“Mexican food” is an inadequate description for cuisine that has UNESCO cultural heritage designation. Bounded by the Pacific Ocean on the west and the Gulf of Mexico and Caribbean on the east, it has arid desert regions, lush jungles, mountain ranges and volcanic plateaus that all play into culinary traditions.
Having developed over thousands of years, Mexican cuisine is as complex and varied as its cultural and historical development as much as its geography. There are seven regions of Mexican cuisine, each with its own story to tell. While most restaurants draw inspiration from across Mexico, regional specialties emerge as some places focus on particular flavors.
Ready to explore a bit of Mexico in Atlanta?
Credit: Angela Hansberger
Credit: Angela Hansberger
The largest culinary region is the North, a vast area stretching 2,000 miles and covering half of the country. It’s a land of ranch culture and beef, preferably grilled (carne asada). It includes Sonora, where burritos originated, and the Pacific coast of the Baja Peninsula and Chihuahua. For a good mix of both land and sea, try La Costilla Grill for plates of parrilladas (grilled meats) or a crisp tostada de ceviche mixto, with assorted seafood, Sonoran style. It’s a fun atmosphere with cocktails served in pineapples. Menus in Northern Mexico often list tacos al vapor, “steamed tacos.” Find the best at Taqueria San Pancho in Tucker. Fillings include onion, cilantro, and meat choices ranging from carne asada to cheek and tongue.
Credit: Angela Hansberger
Credit: Angela Hansberger
The Bajio, a plateau area surrounded by mountains, is one of the first areas colonized. The Spanish brought rice, spices and pork. The municipality of Cotija has a Parmesan-like cheese named after it. Michoacan is the country’s largest producer of avocados and due to the Spanish influence, where carnitas originated. Find a celebration of pork and spices at Carnitas Michoacan in Plaza Fiesta, including tacos de maciza, with cilantro, chopped onion, lemon juice and several cuts of pork wrapped in a handmade tortilla. Traditional pozole rojo, a rich and savory broth made with dried ancho and guajillo chiles, hominy and two cuts of pork can be found at Restaurante y Neveria Michoacan in Norcross.
Credit: Ligaya Figueras
Credit: Ligaya Figueras
Central Mexico, which includes Mexico City, is most famous for varied street food, including taco stands, elote (street corn), barbacoa and al pastor. Birrieria Landeros spotlights the cuisine of Aguascalientes, with a menu full of tortas, gorditas, street tacos and birria de Borrego, slow-cooked lamb in a mildly spicy tomato sauce. Complete with a spinning trompo (a rotating spit for slow-cooking pork for al pastor), Rreal Tacos serves up molletes, native to Mexico City. Bolillos bread sliced in half is served open face, topped with refried beans, cheese, pico de gallo and jalapenos after heating in an oven to perfectly melt the cheese.
Credit: Angela Hansberger
Credit: Angela Hansberger
The North Pacific Coast includes Sinaloa, Nayarit, Colima and Jalisco, home to several classic Mexican dishes as well as tequila. Cuisine relies heavily on seafood cooked with European spices along with chile peppers, hearty simmered stews and aguachile, a sort of ceviche marinated with chiles. Find zarandeado, a 500-year-old method for grilling fish, at Mariscos El Malecon, as well as aguachile, prawns with lime and chile de arbol and spicy camarones el diablo. The blackened, smoky red snapper (huachinango zarandeado) at Mariscos El Sazon del Kora is a hearty and tasty portion.
Credit: Angela Hansberger
Credit: Angela Hansberger
Birria hails from Jalisco. The meat stew, most traditionally made with goat, is cooked low and slow, with meat marinated in adobo. Birria tacos filled with the stewed meat are typically served with consommé for dipping. With an order from Frida’s Taqueria in Lilburn, you can taste the time and slow simmer in their beef version, and you will end up sipping the rest of the broth.
Credit: Handout
Credit: Handout
The Gulf, including Veracruz and Tobasco, is a mix of indigenous, Spanish and Afro-Caribbean influences. It is cuisine rich in seafood. Specialties include arroz a la tumbada, a mingling of fish and shellfish in a spicy sauce with rice, like paella but soupier. Summerhill’s D Boca N Boca, rooted in Veracruz tradition, serves a Veracruz-style roasted whole snapper with bright red achiote peppered sauce.
The South Pacific Coast, including Oaxaca, Guerrero and Chiapas, is known for its indigenous roots with Mixtec and Zapotec cultures. Corn is a staple and mole, the national dish of Mexico, has been a part of the scene since the Aztecs. Fast-casual Taqueria La Oaxaquena in Jonesboro makes piled-high tlayudas, like an indigenous pizza covered in meat, cheese and lettuce, as well as top-notch huaraches, thick, fried masa flattened into the shape of a shoe sole and topped with smashed pinto beans, lettuce and meat.
Credit: Angela Hansberger
Credit: Angela Hansberger
For an upscale experience, the new Oaxaca in Chamblee features a tetela de pato that is as soulful as it is pretty. Triangular-shaped masa is stuffed with duck confit and Oaxaca cheese, griddled and served with tamarind mole and crema. You can taste the hoja santa, an indigenous herb close to tarragon and mint. El Valle wraps the revered leaves of the native hoja santa around branzino to roast and serve with a poblano potato mash.
The majority of mezcal comes from Oaxaca, and you will find Atlanta’s largest selection at Tortuga y Chango, a small mezcal bar in Decatur. Immerse in a tasting from the long list with shrimp aguachile on a crisp tostada or grilled octopus with mole negro and blue corn tortillas.
Credit: Angela Hansberger
Credit: Angela Hansberger
At the end of the curling tip of Mexico lies the Yucatan region, based primarily on Mayan food with influences from the Caribbean and Europe. The cuisine emphasizes tropical fruits, tamarind, sour orange and achiote, a signature seasoning that also lends red color. Ceviche is popular, and wrapping meats in banana leaves and cooking in pit ovens is common. The region’s best-known dish is cochinita pibil. You can find an excellent tender and fall-apart version of the slow-roasted pork in a zippy, smoky marinade at Santo in Avondale Estates.
IF YOU GO
Birrieria Landeros. 2400 Satellite Blvd., Duluth. 678-373-3657, birria.ga
Carnitas Michoacan. 4166 Buford Highway NE, Atlanta. 404-464-8128, carnitas-michoacan.com
D Boca N Boca. 39 Georgia Ave. SE, Atlanta. 770-655-9467, dbocaatl.com
El Valle. 800 Peachtree St. NE, Atlanta. 678-974-5356, valleatl.com
Frida’s Taqueria. 5514 Lawrenceville Highway, Lilburn. 470-273-5349, fridastacos.com
La Costilla Grill. 3979 Buford Highway NE, Atlanta. 678-702-0856, lacostillagrill.com
Mariscos El Malecon. 3979 Buford Highway NE, Atlanta. 404-600-8047, mariscoselmalecon.com
Mariscos El Sazon del Kora. 7130 Buford Highway NE, Doraville, 470-395-2085; and 2500 South Cobb Drive SE, Smyrna, 678-424-8551. mariscoselsazondelkora.com
Oaxaca. 5255 Peachtree Blvd., Chamblee. 770-450-4805, oaxacaatl.com
Restaurante y Neveria Michoacan. 5730 Buford Highway NE, Norcross. 404-719-8766, facebook.com/RNMichoacan
Rreal Tacos. Multiple locations, rrealtacos.com
Santo Cantina & Cocina. 31N S. Avondale Place, Avondale Estates. 404-254-3909, santoatl.com
Taqueria La Oaxequena. 605 Mt. Zion Road, Jonesboro. 770-960-3010, taquerialaoaxaquena.com
Taqueria San Pancho. 4880 Lawrenceville Highway, Tucker. 770-493-9845.
Tortuga y Chango. 910 W. College Ave., Decatur. 404-257-6232, tortugaychango.com
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