Mexico State (Estado de México) is the country's most populous state, a horseshoe-shaped territory wrapped around Mexico City that ranges from the dense urban sprawl of the Toluca and Mexico City metropolitan zones to pine forests, volcanoes, colonial silver and monastery towns, and monarch butterfly wintering grounds. It holds more of the Teotihuacan archaeological site than Mexico City does, along with the lakeside town of Valle de Bravo, the ceramics town of Metepec, and the state capital, Toluca de Lerdo, Mexico's highest state capital.
Mexico State's food identity centers on Toluca de Lerdo, the capital, whose name is inseparable from chorizo verde de Toluca, a bright green sausage colored with tomatillo, cilantro, chile serrano and pepita, sold by the coil in the covered stalls of Mercado 16 de Septiembre and in family-run chorizerías across the city. Toluca is also the home of obispo, a boiled and pressed charcuterie of pork head meat, rice and spices stuffed into a natural casing, and of a dense embutidos tradition, longaniza, moronga and cecina among them, that turns the capital's markets into a working sausage-and-cold-cuts district. Barbacoa de hoyo, lamb slow-steamed in maguey leaves in an earthen pit, is a weekend ritual across the Valle de Toluca, usually paired with its consomé and served alongside pulque, the fermented, low-alcohol agave drink that has its own dedicated pulquerías in Toluca and Metepec, some three generations deep in the same family. Metepec, the artisan pueblo mágico just south of the capital, wraps its dining scene around the Parroquia de San Juan Bautista and the ceramic Trees of Life the town is famous for, with restaurants ranging from grilled-meat spots to farmhouse-style comedores serving regional specialties in courtyards and covered terraces. Valle de Bravo, the lakeside resort town two hours west, has a more upscale, weekend-getaway dining culture built around lake views, Swiss fondue, Italian trattorias and decades-old family restaurants overlooking the embarcadero. Tepotzotlán, a colonial town on the northern edge of the state near the Museo Nacional del Virreinato and the baroque Templo de San Francisco Javier, offers restaurants clustered around the Plaza Virreinal serving mole verde, chiles en nogada and other central-Mexican classics in colonial-era dining rooms. To the east, Texcoco, historically part of the Aztec Triple Alliance and part of Mexico State today, carries its own mole heritage, distinct from Puebla's, alongside barbacoa and mixiotes, meat seasoned and steamed in maguey parchment. Ixtapan de la Sal, a spa town in the south, adds its own barbacoa and traditional comedor culture to the state's regional mix.
Must-try dishes
Iconic dishes that define Mexico State.
Chorizo Verde de Toluca
Fresh pork sausage colored and flavored with tomatillo, cilantro, spinach, chile serrano, pepita and spices, grilled or pan-fried and eaten in tacos, tortas or on its own with tortillas
Where to try: Mercado 16 de Septiembre, Toluca; LOSEME, Toluca; La Casa del Buen Chorizo, Toluca
Price: MXN 90-160 per portion (~USD 5-9)
Obispo
A traditional Toluca charcuterie made from pork head meat, rice, chile and spices, pressed and boiled inside a natural casing, sliced thin and served cold or lightly grilled with tortillas
Where to try: Mercado 16 de Septiembre, Toluca; Barbacoa "El Patrón", Toluca; Cenizo, Toluca
Price: MXN 70-130 per portion (~USD 4-8)
Barbacoa de Hoyo
Lamb slow-steamed for hours in an earthen pit lined with maguey leaves, served shredded with its own consomé, onion, cilantro and salsa, traditionally a weekend dish across the Valle de Toluca
Where to try: Barbacoa Don Pedro, Toluca; Barbacoa "El Patrón", Toluca; Barbacoa Y Consomé Los Güeros, Ixtapan de la Sal
Price: MXN 130-220 per portion (~USD 8-13)
Mixiotes
Meat, usually lamb or chicken, seasoned with a chile-and-spice adobo and steamed in a wrapped parchment or maguey-leaf packet until falling apart, served with the cooking juices and tortillas
Where to try: Traditional comedores in Texcoco and Ixtapan de la Sal; weekend market stalls across the Valle de Toluca
Price: MXN 110-190 per portion (~USD 6-11)
Mole de Texcoco
A regional mole distinct from Puebla's version, built on a blend of dried chiles and spices without the heavy chocolate sweetness of its better-known cousin, served over chicken or turkey
Where to try: El Original de Texcoco, Texcoco; comedores near the Texcoco market
Price: MXN 130-210 per portion (~USD 8-12)
Pulque
A fermented, lightly alcoholic drink made from the sap of the maguey plant, served natural or curado, flavored with fruit, oats, or seasonal ingredients like cempasúchil
Where to try: Pulquería La Revolución de Mayahuel, Metepec; pulquerías in central Toluca
Price: MXN 30-60 per glass (~USD 2-4)
Tamales Mexiquenses
Corn-masa tamales steamed in corn husk or banana leaf, filled with mole, rajas, or shredded pork, a staple breakfast and evening food across the state's markets
Where to try: Mercado 16 de Septiembre, Toluca; Mercado de Metepec
Price: MXN 20-40 each (~USD 1-2)
Embutidos Toluqueños
A charcuterie platter of Toluca's cured and cooked pork specialties, typically chorizo verde and rojo, longaniza, moronga and cecina, sliced and served with tortillas and salsas
Where to try: La Casa del Buen Chorizo, Toluca; LOSEME, Toluca
Price: MXN 150-260 for a shared platter (~USD 9-15)
Top restaurants
Handpicked picks for the best dining experiences.
NorteSur
A modern grill restaurant in Toluca known for hearty cuts of meat and a menu that folds in regional touches like chorizo verde and huitlacoche.
Known for: Grilled meats paired with contemporary Mexican starters
Av. Ignacio Comonfort 302, Toluca de Lerdo, 50160 Méx., Mexico
Amaranta
A contemporary dining room in Toluca reworking Mexico State classics, including obispo and barbacoa, into a plated tasting-style menu.
Known for: Contemporary interpretations of Mexico State's regional dishes
Poniente 402, Fracc. Francisco Murguía, Toluca de Lerdo, 50130 Méx., Mexico
Bistró Mecha
A casual bistro in Toluca's Centro Histórico pairing wood-fired pizza with French-leaning plates like steak frites in a relaxed, brick-lined dining room.
Known for: Wood-fired pizza and French bistro plates in Toluca's historic center
Centro Histórico, Toluca de Lerdo, 50000 Méx., Mexico
Barbacoa "El Patrón"
A weekend-only barbacoa stand on Avenida Venustiano Carranza, Toluca's best-known street for tacos, serving pit-cooked lamb, obispo and consomé.
Known for: Pit-cooked lamb barbacoa and obispo tacos on Toluca's taco corridor
Av. Venustiano Carranza, Toluca de Lerdo, 50000 Méx., Mexico
Cenizo
A Toluca restaurant where chef Christian Muñoz reworks obispo tacos with a slow-roasting technique rooted in his own family recipe.
Known for: A chef-driven take on obispo, slow-roasted at home style
Centro, Toluca de Lerdo, 50000 Méx., Mexico
LOSEME
A Barrio de la Merced chorizo specialist selling and grilling chorizo verde in classic, spicy and seasonal versions, including a tamarind variety in season.
Known for: Chorizo verde in multiple traditional and seasonal varieties
José María Morelos 1009, Barrio de la Merced, Toluca de Lerdo, 50080 Méx., Mexico
La Casa del Buen Chorizo
A family-run cold-cuts shop in south Toluca selling chorizo verde, longaniza and other traditional embutidos by weight, with a small grilled-food counter.
Known for: Traditional Toluca embutidos, chorizo and cold cuts
Presa de la Amistad 135, Col. Comisión Federal de Electricidad, Toluca de Lerdo, 50130 Méx., Mexico
La Vaquita Negra del Portal
A long-running torta stand under Toluca's historic Portales arcade, known locally for its inexpensive chorizo verde and cabeza tortas.
Known for: Legendary tortas de chorizo verde under Toluca's historic Portales
Portales, Centro, Toluca de Lerdo, 50000 Méx., Mexico
Restaurants by cuisine
Browse picks grouped by cuisine type.
Mexican
Barbacoa And Obispo
Chorizo And Embutidos
Chorizo Verde
Chorizo Verde Specialist
French
Grilled Meats And Smoked Barbecue
Italian
Pulque And Mexiquense Botanas
Seafood
Swiss And Fondue
Texcocano Regional
Tortas De Chorizo And Cabeza
Traditional Mexiquense
Street food
Local flavours at affordable prices.
Tortas de Chorizo Verde
A crusty bolillo roll split and filled with grilled chorizo verde, often finished with salsa and avocado, sold from stands and counters around the historic center
Find it at: La Vaquita Negra del Portal, Portales, Centro Toluca
Tacos de Obispo
Warm corn tortillas folded around sliced obispo, dressed with salsa verde and onion, a Toluca street classic sold at market counters and taco stands
Find it at: Av. Venustiano Carranza taco stands and Mercado 16 de Septiembre, Toluca
Quesadillas Metepequenses
Handmade blue-corn quesadillas filled with squash blossom, huitlacoche or cheese, cooked to order on a comal at market stalls near the Parroquia
Find it at: Mercado de Metepec, Centro, Metepec
Elotes y Esquites
Grilled or boiled corn dressed with mayonnaise, cotija cheese, chile powder and lime, sold from carts in plazas and near the Templo de San Francisco Javier
Find it at: Plaza Virreinal, Tepotzotlán; Portales, Centro Toluca
Consomé de Barbacoa
A cup of the rich broth rendered from steaming barbacoa, served with rice, garbanzo and a squeeze of lime, sold alongside barbacoa plates at weekend market stands
Find it at: Barbacoa stands, Mercado 16 de Septiembre area, Toluca
Food markets
Where locals shop and graze.
Mercado 16 de Septiembre, Toluca
Toluca's largest traditional market, with an upper-floor food hall known for chorizo verde tortas and tacos alongside stalls selling raw chorizo, obispo and other embutidos by the kilo
Hours: Daily 7AM-7PM
Mercado de Metepec
Metepec's central market, mixing produce, prepared-food comedores and stalls selling regional tamales and antojitos a short walk from the Parroquia de San Juan Bautista
Hours: Daily 7AM-6PM
Mercado 20 de Noviembre, Texcoco
Texcoco's traditional market, a starting point for the town's mole and barbacoa culture, with stalls selling dried chiles, spices and prepared mole pastes
Hours: Daily 6AM-6PM
Mercado Municipal, Tepotzotlán
A compact market a few blocks from the Plaza Virreinal, with comedores serving quesadillas, mixiotes and breakfast plates alongside produce and dried-goods stalls
Hours: Daily 7AM-5PM
Dining etiquette & tips
Navigate the local food scene confidently.
Chorizo verde is best bought raw by the kilo at Mercado 16 de Septiembre for cooking, or grilled to order at the market's upper-floor food stalls for immediate eating
Barbacoa is traditionally a weekend dish across the Valle de Toluca; many barbacoa specialists sell out by early afternoon on Saturdays and Sundays and some don't open on weekdays at all
Pulque spoils quickly and doesn't travel well, so it is best drunk fresh at a pulquería rather than bought to carry elsewhere
Toluca sits above 2,600 meters elevation and evenings turn cold year-round, which is part of why heavier dishes like barbacoa, mole and pozole remain everyday staples
Cash in pesos is more reliable than cards at market stalls, pulquerías and smaller family-run comedores
Valle de Bravo's restaurant prices run noticeably higher than Toluca or Metepec, reflecting its status as a weekend destination for visitors from Mexico City
Tipping 10-15 percent in cash is standard at sit-down restaurants; it is not expected at market counters or street stands
Restaurants near the Templo de San Francisco Javier in Tepotzotlán get busiest on weekends when day-trippers from Mexico City visit the Museo Nacional del Virreinato
- Vegetarian
- Limited outside of quesadillas, esquites, rice and bean plates and cheese-based antojitos; the region's signature dishes, chorizo, obispo, barbacoa and mixiotes, are all meat-based, so vegetarians should ask specifically about meat-free preparations at smaller comedores
- Halal
- No dedicated halal restaurants operate in Mexico State; pork dominates the regional specialties, so travelers keeping halal should look toward grilled-chicken or seafood-forward menus and confirm preparation methods directly with kitchen staff
- Gluten free
- Manageable at market stalls and taco counters built around corn tortillas, though chorizo verde and other sausages sometimes include fillers, and bread-based tortas and bakery items common in Toluca and Tepotzotlán should be avoided or confirmed
Food budget guide
What to expect at different price points.
| Level | Price | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Budget | MXN 60-140 per meal (~USD 4-8) | Market tacos, tortas de chorizo, esquites and comedor plates at Mercado 16 de Septiembre or Mercado de Metepec |
| Mid-range | MXN 180-320 per meal (~USD 11-19) | Sit-down restaurants in Toluca and Metepec, and traditional dining rooms near the Plaza Virreinal in Tepotzotlán |
| Upscale | MXN 400-850 per meal (~USD 24-50) | Lakeside fine dining and fondue houses in Valle de Bravo, and contemporary Mexiquense tasting menus in Toluca |