Discover 5 Restaurants With the Best Chiles en Nogada in Puebla, Mexico

Puebla is celebrated for its food. I’ve asked many Mexicans throughout the country which state in Mexico has the best food, and almost always, they’ve said Puebla.

Poblano food is one of the biggest reasons why we decided to stay in Puebla. I can’t get enough of tacos arabes and cemitas poblanas, but the flag carriers of Pueblan gastronomy are mole poblano and chiles en nogada. Both are considered by many to be the national dishes of Mexico.

Mole poblano may be the more celebrated dish but nothing turns heads more than chiles en nogada. If you visit Puebla around August or September, then trying chiles en nogada is a must.

Here are our five favorite restaurants in Puebla for chiles en nogada.

WHAT IS A CHILE EN NOGADA?

A chile en nogada is a seasonal (de temporada) Mexican dish consisting of a stuffed poblano chile drenched in a creamy walnut sauce.

To prepare, poblano chiles are stuffed with a picadillo mixture containing chopped meat (typically pork and beef), aromatics, spices, and a medley of sliced fruit like panochera apple (la manzana panochera), sweet milk pear, and criollo peach.

The stuffed poblano chiles are then rolled in a beaten egg mixture before being shallow-fried and covered in a walnut- and sherry-based nogada sauce. As a finishing touch, the dish is garnished with ripe pomegranate seeds and fresh parsley.

Chiles en nogada are typically available only from around August till September when pomegranates are in season. Tied to the Mexican Independence Day celebrations (September 16), it’s a patriotic dish whose main ingredients resemble the colors of the Mexican flag – poblano chile for green, nogada sauce for white, and pomegranate seeds for red.

The dish was said to have been invented by convent nuns in honor of former Mexican general Agustín de Iturbide, when he visited Puebla after signing the Treaty of Córdoba.

Here’s a look at the picadillo stuffing inside a chile en nogada. We had this particular chile en nogada in February, when pomegranates weren’t in season, so you can see how pale (and bland) the seeds are in comparison. Chiles en nogada are typically served at room temperature.

Like many Mexican dishes, it takes a small village to make chiles en nogada. We took a cooking class in Puebla and if I remember correctly, a typical chile en nogada recipe calls for around 15-20 ingredients.

If you’d like to make this beautiful dish yourself, then be sure to check out our chiles en nogada recipe. It was developed by a renowned Poblano chef who runs a popular cooking class in Puebla (different from the one we took).

WHERE TO FIND THE BEST CHILES EN NOGADA IN PUEBLA

5. Comal

Comal is one of our favorite restaurants in Puebla. It’s a casual restaurant that serves pretty much all of Puebla’s local specialties like mole poblano, pipian, chalupas, chanclas, and pelonas. If you have limited time in Puebla and could visit just one restaurant, then Comal would be a good choice.

We’ve never had a bad meal at Comal. Everything they serve is delicious, and that includes their chiles en nogada.

Chile en nogada is one of the most expensive poblano dishes so expect to pay at least MXN 400 for it at the fanciest restaurants. Being a more casual establishment, Comal charges just MXN 270 for theirs.

Aside from its great selection of food, its prime location is another reason why Comal is so popular. It’s located directly in front of Puebla Cathedral, the biggest and one of the most beautiful churches in Puebla.

Comal has two floors. For the best view of the Cathedral, ask to be seated at one of their balcony tables. You can people-watch while enjoying one of the best chiles en nogada in Puebla.

Comal

Address: C. 16 de Septiembre 311-b, Centro histórico de Puebla, 72000 Puebla, Puebla
Operating Hours: 8AM-12MN, daily
Expect to Pay: MXN 270

4. Antojitos Mellos

We lived for several months in the Azcarate neighborhood and Antojitos Mellos was our go-to restaurant for traditional poblano food. It’s an unassuming restaurant that gives you big portions of food served on traditional Mexican clay plates. When you eat there, it feels like you’re dining in a Mexican abuela’s (grandmother) home.

I don’t know if you can appreciate it in this picture, but they give you what essentially amounts to a small tub of nogada sauce. They give you this much sauce when you order mole poblano, pipian, or chanclas as well.

Of all the chiles en nogada we’ve had thus far in Puebla, Antojitos Mellos’ version had the most pronounced fried egg taste (from the coating). Delicious!

Antojitos Mellos is about a 20-minute walk east of the zocalo (main square). If you have enough time in Puebla, then I highly recommend enjoying a meal there, especially if you’re in town over the weekend. Some dishes – like mole poblano, pipian, and mixiotes – are available only on Saturdays and Sundays.

Antojitos Mellos

Address: Av. Don Juan de Palafox y. Mendoza 2008, Barrio de los Remedios, 72377 Puebla, Puebla
Operating Hours: 1-10:30PM, daily
Expect to Pay: About MXN 250

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3. Restaurante Casareyna

Restaurante Casareyna is the restaurant of Hotel Casareyna, a 4-star boutique hotel near Paseo San Francisco shopping mall.

When we first visited Puebla, our Airbnb host couldn’t stop raving about Restaurante Casareyna. It has a reputation for being one of the best restaurants in Puebla, and with good reason because everything we’ve had there so far has been delicious. Their chiles en nogada are no exception.

Restaurante Casareyna is the only restaurant we visited that gives certificates of authenticity with their chiles en nogada. My plate was number 33,443.

I asked our server what year they started keeping count and I was shocked when he told me that number was from 2022 alone. In a span of about two months, they’ve already served 33,443 plates of chiles en nogada (and counting). Wow!

Hotel Casareyna is a great place to stay in Puebla. It isn’t prohibitively expensive and it’s conveniently located within a 10-15 minute walk from the zocalo. Plus, it’s home to what some locals believe to be the best restaurant in Puebla.

Restaurante Casareyna is a great restaurant that serves a wide range of poblano dishes. Aside from the chiles en nogada, I highly recommend getting the mole sampler as well. It consists of mole poblano, pipian rojo, pipian verde, and mole blanco.

Restaurante Casareyna

Address: Privada 2 Ote. 1007, Centro histórico de Puebla, 72000 Puebla, Puebla
Operating Hours: 8AM-10:30PM, daily
Expect to Pay: MXN 395

2. El Mural de los Poblanos

Our Airbnb host prefers Restaurante Casareyna but most locals will tell you that the best restaurant in Pueba is El Mural de los Poblanos. And not just resident poblanos, but Mexicans who love good food and have been to Puebla as well.

We had lunch at highly-acclaimed Quintonil in Mexico City and when our server learned we were moving on to Puebla, she told us not to miss El Mural. We followed her advice and we’ve enjoyed every meal we’ve had there thus far.

Aside from chiles en nogada, El Mural de los Poblanos serves a few other seasonal dishes as well, including escamoles which is typically available from around April till May. Known as “Mexican caviar”, it’s an interesting and delicious pre-Hispanic dish made with ant larvae and pupae.

El Mural de los Poblanos is conveniently located just a couple of blocks south of the zocalo. If you’re looking for a special meal in Puebla, then El Mural is a popular choice.

This is what the main dining hall at El Mural looks like. Its focal point is this large mural (hence the name of the restaurant) featuring notable Mexicans from Puebla.

El Mural de los Poblanos

Address: C. 16 de Septiembre 506, Centro histórico de Puebla, 72000 Puebla, Puebla
Operating Hours: 8AM-12MN, daily
Expect to Pay: About MXN 430

1. Augurio

All five of the restaurants listed here serve delicious chiles en nogada. It’s all a matter of personal preference but for me, Augurio is number one because of their nogada sauce. It has the most pronounced flavor of sherry which I loved.

Augurio is helmed by prominent Poblano chef Angel Vázquez so it’s no surprise that he serves some of the best food – and chiles en nogada – in Puebla.

If you visit Museo del Internacional del Barroco – one of the best museums in Puebla – then I highly recommend visiting his other restaurant Intro as well.

Like El Mural, Augurio is centrally located, just three blocks south of the zocalo.

Unlike El Mural which looks like a traditional tablecloth restaurant, Augurio is more modern in feel. I like them both but I personally prefer Augurio.

Augurio

Address: Av 9 Ote 16, Centro histórico de Puebla, 72000 Puebla, Puebla
Operating Hours: 8:30AM-11PM, Mon-Sat / 8:30AM-6PM, Sun
Expect to Pay: About MXN 430

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FINAL THOUGHTS ON THE BEST CHILES EN NOGADA IN PUEBLA

To be honest, the difference between a MXN 430 chile en nogada from one that costs MXN 250 is not that significant. If you’d like to try it but aren’t willing to spend as much for it, then the chiles en nogada at Comal or Antojitos Mellos are just fine. Unless you eat it all the time, then you won’t really notice that much of a difference.

In any case, it’s mid-October now and well past chiles en nogada season. No self-respecting poblano restaurant will be serving it now but do watch out for it when pomegranate season rolls back around.

Disclosure

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