El Farolito Pedregal

What it is. El Farolito is one of the taquería names people in this city argue about, in the way other cities argue about pizza. The appeal is consistency: an authentic taquería flavour with the hygiene and standards of a proper restaurant, where the staff learn what you order and you end up asking for one more — with this but not that, from here but not from there.

What to order. Al pastor off the trompo is the benchmark; bistec, suadero and campechanos are the usual alternatives. The salsas are on the table and the heat is not labelled: taste with the tip of the taco before you pour.

This branch. On Avenida de las Fuentes, in Jardines del Pedregal — the modernist estate built on the lava field of the Xitle volcano in the 1950s, with houses by Luis Barragán and his contemporaries. It is one of the most architecturally interesting residential districts in Latin America and almost nobody walks it.

Practical notes. Av. de las Fuentes #510. No Metro nearby — Universidad and Copilco, line 3, with a taxi — and there is parking, which is how most people arrive. Cards accepted; takeaway and delivery available.