Discover 5 Restaurants With the Best Pelonas in Puebla, Mexico

The cemita is the king of all sandwiches in Puebla. You’ll find a cemitas shop on nearly every block in the Historic Center, and rightfully so because cemitas are absolutely delicious. Personally, cemitas milanesas from Puebla are one of my favorite sandwiches in the world.

As good as cemitas are, there are other delicious poblano sandwiches that you need to try, most notably chanclas and pelonas. Pelonas are tasty poblano sandwiches made with a deep-fried crunchy bread roll.

Pelonas aren’t as ubiquitous as cemitas but it’s something that you should definitely look for as well. Here are five restaurants where you can try pelonas in Puebla.

WHAT ARE PELONAS?

The pelona is a tasty Mexican sandwich from Puebla. Unlike cemitas that can be made with a variety of fillings, pelonas are usually made with a specific set of ingredients – shredded beef or chicken, refried beans, lettuce, salsa, and crema (Mexican sour cream).

What makes the pelona unique is that it’s served in a deep-fried bread roll. When made well, the bread has a crunchy, crumbly texture that’s unlike any sandwich I’ve ever tried. They’re absolutely delicious.

Pelona in Spanish means “bald”, perhaps in reference to the bread that isn’t studded with sesame seeds like cemitas.

WHERE TO FIND PELONAS IN PUEBLA

5. Antojitos Mellos

Antojitos is a great local restaurant on one side of Parque de las Letras, a long and narrow park about a 20-25 minute walk east of the zocalo. I used to live near here and I went to this restaurant at least once every two weeks. They make terrific mole poblano, pipian, chanclas, pozole rojo, and more.

Antojitos Mellos makes their pelonas with shredded chicken and beef.

If you’re staying over the weekend in Puebla, then I highly recommend enjoying a meal at Antojitos Mellos. It’s a great restaurant that doesn’t see as many tourists, which is a good thing if what you want is good local poblano food.

Pelonas are available every day of the week but on Saturdays and Sundays, they offer a wider menu with dishes like mole poblano, chalupas, molotes, pipian, and mixiotes.

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: MXN 38

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4. Molotes la Poblanita

Molotes la Poblanita is little more than a window on the side of a street, about a block away from the zocalo. They serve good antojitos (Mexican snacks) like pelonas, molotes, tostadas, and gorditas.

Molotes la Poblanita makes their pelonas with either shredded beef, chicken, or picadillo.

As described, Molotes la Poblanita is just a kiosk on the side of the street. It’s incorrectly labeled as Antojitos la Poblanita on Google Maps.

I haven’t eaten there but immediately to its left is another street food stall called La Pequeñita. A few doors down to its right is the Antojitos Acapulco stall (#2), another of our favorite places to eat in Puebla.

Molotes la Poblanita

Address: Av 5 Pte 114, Centro histórico de Puebla, 72000 Puebla, Puebla
Operating Hours: 9AM-11PM, daily
Expect to Pay: About MXN 30

3. Antojitos Tomy

I’ll be honest, the pelonas at the two previous restaurants are good, but they’re not great. These next three are amazing.

Antojitos Tomy is one of my favorite restaurants in Puebla. Every dish I’ve had at this restaurant – cemitas, molotes, chanclas, chalupas – has been delicious. Their pelonas are no exception.

You can get pelonas at Antojitos Tomy with either shredded beef or shredded chicken. Pictured below is the pelona with shredded chicken. It’s absolutely delicious.

Antojitos Tomy is conveniently located just a block away from the zocalo and Puebla Cathedral. It’s a no-frills poblano eatery that’s always packed with locals.

On our last visit, two caucasian tourists were taken here by their Mexican tour guide on what looked to be a private food tour.

Antojitos Tomy

Address: Av 5 Pte 145, Centro, 72000 Puebla, Puebla
Operating Hours: 9AM-9PM, daily
Expect to Pay: MXN 35

2. Antojitos Acapulco

Located on the same block as Antojitos Tomy and just to the right of Molotes la Poblanita is another street food kiosk called Antojitos Acapulco. This is by far the most popular of the three stalls on this block and rightfully so, because their food is fantastic.

Antojitos Acapulco is mainly known for their molotes – which I believe are the best in Puebla – but they make terrific pelonas as well. The texture of the fried bread is perfect. It’s crunchy but still soft and easily gives away between your teeth when you take a bite. It’s so good.

This is a rare sight. Antojitos Acapulco is usually packed with people. It’s a great place to eat good local food not too far from the zocalo.

Antojitos Acapulco

Address: Av 5 Pte 114, Centro histórico de Puebla, 72000 Puebla, Puebla
Operating Hours: 9:10AM-11PM, daily
Expect to Pay: About MXN 30

1. Comal

This is it. This is the sandwich that made me fall in love with pelonas. It was the very first time we tried pelonas in Puebla and it’s still the best.

Located directly in front of Catedral de Puebla, Comal is one of the most popular restaurants in Puebla. It’s almost always full no matter what time of day you go, which isn’t surprising because their food is delicious and reasonably priced, especially considering their location. We’ve had mole poblano, pelonas, chanclas, chalupas, and cemitas at Comal and they’ve all been very good.

Comal makes their pelonas with either shredded beef, pork, or chicken. Aside from being the best, it’s also bigger than most other pelonas on this list.

If you have limited time in Puebla, then I highly recommend going to Comal. You can try all of Puebla’s specialties under one roof.

They do get crowded at peak times so I suggest going at off-peak hours so you don’t have to wait too long for a table. For the best view, I recommend requesting one of the balcony tables. It’ll give you terrific views of the Cathedral.

Comal

Address: C. 16 de Septiembre 311-b, Centro histórico de Puebla, 72000 Puebla, Puebla
Operating Hours: 8AM-12MN, daily
Expect to Pay: MXN 49

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FINAL THOUGHTS ON THE BEST PELONAS IN PUEBLA

I’ve written a few of these restaurant guides suggesting where to find the best examples of Poblano specialties like chiles en nogada and mole poblano. Restaurants offering mole, cemitas, and tacos arabes are plentiful but there don’t seem to be as many serving pelonas.

Admittedly, this list could be better but the first two are strong so I went ahead and published it anyway. If we find better pelonas, then I’ll be sure to update this list.

Thanks to its proximity to Mexico City, people visiting puebla often stay for just the day. I think this is a mistake. Whether you’re into food, churches, or museums, I think you’ll find that there is much to love about Puebla.

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