📍Taquería Orinoco  – Av. Álvaro Obregón 100, Roma Nte., Cuauhtémoc, 06700 Ciudad de México, CDMX, Mexico
🌍Country: Mexico   
🔥Must-try dish:
🪑Seating: Inside mostly with a couple tables available out front.
👍The high: The staff are really great at getting people hyped up for the meal while they wait in line. 
👎The low: This place is popular now so instead of walking ion and eating, there;s a good chance you’ll wait in a short line. 

This isn’t my first time here… and honestly, it’s not my second or third either. Taqueria Orinoco is a full-on Mexico City staple. In a city where you can eat insanely well at literally any price point, this place still manages to stand out. They’ve grown to eight locations now, and unlike most of my meals here, there’s pretty much always a line. But don’t stress, it’s 100% worth it.

Seriously, don’t let the line scare you off. The staff is super friendly and hands out menus while you wait so you can make game-time decisions before you even get inside. And if you’re sitting outside? Just watch the parade of people who walk by, groan at the long queue… then join it anyway because they know exactly how good it is.

Now, with all the street food in the area, you might wonder: why stop for tacos in a restaurant? And listen, I love a one-dollar street taco with my whole heart. But sometimes you just want to sit down for a few minutes, enjoy something delicious and affordable, and people-watch in one of the most vibrant cities in the world. Nothing wrong with that.

The menu here is blissfully simple: three meats, three types of tortillas, and your choice of either the “regular” taco (just meat on a tortilla) or the costra version, which comes dressed in melted cheese. You can play around however you want. Plus, they give you seasoned roasted potatoes to snack on between bites, don’t sleep on those.

Here’s my go-to order:

1. Trompo Suelto (Maíz): Classic al pastor on a corn tortilla with pineapple. Simple, balanced, perfect. It’s already rich enough that you don’t need to add anything, everything just blends together beautifully.
2. Res Costra (Harina): Barbecued beef on a flour tortilla with cheese melted right onto the meat. The combo of beef + cheese + a sturdier flour tortilla? That’s the move. This was my favourite, because when does beef and cheese ever disappoint?
3. Chicharrón Costra (Harina): I decided to get a little fancy here. Juicy pork, melted cheese, flour tortilla to hold the whole thing together. Of the two pork options, this one took the win for me, even though al pastor is usually my ride-or-die.

The best part is everything comes individually, so you can mix, match, repeat, switch tortillas, whatever your little taco heart desires. Just don’t skip the massive cup of Jamaica. Their take on the hibiscus drink has cinnamon and nutmeg notes that make it extra special.

Taqueria Orinoco is close to my heart for two reasons. First, the food is consistently incredible, any location, any time of day. And second, some good friends of the blog who lived here introduced me to it knowing I’d obsess. They were right. So yes, this place gets major bonus points from me.

In a city overflowing with great food, it’s comforting to have a spot that’s always reliable. I love street food, but it’s not everyone’s thing. Orinoco is that perfect middle ground: you can sit, relax, people-watch, and leave absolutely stuffed and happy.

Eat with you soon!