'Exceptional': Gaonera taco was the pick of the four-item Michelin-starred menu at El Califa de Leon.
'Exceptional': Gaonera taco was the pick of the four-item Michelin-starred menu at El Califa de Leon.
A tiny taco stand in Mexico City has made history as the first to receive a prestigious Michelin star.
The fast-food restaurant is one of 18 eateries to receive stars in the inaugural Michelin Guide to Mexico.
El Califa De Leon offers just four items on its menu.
At $8 for a beef taco, it’s one of the most affordable Michelin-starred meals on the planet. Its steak is undercut only by the world’s cheapest Michelin meal: at Tim Ho Wan in Singapore, where dishes start from $5.50.
It’s standing room only at the taqueria in San Rafael, whose shopfront is little wider than the bicycles parked outside.
The current owner, 66-year-old Mario Hernandez, told Deutsche Welle press agency there was “no secret” to the recipe – but refused to share where he sourced his supplies.
“The secret is the simplicity of our taco. It has only a tortilla, red or green sauce, and that’s it,” Martínez told AP.
What’s on the Michelin-starred taco menu?
The Michelin Guide describes El Califa de Leon as a tiny food stall, “bare bones with just enough room for a handful of diners to stand at the counter”, serving just four items: Gaonera (beef filet), bistec (beef steak), chuleta (pork chop), and costilla (beef rib), accompanied by a duo of house-made salsas.
It stood out among the other entities in the French-based gastronomy guidebook.
Mexico's first Michelin-starred taco chef Arturo Rivera Martínez at El Califa de Leon taco stand, in Mexico City. Photo / Fernando Llano, AP
Among the 18 eateries featured, two were awarded two out of a possible three stars.
One top pick was Pujol, where chef Enrique Olvera and his team were praised for fusing Mexican cooking traditions with sophistication and depth. “Be it the omakase tacos or the seasonal tasting menu, the chef deploys his expertise to enhance exceptional produce, much to the delight of gourmets,” read the description.
Quintonil, named after a herb from the Oaxaca region, was the second two-star restaurant. Chefs Jorge Vallejo and partner Alejandra Flores were praised for their “sleek, creative cuisine to dazzle the senses.”
Gwendal Poullennec, international director of the Michelin guides, said it was a joy and honour to compile Mexico’s first collection of starred restaurants.
“From sophisticated restaurants honoured with one Michelin star to bustling street ‘taqueria’, our inspectors were impressed by the constant culinary effervescence that is both authentic and indulgent.”
Mexico's newly minted Michelin-starred restaurants were announced at a ceremony on Tuesday. Photo / Michelin
While the 2024 guide mentions a crop of 157 restaurants across Mexico City, Oaxaca, Baja California, Baja California Sur, Quintana Roo and Nuevo León, only 16 were awarded a star, along with the two double-starred diners.
There were also 42 Bib Gourmands for “highly commended” meals and six Green Stars for sustainable kitchens.
