Hola Taco

I read in some guidebook or other that Hola Taco was an especially tasty option for grabbing lunch on the cheap in Condesa. So when I first got to Mexico City, and found myself in the neighborhood one afternoon, I decided to pay it a visit. Being a naturally reserved Midwesterner, I found that first visit pretty harrowing. Hola Taco is essentially a taco stand that operates out of an actual building, so there's not really anywhere to sit: guests dine standing on the sidewalk. It gets crowded fast, and this being Mexico City, one usually has to elbow one's way through the other patrons to get at the servers, who are surprisingly friendly, and who speak English. (Don't bother trying to figure out if there's a line; there isn't. Just make your way as insistently as possible to the counter.)

Once you actually get your tacos, though -- which the servers will insist on delivering one at a time, so that they don't get cold, and which you'll pay for once you're done eating -- any shoving matches in which you had to engage will have been worth it. The menu changes from day to day, but there's always a good variety of fillings, and always two or three vegetarian options. I can recommend the tacos de acelga con arroz (kale with rice) highly.

One final word to the wise: the bright orange salsa is quite spicy.