Top 10 hottest dishes in Monterrey, Mexico

The first item on our list is a cute little dish of vaguely Cuban origin. The original recipe dates back to the 19th century and describes beef picadillo and chicken cooked in a green chilli and onion sauce with olive oil and raisins. Tomatoes and tomato sauce are used optionally, as well as rice as an ingredient to compliment the main part. The sauce is sometimes sweetened by adding sugar to the pan that the meat and sauce are being fried in. Different regions of Mexico add different elements, but all of them can be found if you look at the right places.

Head straight to Taqueria Juarez for some picadillo!

Another dish coming from the 19th century turns out to be quite popular in modern Mexico and beyond. Chilaquiles is a traditional breakfast food consisting of corn tortillas cut into quarters and lightly fried. Many local variations exist across the country, as well as in the US. Chilaquiles can be served with refried beans, scrambled or fried eggs, and guacamole as side dishes. The eclectic recipe makes it easy to prepare chilaquiles from leftover tortillas and salsas.

Still, Frida Chilaquiles is a popular choice for some chilaquiles that are not leftovers.

With all the talk about meat and seasonings, it's healthy to remember soups. Menudo, for example, is notable for being one of the tomato-based soups that don't make you want to eat some meat with tomato sauce instead. It's a popular dish for weddings, the families of bride and groom consume a bowl before and after a ceremony. Amusingly enough, it is said to be the cure for light and strong hangover, which is another common element of a wedding celebration.

Don Luis serves amazing menudo.

Next on our list is a little curiosity.  The word "little" here is literal, flautas are rather small and even have another name - "little tacos". This kind of food is basically a Mexican dish that consists of a small rolled-up tortilla containing filling including beef, cheese or chicken. Flautas are often topped with condiments such as sour cream and guacamole. The important thing is properly frying the ingredients and serving them in time for the hotness and taste to hit just right.

La Reynita offers great flautas.

After we've talked about small tacos, it's only natural to talk about the big ones. This is the dish most commonly associated with the country of its origin, the very definition cannot avoid calling tacos a typical Mexican dish comprising a maize tortilla folded around food. According to one etymological theory, the culinary origin of the term "taco" in Mexico can be traced to its employment, among Mexican silver miners, as a term signifying "plug". It's a people's dish, so its popularity on the streets is easily explainable.

Tacos Felix is a very authentic choice for tacos.

Since we're checking all the popular boxes, it's worth mentioning the local Monterrey burritos. This product of Mexican and Tex-Mex cuisine is the second most popular Latino fast food around the globe. They usually consist of a flour tortilla wrapped in a sealed cylindrical shape around various ingredients. The tortilla is sometimes lightly grilled or steamed to soften it, which makes tacos softer and more tender. The burrito filling is usually meat such as chicken, beef, or pork.

Temakita offers a unique combination of burritos and seafood.

This particular dish manages to find its way to our lists regardless of the continent. There are Portuguese versions, different European variations, and, of course, the Mexican branch. Based on the uncooked Spanish "chorizo fresco", the Mexican versions of chorizo are made not just from fatty pork, but also from beef, venison, chicken, turkey, and even tofu. Naturally, there are vegan modifications as well. The versatility of chorizo makes it rather ubiquitous, but the Mexican versions are rare outside the country, so it's nice to catch a moment and try one.

El Mexikanissimo has some of the best chorizo around.

The practise of rolling tortillas around other food dates back at least to Aztec times, making it one of the oldest culinary tricks in the Mesoamerican region. The chronologist of the Spanish conquest Bernal Díaz del Castillo documented a feast enjoyed by Europeans hosted by Hernán Cortés in Coyoacán, which included foods served in corn tortillas. So it's no wonder that yet another item on our list is a rolled tortilla called enchilada. Standard enchiladas are filled with various ingredients, including meats, cheese, beans, potatoes, vegetables, or their combinations.

La Jarochita is a very good place for some of the best enchiladas.

Yet another tortilla on our list. Mexico loves rolling dough. Quesadillas are basically tortillas filled primarily with cheese, and sometimes meats, spices, and other fillings, and then cooked on a griddle or stove. The dish has changed and evolved over many years as people have experimented with different variations of it since colonial times. The United States and other neighbours eventually came up with their own takes on the classic Mexican quesadillas, but you can never beat the original.

Quesadillas de La Abuela comes to mind here.

Finally, something that isn't a tortilla. We're finishing off the list with empanadas, a type of baked or fried turnover consisting of pastry and filling of meat, cheese, tomato, corn, or other ingredients. Many regional variations exist, and most of them have been invented and perfected by the Hispanic population. Empanadas actually come from Spain, but the differences between their evolved version have become so distinct it's almost impossible to conduse one with another.

Neuquén has amazing empanadas.

Monterrey is rich in Mexican cultural heritage and identity, and as we can see, the food is no exception. Try some of what its restaurants have to offer and do it in style!