El Tizoncito
El Tizoncito is a Mexico City taquería chain, founded in the Condesa neighborhood in 1966, that claims to be the birthplace of the taco al pastor.
History
El Tizoncito opened on 2 February 1966 in Colonia Condesa. Its founder, Concepción Cervantes y Eguiluz, known as Doña Conchita, was a widowed secretary raising four children who started the taquería to supplement her income. According to the company's account, she drew on the shawarma served in Lebanese restaurants in downtown Mexico City, swapping lamb for cheaper pork and giving the meat a red adobo. The story also credits her with putting a light on the spit to signal that tacos were being served.
The claim to have invented al pastor is the business's own and is not universally accepted; El Huequito and other older taquerías also trace their pastor to the same period. The family business has grown to around 20 branches, most of them in Mexico City, including a more upscale outpost in Avándaro. In 2024 Doña Conchita was honored at the Salón del Empresario for her contribution to Mexican food.
Menu
The house cooks over charcoal and finishes the meat on a plancha. Its pastor is made from pork shoulder, which the management says is more tender than the leg used elsewhere. Beyond tacos, the menu covers gringas, a pastor-topped dish called the Chilango, chilaquiles al pastor, grilled cuts, frijoles charros and aguas frescas. Its salsas are also sold bottled.
Reviews
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References
- "Así nació el taco al pastor: degusta su auténtico sabor en El Tizoncito". Publimetro. Retrieved 2026-10-10.
- "El Tizoncito Condesa II". Chilango. Retrieved 2026-10-10.