At La Tonina, a humble, lively locale that opened its doors 70 years ago in San Rafael, a panoply of eight guisados are offered as fillings for house-made flour tortillas. They represent several northern states: Sonora, Nuevo León and Sinaloa. Northern cooking relies on simple ingredients and a select few chilies so while delicious, sauces can be one-dimensional. Nevertheless , at their best they are rich, a beautiful dark brick red and high on the picante scale. Chilorio, the house special recalls the taste of that Tex-Mex classic chili con carne only here it’s beanless. A favorite in the markets of Sinaloa, it is pork cooked with dried chile colorado, garlic, oregano, cumin and vinegar – it resembles Cuban ropa vieja but with a kick. See previous post for a complete history of Tonina.

La Tonina: la Casa de los Tacos Norteños
Serapio Rendón 13, (3 blocks west of Insurgentes, South of San Cosme) Colonia San Rafael
Metro San Cosme, Metrobus: Revolución View Map
Open Monday – Saturday 9 a.m. – 10 p.m., Sunday 10 – 8