My Top 8 Pastor Places in Puerto Escondido (Expanded & Updated, August 2023)
The types of pastor joints where they mix fire-charred meat with fresh tangy sauces that will leave your taste buds howling at the moon.
I’ve never been like “Ewwww, yuck” biting into a little folded pastor taco with fresh lime squeezed onto it and sauce spilling out of the side. It’s pretty much always a treat, and I have a serious craving for pastor tacos at least once or twice a week.
As someone who has spent over a year in Mexico City, I have a fairly high bar for pastor, but as mentioned—it’s pretty hard to mess up. You won’t find pastor sticks as big as the one pictured above (Tortas al Fuego in CDMX), but you’ll find some spots that shave a lot of pastor meat every night—one rather telling sign of a great pastor hole.
I tried to go to all of the top places that our local Puerto Facebook group was emploring me to visit for this piece. There are some amazing-must-try spots in town and some pretty good spots in town. Out of the ten-plus locations where I stuffed my face with meat off of the stick for this review, below you’ll find my top 5.
The five (or actually 7) spots that made this list serve the type of tacos that I crave as soon as I open my eyes some mornings. The types of pastor joints that mix fire-charred meat with fresh tangy sauces and leave your taste buds howling at the moon. For me, there’s really no bad pastor, but there is a range, and these five below are on the howling-at-the-moon side of the spectrum.
Here are my top 8 pastor spots in Puerto Escondido.
1. Taqueria La Playita (Behind the airport)
When I first published this list, I had no idea about this spot. When I shared my top 5 pastor spots in various Puerto Facebook groups, a few long-time locals and taco lovers commented, “What about La Playita?” Other folks were more direct with comments like, “This is wrong… you’re missing La Playita.”
It was the only place that the community seemed to think I overlooked in my search for the best pastor in Puerto, and after my first visit there—I knew all of those comments were spot on. Taqueria La Playita is an absolute gem. It’s one of the best, most authentic, and oldest taco holes in the entire city.
You get the feeling you’re in for a special meal right as you walk into the space with its wood facade, the smell of fire-charred meat wafting in the air, and happy taco eaters filling most of the tables. My order of pastor was incredible—5 tortillas stuffed with delicious meat off the stick—but I was also very impressed with the service, details, and overall experience.
Beyond the tacos, with your order, you’re provided a large bowl of pickled vegetables, homemade green salsa, and a bowl of house beans (Frijoles Charros) for free. Good frijoles charros are one of my favorite sides, and something I would use as a barometer for taco spots when living in CDMX, and these beans at La Playita are the best I’ve found in Puerto. Plus—they’re free!
They also have refrescos en vidrio (the way it should be) as well as very tasty aqua de dia. I had one of each drink, and my entire order was still just over 100 pesos—making it one of the tastiest and most affordable places on this entire list.
La Playita is on the opposite side of town from where I live, but I have a feeling I’ll find plenty of excuses to stop in for more tacos and house beans on a regular basis.
Note: The one critique I know some folks will have for La Playita is that there is no Pineapple anywhere in the establishment. My assumption is that it’s a conscious choice. I can imagine these taco barons discussing it and concluding “We’re not putting fruit on our perfect tacos.” If you love pineapple on your pastor, this might not top your list. However, for me—the bowl of free house beans, the bowl of pickeled vegetables, the whole grilled onion—these add-ons more than make up for the missing piña.
2. Uno Y Mas (Carretera above Zicatela)
Uno y Mas served the biggest, most generous order of pastor tacos out of every location I tried, and it was also one of the tastiest plates. Uno y Mas is right on the mountainside of the carretera above the Tamarindo neighborhood, near the bottom of Lazaro. It’s a very unassuming location, but based on the nightly crowd, it will pique your curiosity if you’re paying attention to where locals eat and what places stay busy.
In fact, during my first visit, it was so busy that it took over 30 minutes for my order to arrive. I now know that long wait times aren’t common, because I’ve gone four times in the past month. It’s usually very fast and it’s always amazing. They absolutely load their plates, and the provided fixings are top-notch. For a huge plate of pastor and a cerveza or Coke you’re spending around 100 pesos, but be sure to add a tip!
P.S. On my first visit to Uno Y Mas, I heard from a table of friends nearby that their barbacoa burrito is something special. I recently went back and confirmed this to be the truth! Uno Y Mas has become one of my five favorite food stops in Puerto, period.
3. Taqueria Roman (Centro)
Taqueria Roman was one of those spots that everyone was telling me I needed to check out when my pastor review came up in conversation. It has a legendary reputation in Puerto Escondido, and from my first visit there, it was easy to understand why. They just opened up a second location near Cheduraui, right off Puerto’s main road. Their original location is towards the back of Centro on your way to the airport.
Both places serve two styles of pastor tacos from the stick, one with seasoned meat and the other plain. You can see from the photo I was hungry enough to try both when I last stopped in. They come with grilled onions, a nice yet uncommon addition.
The portions are generous, the salsas are fresh, the staff is nice, and the price is right. An order of pastor (5 tacos) is just 60 pesos, so with a drink and tip you’ll end up spending around 100 pesos total. You’d be hard-pressed to find a better meal in the entire United States for less than $5.
4. La Tropicana (Centro)
When I started this list, I really thought that La Tropicana would end up as number one. I’ve loved their pastor since I first arrived in Puerto Escondido. It was the one place that I found early on that served tacos that felt comparable to the quality of pastor tacos in Mexico City. One of my first local friends (shoutout Crispin) recommended it and I’ve been going ever since.
The pastor de harina con queso (pastor on a wheat tortilla with cheese) is the type of tasty treat that will make you close your eyes while you chew with your head back. The last time I ate there, they did bring me the wrong change—twice in a row. The first time I thought nothing of it, the second time I was like, En serio, amigos?
Maybe they were having an off day, or maybe they were trying to take an extra 100 pesos off of a gringo who they hoped didn’t understand pesos or math or Mexico… the mystery remains but the tacos are undeniably special. The wrong change thing only happened to me once out of a dozen visits to La Tropicana, so don’t let it throw you off the trail. Go find them in centro and dig into their menu, you won’t be disappointed!
5. La Chula (La Punta)
La Chula actually is a taco place from Mexico City, that now has its second location here in Puerto Escondido, in the La Punta neighborhood. When I realized what was being built on their location during its construction just down the street from my house, I remember thinking Finally, I can’t believe there isn’t one single pastor stick in La Punta!
There are some amazing fish and shrimp taco places, but before La Chula, there wasn’t a pastor stick in the entire bustling neighborhood of La Punta (after Taco Browns moved to Zicatela). La Chula has my favorite variety and mix of salsas out of every place on this list. They also have a big menu with a variety of meats and various traditional Mexican dishes.
Finally, they’re one of the only places I know in the entire city that has tasty “frijoles charros” or “house beans,” which has always been one of my favorite sides at taco holes in CDMX. Their sauce is amazing, the menu is extensive, and the prices are fair—but not cheap. An order of 3 small pastor tacos is 45 pesos. Get some Frijoles de Chula for 75 pesos, or try anything else off their large menu to complete the meal!
Note: I was told by a trusted source, that the vegan pastor tacos at La Chula are insanely good. They’re made from Seitan. Also, the fried cheese is a menu stand-out!
6. Taqueria la Gringa Costena (Centro)
For ten-peso pastor, La Gringa Costena is spot on. They’re really well located just across from Chedraui (right near the new Taqueria Roman) and they always have a fire burning in their pastor stand.
The staff here seemed especially friendly and I was served a full plate of pastor within minutes of sitting down. The spread of limes and sauces is very well curated, and the darker mesquite-style sauce was the best of the bunch.
They also offer cold refrescos in glass bottles (like my Fanta above) and homemade agua de dias. Stop in for quick, tasty, and well-loaded 10 peso pastor tacos with a smile.
7. La Parrilla Mixtexa (Centro)
Parilla Mixteca is located right near the second Coppel in Centro. It’s a big open-air space that’s really comfortable. It’s a great people-watching location if you sit out near their huge entrance. The tacos are cheap (10 pesos) and straightforward but definitely delicious. They have a variety of “agua de dias” that are cold, tasty, and cheap as well.
It’s not a place that will knock your socks off, but if you’re in centro and looking for a taco stop—look no further. La Parrilla Mixteca does things the right way for a quick, easy, cheap, and tasty pastor hole.
8. Tacos Leyva (Three locations)
Tacos Levya is an institution in Puerto Escondido, with three very well-located restaurants. Two right on the main carretera in centro and one in Adoquin just a few blocks from Puerto’s main intersection.
They’re not the very best pastor tacos in town (hence the fifth-place rating), but they’re easy to find, always the same, and always served up quickly. These are also 10 pesos per taco, and if you get a cold Coke in a glass bottle or an agua de dia to wash it down, you’ll be spending less than 100 pesos.
If there was a “Starbucks of pastor” in Puerto, it would be Tacos Leyva. There are a number of locations, you know exactly what you’re getting when you stop in, and it always hits the spot.
There is no bad pastor, but there is a range—and all seven of the spots above are on the very delicious side of that range! Enjoy friends!
YUM