When Everything Started in a Tiny Corner
Picture this: It’s 1968, and Juan Hernández González starts serving tacos from a small corner in Mexico City. There’s no fanfare, no business plan that mentions “Michelin stars” – just a man with a simple dream and a grill. Hernández González told his son that expanding wasn’t worth it because “avarice rips the bag”. That philosophy would become the foundation of what would eventually become a culinary legend. This family-owned street-side taco stand has been serving just four types of tacos since its opening. Sometimes the best stories start with the humblest beginnings, and this one’s no different. Since 1968, El Califa has served up tacos from the same stand on Avenida Ribera de San Cosme.
The Man Behind the Magic
Chef Arturo Rivera Martínez has been doing the exact same thing for the past 20 years: searing meat in his tiny, three-metre square kitchen. But don’t let the word “simple” fool you. Rivera Martínez has been serving customers at Taquería El Califa de León for at least two decades. When Michelin representatives came to hand him that pristine white chef’s jacket, something magical happened. Although Michelin representatives visited to hand over the company’s heavy, full-sleeved, pristine white chef’s jacket, he didn’t put it on. He just kept cooking, because that’s what he does. Behind the grill stands chef Rivera Martínez, who churns out thousands of tacos a day. That’s dedication you can’t fake.
Four Tacos That Changed Everything
Here’s where it gets interesting – at Mexico City’s Tacos El Califa de León, there are only four things on the menu, all four are beef tacos, with the meat coming from the cow’s rib, loin or foreshank. Most restaurants try to please everyone with endless options, but El Califa said “nope.” The menu is tightly edited with just four options: bistec (seared steak), chuleta (thinly sliced pork chop), costilla (fork-tender beef), and their signature creation, the gaonera, with whole steak. This small selection is one of the things that sets it apart from other taco stands. We’ve never seen a menu with so few choices. It’s like a master painter working with just four colors and creating a masterpiece.
The Secret That’s Not Really a Secret
The chef claims there is no secret, nothing special. “The secret is in the quality of the taco, the meat, the tortilla, everything. There is no secret,” Rivera Martínez says. But here’s the thing about “no secrets” – it’s actually the hardest thing to master. “The secret is the simplicity of our taco,” Rivera Martínez told the Associated Press. The thinly sliced meats are prepared simply and skillfully on the plancha with some lard, coarse salt, and a squeeze of lime juice—that’s it. Handmade corn tortillas are made right alongside, and it’s all cooked to order. When you strip away all the fancy stuff, what’s left is pure skill and quality. “My father said, ‘Do you want me to tell you the secret of the meat?’ ‘There is no secret, only love and effort'”.
The Gaonera: A Taco with a Story
The Gaonera was the brainchild of El Califa’s founder, Juan Hernández González, who decided to name his creation after the famous Mexican bullfighter, Rodolfo Gaona. Created in tribute to the famed bullfighter Rodolfo Gaona – whose sobriquet, the Caliph of León, inspired the taqueria’s name – the Gaonera is “exceptional”. The Gaonera taco is made from a tender, juicy filet mignon steak that is grilled with a little grain salt and a few drops of lime. “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”. It’s poetry in food form, really.
The Day History Was Made
El Califa de León is the only taco shop among the 18 restaurants that earned coveted stars after the esteemed guide included Mexico for the first time. On 15 May 2024, El Califa de León was awarded a Michelin star, indicating “high-quality cooking, worth a stop”—the first time a Mexican taco stand had received such a distinction. That recognition came as a bit of a shock. The 10-person team is overjoyed and “never believed our humble establishment could obtain this distinction”. The news caused crowds and long lines to form outside the restaurant. Suddenly, this tiny corner became the center of the culinary universe.
Standing Room Only Excellence
Think One Star dining is only elegant dining rooms with tables set with pressed white linens? Think again, as this taqueria is standing room only. There are no tables and seats here—just a metal shelf-style counter to balance your plate. Inside is a 10ft by 10ft storefront with no seating area, just a metal shelf where diners able to stand the heat can rest their plastic plates. Half of the floor space is taken up by “a solid steel plate grill that’s hotter than the salsa”. It’s a tiny 10-by-10-foot establishment decorated with white tiles and a sizable grill. There’s just enough space for customers to stand at the counter to devour their tacos. This is fine dining redefined – no chairs, no fancy plates, just pure culinary excellence.
The Price of Perfection
The prices are quite high by Mexican standards with a single taco costing nearly $5. The tacos range from 53 to 82 Mexican pesos — or between about $3 and $5 apiece. For Mexican street food, that’s premium pricing, but here’s the thing – that doesn’t stop this taco shop from being packed with standing customers clutching plastic plates and ladling salsa. Few taquerías in Mexico actually offer their diners authentic 50-gram beef filet tacos. When you’re getting filet mignon in a taco, suddenly that price makes perfect sense. Quality costs, but it’s worth every peso.
The Tortilla Revolution
The tortillas are handmade alongside the grill and couldn’t be fresher. There’s a woman alongside the grill placing fresh dough into a tortilla press, cutting the pressed dough into circles, and throwing them right onto the grill to cook. It would be hard to find fresher tortillas anywhere. “It’s about the meat and tortilla without any fuss or garnish to dress it up or hide behind.” High quality products and consistency are key to this taqueria’s success. The meat isn’t chopped or ground. It’s a whole piece of meat, sliced thin like Arrachera (skirt steak), seasoned and grilled, served on top of a single medium-sized tortilla. This isn’t just a tortilla – it’s a canvas for culinary art.
Critics and Crowds
Some food connoisseurs said the taco stand’s Michelin star was overdue — and highlighted a long-standing lack of recognition for Mexico’s diverse street food scene. In a country teeming with street food, it’s surprising that only one street food vendor has been awarded a Michelin star so far. “It’s almost like they’re filling a hole that they have to fill. On one level, it’s about time. On another, why only one?”. The next day, “a motley array of tourists and trendsetters joined bemused local people” to form a queue that stretched down the block. Success brought its own challenges, but also vindication for decades of dedication.
The Ripple Effect
As a result, the restaurant’s revenues increased, it employed additional staff members, and adjacent businesses profited. El Califa de León, along with six other Michelin-starred restaurants in Mexico City, was honored by the head of the Mexico City government. He presented the chefs with an onyx statuette as a token of appreciation. El Califa de Leon’s Michelin star isn’t just a win for one taco stand – it’s a watershed moment for street food worldwide. It challenges our perceptions of what fine dining can be, democratizing the notion of culinary excellence. The awarded taquería opened a pop-up in Manhattan at Tacombi’s Flatiron location, with tacos served from 6 to 10 p.m., and subsequently available at other Tacombi locations throughout New York City.
More Than Just Recognition
For Mexico, it’s a point of immense national pride. It’s a recognition of the rich culinary traditions that have been passed down through generations. It’s an acknowledgment that these seemingly simple dishes are the result of centuries of culinary evolution. For years, the culinary world has been slowly waking up to the complexity and artistry of street food, but this star cements it. It’s a recognition that true culinary excellence isn’t about fancy plating or expensive ingredients – it’s about flavor, tradition, and the ability to create something extraordinary from the simplest of elements. The star puts the popular street food on par with some of the world’s finest cuisines. The award proved the simplest of foods can be extraordinary when they’re crafted with love and quality ingredients.
A Legacy in the Making
That’s El Califa de Leon for you – the world’s first taco stand to receive the coveted Michelin star. This isn’t just a win for El Califa; it’s a victory for Mexican street food culture as a whole. This humble taqueria in Mexico City’s San Rafael neighborhood has been in business for more than 70 years, and for good reason. Food critics and tourists alike are flocking to Mexico City, eager to taste what all the fuss is about. And let me tell you, they’re not leaving disappointed! What started as a simple family business has become a symbol of culinary excellence and proof that greatness can come from the most unexpected places.
Think about it – in a world obsessed with molecular gastronomy and Instagram-worthy presentations, a tiny taco stand with four menu items just showed everyone what really matters. Did you expect that?
