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Tostada de salchicha

What: Crunchy tostadas are quite common around Mexico—it’s the toppings that tend to indicate region. Identifiable by its pile of bright-pink, minced salchicha Oaxaqueña (beef sausage), this dish is often spotted in markets and restaurant menus around town. It’s a little messy, but textures and flavors—usually augmented by a layer of guacamole, shredded lettuce, tomato slices, and salsa—are wonderful. 

Where: We had a terrific rendition of these at La Olla (Reforma 402, map), a bright, modern restaurant where celebrated Oaxacan chef Pilar Cabrera prepares high-quality regional food. A generous four tostadas come with all the requisite accoutrements, plus a spicy salsa made from three chiles.

Good to know: Read our Q&A with chef Pilar on the blog.

When: Mon-Sat, 8am-10pm

Order: Besides the crunchy tostadas (65p), check out other Oaxacan classics here like creamy sopa de frijol santanero and mole negro de fandango; also consider one of the beautiful salads and the cheesecake, made with regional requesón cheese, for dessert. Or you might be interested in its botana de olla sampler (140p), which offers a few Oaxacan specialties like cecina, tasajo, quesillo, chapulines, and memelitas on one plate.

Alternatively: This dish is a bit cheaper in markets like the Friday Candiani market (near corner of Jorge L Tamayo Castellanos and Calle Martires de Tacubaya, approx map; southeast of downtown, about seven minutes in a taxi), but quality will depend on how long the dish has been sitting out, so look for vendors with a lot of turnover. We also spotted it at the El Morelito taco joint (Independencia 802, map).