Insane torta leaves foreigner pregnant

Sarah Kay
Feb 27, 2019
3 min read

...with giant food baby.

I hope you've heard of the term "food baby." If you haven't, a food baby is when over eat and your stomach is so bloated you feel like you could be carrying a tiny human. It's real, and it happened to me on my amazing two-hour adventure to the famous La Esquina Del Chilaquil food stand to get the most desired torta in all of CDMX (Ciudad De Mexico).

What is a torta?

The torta has a somewhat confusing history with conflicting reports and many variations. It can mean a type of sandwich, a cake, flatbread, or even a type of Italian pastry crust. But here in Mexico, a torta is a sandwich. At La Esquina Del Chilaquil, their tortas contain the famous Mexican dish: Chilaquiles! Yeah. Chilaquiles... in a sandwich.

Mind. Blown.

Why is this torta stand so famous?

Because it's insane. To me, a foodie on a quest to try the most delicious, exotic, well known foods + dishes, this has been on my list since I started planning my journey to Mexico City. I had seen it on Instagram, food shows and read about it on blogs. Before I set off on this epic journey, I did hours of endless research. Okay, not hours… But enough to know what to do, and what not to do.

Here's what I found out:

It's a food stand NOT a restaurant
No official directions, only cross streets
Always a wait
Get there at least 7:30 AM or earlier
You need patience.
Average wait time 1-2 hours.

My friend Rose and I had been planning to visit the Torta stand for about a week. It was about 1.5 miles away from my apartment in Condesa. I arrived before my pal and we stood 12th in line. I felt hopeful that we would not have to wait long. Boy was I wrong. Mexicans and tourists adore this torta stand because of its uniqueness, flavor and also how delicious it is. People were ordering tortas by the dozen, which made my heartache and my belly grumble.

WHAT TO ORDER?

Research told me that I needed to order something called the La Bombas (pictured below):

Frijoles
Queso
Red chilaquiles
Green chilaquiles
Cochinita Pibil (pork marinated in orange juice)
Fried chicken
Onions
Crema
Avocado

The well oiled machine of La Esquina Del Chilaquil

6 people were working "the line" at this tiny stand. They had one person who cut the bolillos (bread), someone who ripped out the breading, then another two people who would slather the frijoles on the bolillo then pass it down to the next person. The lady in charge had specific whistles that would come from her mouth when she needed something:

Fast short whistle: They needed more bolillos.

Long twirly whistle: They needed more fried chicken.

No joke, as soon as she whistled someone would come running from the building they were next to with chicken or bolillos.

My thoughts?

Worth. Every. Minute. Of. The. Wait. And also the giant food baby you'll end up with. You cannot leave CDMX without having the La Bombas from La Esquina Del Chilaquil. Seriously, this was one of the best decisions I have made food wise in Mexico City.