Tacos de bistec
Tacos de bistec are tacos of thin beef steak cooked on a hot griddle, chopped into small pieces and served on corn tortillas, one of the standard offerings of taquerías across central Mexico. The name bistec is the Mexican Spanish adaptation of the English beefsteak.
Description
Bistec in Mexico refers to beef sliced very thin, usually from economical cuts such as round or chuck, sold in that form by butchers for quick cooking. In taquerías the steak is seared on a plancha with a little lard or oil until well done, then chopped with a cleaver into small bits and spooned onto small corn tortillas. Rick Bayless groups bistec with the tacos a la plancha that dominate Mexico City street stands and notes that taqueros generally cook the meat through rather than serving it rare.
Bistec is a fixture of mixed taquerías that also sell al pastor, suadero, longaniza and campechano combinations. Chilango lists it among the standard meats of Mexico City stands such as Tacos Vista Hermosa and the Taco 911 food truck. Cookbook author Mely Martínez of Mexico in My Kitchen describes the street-style version as meat, chopped onion, cilantro and salsa on a warm tortilla.
Preparation and variations
The steak is heavily salted and seared quickly in a very hot pan in a single layer, then chopped. Many stands cook it with onions, and some add chopped nopales cooked on the same griddle, a pairing Bayless uses in his version. Bistec is the base of several combination dishes: tacos de alambre combine it with bacon, peppers, onion and cheese; costras wrap it in a crust of griddled cheese; and in campechano orders it is mixed with chorizo or longaniza. Where cecina or tasajo is available, those salted cuts are often substituted.
Recipe
Ingredients
- 900 g thin-sliced beef round, chuck or rib-eye (3 to 5 mm)
- 2 tbsp lard or vegetable oil
- 1 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/2 white onion, sliced
- 3 nopal paddles, cleaned (optional)
- 12 corn tortillas
- Finely chopped white onion and cilantro
- Salsa roja or verde and limes
Steps
- If using nopales, cook them on a hot griddle with a little fat for 8 to 10 minutes until the slime has cooked away, then slice into strips.
- Season the beef generously with salt on both sides.
- Heat the remaining fat on the griddle until it just smokes. Sear the beef in a single layer about 1 1/2 minutes per side, working in batches; cook the sliced onion alongside.
- Chop the beef and onion into small pieces on a board.
- Warm the tortillas on the griddle, doubling them if they are thin.
- Fill with the meat and nopales and top with onion, cilantro, salsa and lime.
Where to try it
- Tacos Vista Hermosa, Mexico City: Listed by Chilango for bistec among other griddle meats and generous toppings.
- El Faraón, Mexico City
- El Kali, León
- La Hortaliza, Mexico City
- Los Tacos de Cochinada, Mexico City
- Pepe Pica Papas, Oaxaca
- Tacos Brasil Copacabana, Mexico City
- Tacos de Don Juanito, San Luis Potosí
- Tacos El Charro, Monterrey
- Tacos Manolo, Mexico City
- Tacos Primo, Monterrey
- Tacos y Antojitos El Rodeo, Oaxaca
- Taquería El Califa de León, Mexico City
- Taquería El No Que No, Querétaro
- Taquería Los Parados, Mexico City
- Tlakuali El Rey del Bistec, Querétaro
Reviews
Reviews and tips open at launch. Readers will be able to share where they found the best version of this and how they make it at home.
See also
References
- "Seared Steak Tacos with Cactus Paddles". Rick Bayless. Retrieved 2026-10-10.
- "Mely Martínez' Tacos De Bistec". Cherry Bombe. Retrieved 2026-10-10.
- "Tacos en CDMX que debes probar: Suadero, pastor, canasta y más". Chilango. Retrieved 2026-10-10.