Welcome to Juan Sabado y Paco Domingo's Golden Sombrero Taco Crawl! According to Mexico’s National Institute of Statistics and Geography, there is a taquería every 1,200 feet in Mexico City. But given our time constraints, and the altitude, Juan y Paco opted to focus on establishments near our home turf - the neighborhoods of Roma Norte y La Condesa. And while there are places where you can get tacos with pears or soy sauce, we won't be stopping there. They opted to forgo novelty tacos and focus instead on traditional tacos. Because, well, it's like beers, in that anyone can impress with an elderberry ale, something you have never tried before, but it takes a true master to produce a memorable pilsner - making the familiar spectacular. So let's go taco, sampling all nine spots on the list below. And if you are hungry for more, there are some targets of opportunity down beneath the map, as well as a guide listing some of the other places you may want to visit while in Roma Norte.

1) Tacos Don Juan - Open Friday from 9:30 AM – 6:45 PM at C. Atlixco 42, Colonia Condesa, Cuauhtémoc, 06140. Known for tacos de suadero (thinly sliced beef), de maciza (slow-cooked pork butt), arrachera (skirt steak), and al pastor. Friday happens to be carnitas day (pork braised or simmered in lard or oil for several hours until the meat is juicy and tender).

2) El Huequito Juan Escutia - Open Friday from 10:00 AM – 4:00 AM at Transito, Bajo Puente S/N-Local 4, Colonia Condesa, Cuauhtémoc, 06140. Known for their tacos al pastor. [NOTE: this was the fan favorite, by far, with the arrachera, bistec, & longaniza being arguably the best tacos we sampled in the city, twice at the Juan Escutia location (under the overpass on the western edge of La Condesa) an again at the Coyoacan location (on the southern edge of the art park, Tercera Edad, south of the Frida Kahlo Museum)]

3) Tacos Don Güero - Open Friday from 8:30 AM – 6:00 AM at Río Nilo 66, Cuauhtémoc, 06700. Known for their wide selection, and tacos al pastor.

4) Taquería Gabriel - Open Friday from 12:00 PM – 2:00 AM at C. Río Sena 87-Local A, Cuauhtémoc, 06500. Specializes in tacos al carbon (charcoal-grilled tacos), including al pastor, suckling pig, and shrimp. Also known for a variety of vessels, including  a flour or corn tortilla or a volcan (bowl).

5) Taqueria Alvaro Obregón - Open Friday from 1:00 PM – 5:00 AM at Av. Álvaro Obregón 90, Roma Nte., Cuauhtémoc, 06700. Known for their tacos al pastor.

6) Tres Galeones - Open Friday from 12:00 PM – 6:30 PM at Jalapa 117, Cuauhtémoc, Roma Nte., Cuauhtémoc, 06700. Known for their seafood tacos. [NOTE: closed]

7) Taqueria Orinoco - Open Friday from 1:00 PM – 6:00 AM at Av. Álvaro Obregón 179, Roma Nte., Cuauhtémoc, 06700. Known for tacos al pastor, trompo (pork from a spit, like shawarma), and gringa (basically an al pastor quesadilla), and chicharrón (Monterrey-style fried pork).

8) El Tizoncito - Open Friday from 1:00 PM – 1:00 AM at Av. Tamaulipas 122, Hipódromo, Cuauhtémoc, 06100. Known for tacos al pastor and trompo.

9) Taquería El Greco - Open Friday from 2:10 PM – 10:40 PM at Av Michoacán 54-B, Hipódromo, Cuauhtémoc, 06100. Known for their tacos al pastor and trompo, but tacos arabes (cumin-marinated pork, and the predecessor to al pastor) are the real specialty here, along with the doneraky taco, which is a trompo served in pita. [NOTE: could not visit due to opening late]

Other Opportunities

Jenni’s Street Quesadillas - Open Friday & Saturday from 10:00 AM – 8:30 PM and Sunday from 11:30 AM – 6:30 PM at Merida 83, Roma Nte., Cuauhtémoc, 06700. Known for their quesadillas, of course, with chicharon and Oaxacan cheese being among the most popular.

Expendio de Maiz Sin Nombre - Open Friday & Saturday from 9:30 AM – 6:45 PM and Sunday from 9:30 AM – 5:45 PM at Av. Yucatan 84, Roma Nte., Cuauhtémoc, 06700. Small with a long wait (not just for a seat, but also for the food) and no menu (and no prices) so everything is a surprise, but the food is supposed to be incredible.

Taquería Los Parados - Open Friday & Saturday from 12:30 PM – 5:00 AM and Sunday from 12:30 PM – 1:00 AM at Monterrey 333, Roma Sur, Cuauhtémoc, 06760. They specialize in cooking arrachera, chorizo, pastor, chicken, pork, etc. on a charcoal grill and letting you build your own taco.

La Esquina del Sabor - Open Friday & Saturday from 9:00 AM – 5:00 PM (closed Sunday) at Tuxpan 22, Roma Sur, Cuauhtémoc, 06760. Known for their carnitas tacos.

ROMA NORTE NEIGHBORHOOD GUIDE

Cafes, Bakeries, & Treats

Qūentin Café is a couple blocks north of us and is supposed to have good coffee and baked treats. Delirio is known for its bread and other baked goods - and brunch. Speaking of which, Lalo has a good, robust brunch menu. Another option is Maria Fortunata. And Kroket. Cafe Berlin, too. Broka Bistro is close by. Cafebrería El Péndulo is not far either. It's a popular bookstore cafe with an open-air deck. A massive menu for breakfast and beyond, including drinks. And possibly live music.

Panadería Rosetta is supposed to have amazing baked goods, including cookies, and isn't that far from us. Buvette is a lovely French cafe that's about a block away. Patisserie Dominique is a French bakery cafe, and located a little farther away, but they do serve huevos francheros, which sounds intriguing. And Alma Negra is supposed to have the best coffee, but the Roma Norte outpost is a bit of a schlep.

While technically not a cafe, Chocolatería La Rifa looks worth the schlep, for the hot chocolate and other chocolate creations. Tout Chocolat is over in Condesa [NOTE: very nice]. Oscuro Puro is closer. Helados Cometa is French ice cream with Mexican ingredients. Helados Bonita is not that far. Amorino is a gelato place. The cakes and other stuff look good at Kerbels. And, of course, the Secret Donut Society, which appears to have a bacon maple donut that comes with a free plot of land in Vermont...not to mention a slice of bacon on top [NOTE: closed].

Restaurants

Mercado Roma is a "gourmet food hall." In addition to a wide range of food stalls, they also have a rooftop biergarten and a gelato stall [NOTE: surprisingly small, touristy, and shitty music]. God bless. Porco Rosso looks delicious, and only a couple blocks from us. Bacon Bar is two blocks away, and the name alone makes it worth a visit.

Madre Cafe has a nice menu and cool rooftop, presumably overlooking the park [NOTE: very nice, and surprisingly classy]. Marmota looks interesting, with an emphasis on wood-fired grilling. Nudo Negro also looks interesting. La Docena looks good. And La Provoleta is the obligatory Argentine steakhouse. [NOTE: in addition to Madre, we hit Rosetta, which was really good; Maximo was ridiculously expensive but got some praise; Contramar was good but the pack you in like sardines; and Pujol was generally panned] 

Despite its unfortunate name, and location just north of Roma in Juarez, the Toledo Rooftop is an interesting option because 1) It's outdoor vibe, 2) the fact that it has guest chefs, & 3) did I mention the bacon taco? And speaking of bacon, the food at Butcher & Sons doesn't look that great, but it might be worth visiting just to try the bacon-wrapped french fries.

And there are a bunch of little spots all around us, like the Jazz burger & taco joint, San Taco, the Wake coffee shop, and who wouldn't want chubby corn with meatball meat from Maíz de Cacao.

Bars

There are some nice wine bars in the area, including Vigneron and Vinamore, the latter apparently offering live jazz at times. Bottega also appears to be a good option as well, with food and live music on the menu. [NOTE: Cafe de Nadie was a real find, super chill and with the best music and general vibe, tucked away off a covered alley way and facing a lively little side street, and also ranked as one of the best bars in the world]

This Limantour place is supposed to be one of the best bars in the world. Gin Gin is a similarly bougie cocktail bar, but with a full-on menu. Wallace is a whiskey bar over in Condesa, with a food menu assembled by the Mexican version of Seb. And The Dog House Pub is the home of the local Arsenal supporters club.

Supra looks like a nice a rooftop bar, but they also have BBQ ribs on the brunch menu, so clearly they have a lot going on, and a good attitude about it all. Departmento also has a nice rooftop. Riviera del Sur is a cocktail bar with a decent food menu. And Balmori is a rooftop bar that's a few blocks away from us. In fact, you can do a rooftop bar crawl of Roma Norte.

On the beer front, there's the Falling Piano Brewery, which is south of us. La Roma Brewing is west of us. And on the edge of the neighborhood is a beer garden called Jardín Chapultepec.

The legendary Bounty Bar, where Jack Kerouac and Neal Cassady used to hang out when visiting William Burroughs in the 50s, is long gone. It's now a taco shop. Burroughs and his wife lived a few blocks south of that, in a recently demolished building where Kerouac and Cassady also used to have a room (and where the former apparently spent his time getting stoned and revising On the Road). This is, of course, where Burroughs famously shot his wife (like Eve, she tempted him with an apple, as they tried to recreate the William Tell shooting an apple off the head thing). You can find a slice of this history here. Since everything is gone, we could still pay homage by visiting the two nearby drinking establishments: Malt Bunny at the end of the block and Casa Cervecera Morenos around the corner.

Music

Casa Franca is a jazz club a few blocks north of us [NOTE: this place was fantastic, though I understand that it varies depending on who is playing]. Jazzatlán is another jazz club, though a little further away. And Maison Artemisia is a cocktail bar with occasional live music.

Art

There's a bizarre little museum, MODO (Museo del Objeto del Objeto), focused on design and communications. It's just north of us. There's also this art gallery, OMR, which doesn't appear that large and closes at 4 PM. Proyectos Monclova is another gallery, in an old pool hall. And Lulu is a small gallery but with big ambitions. [NOTE: the consensus was that the Frida Kahlo Museum is a nice house but a crappy museum, though it gives you an excuse to explore the Coyoacan neighborhood, which was worth it]

[NOTE: there's an incredible little soccer shop with vintage jerseys at Calle de Durango 8 in Roma Norte; also, if you go to a game at Azteca, beware of the pickpockets - they're really good]

MEET JUAN Y PACO

Juan Sabado was born in Acapulco, where he earned money as a hairdresser by day and a gigolo masquerading as a dance instructor at night. His specialty was catering to American tourists seeking a little spice in their life, which earned him the nickname "Chili Willy." After he was caught in the arms of an influential politician’s wife, Juan was forced to flee in the middle of the night, abandoning everything he owned.

Paco Domingo walked a harder road. He was raised in a brothel in Juarez, where he was breastfed well into his 20s. In fact, after a hard day of tacoing, he’s been known to still enjoy a glass of fresh breast milk on occasion. Having earned the nickname "Little Nipple," Paco began to earn a living as a well-respected errand boy for the local cartel. But before he could work his way up the ranks, he was forced to flee due to a turf war with the rival Sinaloa Cartel.

Juan and Paco first met years later, while playing football for Chupacabras de Chapala in Liga TDP, Mexico’s 4th Division. Injury forced Juan to retire early, and Paco eventually followed suit after a failed trial with Major League Soccer’s Chivas USA. They reconnected in 2020 at the Men’s Center for Social Reintegration in the Iztapalapa neighborhood of Mexico City, where they conceived this food tour business while spending long, lonely nights together in a dark, damp cell. They launched Golden Sombrero soon after earning an early release for good behavior.