So I had four house guests recently, two of whom are vegan and one of which is vegetarian. I had conveniently forgotten this little culinary habit when planning what I would do with them while they were here. I had visions of us at the taco stand, us, eating Sunday morning barbacoa. When they arrived and informed me (“I have been a vegan for five years and you NEVER remember, ” said my friend Josh) I was at a loss about what to feed them. This is my favorite food city in the world, but it’s built for people that eat carnitas, tinga de Pollo, and at least a tamale or two.
I guess we all went into the experience a little blind. As a first-timer to Mexico (outside of Cancún), Josh thought he could order black beans and rice and guacamole everywhere he went. I kept forgetting that they couldn’t even eat butter. The week turned into a bit of a vegan scavenger hunt. I was pleasantly surprised by some of what we ate and expectantly letdown by others. The biggest lesson I learned was that there actually are quite a few options. We ate tacos, platos fuertes, dessert and lots of random things I had never even considered vegan-acceptable. Here’s a few places we stopped:
The first day they were in town we checked out the quesadilla stand on the Monterrey side of the Mercado Medellín for some breakfast tacos. The vegans ate mushroom and nopal quesadillas sans cheese, tlacoyos with fava beans smothered in salsa, nopal, onions and cilantro, tlacoyos stuffed with refried beans and the vegetarian tried a tlacoyo filled with requesón. The ladies running the stand were super accommodating about our rambling and massive order, and assured me that they use no animal products in their dough (sometimes people at pork lard for taste).
As I imagine all particular eaters must travel, my vegan friends came armed with the tools of war, like the Happy Cow vegan food app that provides you with a list of vegan food restaurants wherever you are in the world. This gave them a modicum of independence while they were here. While they did accidentally buy chicharrón (pig skin) thinking it was just a chunky green salsa, they were relatively savvy about finding their way to vegan restaurants with the google map on their app.
Pan Comido was one of the winners, a place I pass almost daily and never knew was vegan friendly.
I haven’t been in awhile, but I love their soy chorizo breakfast burrito with spinach, mushrooms, and refried beans. You can also order a version with real egg and cheese. (ask for the pico de gallo to go on top). They also have awesome Mexican coffee and a vegan bakery attached called Chomp Chomp for your sweet tooth.
We also became fast friends with the kids at the Por Siempre Vegana Taquería on the corner of Coahuila and Manzanillo, that now has an additional sit-down location further down on Coahuila street. For me protein substitutes can’t compare to the real taste of grease, but the boys loved the wheat al pastor, and the soy chorizo tacos, and waxed poetic over the black beans and pineapple and jalapeño salsa.
I took them to the San Juan market and we simply avoided the exotic meat section, showing them instead the vast variety of fruits and vegetables, the massive selection of wild mushrooms, and the overflowing baskets of dried chiles. We bought Asian noodles and chile sauce for a vegan feast they proceeded to prepare at my house when we got home (by far the best of anything I ate all week).
We also drank a lot of mezcal — completely meat and dairy free. And drank a lot of great Mexican craft beer (thank god they weren’t gluten free).
Some of the places that we didn’t try together but that I took a stab at later where Origenes Organic shop and restaurant and Bambú, a kind of vegetarian comida corrida where you can get a set meal everyday or a la carte items like Curry Vegetables, Falefel, and eggplant “milanesa.” Both places are good, but not amazing.
As far as my visitors went, I think they got to try some traditional Mexican dishes and some tweaked versions they loved. I am now prepped for all my vegan friends (there are about two) to come and visit, so bring it on. It just goes to show — once again — that Mexico City truly can satisfy any gusto, even if it’s a complicated one.
See an update to this very old list here
Click here to subscribe via RSS