(Originally appeared in Heavy Table’s The Tap Newsletter, subscribe here.)

Sit down restaurants are nice. I have nothing against sit down restaurants. But when checking out a new city, you don’t always want a time-consuming dining “experience” at every meal. Street food is freedom. Get served on the sidewalk. Eat standing up (or temporarily perched on any available butt-width ledge with a paper plate balanced on your lap). Be on your way. Boom. Energy reserves refilled. New, culturally unique thing experienced. Your precious little time, well spent. It’s in that spirit I present Eat Standing Up: Mexico City. The first in what may or may not become a series chronicling interesting street foods I’ve stumbled on in various places I go.

Panucho Cochinita Pibil served at El Turix
El Turix does one thing: Yucatan style cochinita pibil served a variety of ways. But you must go straight to the panucho. Do not pass go. You get tender, slow-roasted, orange-citrus-and-achiote marinated pork served with pickled onions on an open-faced, hot, crispy refried tortilla stuffed with beans. This thing is ridiculous. Rich and savory with a bright acid bite. Go ahead and order a taco, too, for the added thrill of watching the cook hand-pull the tortilla through the pork juices before using it to grab a mound of cochinita. It’s an orange-colored, drippy, beautiful mess. Wear dark, stain-resistant clothing.

Cafe de Olla served at Cafe el Jarocho
If you’re visiting the Frida Kahlo Museum (which you absolutely should do), take some time to wander the Coyoacán neighborhood, especially the market and centro. And while there, follow the aroma of fresh roasted coffee beans and murmur of swarming crowds to Cafe el Jarocho. My daughter, having studied in Mexico for a few months already, advised me to try the Cafe de Olla and in doing so, reminded me why I fathered her. Sure, it was for the endless transcendent well of unfathomable love…blah, blah blah…but it was also for this recommendation. Cafe de Olla is a Mexican specialty—spiced coffee with cinnamon and dark raw sugar called Piloncillo—but this one feels special. It’s a slightly sweet, mellowed-out yet full-bodied coffee brewed fresh from beans roasted right in front of you. And even with the added sugar, it still manages to be coffee, rather than the dessert in a cup most cafes call coffee these days.

Tacos al Pastor served at Tortas al Fuego
Tortas al Fuego puts their spinning, flame-licked trompo of sizzling pork prominently on display right next to the sidewalk. Which means they believe in their al pastor. Which also means less time between you and a mouthful of it. In one fluid motion, a knife-wielding wizard sliced beautiful charred, tender bits of seasoned, spit-roasted pork and slabs of sweet pineapple directly onto corn tortillas, topped them with a pinch of chopped onions and cilantro and sent us on our way. We ate these under a lush canopy of trees on a nearby bench along the pedestrian promenade that runs down the center of Avenida Amsterdam—which encircles Parque México in the heart of La Condesa neighborhood. It was the ideal al pastor under the ideal circumstances…

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