Crocodile, Armadillo and Iguana

I blogged yesterday about bizarre foods in Mexico City. There’s a fair amount in the average Mexican diet that would count as bizarre to most people coming from Europe. But although I’ve long since regarded nopales (cactus) and mole (chocolate and chili sauce) as perfectly normal, my visits yesterday to Bar Chon and Mercado San Juan revealed menus and ingredients that even the more adventurous Mexican would consider a little different. I was tempted to try a bit of Crocodile at Bar Chon, but the 210 peso price tag was a bit much for me. I could have stretched that far I guess without going bankrupt, but I would want to know I’ll enjoy the meal. I ordered safe, and had a good plate of Enchiladas Poblanas. For exotic, and gruesome though, the nearby San Juan mercado is the better bet. Fancy some armadillo, snake, badger, skunk, opossum, iguana, ant eggs or buffalo? They got your carne. Specifically, the Los Coyotes stall stocks these unusual culinary treats. Those are the ones I can translate anyway! Personally I’ll stick to carnitas, barbacoa and cabrito…

Both places are well worth a visit, and are a bit off the normal tourist route. But not so far from the very center of the Centro Historico to put them out of anyones range. Bar Chon is just a few blocks from Metro Pino Suarez whilst San Juan isn’t much more than a ten minute walk from Metro Balderas. I took a few photos of the market, but beware – the meat stalls aren’t for the squeamish – click here. Or to see a few photos of Bar Chon, click here. For the Google Map, click here.