
El Hidalguense
A classic Mexico City spot famous for its Hidalgo-style lamb barbacoa, slow-cooked in an underground pit and served traditionally. A must-visit for we...

Highlights
Must-see attractions
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El Hidalguense

Highlights
Must-see attractions
A classic Mexico City spot famous for its Hidalgo-style lamb barbacoa, slow-cooked in an underground pit and served traditionally. A must-visit for weekend indulgence.
"This is the real f*ckn deal for barbacoa, agua fresca, and probably everything else. It’s worth the wait if you’re in the area."
Weekend Only Barbacoa
Barbacoa is only available from Friday to Sunday. Visit earlier in the day to avoid peak crowds.
Cash is King
Be prepared to pay in cash, especially for tips, as card payments may not always be accepted for them.

Quick Facts
Cuisine
Mexican
Price
Mid-range
Phone
+52 55 5564 0538
Address
Campeche 155, Roma Sur, Cuauhtémoc, 06760 Ciudad de México, CDMX, Mexico
Highlights
Discover the most iconic attractions and experiences

Authentic Hidalgo-Style Lamb Barbacoa
Slow-roasted lamb, marinated and cooked for 12 hours in an underground pit, served traditionally in agave leaves. It's a weekend delicacy you can't miss.

Unique Traditional Tacos
Savor incredible slow-cooked lamb tacos on fresh blue corn tortillas, a true taste of Mexico City's culinary heritage.

Traditional Mexican Drinks & Salsas
Enjoy refreshing drinks like pulque and aguafresca, perfectly complemented by a variety of flavorful, house-made salsas.
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Insider Tips
from TikTok, Instagram & Reddit
Weekend Only Barbacoa
Barbacoa is only available from Friday to Sunday. Visit earlier in the day to avoid peak crowds.
Cash is King
Be prepared to pay in cash, especially for tips, as card payments may not always be accepted for them.
Embrace the Local Flavors
Don't shy away from unique dishes like escamoles (ant larvae) for a truly authentic experience.
Upscale Taco Experience
While pricier than typical taco joints, expect a more refined dining setting with proper tables and decor.
Tips
from all over the internet
Weekend Only Barbacoa
Barbacoa is only available from Friday to Sunday. Visit earlier in the day to avoid peak crowds.
Cash is King
Be prepared to pay in cash, especially for tips, as card payments may not always be accepted for them.
Embrace the Local Flavors
Don't shy away from unique dishes like escamoles (ant larvae) for a truly authentic experience.
Upscale Taco Experience
While pricier than typical taco joints, expect a more refined dining setting with proper tables and decor.
What Travellers Say
Reviews Summary
El Hidalguense is celebrated for its exceptional lamb barbacoa, often hailed as some of the best in Mexico City, served on fresh blue corn tortillas. Diners praise the authentic flavors and traditional preparation, though some note that prices are higher than typical taquerias. While the food is a major draw, service can be inconsistent, and some visitors have noted minor issues with organization or attentiveness.
"Came here when visiting Mexico City in February 2025.
I found out about this place online and really wanted to try the Barbecoa which is only available at weekends.
We arrived at 10:30 on a Sunday and there was already a queue the place was busy. We had to wait ten minutes and we were seated.
Between two we had 500g of the barbacoa and the guacamole. It was incredible. I have never eaten meat like this.
We were two of the only tourists, the place was full and had a great atmosphere. Would definitely recommend this place."
Nina Patel
"This place is incredible and so professional. We got barbacoa tacos and some beef belly. If you like intestine meats and the gamy flavor then this place is the place for you. It's not too gamy but has just the right amount. I would eat here again. Certified baller status confirmed."
Sunu Sohn
"I was looking for Barbacoa on a Sunday and this place was everything I didn’t know I needed. There was a long wait list, expected, so I went down to The Coffee to get something until they called my name. The 5 stars is for the food!
Food: I find it cliche when ppl say, “this is the best taco I’ve ever had!!✨”, but these barbacoa tacos really do fit the profile. I got combination tacos with three different salsas, which had serious and delicious heat, along with charro beans and fresh blue corn tortillas. The barbacoa was so flavorful and balanced, not overly fatty. The fresa, guayaba, and chia seed aguafresca was delicious, not too sweet. I had the quesadilla appetizer with calabazas, nopales, and huitlacoche; they were great and don’t expect American style where cheese is oozing out of it, all of it is balanced. 😏oh yeah, nopales salad was great.
Service: it was super busy on Sunday morning, so I was expecting slow service. I’m patient, but food took a while to come out. My server forgot a few things, but he was friendly and tried his best.
Overall impression: this restaurant is the real f*ckn deal for barbacoa, agua fresca, and probably everything else. It’s worth the wait if you’re in the area."
Alex Faraoh
What People Like
What People Dislike
Frequently Asked Questions
The signature lamb barbacoa is only available on Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays. It's recommended to arrive earlier in the day to avoid the longest waits.
Barbacoa is a traditional Mexican dish where meat (often lamb or goat) is slow-cooked in an underground pit, typically wrapped in maguey leaves.
While some reviews mention card payments, it's advisable to carry cash, especially for tipping, as some staff may prefer cash.
Besides barbacoa, El Hidalguense offers traditional dishes like escamoles (ant larvae) and chapulines (grasshoppers) for adventurous eaters.
Yes, the restaurant is family-friendly. However, some reviews mention that very young children can sometimes be noisy, impacting the dining experience.
El Hidalguense is considered on the pricier side for tacos compared to street vendors, but many feel the quality and experience justify the cost.
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This laid-back restaurant has been serving Hidalgo-style lamb barbacoa to grateful Mexico City residents since the 1990s. Friday through Sunday afternoons only, fresh lamb from owner Moisés Rodríguez’s Hidalgo farm is roasted for 12 hours over mesquite and oak in an underground pit, then served in charred agave leaves. An order of barbacoa comes with everything you need to make tacos you'll remember for days; be sure to order the consommé, flavored with meat drippings, chile, and lime, and wash it all down with a glass of pulque.
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El Hidalguense should be your tacos de barbacoa stop on a Friday, Saturday, or Sunday—and that’s because those are the only days they’re open. These are hands-down the best slow-cooked lamb tacos in Mexico City. Their only location is intended to look and feel like a country ranch in the state of Hidalgo, and is most busy in the mornings (barbacoa is one of Mexico’s most beloved hangover cures) so come closer to lunch to avoid the crowds.
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This two-story, classic Mexico City barbacoa spot is named after Hidalgo, the state where mutton is pit-roasted for barbacoa. It's only open Friday through Sunday and compared to most barbacoa joints that stand on street corners with folding tables and plastic chairs, El Hidalguense, with it's sturdy wooden tables and colorful table runners, is pretty fancy. The barbacoa is excellent here.
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: This somewhat upscale casual restaurant in Roma specializes in the tradition of slow-cooking lamb that is wrapped in maguey leaves in underground ovens until the meat is fall off the bone tender. They take this preparation of the lamb as seriously as the experience that surrounds this important part of the culture of the region. : First off, dismiss any idea of what you think you know about lamb and its gaminess and go into the meal with a fresh perspective.
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Barbacoa is one of Mexico’s special meat dishes that involves wrapping beef or goat meat in maguey leaves and steam-roasting it over an underground wood-fueled fire. By tradition, the dish is only served on weekends, which explains why El Hidalgense – which serves some of the city’s most delicious barbacoa – is only open Friday through Sunday. The restaurant is located in Colonia Roma at Campeche 155.
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El Hidalguense is another excellent restaurant in Mexico City and is famous for its barbacoa (slow-cooked lamb). The meat is cooked in the nearby state of Hidalgo (hence the name) and trucked to the city for its many visitors that are craving this specialty. One thing to know is that you order the barbacoa by the kilo, and they provide fresh tortillas and salsas to go with it.
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Three places that veer more traditional are Yuban (Oaxacan, in La Roma), Guzina (Famous Oaxacan chef Alejandro Ruiz’s DF outpost, in Polanco) and El Hidalguense (lamb barbacoa, in La Roma). The first is small, charming and good. The second is like a visit to Chef Alejandro’s famous Oaxacan restaurant, Casa Oaxaca, without the travel expense.
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Another stop for those ticking off Netflix Taco Chronicle locations is El Hidalguense, known for succulent lamb barbacoa with blue corn tortillas. Following its fame and location in La Roma neighborhood, it’s not a cheap eat. However, you won’t find better barbacoa without traveling far afield so, if you have the budget, it’s worth it.
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Campeche 155, Roma Sur, 06760 Ciudad de México, CDMX, Mexico. Best for: Lamb barbacoa tacosTacos cost 150 mxn / 7.65 usd for an order of three. According to the Taco Chronicles on Netflix (which should be your bible when you travel to this country), the best barbacoa in Mexico is an hour outside of Mexico City in the town of Texcoco.
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This is perhaps the most famous place in the entire city to come for barbacoa. They are only open Friday-Sunday and once they run out of meat they close (although I’ve never seen them run out of meat and I’ve come close to closing time in the past). It’s all about the barbacoa, slow roasted sheep (or goat?) in maguey leaves.
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Before the city’s Roma neighborhood became the hip, bohemian mecca that it is now, Moises and Norma Rodriguez opened El Hidalguense, an unassuming spot on one of the neighborhood’s quieter streets. Now, 30 years later, it is known far and wide for roasting some of the best barbacoa in the city.
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Only open on the weekends, this large restaurants brings the food from the countryside into the city. The Barbacoa meat is slow cooked underground, then brought to the city, sold by weight, and then supplemented with tortillas and salsas to make tacos at the table.
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Specializing in traditional Mexican cooking from the state of Hidalgo, go to El Hidalguense for the barbacoa — slow-cooked meat, typically shredded for taco fillings. The crowd keeps the place lively, but note that it is only open Friday through Sunday each week.
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Netflix featured El Hidalguense on the show Taco Chronicles for their Barbacoa episode. Famous for their Barbacoa de Borrego, El Hidalguense raises and cooks their own sheep, serving their bbq every weekend. We tried their legendary barbacoa and it tasted good.
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After checking out the Museo Nacional de Antropologia and lunch at El Hidalguense followed by a short nap; we headed back out. The Missus wanted to check out more of La Condesa and Colonia Roma. So we headed out on Avenida Michoacán toward Parque Mexico.
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A post shared by Restaurante "El Hidalguense" (@elhidalguense_restaurante). Barbacoa is one of the most beloved traditional foods from Mexico. You can get it from across the country, but barbacoa is very closely associated with the state of Hidalgo.
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El Hidalguense is one of the most popular restaurants in the Roma neighborhood. They serve many dishes, including insects, but they’re best known for their barbacoa. They were also featured on Taco Chronicles and recommended in many food blogs.
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It was already the happening place to be on a Sunday morning. We were lucky to get seated right away at a table just outside the front of the restaurant. Within minutes of us sitting down, a line started to form for people waiting for a table.
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El Hidalguense serves delicious traditional barbacoa (slow cooked beef) in blue corn tortillas, tasty consome from the barbacoa, and mixoites, another slow cooked meat dish cooked inside a paper bag for super moist and tender meat.
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The barbacoa at El Hidalguense ranks among the best tacos in Roma Norte — one of the Netflix Taco Chronicles Mexico City locations. As seen on Netflix Taco Chronicles Mexico City. Looking for the best barbacoa in Mexico City?
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The next taco on my list is another taco worth planning a vacation around. Let me introduce you to one of the best tacos in Mexico City … barbacoa!. This slow-roasted ultra-flavorful lamb will taste like butter in your mouth.
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Barbacoa is a heavily seasoned slow-cooked meat that is cooked underground. Typically made from beef or lamb, it’s native to the Central Mexican state of Hidalgo and is an El Hidalguense speciality.
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El Hidalguense is the place to be for the best barbacoa in Mexico City. Aside from that, this shop operates from Friday to Sunday only. Also, once they sell out, they will close their store after.
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El Hidalguense – This colourful restaurant specialises in barbacoa -slow cooked lamb in maguey leaves, prepared to fastidious standards by chef-owner Moises Rodriguez Vargas from Hidalgo.
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