Taqueria El Califa de Leon in Mexico City received a single Michelin star this week, making it the first taco stand to receive that distinction.
The Michelin Guide has been published by the French tire company since 1900. Restaurants can receive up to three Michelin stars, with each star signifying the quality of the restaurant.
Michelin was aware of the dissonance between the high-class connotations of its starred restaurants and the six-decade, cash-only stand, with one unnamed Michelin inspector noting that it’s “a mere slip of an operation dominated by a griddle, a tortilla press, refrigerator and a short counter,” per an article on the Michelin Guide website.
El Califa de Leon offers four varieties of meat on homemade corn tortillas: beef steak, pork chop, beef rib and a thinly sliced beef filet. The delights are seasoned with salt and a hint of lime juice, according to the stand’s official entry in the Michelin Guide, which says the tacos are “elemental and pure.”
Inspectors praised the simplicity of the menu and the consistency of the food.
“Their technical ability shines, and since they only have four options on the menu, it allows them to maintain their standards throughout,” an unnamed inspector said.
El Califa de Leon chef Arturo Rivera Martinez told The Associated Press, “The secret is the simplicity of our taco. It has only a tortilla, red or green sauce, and that’s it. That, and the quality of the meat.”
Customers agreed.
“It’s the quality of the meat. I have never been disappointed,” said Alberto Munoz, who has gone to the stand for eight years.