Puebla Food Guide: Discover 10 Must-Try Dishes in Puebla, Mexico

We used to live in Puebla. It was and still is one of our favorite cities in Mexico.

Before we decided to make Puebla our base, we explored this beautiful and surprisingly vast country from west to east. We could have stayed in more popular cities but ultimately, we settled in Puebla. We did that for several reasons, one of the biggest being the food.

Puebla’s proximity to Mexico City makes it an ideal day trip destination from the Mexican capital. It’s home to beautiful churches, interesting museums, and some of the best and most important regional food in Mexico.

If food is a big reason why you travel, then you need to try these ten Poblano dishes on your next trip to Puebla.

WHAT MAKES POBLANO CUISINE DIFFERENT FROM TYPICAL MEXICAN FOOD?

We’ve been living in Puebla for several months now but I can’t claim to be an expert on poblano food. However, based on what I’ve learned from our time here, it’s evident that certain events in the city and state’s history have significantly influenced and shaped Puebla’s regional cuisine.

According to Lesley Tellez of Eat Mexico, Puebla is the place where the Spanish settled and really declared their own. It became a major stop along the trade route between the Atlantic port of Veracruz and Mexico City.

Puebla’s prominence, along with its many convents housing the daughters of wealthy and influential merchants, led to the influx of dozens of Spanish and other foreign ingredients into the city. In fact, important Pueblan dishes like mole poblano, chiles en nogada, and dulces tipicos were invented by convent nuns.

More recently, Mexico saw an influx of Lebanese immigrants who settled in large numbers in Puebla and other parts of the country in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. They intermarried with the locals and helped shape Mexican cuisine.

The Lebanese influence on Mexican food is best exemplified by tacos al pastor. This iconic taco – arguably the most popular in Mexico – evolved from tacos arabes, a version of Lebanese shawarma that was adapted and localized to suit Mexican tastes. Can you guess where it originated from? Puebla.

Lastly, one needs only to look at Mexico’s national dishes to understand the importance of poblano regional cuisine. Mole poblano and chiles en nogada are widely considered to be the national dishes of Mexico. Both are from Puebla, with the latter being the main dish that’s prepared to celebrate Mexico’s Independence Day.

TRADITIONAL MEXICAN CUISINE IN PUEBLA

10. Dulces Tipicos

Dulces tipicos literally means “typical sweets” and refers to traditional sweets made in Puebla. As described, Puebla saw an influx of foreign ingredients and influences, mostly Spanish and Lebanese, which made it possible for the city’s convents to produce these traditional candies.

Initially, they were giving them away as gifts to the convents’ many benefactors before they realized they could raise money by selling them. Today, like Talavera pottery and vacuum-sealed mole poblano, dulces tipicos are among the most popular souvenir items from Puebla.

If you have a sweet tooth, then you’ll definitely want to try the many dulces tipicos in Puebla. There are said to be over 300 varieties to choose from but some of the most popular include camotes, tortitas de Santa Clara (pictured below), and borrachitos.

Click on the link for a list of the most popular dulces tipicos in Puebla.

9. Pelonas

Puebla is known for a few sandwiches. Cemitas (#3) are the most popular but pelonas are a must-try as well.

Unlike cemitas which can be made with different ingredients, pelonas are usually made with a specific set of fillings – shredded beef or chicken, lettuce, refried beans, salsa, and crema (Mexican sour cream). What makes these poblano sandwiches special is that the bread is deep-fried, giving them a unique crumbly texture that’s very different from cemitas.

The word pelonas means “baldies” in Spanish, likely in reference to the fact that they’re plain, shiny, and aren’t bespeckled with sesame seeds like cemitas.

Click here for a list of our favorite pelonas restaurants in Puebla.

8. Molotes

If you’re a fan of empanadas, then you need to try molotes. They’re large empanada-like snacks filled with a variety of different ingredients like chicken tinga (stewed shredded chicken), huitlacoche (corn smut), chicharron, and quesillo (Oaxaca cheese).

Molote dough is made with a combination of corn masa and wheat flour which gives them a harder, crunchier texture. Unlike empanadas which can be baked or deep-fried, molotes are always deep-fried.

Molotes are usually topped with crema, salsa verde (green), and/or salsa rojo (red). When served with all three, it’s referred to as bandera (flag) because of its resemblance to the Mexican flag.

Click on the link for a list of our favorite molotes in Puebla.

7. Chanclas

Chanclas are another type of Mexican sandwich that you need to try in Puebla. It’s similar to Guadalajara’s tortas ahogadas in that it’s completely drenched in a tomato- and chili-based sauce. In Spanish, chanclas literally means “sandals” or “flip-flops” and is in reference to the bread’s sandal-like shape.

Chanclas are made with soft pambazo bread that’s filled with ground meat, chorizo, lettuce, onions, and avocado. The sandwich is then drenched in a spicy guajillo sauce made from tomatoes and guajillo peppers. Like tortas ahogadas, they’re messy but delicious and typically eaten with a fork and knife.

Click on the link for a list of our favorite chanclas restaurants in Puebla.

6. Pipian

Mole poblano may be the most famous type of mole in Puebla but pipian is a must-try as well. It refers to any Mexican sauce made with pumpkin seeds (pepitas) as its main ingredient.

Pipian is prepared in different ways throughout Mexico. In Puebla, two pipian preparations are common – pipian verde (green mole) and pipian rojo (red mole). Along with pumpkin seeds, pipian verde is made with a variety of green ingredients like tomatillos, herbs, and green chili peppers while pipian rojo is made with ripe tomatoes and red chili peppers like chipotle and guajillo.

Click on the link for a list of our favorite pipian restaurants in Puebla.

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5. Tacos Arabes

Tacos al pastor may be king in Mexico City but in Puebla, tacos arabes reigns supreme. The predecessor of tacos al pastor, they’re basically a Mexican version of Lebanese shawarma made with pork instead of lamb.

Like tacos al pastor, tacos arabes are made with spit-roasted pork cooked on a vertical grill. But unlike tacos al pastor, they’re traditionally served in pan arabe (pita bread) instead of the usual corn tortilla. The meat for tacos arabes is also seasoned much more simply, usually with garlic, onion, cumin, thyme, and oregano.

Click on the link for a list of our favorite tacos arabes in Puebla.

4. Chalupas

Chalupas poblanas are not like the chalupas you see at Taco Bell. Those look like tacos made with chewy pieces of flatbread but the chalupas in Puebla are completely different.

An authentic Puebla-style chalupa is made with fried corn masa rounds (about the size of a corn tortilla) topped with diced onions, red or green sauce, and some type of shredded meat – usually shredded chicken or pork, but also beef. Unlike tostadas, the texture of the corn masa remains soft and becomes just a little bit crunchy.

Like molotes, chalupas are one of the most popular antojitos (snacks) in Puebla. You’ll find them served at nearly every traditional Mexican restaurant in Puebla.

Click on the link for a list of our favorite chalupas in Puebla.

3. Cemitas

If you’re a fan of sandwiches like I am, then you need to try cemitas poblanas. They’re personally one of my favorite types of sandwiches not just in Mexico, but anywhere.

Cemitas refer to both the sandwich and the bread used to make it. A cemita bread roll is an eggy, brioche-type bread studded with sesame seeds. It’s crunchy on the outside but soft and rich on the inside.

Cemitas can be made with any number of ingredients but in my opinion, the best version is the cemita poblana. It’s made with milanesa (usually chicken or pork, but also beef), Oaxacan cheese, papalo, onions, avocado, and chili peppers (either chipotle or poblano). It’s absolutely delicious and a must-try in Puebla.

Click on the link for a list of our favorite cemitas in Puebla.

2. Chiles en Nogada (Mexican Flag Dish)

Chiles en nogada is one of the most beautiful and delicious dishes you can try in Puebla. It’s a Mexican national dish that’s traditionally prepared in September to celebrate Mexico’s Independence Day.

Chiles en nogada consists of a large chile poblano pepper stuffed with a picadillo mixture made with ground meat and other ingredients like sweet-milk pear, panochera apple, criollo peach, aromatics, and spices. The stuffed chili pepper is drenched in a creamy walnut sauce and topped with red pomegranate seeds and parsley.

Chiles en nogada is traditionally served from around August till mid-September, when pomegranates are in season. It’s a nationalistic dish whose main ingredients resemble the colors of the Mexican flag – green chile poblano, red pomegranate seeds, and white walnut sauce.

Click on the link for a list of our favorite chiles en nogada restaurants in Puebla. If you’d like to make this dish yourself, then check out our recipe for chiles en nogada. It was developed by a local chef who runs a popular cooking class in Puebla.

1. Mole Poblano

There are many delicious dishes to try in Puebla, but if you were to have just one dish, then it should definitely be mole poblano. It’s a Mexican national dish and one of the most celebrated dishes in traditional Mexican gastronomy.

Mole poblano refers to a thick sauce made with around twenty different ingredients, some of the most important being cocoa, several types of Mexican chili peppers, and warm spices like cloves, coriander seeds, and allspice. Many people are under the impression that cocoa is the main ingredient in mole poblano but the dish actually gets much of its color and flavor from dried mulato peppers.

Traditionally, mole poblano is made with turkey meat but most restaurants in Puebla now serve it with chicken or pork and a side of rice and corn tortillas. It’s a rich and complex sauce that’s probably unlike anything you’ve ever tasted.

Mexico is known for hundreds of mole recipes but when someone says “mole”, they’re usually referring to mole poblano. It’s one of Mexican cuisine’s most important dishes and an absolute must-try in Puebla.

Click on the link for a list of our favorite mole poblano restaurants in Puebla. If you’d like to make this iconic dish at home, then check out our mole poblano recipe. It was developed by local chef who offers a popular cooking class in Puebla.

BONUS: Rompope and Pasita

If you enjoy a good drink, then it’s worth noting that Puebla is also famous for two alcoholic drinks – rompope and pasita.

Rompope refers to a Mexican version of eggnog enriched with rum or brandy. It’s consumed in many countries throughout Central and South America but it’s believed to have been invented by nuns in the convents of Puebla.

Pasita (pictured below) is a raisin-flavored liqueur that was invented by a bar in Puebla of the same name. La Pasita serves its signature drink in a slender shot glass with a toothpick-skewered raisin and a cube of goat cheese.

You can enjoy shots of rompope and pasita at La Pasita. Opened in 1916, La Pasita is a poblano institution and without question the most famous cantina (bar) in Puebla.

The cream-colored shot topped with cinnamon is rompope. La Pasita is a tiny standing-room-only bar that offers many interesting shots. If you like to drink, then it’s definitely a must-visit in Puebla.

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FINAL THOUGHTS ON THE FOOD IN PUEBLA, MEXICO

As described, we could have chosen any city as our base in Mexico but we settled in Puebla for many reasons, one of the most important being the food.

Puebla doesn’t get as much attention as some of the more visited destinations in the country, which is a shame because it has so much to offer. The regional food in Puebla is a big draw, but it’s just one of many reasons why you need to add this fascinating yet still underrated city (and state) to your Mexico itinerary.

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