Random Mexican Food Generator

One press draws five Mexican dishes, each with what goes in it.

EloteA boiled ear of corn served with butter, mayonnaise, grated Cotija cheese, chili powder and salt.
TlacoyosThick ovals of masa stuffed with cheese, fava beans or ground beans, then fried or toasted.
PozolCampeche, Chiapas and Tabasco. A cacao drink made from fermented corn dough.
BionicoGuadalajara, Jalisco. Fruit chopped into small cubes, drenched with crema, topped with granola and coconut.
PaletasIce pops, milk-based or water-based, in flavors like horchata, tamarind, mamey and mango.

Next step Draw a dessert from anywhere Draw another drink

How it works

This random Mexican food generator draws from 142 dishes: 47 antojitos, 43 mains, 15 soups and stews, 23 sweets and 14 drinks. Where a dish belongs to one state, city or region, its card says so first.

Read the full guide

Which region cooks what

The Yucatán gives cochinita pibil, papadzules, panuchos and sopa de lima. Oaxaca gives tlayudas, nicuatole and tejate, and Puebla gives cemitas and tacos al pastor. Carne asada, machaca and cabrito belong to the north, birria and the torta ahogada to Jalisco.

Old dishes and dated ones

Tamales go back to Mesoamerica as early as 8000 to 5000 BC, and tlacoyos, nicuatole and tejate are older than the Spanish conquest too. A few have a birthday: carne a la tampiqueña was created in Mexico City in 1939 and coyotas in Hermosillo in 1954.

Ordering for a table? Draw from Antojitos and street food and share all five.
For breakfast, look for chilaquiles, enfrijoladas, migas, huevos rancheros or huevos motuleños.

Questions and answers

Are burritos, nachos and fajitas really Mexican food?

Two of the three began in Mexico. Nachos were first made in 1943 in Piedras Negras, Coahuila, and the burrito took its modern form in Ciudad Juárez. Fajitas come from the ranch lands of Texas, and the chimichanga most likely from Arizona.

What is the difference between a taco, a burrito and an enchilada?

A taco is a small tortilla folded round a filling and eaten by hand. A burrito is a flour tortilla wrapped into a sealed cylinder. An enchilada is a corn tortilla rolled round a filling and covered with sauce.

What is the national dish of Mexico?

Chiles en nogada is widely considered a national dish: poblano chiles stuffed with picadillo, under a walnut cream sauce and pomegranate seeds, served at room temperature.

What are antojitos?

Antojitos are Mexico's street food, made by street vendors and at small traditional markets. Most include corn: tacos, tamales, sopes, tlacoyos and esquites are all antojitos.

What are some traditional Mexican drinks?

Aguas frescas such as horchata and agua de Jamaica, hot atole and champurrado, café de olla, and cacao drinks such as tejate from Oaxaca and tascalate from Chiapas. No drink on the list has alcohol.

All 142 dishes

Antojitos and street food 47

Burrito A flour tortilla wrapped into a sealed cylinder round its filling, a form that took shape in Ciudad Juárez.
Cacahuates japoneses Peanuts in a crunchy wheat flour shell, created in Mexico in the 1940s by a Japanese immigrant.
Cemita Puebla. A sesame seed roll with avocado, meat, Oaxaca cheese, the herb pápalo and chipotle.
Chalupas South-central Mexico. Fried masa boats; in Cholula topped only with salsa, cheese and lettuce.
Chapulines Grasshoppers toasted on a comal, often seasoned with garlic, lime juice and chilies.
Chicharrón Fried pork belly or pork rinds, eaten in Mexico in a taco or gordita with salsa verde.
Chilaquiles A breakfast of crisp tortilla triangles with green or red salsa poured over them.
Chimichanga A deep-fried burrito of the Southwestern United States, most likely first made in Arizona.
Corundas Michoacán. Tamales folded into a triangle in a long corn leaf, eaten with cream and red salsa.
Duros A snack of puffed wheat, often flavored with chili and lime.
Elote A boiled ear of corn served with butter, mayonnaise, grated Cotija cheese, chili powder and salt.
Empalme Nuevo León. Two corn tortillas spread with lard, with refried beans and salsa between them.

Show all 142 dishes (130 more)

Antojitos and street food, continued

Enchiladas Corn tortillas rolled around a filling and covered with a chili, mole, tomato or cheese sauce.
Enfrijoladas Corn tortillas rolled round a filling and covered in a bean sauce, with cheese, onions and crema.
Entomatadas Fried corn tortillas, folded and bathed in a sauce of tomato, garlic, onion and oregano.
Esquites Corn kernels boiled with salt and epazote, served in a cup with lime juice, chili powder and cheese.
Flautas Rolled tortillas with beef, cheese or chicken inside, fried. The smaller ones are called taquitos.
Gorditas Masa cakes stuffed with cheese, meat or other fillings, most often chicharrón.
Gringas Flour tortillas filled with cheese, al pastor meat and pineapple, grilled like a quesadilla.
Guacamole An avocado dip first developed in Mexico, often with lime juice, cilantro, onions and jalapeños.
Guajolota Mexico City. A tamal inside a bolillo roll, sold by street vendors. Also called a torta de tamal.
Huaraches Mexico City. Oblong masa with pinto beans inside, fried, then topped with salsa, onions and queso fresco.
Memelas Guerrero, Oaxaca, Tlaxcala and Puebla. Oblong masa cakes, fried or toasted, with fresh toppings.
Molletes Mexico City. Bolillo rolls sliced lengthwise, filled with refried beans and topped with cheese.
Molotes Oaxaca. A street snack with fillings such as fresh cheese, sliced chili peppers, potato or tinga.
Nachos Tortilla chips covered with cheese, first made in 1943 at a restaurant in Piedras Negras, Coahuila.
Pambazo Bread dipped and fried in a red guajillo pepper sauce, filled with potatoes and chorizo.
Panuchos Yucatán. A tortilla stuffed with refried black beans, topped with pulled chicken or turkey and cabbage.
Papadzules Yucatán Peninsula. Corn tortillas dipped in a pumpkin seed sauce and filled with hard-boiled eggs.
Pico de gallo A fresh salsa of chopped tomato, onion and serrano peppers with salt, lime juice and cilantro.
Quesabirria Tijuana. Birria-style beef and melted cheese folded in a tortilla, with broth on the side for dipping.
Quesadilla A tortilla folded over a filling, typically Oaxaca cheese, and cooked on a griddle.
Queso flameado Hot melted cheese and spicy chorizo, spooned onto small soft tortillas. Also called queso fundido.
Salbutes Yucatán Peninsula. A puffed fried tortilla topped with lettuce, avocado, pulled chicken and tomato.
Sincronizada Ham and cheese between two flour tortillas, grilled until the cheese melts and cut into wedges.
Sopes Central and southern Mexico. Fried masa with pinched sides under refried beans, cheese and lettuce.
Tacos A small corn or wheat tortilla folded round a filling and eaten by hand.
Tacos al pastor Puebla. Spit-grilled pork marinated with dried chilies and pineapple, sliced into a corn tortilla.
Tacos de canasta Tlaxcala. Basket tacos filled with potato, beans or chicharrón and bathed in oil or melted butter.
Tamales Corn masa steamed in a corn husk or banana leaf, filled with meat, cheese, fruit or chilies.
Tlacoyos Thick ovals of masa stuffed with cheese, fava beans or ground beans, then fried or toasted.
Tlayuda Oaxaca. A large, thin, crunchy tortilla spread with refried beans, meat, Oaxaca cheese and salsa.
Torta A sandwich on a white roll. In northern Mexico it is very often called a lonche.
Torta ahogada Guadalajara, Jalisco. A sandwich drowned in a sauce of vinegar, cumin and chile de árbol.
Tostadas Flat tortillas, deep-fried or toasted, used as a crisp base for other foods.
Totopos Flat pieces of corn masa, toasted, fried or baked. Best known from the Isthmus of Tehuantepec in Oaxaca.
Uchepos Michoacán. Sweet, soft tamales of tender corn, served with green salsa, fresh cheese or sour cream.

Mains, rice and beans 43

Aguachile Sinaloa. Raw shrimp in a liquid of chiltepin peppers, lime juice and salt, with cucumber and red onion.
Arroz a la tumbada White rice cooked in a clay pot with tomato, onion, garlic and seafood such as shrimp and clams.
Arroz con pollo Chicken cooked with rice, onions and saffron, a traditional dish across Latin America.
Arroz poblano Rice simmered in a green liquid of roasted poblano chili, onion, cilantro and garlic, with corn kernels.
Arroz rojo Mexican rice: a side dish of white rice, tomato, garlic, onion and chicken broth.
Barbacoa Meat, in central Mexico lamb, slow-cooked in a pit dug in the ground and covered with agave leaves.
Cabrito Roast goat kid, tied to the city of Monterrey and the state of Nuevo León around it.
Calabacitas con puerco Pork cooked with garlic, onion, tomato, corn and chilis, with chopped zucchini added last.
Carne a la tampiqueña Created in Mexico City in 1939. A strip of roasted meat on an oval platter with green enchiladas.
Carne asada Northern Mexico. Marinated beef, usually skirt, flap or flank steak, grilled and sliced.
Carnitas Pork braised, simmered and fried in lard or its own fat for three to four hours, served with tortillas.
Cecina Thin sheets of marinated beef, or pork coated with chili pepper. Yecapixtla is well known for it.
Ceviche Raw fish or shellfish marinated in citrus and seasonings, served cold.
Chile relleno A green chile, most often a poblano, stuffed with melted cheese or picadillo and coated with egg.
Chiles en nogada Poblano chiles stuffed with picadillo, topped with a walnut cream sauce and pomegranate seeds.
Chilorio Sinaloa. Pork simmered until it falls apart, then fried in lard and cooked in a dried chile sauce.
Cochinita pibil Yucatán Peninsula. Pork marinated in citrus juice and annatto, wrapped in banana leaf and slow-roasted.
Discada Northern Mexico. Beef, bacon, ham, sausage and chorizo cooked on a large disc, a plow disc cooker.
Espagueti verde Green spaghetti: pasta with poblano chili and crema.
Fajitas Tex-Mex. Strips of grilled skirt steak with sautéed onions and bell peppers, served on a tortilla.
Frijoles charros Pinto beans stewed with onion, garlic and bacon, served warm and soupy. Named after Mexican horsemen.
Frijoles puercos Blended beans stewed with lard, chile pepper, chorizo and Chihuahua cheese.
Frijoles refritos Refried beans: boiled, mashed to a paste and fried, in Mexico most often in lard.
Huachinango a la veracruzana Veracruz. Whole red snapper marinated in lime juice, in a sauce with olives and capers.
Huevos motuleños Motul, Yucatán. Eggs on tortillas with black beans and cheese, often with ham, peas and plantains.
Huevos rancheros Fried eggs on lightly fried tortillas, topped with a salsa of tomatoes, chili peppers and onion.
Machaca Northern Mexico. Dried, spiced beef or pork, rehydrated and served with eggs, onions and peppers.
Migas A breakfast of crispy crumbled corn tortilla with scrambled eggs mixed in.
Mixiote Central Mexico. Pit-barbecued meat cooked in a wrapper, traditionally the outer skin of an agave leaf.
Mole poblano Puebla. The classic mole: a dark red or brown sauce with chili peppers at its heart, served over meat.
Morisqueta Apatzingán, Michoacán. White rice with pinto beans and a sauce of tomato, onion and garlic.
Nopalitos Diced pads of prickly pear cactus, often eaten with eggs at breakfast or in salads and soups.
Pan de cazón Campeche. Layered tortillas with shark meat, black beans and a spiced tomato sauce with habanero.
Pastel azteca Layers of fried corn tortillas, tomato sauce, poblano strips, corn, cream and cheese, baked.
Picadillo Ground meat, most often beef, with tomatoes, raisins and olives, usually served with rice.
Pipián A sauce of puréed greens thickened with ground pumpkin seeds, served with roasted poultry or carnitas.
Poc chuc Yucatán. Pork in a citrus marinade cooked over a grill, served with rice, pickled onion and avocado.
Pollo motuleño Motul, Yucatán. Chicken cooked with orange juice, achiote and plantains.
Rajas con crema Sliced roasted poblano peppers simmered with onions and cream. Often served at taco parties.
Relleno negro Yucatán. A black stew of turkey, pork and mixed chili peppers, with boiled eggs.
Romeritos Central Mexico. Sprigs of seepweed in mole with potatoes, nopales and shrimp, eaten at Christmas and Lent.
Tikin xic Yucatán. A whole fish marinated with achiote and sour oranges, cooked in a banana leaf in an earth oven.
Tinga Shredded chicken in a sauce of tomatoes, chipotle chilis in adobo and onions. Thought to come from Puebla.

Soups and stews 15

Albóndigas Meatballs, in Mexico commonly served in a light broth with vegetables or in a mild chipotle sauce.
Birria Jalisco. Goat, beef or lamb marinated in an adobo of vinegar and dried chiles, then cooked in a broth.
Caldo de pollo Whole chicken pieces and hearty cuts of vegetables in broth, often with rice added to the bowl.
Caldo de queso Hermosillo, Sonora. Potatoes, onions, tomato and green chiles in broth, with cheese added at the end.
Caldo de siete mares Seven seas soup: fresh seafood cooked quickly in a thin broth, popular in coastal regions.
Caldo tlalpeño Chicken, chickpeas, carrots and green beans in broth with chipotle, served with avocado and cheese.
Caldo Xóchitl Chicken broth with rice, chickpeas, avocado and chicken, flavored with garlic and cilantro or epazote.
Chileatole A thick soup of corn masa or kernels cooked with epazote and a sauce of chili peppers, served hot.
Manchamanteles A stew of chicken or pork, chorizo, pineapple, apple, banana and chili peppers. The tablecloth stainer.
Menudo Cow's stomach in broth with a red chili pepper base, seasoned with lime, onions and oregano.
Mole de olla Beef, chayote, zucchini, green beans, corn and potatoes in a thin mole of guajillo and pasilla chiles.
Pozole Hominy with pork or chicken, in white, green or red versions, garnished with cabbage, radishes and lime.
Sopa de fideo Thin noodles, broken and browned, then stewed in stock with tomatoes, onion and garlic.
Sopa de lima Yucatán. Lime soup: chicken or other meat and lime juice, served with tortilla chips.
Sopa de tortilla Chicken broth with roasted tomatoes, onion, garlic and chiles over fried tortilla strips.

Sweets and breads 23

Alegría Mexico City. A candy of amaranth seeds and honey or sugar, called alegría, joy, since the 16th century.
Arroz con leche Rice pudding. The Mexican one has milk, cinnamon, sugar, egg yolk, vanilla and orange peel.
Bionico Guadalajara, Jalisco. Fruit chopped into small cubes, drenched with crema, topped with granola and coconut.
Buñuelos Fried dough with a hint of anise, drenched in a syrup of brown sugar, cinnamon and guava.
Cajeta Celaya, Guanajuato. A thick caramel made by simmering sweetened goat's milk.
Calaveras de azúcar Sugar skulls: molded from cane sugar and decorated with colored foil and icing for the Day of the Dead.
Capirotada A bread pudding of toasted bolillo soaked in a syrup of piloncillo, clove and cinnamon, eaten in Lent.
Chongos zamoranos Zamora, Michoacán. Curdled milk with sugar and cinnamon, soft like cheese, in a sweet brown syrup.
Churros Fried dough from Spain and Portugal. Filled ones in Mexico usually hold cajeta, chocolate or vanilla.
Cocadas Chewy baked sweets of eggs and shredded coconut, sold in Mexico on the streets and on the beaches.
Cochinitos de piloncillo Little pigs: sweet bread made with piloncillo, a cane sugar sweetener, and spiced with cinnamon and anise.
Conchas A sweet bread roll with a crunchy striped topping like a seashell, most often chocolate or vanilla.
Coyotas Hermosillo, Sonora. Large, flat cookies like empanadas, traditionally filled with brown sugar.
Flan A custard with a layer of soft caramel on top, known as flan in Spanish-speaking countries.
Fried ice cream A hard-frozen scoop of ice cream, breaded or battered and quickly deep-fried.
Marquesitas Yucatán. A crepe rolled up and filled with cajeta, condensed milk, jam, chocolate or Edam cheese.
Nicuatole Oaxaca. A pre-Columbian jelly-like dessert of ground maize and sugar, flavored with coconut or pineapple.
Paletas Ice pops, milk-based or water-based, in flavors like horchata, tamarind, mamey and mango.
Pan de muerto Bread of the dead, a sweet bread baked in the weeks before the Day of the Dead on November 1 and 2.
Pan dulce The general name for Mexican sweet baked goods, eaten at breakfast, merienda or dinner.
Pastel de tres leches Three milks cake: a sponge soaked in evaporated milk, condensed milk and whole milk.
Raspados Finely shaved ice with syrup, in flavors such as tamarind, guava, cucumber or sweetened milk with cinnamon.
Rosca de reyes A king cake eaten around January 6, with a figurine of the Child Jesus hidden inside.

Drinks 14

Agua de Jamaica An infusion of roselle hibiscus flowers, served chilled, with a tart flavor like cranberry.
Agua de tamarindo A drink of tamarind, sugar and water.
Aguas frescas Light drinks of fruits, cereals, flowers or seeds blended with sugar and water, ladled from jars.
Atole A hot drink based on corn masa, flavored with vanilla, cinnamon or guava. It often goes with tamales.
Café de olla Coffee made in an earthen clay pot with cinnamon and piloncillo.
Champurrado A warm, thick chocolate atole made with masa, piloncillo, water or milk and chocolate.
Chilate Ayutla de los Libres, Guerrero. A cold drink of cocoa, rice, cinnamon and sugar, served with buñuelos.
Horchata In Mexico, a sweet drink of rice, cinnamon and sugar, sometimes with milk, served as an agua fresca.
Licuado A blended drink of milk, fruit and usually ice, like a smoothie, sold by street vendors and juice shops.
Mangonada Mango sorbet or mango shaved ice with chamoy sauce, chili powder and fruit. Also called a chamoyada.
Popo Southern Veracruz. A cold, foamy cacao drink sweetened with sugar or panela.
Pozol Campeche, Chiapas and Tabasco. A cacao drink made from fermented corn dough.
Tascalate Chiapas. A chocolate drink of roasted maize, roasted cocoa bean, ground pine nuts, achiote and sugar.
Tejate Oaxaca. A maize and cacao drink from pre-Hispanic times, made with toasted maize and mamey pits.

How this list was compiled: Our own choice of 142 dishes: 125 are named in Wikipedia's List of Mexican dishes (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Mexican_dishes) and 17 more each have an English Wikipedia article of their own as a dish of Mexico. Every line is in our own words and was checked on 7 October 2026 against the dish's English Wikipedia article: the place at the start of a line is the state, city or region that article ties the dish to, and the rest is what it says goes in. Twelve cards rest on a wider article, such as flan on Crème caramel and raspados on Shaved ice. Drinks with alcohol and snacks named after a brand are left out. Wikipedia's text is under CC BY-SA 4.0; the lines here are our own work. Licence: own work