El Tajín, a Coyoacán classic in constant evolution

Located in Coyoacán, within the Veracruz Cultural Center; founded in 1993 by the iconic promoters and researchers of Mexican food and the Slow Food movement, Alicia Gironalla and Giorgio D'Angelli, El Tajín began as a restaurant specializing in regional Veracruz cuisine.

But for over 10 years, since chef Ana María Arroyo took over, El Tajín has been constantly reinventing itself. Today, the focus is on the cuisine of southeastern Mexico, but it also regularly promotes festivals and workshops of various kinds to share the gastronomic roots of traditional Mexican food, many of which have already become classics.

Their Lenten festival and chile en nogada festival are not to be missed. So are their tamale workshops for Candlemas and ceviche workshops. For this reason, more than just a restaurant, it's a dynamic center for the defense of traditional Mexican cuisine as an Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity.

Today, the tables at Tajín are filled with different generations: children, teenagers, parents, and grandparents constantly gather on its spacious terrace surrounded by gardens, trees, and flowers. Son jarocho and Veracruz music grace the atmosphere, and traditional dishes with modern touches fill the tables.

We recommend starting with their classic "picaditas," a typical snack from Veracruz and Guerrero made with pinched corn, salsa, onion, and Cotija cheese. Also try their Yucatecan panuchos with cochinita pibil, their must-try charales tacos, or their "tacos del patrón" made with sliced ​​tongue, onion, and serrano pepper.

For your main course, try one of their ceviches or cocktails: a Sinaloa-style green shrimp aguachile; a mushroom ceviche for a vegetarian twist; or their Acapulco cocktail, made with orange and tomato, are all traditional must-tries. Their lime soup is also delicious, a Yucatecan specialty with a house touch, characterized by its chicken broth seasoned with herbs, spices, and sour lime.

Among the main dishes, one of our favorites was the sustainable totoaba with green pipián or prepared a la talla; they are exquisite. We also recommend their lengua a la veracruzana (tongue Veracruz-style), their chamorro de cerdo al pibil (pork shank in pibil sauce), or their filete al chilmole (pork fillet in chilmole sauce) with pork covered in a red spiced recaudo (a traditional Mexican sauce) and oven-baked.

Other dishes that have become favorites on the menu include their Tikin Xic fish, seared on the grill with achiote sauce and accompanied by red onion, black rice and fried plantain; or their black octopus cooked with squid ink, red wine, olives and almonds.

For dessert, we suggest a classic Mexican dessert: their burnt custard with Papantla vanilla, or their chocolate crème brûlée. Also, try their guavas in spiced syrup filled with soursop foam and passion fruit sauce.

Finally, as a connoisseur's tip, if you love chiles en nogada, we recommend that, during the season, you don't miss out on trying the traditional recipe of these chiles from chef Ana María Arroyo, considered to be some of the richest in Mexico City.

Thus, from Food & Wine in Spanish, we wish that El Tajín continues to be one of the great classics of Coyoacán and that it has many more years of existence delighting palates with its constantly evolving proposal, but always respecting the recipes and gastronomic roots of Mexico.

The Tajín

Av. Miguel Ángel de Quevedo 687, Coyoacán, CDMX.