Tacos in Guatemala
In Guatemala, the word taco usually means a corn tortilla rolled around a potato or meat filling and deep-fried, then topped with cabbage, tomato sauce, guacamol and crumbled cheese, a snack quite unlike the soft taco of Mexico.
Overview
Visitors who expect Mexican tacos are often surprised in Guatemala. Writers on Guatemalan food stress that the name refers to a different dish there: a corn tortilla rolled tightly around a filling and fried until crisp, closer to what Mexicans would call a taco dorado or flauta. Unless they are eating in a Mexican restaurant, travelers ordering tacos should expect the fried version.
Guatemalan tacos are eaten at refacción, the mid-morning or afternoon snack, alongside other antojitos such as tostadas, chuchitos, rellenitos and atoles. They also appear as appetizers on Guatemalan restaurant menus and can be eaten at any time of day.
Fillings and toppings
The most common fillings are potato, meat, or both together, often ground beef cooked with tomato, onion, chile and herbs. A recipe published by a Spanish school in Antigua cooks the beef and diced potato with onion, garlic, chile, oregano and cumin, rolls the mixture in lightly warmed corn tortillas and, following tradition, ties each taco closed with a thread of corn husk before frying.
Toppings are generous. Tacos come with steamed or boiled cabbage, a cooked tomato salsa, chile sauce, guacamol (the Guatemalan name for guacamole), grated dry or fresh cheese, onion and chopped parsley, and any of these can be left off on request. In Antigua, the long-running Tacos y Refrescos El Portalito has been described as a classic place to eat them.
Comparison with Mexican tacos
The Guatemalan taco has more in common with Mexican tacos dorados, flautas and taquitos than with the soft tortillas folded around grilled or stewed meat that most of the world now associates with the word. Antigua writers group it with tostadas and dobladas, and its toppings lean on cooked cabbage, a smooth tomato sauce and dry cheese rather than raw onion, cilantro and lime. Rolling the tacos tightly and securing them before frying keeps the filling inside and gives a uniformly crisp shell.
Recipe
Ingredients
- For the filling: 2 tbsp oil, 1/2 cup chopped onion, 1 garlic clove, 1 chile, chopped, 1 tsp oregano, 1 tsp cumin, 450 g ground beef, 3 large potatoes, finely diced, 2 tomatoes, chopped, 1/2 cup chopped parsley, salt and pepper
- 20 corn tortillas
- Kitchen twine or strips of corn husk
- Oil for frying
- For the salsa: 6 ripe tomatoes, 1/2 onion, 1 garlic clove, salt, 1 tbsp oil
- To serve: boiled shredded cabbage, guacamol, crumbled queso fresco or dry cheese, chopped parsley, sliced onion
Steps
- Heat the oil and fry the onion, garlic and chile for 2 minutes. Add oregano, cumin, salt and pepper and cook 1 minute.
- Add the beef, potato and tomato and cook, stirring, until the potato is fully tender, about 15 minutes. Stir in the parsley and let cool.
- Simmer the salsa tomatoes, onion and garlic in a little water for 10 minutes, blend, then fry in the oil for a few minutes and season.
- Warm the tortillas so they are pliable. Put about 2 tablespoons of filling on each, roll tightly and tie with twine or a strip of corn husk.
- Fry in 2 cm of hot oil until golden all over. Drain and remove the ties.
- Serve topped with cabbage, salsa, guacamol, cheese, parsley and onion.
Potato-only tacos are a common meatless variation.
Where to try it
- Tacos y Refrescos El Portalito, Antigua Guatemala: Long-established taco joint described by Antigua Daily Photo.
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
- "Guatemalan Cuisine: Tacos". Antigua Daily Photo. Retrieved 2026-10-10.
- "Guatemalan tacos FTW". Antigua Daily Photo. Retrieved 2026-10-10.
- "Guatemalan Potato Tacos Recipe". Spanish Academy Antigüeña. Retrieved 2026-10-10.