Indulging in the Sights and Street Food of Guanajuato

Posted on 6th September 2017

Of all the cities that we visited in Mexico, Guanajuato gets the award for being the most beautiful. Both locals and tourists flock here to enjoy the mountain scenery and see the pastel-hued houses. However, for us, we were keen to see what street food Guanajuato had to offer so spent a day stuffing our faces with Mexico Street Food Tour.

Our day started bright and early at 9 am. We decided to strategically skip breakfast at our hostel to save room for more goodies and, I must say, it was a smart move.

Ashley was our guide for the day, a fun gal from Texas who has been living in Guanajuato for 9 years! She was the perfect pal for the day, teaching us so much about the city. She didn’t just tell us about the food but also the history, what it’s like to live there and even kindly gave us insider info on places to visits.

Of course, she also introduced us to loads of different Mexican Street Foods. Some we were familiar with and some were completely new to us. Here’s a run down of everything we tried on our Guanajuato street food tour!

Baked Goods

No matter where you go in the world, baked goods are always an all -round winner when it comes to breakfast time. Having been pre-occupied with Mexico’s more spicy treats, we were yet to try what Mexican baking was like so we were pleased to be taken to a traditional bakery.

Veeran (aka Mr Adventurous) tried a chocolate doughnut which was…. a chocolate doughnut- there’s not much to report back on! I went for a sugary Mexican breakfast bread which was soft, sweet and perfect with coffee. The coolest thing about the stop though was watching the bakers make their goods in a traditional wall oven and of course, getting a whiff of the bread while it was still fresh!

Fruit Juice

Did you know that green juice was popular in Mexico before it was cool? Yes, Mexicans are the original hipsters and have been juicing spinach since before you were born! You can pick up fresh fruit juices all over the country- they’re never too expensive and a great way to get your fruits and veggies in. I tried the jugo verde which was savoury, not too sweet and had a bit of a kick. I’ve since been addicted to getting road side green juices! Veeran went for a vampire which was orange, carrot and beetroot but decided to leave his vampire bloodless and hold the beetroot. Blood or no blood, he still enjoyed it!

Tlacoyos

Sometimes in Mexico, we would visit mercados and walk around the stalls wondering what to choose. We’d usually be so overwhelmed that we’d just order which tacos- which we always love anyway but, seriously, why did we not try more things! This tour was great because we had a coaxing hand pushing us to try new things. And the first new thing that we tried was tlacoyos.

Tlacoyos are made with a slightly thicker, crispier bread than a taco and filled with refried beans and cheese. If you’re a serious carnivore you can top this with some meat but the original is worth trying for its simplicity. One thing I’ve noticed is Mexico has a lot of great choices for vegetarians as soon as you step away from the taco stands! So many foods are eaten simply with beans and cheese so they’re delicious and perfect for veggies!

Tamales

Mmm tamales. I got addicted to this starchy corn based breakfast feast towards the end of our trip but only tried them for the first time in Guanajuato.

Tamales are a sturdy treat made from compressed corn flour and stuffed with all kinds of yummy fillings. We tried one with red chilli and pork and another with green chilli and cheese.

For such a small (and cheap) little thing, tamales really fill you up right past lunch. In Mexico City, they even eat them on a roll- eek! Carb central!

Quesadillas de Huitlacoche con Masa Azul

Did you know that mushrooms grow on corn and are weirdly delicious? Yup, some people like to call it corn truffles and others like to call it corn smut but, in all honesty, it doesn’t taste too different from a regular mushroom. We tried them on some blue tortillas with cheese and salsa and, although we were starting to get full, it went down a treat. I know what you’re thinking, blue tortillas and corn smut? But, take my word for it, this is something you have to try if you get the chance!

Carnitas

Carnitas are one of the most unhealthy yet delicious treats that you can probably ever try so it’s a given that you need to try them in Mexico. Slow cooked in lard, the meat is soft, tender and perfect on a torta, Mexico’s answer to a French baguette. With some spicy salsa, this is a delicious lunch on the move that you should probably try to eat in moderation!

Tropical Fruit from Mexico

If there’s one thing that I love trying around the world, it’s different fruits. Coming from Scotland, we don’t really have many exciting fruits to brag about: there’s always the odd sad looking overpriced mango or abandoned pineapple but we’re more of an apple and oranges kinda country. So, when I’m overseas, I want to try all kinds of strange looking fruits!

Fruit stands in Mexico are full of just that and I was so happy to end my trip at one and be introduced to some new fruits. The first fruit we tried was a custard apple. I’m actually quite familiar with these as I got addicted to them for a while in India but I was more than happy to eat it again. The next fruit I wasn’t too familiar with but I loved. It was a mamey and had the taste of a really sweet sweet potato and a texture similar to a papaya or persimmon. Sounds weird, but I was a fan- Veeran, not so much! (More of an apple and oranges kinda guy!)

After buying our fruit, we took it outside and had a little picnic on the wall, chatting away as we munched through it. Since that was the final stop of the tour, it was time for us to say our goodbyes. Having eaten so much food, I was on the market for a coffee and luckily, Ashley showed us the perfect place where we could get liquid chocolate espressos- aka heaven!

We had such an awesome time on the tour and would recommend it to anyone visiting Guanajuato who loves food.

Here’s why we loved Mexico Street Food Tour in Guanajuato!

The tour combined trying food with learning the general history of the city and seeing some of the sights in between stops. Ashley is so passionate about her adopted city and this was evident in the way that she told us the tales of time gone past. Not only that, she was knowledgeable too and was able to tell us lots of cool little facts that helped us really appreciate Guanajuato as a city.
Again, our guide was just awesome- she was fun, friendly and we had such a good time being shown around by her. Apparently, all of the tour guides are really great- this tour never gets a bad review and that all comes down to the awesome people who help run them!
On the tour, you can try anything you like. We were told to just ask if we saw anything that looked good. For us, we were happy to follow along with her suggestions but it’s good to know that you could easily customise it on the day if you wanted to!
You can try the foods specific to that reason, chosen by the people who know them best. This is one of the main reasons why we never went too far off piste! We wanted to try exactly what they had chosen for us and eat from the vendors that they trusted!
All the vendors that you visit on the tour are places where the locals eat meaning you have a completely authentic experience. Sitting outside on a stool eating a sloppy blue corn smut tortilla is much more real than sitting in a 5-star restaurant where the only locals around are the ones serving you!
(And, as a bonus, learning about history while you stuff your face will ALWAYS be much more fun than visiting a museum!)

I recommend anyone visiting Mexico to do a culinary tour while they’re there and really understand the food. Food is such a huge part of Mexican culture and an experience like a street food tour or a cooking class is the best way to really understand it. We thought that Guanajuato was a great place to do this as it’s a small and intimate city with a great food scene. Plus, the city has some of the most stunning scenery we’ve ever seen on our travels making it the perfect backdrop for some serious eating!

To book a tour or learn more about Mexico Street Food, check out their website here! The tours are just 500 MXN ($28/£21) per person which I think is a real bargain for the amount of food you get to eat while also learning about the city. It’s actually less than it would cost you to do a bus tour in London! Definitely, check them out while you’re in Guanajuato and take advantage of such awesome value for money.

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For more culinary inspiration, check out more of my foodie posts:

Disclaimer: I received 2 complimentary places on this tour in return for this review. However, as always, I only work with businesses who I trust and who I know that you will, too! All thoughts and opinions are my own (regardless of how much they fed me!)