The best torta ahogada in Guadalajara

13 Great Tortas Ahogadas In Guadalajara 2024

ByPaul Hudson Posted on Updated on

There are few things in Guadalajara as iconic as the torta ahogada. The pork sandwich bathed in tomato sauce evokes fondness in the Tapatíos (People from Guadalajara). Other traditional foods from Jalisco like birria and carne en su jugo are found all over the country. This is the list of the Best tortas ahogadas in Guadalajara.

You can find great tortas ahogadas all over the place. I recommend looking up one of the local favorites. Many of these restaurants and street stands have been making food for generations. They are community centers and local institutions.

The use of sauce is a common feature of the typical foods from the state of Jalisco. Birria is usually served in a broth. Carne in su jugo is essentially meat soup. The deep-fried tripe is served in a tomato sauce while the tostadas de pata are sprinkled with it. People love to dip their food in sauce.

Eating a torta ahogada, going to a Chivas game, and singing along to mariachi music are three of the most important things to do when you come to Guadalajara. Choose a good one.

Check out some of my other articles about eating in Guadalajara

What Is A Torta Ahogada?

The torta ahogada is comprised of bread, meat, and sauce but there are several variations sold at at local restaurants.

First off, the bread used to make a torta ahogada is called a birote salada. It is a sourdough or masa madre that is lightly fermented before baking. The exterior of the bread is crispy and hard enough to be bathed in a tomato sauce.

The story goes that a French baker named Phillipe Birot came to the region in the 19th century. His first attempts to make French-style baguette resulted in a harder bread that he would give away.

Phillipe Birot eventually opened a bakery in the iconic Fabricas de Francia department store.

The story of the birote salada at Tortas Ahogadas Clement’s

All the locals say that the torta ahogada can only be made in Guadalajara because of the elevation, the water, and local yeast. The birote salado bread is only available here.

If you buy a torta ahogada in Tijuana or Los Angeles, the bread was likely imported from Guadalajara.

When it comes to the tomato sauce, there are two different variations: raw and cooked. I can’t say which I like more so I recommend trying both. El Profe Jimenez is a great example of a cooked sauce while Los Gueros is a lovely example of a raw sauce.

Lastly, comes the meat. A torta ahogada is made with pork products. Carnitas made from the loin is the most commonly used cut but pork belly (pancita), pork stomach (buche), and pork skin (chicharrón) are all excellent choices.

Personally, I ask for a torta ahogada made with all the meats (surtido) that the restaurant serves.

While the traditional filling is carnitas, a number of modern interpretations have been explored. Several seafood restaurants serve shrimp tortas ahogadas with a unique seafood-infused sauce.

Best Tortas Ahogadas In Guadalajara Map

This list is a work in progress. This is how I got to know all the different neighborhoods of Guadalajara.

1. Tortas Ahogadas El Profe Jimenez

El Profe Jimenez is regarded as the best torta ahogada in Guadalajara by the hipster/foodie crowd in Guadalajara. It is the place where foodies bring their out-of-town visitors to show off the best of Guadalajara.

Tortas ahogadas and tacos are sold out of a street stand in front of the family home in the Villaseñor neighborhood. Villaseñor is next to the food-rich Santa Tere neighborhood. Some of the best traditional food in the city is sold in these parts.

El Profe is famous for the cooked tomato sauce used to bathe the sandwich. It is a light and smooth sauce much like a tomato broth.

There is an excellent selection of pork meat to choose from. I recommend trying a few different types of meat mixed up in the sandwich. Chicharrón prensado is a fried pig skin that has been pressed. The pork belly pancita is like bacon with a layer of fat. Just their regular carnitas are flavorful and juicy. I don’t like dry carnitas.

The name El Profe Jimenez comes from the father, Miguel Jimenez (QEPD), who started the torta stand. He was an elementary school teacher for 15 years before switching to the restaurant business. Today, his sons operate the family business but his legacy lives on in his recipes.

This is a fun experience. It is quintessential Guadalajara.

2. Tortas Ahogadas Clement’s

Tortas Ahogadas Clement’s is my favorite torta ahogada in Guadalajara. It is a hidden gem in the Chapalita neighborhood that made my best restaurants list.

I worked down the street from Clement’s for years. They were a regular part of my diet. Two tacos with meat is a huge meal at an affordable price.

The tomato sauce is one of the best examples of the cooked variety. I love when they pour a new bucket of sauce into the salsa bar and you can see the steam coming off of the sauce. It isn’t hot but just warm enough.

Just like El Profe Jimenez, Clement’s has a great selection of carnitas. The pork belly costs a little bit more but is worth every peso.

The space is large so they can accommodate a crowd on the weekends when it gets busy. When international heartthrob Diego Luna was in town he posted some Instagram pictures of Clement’s hyping it up. That guy knows a thing or two about food.

3. Tortas Ahogadas El Principe Heredero

This is a special street stand with over 60 years of experience. El Principe Heredero is a block away from the Jardín Mexicaltzingo behind the Mexicaltzingo Market, behind the Sears Department Store, and an abandoned furniture factory.

Downtown Guadalajara is a historic and breathtaking neighborhood. This part of Downtown is off the tourist track but full of excellent food. Enjoy one of the best tortas ahogadas in Guadalajara and then visit the Puente de las Damas museum four blocks away. This is a great way to start a walking tour of Downtown.

El Principe Heredero uses nice bread and a cooked tomato sauce. The unique part of their torta ahogada is the smear of refried beans and the Yahualica Chile spicy sauce.

Make sure to get a combo with a crispy bean taco with the torta.

4. Tortas y Tacos Los Güeros

This is the first entry with a raw tomato sauce. I have two groups of friends who say that this is the best torta ahogada in Guadalajara because of the of that raw sauce.

Calle Juan Alvarez is a culinary corridor. I have been eating here as long as I have been in Guadalajara. It is right across the street from the Santa Tere Neighborhood and should be included needs to be included on your food tour.

Make sure to get a mixed meat torta. The little bites of crunchy chicharrón really brings this torta to the next level.

5. palReal Café

palReal Café is my favorite restaurant in Guadalajara. Chef Fabian Delgado guided to me really iconic Mexican eating establishments. He knows the best examples of traditional foods but oftentimes adds a pleasant twist on the original.

These Are The Next Tortas Ahogadas On My List

Please consider this article to be a work in progress. I needed to start writing the article even though I was only halfway through my list. If I wait too long I start to lose photos.

6. Tortas Ahogadas Don José

Don José is the guy with the bike. He used to sell tortas off the back of his bike before getting a small local in the Mexicaltzingo neighborhood. His shop is just a couple blocks away from El Prince Heredero.

7. Ahogadas Betos

The highest-rated torta ahogada in Guadalajara with 4.7/5 stars and more than 2,700 ratings.

8. Tortas Ahogadas Enrique El Viejo

Any conversation of the best tortas ahogadas in Guadalajara will include a few references to Enrique El Viejo.

9. Tortas Colomos

Tortas Colomis is a great option if you are staying in the Providencia neighborhood.

10. Tortas Chava

11. Tortas Rigo

12. Tortas Toño

Tortas Toño is the biggest name in tortas ahogadas. They have a bunch of locations all over town but the Providencia and Chapalita restaurants are always popular.

13. Ponte Trucha Negro

Home of the shrimp torta ahogada.

Final Thoughts On The Best Tortas Ahogadas In Guadalajara

Eating a torta ahogada is one of the best things to do in Guadalajara on vacation. The saying goes, “Viajero que vino a Guadalajara y no comió una torta ahogada, no conoció Guadalajara” or the traveler who came to Guadalajara and didn’t eat a torta ahogada didn’t really get to know Guadalajara.

As much as I love birria, I admit that torta ahogada is the most emblematic local food in Guadalajara. You have to try one.

Paul Hudson is a food, travel, and surf enthusiast who writes about Mexico on his blog Playas y Plazas. Originally from Southern California, Paul has lived in Guadalajara since 2009. He has a BA in Global Economics from UC Santa Cruz (Go Banana Slugs!) and speaks English and Spanish fluently. He can often be found exploring the Pacific Coast of Mexico looking for isolated beaches, fun waves, and exotic foods.