Discover 12 Puebla Restaurants That Serve Amazing Poblano Food

Puebla is home to some of the best and most interesting Mexican food in the country. In fact, poblano food is one of the biggest reasons why we decided to stay and make Puebla our base in Mexico.

This underrated city just two hours east of Mexico City is the birthplace of mole poblano and chiles en nogada, two dishes that are widely considered to be the national dishes of Mexico. Mexican food is known for hundreds of mole recipes but mole poblano is arguably the most important.

Aside from chiles en nogada and mole poblano, Puebla is known for tasty anotjitos like chalupas and molotes. The cemita poblana is the most popular sandwich but chanclas and pelonas are must-tries as well. If you’d like a taste of another great Mexican mole, then look no further than pipian rojo or pipian verde – two poblano sauces made with pepitas or pumpkin seeds as their main ingredient.

Rompope and the many dulces tipicos of Puebla were invented in the city’s convents while Mexico’s iconic taco al pastor was inspired by a dish that originated in Puebla – taco árabe. Needless to say, Puebla is one of the most important food cities in Mexico and a big reason why Mexican cuisine is one of the best in the world.

In an effort to find the tastiest examples of each local dish, we’ve eaten at dozens of fondas, upscale restaurants, taquerias, cemitas shops, dulcerias, and street food stalls in Puebla. There are many good restaurants serving delicious food in and around the Historic Center but these twelve are our favorites.

THE BEST RESTAURANTS IN PUEBLA

I call this a “Puebla restaurant guide” but it isn’t limited to just restaurants. It includes twelve of our favorite fondas (family-owned eateries), taquerias, ice cream shops, street food stalls, and fine dining restaurants in Puebla. To help you navigate to these restaurants, I’ve included a location map at the bottom of this article.

People traveling on a budget will be pleased to learn that Puebla is considerably cheaper than Mexico City. It’s possible to enjoy a full meal at the most expensive restaurants on this list for under MXN 500.

Price per person (with non-alcoholic drinks):
$ – Less than MXN 200
$$ – MXN 200-500
$$$ – Around MXN 500 or more

12. Mary Barragan Helados

For some people, dessert comes first so I’m starting this guide on the best restaurants in Puebla with two of our favorite dessert shops. Mary Barragan Helados is an amazing heladeria located right next to Parque del Carmen.

Visit any big city in Mexico and you’ll find dozens of heladerias, paleterias, and neverias throughout the city. These all pertain to ice cream shops. Heladerias sell helados (milk-based ice cream), paleterias serve paletas (popsicles), while neverias offer nieves, a type of Mexcian sorbet made with fruit and water. Many ice cream shops, like this one, offer all three.

Mary Barragan Helados makes some of the best ice cream in Puebla. I’ve been to over half a dozen ice cream shops throughout the city and this place is by far the best. Their ice cream is thick, creamy, and gooey, almost like Turkish dondurma. It’s so good.

If you’re a fan of strawberries, then I highly recommend this fresa con crema (strawberries with cream). It’s one of their gourmet flavors and seriously delicious.

If you visit Puebla in August or September, then you need to try their nogada ice cream. It’s a seasonal flavor of ice cream that’s available only when pomegranates are in season.

Aside from the fresh pomegranate seeds, crushed walnuts and other ingredients seem to be mixed into the vanilla ice cream as well. Pomegranate seeds and walnuts are key ingredients in chiles en nogada, a classic poblano and Mexican national dish made with stuffed poblano peppers drenched in a creamy walnut sauce (nogada) and garnished with fresh pomegranate seeds and cilantro.

Based on the crowd alone, you can tell that Mary Barragan Helados is one of the best ice cream shops in Puebla. This place always has a long line of customers, especially on weekends.

Mary Barragan Helados is located right next to Parque del Carmen, a small but pleasant park about a 10-minute walk south of the zocalo (main square). Getting ice cream from Mary Barragan and eating it at the park is one of our favorite guilty pleasures in Puebla.

Mary Barragan Helados

Address: C. 16 de Septiembre 1501, El Carmen, 72530 Puebla, Puebla
Operating Hours: 8AM-10PM, daily
What to Order: Helados, paletas, nieves
Price: $

11. Puebla La Churreria

If you’re in the mood for churros and hot chocolate in Puebla, then La Churreria is the place to go in the Historic Center. They make the best churros along with other delicious Mexican pastries like cubiletes de queso, buñuelos, and bolas de berlin.

The churros at Puebla La Churreria are crunchy on the outside but light and airy on the inside, just the way I like them. I often get a bag of churros from here and eat them on the way back to our old apartment in Azcarate. They’re so good and not that filling.

Puebla La Churreria offers different types of hot chocolate to go with your crispy churros. Frances is the most traditional but I highly recommend trying the Santa Clara. It’s made with rompope which is a type of Mexican eggnog enriched with rum or brandy.

Puebla La Churreria is conveniently located on one side of Puebla Cathedral, just a block away from the zocalo.

Puebla La Churreria

Address: Calle 2 sur, Av 5 Ote y, Centro histórico de Puebla, 72000 Puebla, Pue.
Operating Hours: 7AM-10PM, daily
What to Order: Churros, hot chocolate, and other Mexican pastries
Price: $

10. La Casa del Mendrugo

If you’d like to go to a more upscale restaurant that offers rich Poblano cuisine, then La Casa del Mendrugo is an excellent choice. Not only do they offer an extensive menu of local dishes and traditional Mexican food, but they have an interesting museum as well that you can enter for free if you dine at their restaurant. More on that later.

La Casa del Mendrugo makes some of the best chalupas I’ve eaten in Puebla. Chalupas poblanas are not like the chalupas you see at Taco Bell. Authentic chalupas are made with small fried discs of corn masa topped with red or green salsa, chopped onions, and shredded meat (usually chicken or pork).

For a true Poblano food experience, I suggest starting with these before moving on to an entree.

Mole poblano and pipian are the two great sauces in regional poblano cuisine. The former is a defining dish in Mexican cuisine made with over twenty different ingredients while the latter is a type of Mexican sauce made with pepitas (pumpkin seeds) as its main ingredient. Both are must-try dishes in Puebla.

There are two famous types of pipian in Puebla – pipian rojo (red) and pipian verde (green). Las Casa del Mendrugo doesn’t offer pipian rojo but you can get a duo plate containing both mole poblano and pipian verde. If you don’t have a lot of time in Puebla, then I suggest getting this.

La Casa del Mendrugo is conveniently located just a block away from the zocalo. They offer delicious food and great service and are without a doubt one of the best restaurants in the Historic Center of Puebla.

La Casa del Mendrugo is located in an historical building with this spacious interior colonial courtyard. You can learn more about the building’s history if you visit the museum on the second floor. Admission is MXN 40 but diners can enter for free.

In my opinion, Museo Casa del Mendrugo is one of the best museums in Puebla. It’s home to an interesting collection of Talavera pottery and these intricately carved human skulls, bones, and seashells.

If you enjoy a meal at La Casa del Mendrugo, then don’t forget to visit this museum.

La Casa del Mendrugo

Address: C. 4 Sur 304 – C, Centro, 72000 Puebla, Puebla
Operating Hours: 9AM-9PM, Mon-Sat / 9AM-6PM, Sun
What to Order: Chalupas, mole, pipian
Price: $$$

9. El Mural de los Poblanos

Some locals may balk at this next entry. Not because it made it to this list, but because it’s so low! By many accounts, El Mural de los Poblanos isn’t just one of the best restaurants in Puebla, it IS the best.

And while I do agree with that sentiment, I prefer places that serve comfort food over upscale restaurants which is why El Mural isn’t higher on this list. That’s the only reason. El Mural de los Poblanos offers amazing food and excellent service at exceptionally reasonable prices, considering the quality.

El Mural serves an extensive menu of traditional Poblano dishes, but if you visit Puebla between February and May, then I highly recommend trying escamoles. Also known as “Mexican caviar”, it’s a seasonal dish made with ant larvae and pupae.

Like many dishes in Mexican cuisine, escamoles is eaten with guacamole and corn tortillas.

Edible insects like ants and crickets have been an important part of Mexican gastronomy since pre-Hispanic times. Like hormiga chicatana, escamoles are one of the tastiest examples of entomophagy in Mexican cuisine.

Escamoles are elusive and rather pricey but if you can find them, then you should definitely try it. As far as I know, El Mural de los Poblanos is one of the very few restaurants in Puebla that serves them.

El Mural is known for serving great Mexican food so it’s no surprise that they make some of the best mole in Puebla. Thick and rich, their mole poblano is absolutely delicious.

El Mural de los Poblanos is located just a couple of blocks south of the zocalo. If you’re looking for a special meal in Puebla, then look no further than El Mural. They serve delicious food and are without a doubt one of the best restaurants in Puebla.

Step into the restaurant’s inner courtyard and it becomes obvious why they call it El Mural de los Poblanos. This large mural by artist Antonio Álvarez Morán depicts the many local personalities that have helped shape the history of Puebla.

El Mural de los Poblanos

Address: C. 16 de Septiembre 506, Centro histórico de Puebla, 72000 Puebla, Puebla
Operating Hours: 8AM-12MN, daily
What to Order: Mole, escamoles
Price: $$$

8. Comal

Based on popularity alone, Comal has to be one of the best restaurants in Puebla. Like La Casa del Mendrugo and El Mural de los Poblanos, they offer an extensive menu of local dishes and Mexican food but in an informal and much more relaxed environment. If you want exciting local food like cemitas, chanclas, chalupas, and pelonas, then Comal is a great place to go.

Cemitas are poblano sandwiches made with cemita bread rolls. They’re sold throughout the city but not every shop makes them in these tiny bite-sized versions.

Comal calls these little sandwiches cemitas de canasta (literally “basket cemitas”) and makes them with fillings you can’t find at most other shops like chilaquiles, mole, pipian, and pata de res. They offer them in sets of three, six, or twelve.

Chanclas are soppy Mexican sandwiches made with pambazo bread and a filling of ground meat, chorizo, lettuce, onions, and avocado slices. They’re sexy sandwiches drenched in a spicy tomato- and chili-based sauce called guajillo sauce.

We’ve had chanclas at a few restaurants in Puebla but Comal is easily one of the best restaurants to try this interesting poblano dish. Click on the link for a list of the best chanclas in Puebla.

If you haven’t had your fill of sandwiches after cemitas and chanclas, then you’ll definitely want to try pelonas as well.

The pelona is another tasty poblano sandwich made with shredded chicken or beef, lettuce, refried beans, salsa, and crema (Mexican sour cream). What makes this sandwich interesting is that it’s served on a crunchy deep-fried bread roll.

Like chanclas, we’ve had pelonas at a few restaurants in Puebla but the version at Comal is easily one of the best. Click on the link for some of the tastiest pelonas in Puebla.

Comal is located directly in front of Puebla Cathedral. Thanks to its prime location and delicious food, it’s one of the most popular restaurants in Puebla so be prepared for a wait at peak hours, especially on weekends.

We’ve had Comal’s mole poblano, chalupas, and cemita poblana and those were delicious as well.

Not only does Comal serve amazing food, but they offer some of the best views as well. If you’d like to enjoy your meal with a view of Puebla Cathedral, then you can try requesting for one of their balcony tables.

As you can see in this picture, Puebla Cathedral is one of the biggest and most beautiful churches in Puebla.

Comal

Address: C. 16 de Septiembre 311-b, Centro histórico de Puebla, 72000 Puebla, Puebla
Operating Hours: 8AM-12MN, daily
What to Order: Chanclas, pelonas, cemitas, chalupas, mole
Price: $$

7. La Ververa

I found this wonderful little restaurant by chance after visiting the many museums at Zona Historica de los Fuertes. Tucked away on the eastern edge of the park, they offer great local food and excellent service at exceptionally reasonable prices.

Pictured below is a tasty starter of chalupas poblanas topped with red and green salsa and shredded chicken.

Mole poblano is one of the pricier local dishes in Puebla but at just MXN 89, La Ververa offers one of the best deals for mole I’ve found so far. Served with a side of herbed rice and corn tortillas, it’s also one of the most delicious.

La Ververa is a hidden gem in Puebla. Located about a 45-minute uphill walk north of the zocalo, it isn’t the easiest restaurant to get to so I suggest eating here only if you decide to visit the museums at Zona Historica de los Fuertes.

La Ververa

Address: Guayacan 52, Arboledas de Guadalupe, 72260 Puebla, Puebla
Operating Hours: 9AM-6PM, daily
What to Order: Chalupas, mole
Price: $$

6. Augurio

Like El Mural de los Poblanos, Augurio has a reputation for being one of the best restaurants in Puebla. It’s a Mexican restaurant that serves traditional poblano dishes like chiles en nogada and mole poblano in a trendier, more contemporary setting.

Augurio is helmed by Chef Angel Vazquez, a Mexican chef who’s recognized as one of the foremost promoters of poblano cuisine in the world.

We didn’t order this but our amazing server Joel started us off with these amuse-bouche profiteroles. If I remember correctly, they were stuffed with some type of Mexican stew. Delicious!

If you visit Puebla in August or September, then you MUST order the chiles en nogada. As described, it’s a classic poblano dish made with a stuffed poblano pepper served with walnut sauce and fresh pomegranate seeds. Lesser restaurants serve it throughout the year but the best restaurants like Augurio will only make it when pomegranates are in season. Trust me, it makes a huge difference.

We’ve had chiles en nogada a few times in Puebla and this has easily been the best so far. Chef Vazquez makes the walnut sauce with some type of liqueur, probably sherry. It’s out-of-this-world delicious.

The chiles en nogada are sensational but Chef Vazquez’ mole poblano is no slouch either. It’s one of the best we’ve had so far in Puebla. At just MXN 200, it’s reasonably priced considering the quality and credentials of Chef Vazquez.

Augurio is conveniently located just three blocks south of the zocalo. If you’re looking for a fun restaurant in the Historic Center that serves amazing poblano food, then look no further than Augurio.

Augurio is a small restaurant with just six or seven tables. We didn’t have reservations but were promptly seated at around 1PM on a Wednesday.

I’d like to give a shout-out again to our server Joel who provided us with some of the best service we’ve enjoyed so far in Puebla. ¡Muchisimas gracias!

Augurio

Address: Av 9 Ote 16, Centro histórico de Puebla, 72000 Puebla, Puebla
Operating Hours: 8:30AM-11PM, Mon-Sat / 8:30AM-6PM, Sun
What to Order: Chiles en nogada, mole poblano
Price: $$$

5. Taqueria “Los Camellos”

Tacos al pastor may be king in Mexico City, but in Puebla, it’s tacos arabes. Tacos arabes or “Arab tacos” are a type of taco made with grilled pork sliced from a vertical spit. Unlike tacos al pastor which are heavily marinated and served on corn tortillas, tacos arabes are more simply seasoned and served in bigger and fluffier pan arabe (pita bread).

Tacos arabes are descendants of the Lebanese shawarma, hence the name. Brought to Mexico by Lebanese immigrants, people in Puebla started making them with pork instead of lamb to suit Mexican tastes. Over time, they made their way to Mexico City where they continued to evolve and become tacos al pastor.

There are many great tacos arabes shops in Puebla, but one of my favorites is Taqueria “Los Camellos”. In my opinion, they make some of the very best tacos arabes in Puebla.

The tacos arabes at Taqueria “Los Camellos” are delicious, but their specialty is a variation of the dish they like to call camellos, which is Spanish for “camel”. Made even more delicious with melty cheese, they’re essentially a quesadilla version of tacos arabes.

One order of camellos comes with two pieces, which probably explains the name. They resemble camel humps hence “camellos”. For variety, you can request for one to be filled with al pastor meat instead. Either way, they’re absolutely delicious and something I have at least once a week.

We used to live in the Azcarate neighborhood so it was easy for us to walk to Taqueria “Los Camellos”, but it’s a bit of a trek from the Historic Center. It’s about a 25-30 minute walk east of the zocalo.

The good news is that it’s just a block away from Parque Ecologico – one of the biggest and most pleasant public parks in Puebla. The park is home to ArboTerra, which in my opinion, is one of the best secret attractions in Puebla, especially if you’re traveling with kids.

You can have lunch or a snack at Taqueria “Los Camellos” after visiting Parque Ecologico and ArboTerra.

Taqueria “Los Camellos”

Address: Calle 24 Sur 703, Azcarate, 72501 Puebla, Puebla, Mexico
What to Order: Tacos arabes, camellos
Price: $

4. Don Pastor

If you’re in the mood for tacos but don’t want to stray too far from the zocalo, then head on over to Don Pastor. Located just off the zocalo, in front of Puebla Cathedral, Don Pastor is a fun chain of modern taquerias that specializes in tacos al pastor and other types of tacos.

Pictured below is an interesting appetizer they like to call “chicharron de queso“. It’s basically a paper thin roll of buttery toasted cheese.

As you can probably guess from their name, tacos al pastor are the specialty at Don Pastor. We’ve had their tacos arabes as well but their al pastor tacos are definitely better.

Don Pastor’s carne asada tacos are fantastic as well.

I highly recommend getting the queso fundido pastor. It’s basically a pot filled with gooey melted cheese topped with thin shavings of unbelievably moist al pastor meat.

Served with a few corn tortillas, you eat the queso fundido pastor like a DIY quesadilla. It’s fun to eat and absolutely delicious.

Some people may not be too keen on eating at chain restaurants but Don Pastor is a fun restaurant that serves exciting local food.

Salsas are an important part of Mexican cuisine. Most taquerias will offer you one or two, sometimes three, but Don Pastor gives you six. They’re all delicious.

Don Pastor is a colorful and well-branded chain of taquerias. Thanks to its prime location, the outlet near the zocalo is the most popular branch but they have several restaurants throughout the city.

They have three in the Historic Center alone and another in Paseo de San Francisco, just past Blvd Heroes del 5 de Mayo.

Every Don Pastor branch looks like this. They have the same vibrant energy as a lucha libre match.

These tables are always taken but if you come at the right time, then you can ask to be seated inside this makeshift subway car.

We’ve been to three Don Pastor branches and the outlet opposite the zocalo is the only one that has this. Fun right?

Don Pastor

Address: C. 16 de Septiembre 203, Centro histórico de Puebla, 72000 Puebla, Puebla
Operating Hours: 11AM-11:30PM, daily
What to Order: Al pastor tacos, queso fundido, tacos arabes, carne asada
Price: $

3. Antojitos Mellos

Antojitos Mellos is another of my favorite neighborhood restaurants. It’s located in Barrio de los Remedios, just a few blocks away from Mercado Municipal La Acocota. They serve delicious local dishes and Mexican food, many of which are available only on weekends.

Antojitos Mellos makes some of the best mole poblano in Puebla. It’s available only on Saturdays and Sundays so I suggest eating here if you’re visiting Puebla over the weekend.

Also available on weekends are pipian rojo and pipian verde. I’ve only had their pipian rojo so far and it’s currently my favorite pipian in Puebla. It’s so nutty and delicious.

Luckily for you, Anotjitos Mellos serves many delicious dishes that are available every day of the week.

If you want to eat soup, then I recommend trying their pozole. Pozole refers to a Mexican soup or stew made with hominy corn mixed with meat and other ingredients like vegetables, aromatics, chili peppers, avocados, and lime.

Antojitos Mellos makes their pozole with chicken or cabeza (head meat), or a mixture of both. It’s so good.

Another house specialty that’s available everyday at Antojitos Mellos is mole de panza. Also known as pancita or menudo, it’s a tasty Mexican soup or stew made with beef tripe.

For dessert, I suggest trying the platanos fritos. It’s a simple but satisfying dessert of deep-fried plantains topped with sweetened condensed milk.

Antojitos Mellos is about a 20-minute walk east of the zocalo. It isn’t the most conveniently located restaurant but it’s definitely worth the trek, especially on weekends when they have a bigger menu. They offer great service and exceptionally reasonable prices as well.

Antojitos Mellos

Address: Av. Don Juan de Palafox y. Mendoza 2008, Barrio de los Remedios, 72377 Puebla, Puebla
Operating Hours: 1-10:30PM, daily
What to Order: Mole poblano, pipian, mole de panza, pozole
Price: $$

2. Antojitos Acapulco

I have a soft spot for street food and Antojitos Acapulco is one of the best street food stalls in Puebla. It’s literally a hole-in-the-wall just a block away from the zocalo. They specialize in molotes but they make other delicious antojitos (snacks) as well.

Pictured below are tacos de canasta, one of our favorite types of tacos. Available throughout Mexico, they refer to small tacos that are filled with various stews and then bathed in oil or melted butter. They’re sold from covered baskets to keep them warm, hence the name tacos de canasta meaning “basket tacos”.

Antojitos Acapulco specializes in molotes and it isn’t hard to see why. They’re seriously delicious and easily one of the best molotes I’ve had in Puebla.

Molotes are basically deep-fried empanada-like snacks made with a dough consisting of masa and wheat flour. They can be filled with a variety of ingredients like chicken tinga (shredded chicken stew), quesillo (Oaxaca cheese), huitlacoche (corn smut), and chicharron.

The molotes at Antojitos Acapulco are considerably smaller than the average molote in Puebla, which is actually a good thing. Molotes are often quite large, almost the length of your forearm, and have a hard crunchy shell.

Antojitos Acapulco’s molotes are a more manageable size and have a slightly softer but still crunchy shell. To be honest, molotes aren’t my favorite poblano dish but I really like these.

Like their molotes, the pelonas at Antojitos Acapulco are seriously delicious and some of the best we’ve had so far in Puebla.

Like I said, Antojitos Acapulco is literally a hole-in-the-wall (well, almost). If you want good food for cheap in Puebla, then this is a great place to go.

And don’t let the absence of customers in this picture fool you. This place is popular.

Antojitos Acapulco

Address: Av 5 Pte 114, Centro histórico de Puebla, 72000 Puebla, Puebla
Operating Hours: 9:10AM-11PM, daily
What to Order: Molotes, pelonas, tacos de canasta
Price: $

1. Antojitos Tomy

Rounding out this list of the best restaurants in Puebla is Antojitos Tomy, a humble establishment that serves great food just a block away from the zocalo. It doesn’t look like much from the outside but for me, they serve some of the tastiest examples of local dishes in Puebla.

The chanclas at Antojitos Tomy aren’t as good as the version from Comal but they’re pretty darn delicious as well. Click on the link for a list of our favorite chanclas in Puebla.

This beautiful sandwich is one of the reasons why Antojitos Tomy is one of my favorite restaurants in Puebla. I love sandwiches and the cemita poblana is one of my favorite sandwiches in the world.

The cemita poblana is a type of cemita sandwich made with milanesa (usually chicken or pork), quesillo, onions, slices of avocado, papalo, and chili peppers (either chipotle or poblano) served on a nice crusty roll studded with sesame seeds. I’ve had many delicious cemitas poblanas in Puebla but this one is definitely one of my favorites.

If you love sandwiches like do, then I’ve got a feeling you’ll enjoy cemitas poblanas as well. Click on the link for a list of the best cemitas shops in Puebla.

This wonderful little restaurant may not look like much, but in my opinion, it’s one of the best restaurants in Puebla. Antojitos Tomy is a great place for cheap eats and is almost always packed with locals.

Antojitos Tomy

Address: Av 5 Pte 145, Centro, 72000 Puebla, Puebla
Operating Hours: 9AM-9PM, daily
What to Order: Cemita poblana, chanclas, chalupas
Price: $

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LOCATION MAP

To help you navigate to these restaurants in Puebla, I’ve pinned them all on this map. Click on the link for a live version of the map.

FINAL THOUGHTS ON THE BEST RESTAURANTS IN PUEBLA

One restaurant we’ve heard many good things about but haven’t gone to yet is Intro. Located near Museo Internacional del Barroco, it’s also helmed by Chef Angel Vazquez.

From looking at the menu, it’s apparent that Intro is a departure from the more traditional Augurio. It features global dishes like Asian dumplings and Italian burrata enhanced with Mexican ingredients like pepitas and chicharron.

We’re planning on visiting Intro soon so I’ll be sure to update this guide when we do.

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