Cemitas La Colonial

Cemitas la Colonial is a humble street food stall that offers tacos and cemitas made with different cuts of pork like carnitas, cueritos, and lomo (pork loin). The pork is tasty enough on its own, but what makes their sandwiches truly special is that they serve them with your choice of five housemade sauces. Pictured below is La Colonial’s supremely tasty cemita made with pierna or pork leg topped with the house picosa (spicy) sauce.

It’s a delightful torta that, when done right, will likely be one of the best, most savory, and cheap sandwiches you’ll ever have. You really haven’t been to Puebla if you haven’t stuffed your face with one of these. To do so, head straight to Mercado el Carmen (21 Oriente & 2 Sur) close to the middle of town, get in line, pay your 30 pesos, and wait your turn at the impressive operation that is Las Poblanitas.

If you’ve never heard of cemitas before but think they look suspiciously like tortas (juicy Mexican sandwiches), you’d be right. But technically, there are a few differences between cemitas and tortas, one being that cemitas are made with a type of bread typical to Puebla. Another difference is the ingredients used: cemitas from Puebla typically contain quesillo cheese, also sometimes called Oaxaca cheese.

Cemitas La Colonial is a well regarded street stand known for their cemitas filled with carnitas as well as tacos and jugos. I very much enjoy ordering my carnitas tacos "surtido" which means a little bit of everything in terms of the both the pig parts used and the textures of each piece. So I ordered our sandwiches that way thinking that's just how everyone likes them.

You’ll be spoilt for choice with the sheer number of cemitas stalls in Puebla. One of the most highly-rated is La Colonial, a small cemitas stand just a couple blocks south of Mercado de Sabores. They serve cemitas and tacos made with different cuts of pork like pierna (pork leg), lomo (pork loin), and carnitas (braised pork).

Cemitas are sandwiches piled high usually with a flattened breaded piece of chicken or pork (Milanese), Oaxacan cheese, avocado, and slivers of jalapeno. Cemita refers to the type of bread used for this sandwich, a type of brioche covered in sesame seeds. These sandwiches are delicious and extremely filling.

At Cemitas la Poblanita, a short walk from the Zocalo, you can enjoy an enormous cemita for two. They pile their specialty sandwiches with mounds of fresh meat and cheese totaling a few pounds of food. The cemita with mole poblano is our recommendation, which you will need to eat with a fork and knife.

Even those with a limited knowledge of Mexican cuisine will have heard of the torta, a quintessential Mexican sandwich. Puebla’s cemitas are pretty similar. They are rounded sesame seed buns packed with locally-sourced ingredients.

At the restaurant Sabor a Puebla (Taste of Puebla) we tried Cemitas, a torta (sandwich) of the gods, a regional treat from the city. The buns are eggy and unique, a type of brioche.