Read at 3 different speeds

Mexican food from a car repair shop - 4th August 2023

What do repairing cars and making Mexican tacos share? In Mexico City, they both take place in a garage. The workshop repairs cars by day. But at night, it becomes a taco restaurant!

These days, this unusual restaurant is on the food tour map. This place – El Vilsito – makes tacos for thousands of tourists every year.

Tonalli Palomino's a restaurant tourist guide.

Tonalli Palomino: "Suddenly the tourists stumble upon this really authentic and unique place, afterwards they leave having discovered something completely different."

For El Vilsito's manager, he's always surprised by how far people come. News about their tacos is spreading!

Isidro Hernandez Trejo: "They come from all over the world; from the United States, Germany, Japan, Brazil, Colombia, from everywhere."

There are 2,800 taco restaurants in the city. The customers really like the fact it's a car repair workshop. It adds something to the experience.

Rebecca Avila: "I’ve never experienced anything like this before, it is totally unique here."

Christian Avila: "It is a place that you would never have imagined to be something completely different in the daytime, from what it is at night."

The restaurant begins preparations in the afternoon. A simple metal curtain separates the workshop. But if you've left your car for repair, you don't need to worry about your food. They keep the different oils separate!

These days, there's a whole team that works in El Vilsito. Food tours have become very popular in the area.

This strange but interesting location certainly offers something extra!