharron prensado (fried pork in green salsa), mole (one of the best Oaxaca foods) and tinga de pollo (BBQ shredded chicken).

However, creative tacos guisados sellers throughout Mexico might also offer up their own unique recipes and unique taco meat options.

Nowadays, these tacos can be a combination of any two different meats combined, not just beef and sausage or beef and pork.

Canasta basket tacos come in many varieties, with the most popular being chorizo con papa (sausage and potato), frijoles (beans) and chicharrón (fried pork skin).

You’ll see sellers with large baskets biking around Mexico City, pausing at certain spots to sell their basket tacos for a short time, before biking to the next spot.

They tend to follow the flow of foot traffic, or just set up at busy bus stops and outside of Mexico City Metro entrances.

Nowadays, the more well known tacos canasta vendors are in brick and mortar shops, or they station their basket in the same place each day.

However, if you’re in Mexico City and see someone on a bike with a large basket and containers of salsa strapped to the sides of the bikes — try to grab some tacos de canasta from them.

The central Mexico state of San Luis Potosí has its unique and delicious taco version in tacos potosinos.

Though enchiladas potosinas are more common than tacos, you can get the same preparation in taco form.

Potosino enchiladas and tacos are usually stuffed with shredded chicken, potatoes, carrots and cheese.

After plating, they are smothered in a special red salsa, and topped with shredded lettuce, crema and cheese.

Because of all the red salsa they use, tacos potosinos are sometimes called tacos rojos or tacos camila.

If these sound yummy to you, you’ll also love the tacos de nata from Guanajuato State.

These are similar to potosino tacos, but come smothered in a mild, creamy tomato sauce.

Mexican tinga is made with torn or shredded chicken cooked in a sauce made with chipotle peppers, tomato and onion. It is similar to American BBQ sauce in flavor.

The most common Mexican tinga recipe is tinga de pollo tacos (chicken tinga tacos).

Tinga in English means “torn,” which is how this beloved shredded meat recipe got its name.

There’s even a delicious vegan tinga version you can find made with shredded carrots and cooked in the same sauce. I’m not vegan, and I really loved these.

Barbacoa in English translates to barbecue, and you’ll use this slow-cooked BBQ meat to make tacos de barbacoa.

While barbacoa in Mexico differs from American BBQ, it is taken just as seriously as the BBQ in places like Texas and Kansas City.

Tacos from Mexico are incredibly regional, and vary from state to state. The place most associated with barbacoa is Hidalgo State, located next to Mexico City.

However, different variations are made all over the country, including the beef barbacoa in Chiapas State and barbacoa de chivo (goat barbacoa) in Oaxaca State.

The type of meat used differs from region to region, but Hidalgo style barbacoa is made from borrego (sheep).

Chicharron is fried pork skin, made fresh throughout Mexico but also available in the chip aisle of the grocery store — and known as pork rinds in the U.S.

If you can’t get a real taco, you can always eat some pork rinds to sneak in some Mexican taco flavors and textures.

There are several ways to serve tacos de chicharron, including drowned in salsa so it gets soft (ie. chicharron en salsa verde), and as fried skin with some meat attached, keeping the delicious crispy texture.

Want to discover more Mexican foods?

Though this was a long list, it’s still not exhaustive of all the traditional Mexican tacos you’ll find throughout the country.

There are also tacos mineros, tacos envenenados, tacos gobernador, tacos vapores, longaniza tacos, tacos de cazo, tasajo tacos, tacos de cazon, and MANY more!

Of course, there’s more to Mexican food than just tacos — so check out these other articles about Mexican foods and drinks you’ll want to try ASAP:

• 50+ Traditional Mexican Foods You Need to Try
• 30 Unique Day of the Dead Foods & Drinks
• 45 Delicious Mexican Christmas Foods
• 50 Best Tacos & Taquerias in Mexico City
• 33 Best Mexican Drinks to Quench Your Thirst
• 20 Best Non Alcoholic Drinks in Mexico