Taquería El Califa

Want a taco in Mexico City. That’s easy. Walk out onto the street and more than likely there’s a taco stand right in front of wherever you happen to be. And Chilangos love street tacos. They line up three-deep at lunchtime in front of taco stands and stand there, eating their favorite tacos. Businessmen in expensive suits. Women in their designer dresses. The rich. The poor. They’re all there. Buying and eating tacos.

But there are some risks associated with this method of consuming tacos. If you’re that businessman, you might discover a big oily stain on the that expensive silk tie. Madame ... Mishandle that taco you might just ruin that cashmere sweater.

So, the solution is to find a taco vendor that provides some tables and seating to enable you to enjoy that taco in style and comfort. And, you might reap the added benefit of being able to watch the big soccer match on the big-screen TVs while you’re chomping on your taco al pastor.

It should come as no surprise that in modern-day Mexico City there are plenty of good options for fast-casual and casual dining offering some delicious tacos. Mexico City is home two a few restaurant chains that specialize in this genre that have tasty tacos and offer them in a clean and pleasant ambiance, sometimes stylishly decorated. The largest chain is Taquearte with eight locations in Mexico City at last count. But one of our favorites in this genre is El Califa with five locations in Mexico City’s most popular barrios for dining out.

The locations in Condesa, Napoles-Del Valle and Roma Norte have recently undergone remodeling and sport a clean, contemporary décor that’s very appealing. But the other locations on Av Universidad and La Reforma, although not quite as stylish and modern, are still very nice for this ultra-casual format.

Of course, El Califa offers all the standard tacos, quesadillas and gringas, including the city’s most emblematic taco, the taco al pastor. But El Califa also has added a few unique menu items that have become very popular. One is a tubular cheese-crisp called the Chicharrón de Queso, some open-face tacos covered in a seared melted cheese called Cráteres, and a crisp cheese coating surrounding your favorite taco filling called Costras.

They also have some respectable desserts, which is something you can’t get at your local taco stand.

The tacos are well executed using fresh tortillas and all the tasty salsas you could desire.

There’s one other unique feature that makes El Califa stand out in the crowd. Most locations are open until 4 a.m. and a few are open until 6 a.m. on weekends. After a few cervezas at your favorite cantina there’s no better way to satisfy those late-night munchies than at El Califa.

El Califa, with stylish décor, some one-of-a-kind menu items, attentive service and consistently good execution of the core menu items, is perhaps the best choice in Mexico City in this casual dining taquería format. It’s hands-down, the best place to chow down in the wee-hours.