Located in the northeast part of Morelos state in central Mexico and only 2 hours South of Mexico City , there is a Magic Town set to become the next foodie destination thanks to a strong influx of restaurateurs seeking to exalt Mexican cuisine while preserving the beauty and traditions of what was once a small Olmec settlement that stood next to a stream.
On the pebbled streets of Tlayacapan , indigenous vendors can still be heard having conversations in Nahuatl —the language of the Aztecs—while local artisans offer clay pottery, handicrafts, and even hand-made clothing to tourists. And scattered across the town, a handful of new dining and drinking spots are sheathed by a majestic green mountain landscape.
One of the most out-standing joints in Tlayacapan is Chancho —a Mexico-specific word for a pig—, a high-low dining concept that features mouthwatering pork shanks paired with nothing less than Mexican wine .
A rather unusual combination, yet considered a perfect pairing for all the foodies out there—almost like fried chicken & bubbles —, as it is a classic contrasting pair of rich and fatty with round and crisp .
Swineophiles
will lose their minds over their four different variations: pibil —a traditional spiced achiote-rubbed pork shank—, lacquered —a massive pork hock fried to a golden crisp like porcine candy —, slow cooked in the oven or steamed —both options deriving in an incredibly melt-in-your-mouth rich pork shank meat .
Chancho
offers about forty bottles of wine on display to pair with the pork hock of your selection, resulting in plenty of choices from light reds to big reds and a couple of rosés here and there from a wide range of regions in Mexico . For those diffident of the pairing, there is a small selection of local brews , and nonalcoholic beverages as well as coffee .
Regarding Tlayacapan drinking spots , El Mil Amores is a must. Inspired in Pedro Infante , one of the greatest actors of the Golden Age of Mexican cinema , El Mil Amores approaches the distant past with modern eyes in the form of a unique Restaurant & Cantina located in a three-hundred-year-old building at the heart of Tlayacapan .
This unique spot showcases a tzompantli —a skull rack used for the public display of human skulls, typically those of war captives or other sacrificial victims—among a series of housewares and curious crafts made by local artists, making El Mil Amores an Instagrammer’s dream .
The menu is fresh and straight–forward, featuring a collection of Mexico’s most popular and traditional dishes such as mole , pozole , birria , cecina, and huaraches , but their signature dish— and definitely a must-try—is their Enchiladas a los tres moles : this indulgent trio presents one enchilada covered in mole poblano sprinkled with sesame seeds, one covered in green mole topped with green pumpkin seeds and one covered in red mole garnished with crispy banana chips.
Moreover, El Mil Amores serves a wide variety of Mexican beverages that include pulque , mezcal ( Oaxaca , Guerrero , and San Luis Potosí varieties), charanda ( Michoacán ), l icor de Damiána ( Baja California Sur ), sotol ( Chihuahua ), raicilla ( Jalisco ), moscos ( Toluca ), xtabentun ( Mérida ), pox ( Chiapas ), and craft beers , along the typical international spirits such as ron, vodka, brandy, etc.
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