El Califa de León
Taco restaurant · San Rafael ·
Michelin-starred taqueria: simple perfection, high-quality ingredients
Information
Av. Ribera de San Cosme 56, San Rafael, Cuauhtémoc, 06470 Ciudad de México, CDMX, Mexico Get directions
MX$200–300
Michelin-starred taqueria: simple perfection, high-quality ingredients
Av. Ribera de San Cosme 56, San Rafael, Cuauhtémoc, 06470 Ciudad de México, CDMX, Mexico Get directions
MX$200–300
"There is a reason this taqueria has endured for more than half a century: despite a bare-bones setup with just enough room to stand at the counter, its creation—the Gaonera taco—is exceptional. Thinly sliced beef filet is cooked to order and seasoned with only salt and a squeeze of lime while a second cook prepares excellent corn tortillas alongside, yielding a combination that feels elemental and pure. Other options are few but excellent, including bistec (beef steak), chuleta (pork chop), and costilla (beef rib), and with meat and tortillas of this caliber the duo of house-made salsas is hardly even necessary." - Michael He
"A humble, standing-room-only taqueria tucked into Mexico City’s San Rafael neighborhood, this more-than-70-year-old slip of a spot is easy to walk past, obscured by clothing vendors and various shops, and inside there’s room for only a handful of people—no tables or seats, just a metal shelf-style counter facing a griddle, tortilla press, refrigerator, and short counter. The tightly edited menu sticks to four tacos—bistec, chuleta, costilla, and the signature gaonera—and the approach is pure and simple: thinly sliced meats cooked to order on the plancha with lard, coarse salt, and a squeeze of lime, then tucked into handmade corn tortillas mixed by hand and pressed to order, the tortillas a touch larger than some of the other tortillas seen in the city. Consistency and technical precision are the calling cards here, morning or night. The bistec arrives tender and flavorful with a great sear, and the salsa makes it come alive without overpowering the simplicity; the chuleta shows a golden-brown crust with a juicy interior; the costilla is incredibly flavorful and so tender it practically melts, often timed so it’s handed over piping hot; and the gaonera—a whole-steak ribeye even more tender than the bistec—lands on a thin yellow corn tortilla and scarcely needs anything, though the house-made tomatillo salsa is an option. It’s an impressive, affordable meal, cash only, and the focus on meat and tortilla—without garnish or fuss—earned this tiny taqueria a MICHELIN One Star." - The MICHELIN Guide US Editorial Team
"A One-Starred taqueria that proves the beauty of simplicity, where the Gaonera taco—thin beef filet grilled to order on a fresh tortilla—is perfection." - Caitlin Gunther
"A 56-year-old Mexico City taqueria that recently became the first taco stand to receive a Michelin Guide star seven months prior, it is known for a concise menu built around four tacos and the extreme care given to a few, high-quality ingredients. Founder Dario Wolos highlights the simplicity and focus: "Mexico City is truly one of the food capitals of the world, and known for restaurants that do just one thing, but that one thing really well," and he notes that the taqueria "have been creating these tacos with four beautiful slices of meat for decades." The family's approach to meat runs deep: Wolos recounts being "blown away by [Mario's] stories about how his father — the founder of the taqueria — would buy an entire cow and carefully butcher the entire animal for just three main cuts of beef," a lineage of practice that informed the collaboration and the specific cut selections (filet-mignon-based Gaonera, rib-based Costilla, round-tip Bisteck, plus the pork Chuleta)." - Lulu Chang
"There is a reason why El Califa de León has endured for more than half a century. This taqueria may be bare bones with just enough room for a handful of diners to stand at the counter but its creation, the Gaonera taco, is exceptional. Thinly sliced beef filet is expertly cooked to order, seasoned with only salt and a squeeze of lime. At the same time, a second cook prepares the excellent corn tortillas alongside. The resulting combination is elemental and pure. Other options are few but excellent, and include bistec (beef steak), chuleta (pork chop), and costilla (beef rib). With meat and tortillas of this caliber, the duo of house-made salsas is hardly even necessary." - The MICHELIN Guide US Editorial Team
