48 Hours Eating INSANE Mexican Street Food in Monterrey!

Monterrey is the city of fire, meat and mountains, and one of the most unique food stops on my 2026 World Cup journey. In this episode of my 2026 World Cup food series, I’m in Monterrey, Mexico, to find out what people eat in Northern Mexico and why this city has such a powerful food identity. Monterrey is surrounded by mountains and built around flame, grilled meat, flour tortillas, cabrito, tacos, barbacoa, guisados and proper Northern Mexican cooking. This is a very different side of Mexican food to the one most people expect. I start at El Rey Del Cabrito, one of Monterrey’s most famous restaurants, to try the city’s legendary cabrito. Cabrito means young goat, and in Monterrey it is cooked over fire until the skin turns crisp and the meat becomes tender, rich and full of flavour. I try it with warm flour tortillas, salsa and beans, and even take on the goat’s head. Then I head to a local taco spot called Tacos "El Compadre" featured in the Michelin Guide, where I try some of the best tacos in Monterrey. Simple, cheap, packed with flavour and proof that some of the best food in Mexico comes from places that look completely ordinary from the outside. After that, I visit Los Frijoles, one of the busiest restaurants in Monterrey, for an all-you-can-eat Mexican buffet filled with grilled meat, stewed meat, beans, guisados, tortillas, salsas and local dishes. No labels, no fuss, just a huge room full of proper Mexican food. Then I go to Tacos Rafa Ahogadas for drowned tacos covered in sauce. They serve a range of guisados, including barbacoa, one of Monterrey’s great specialities, all packed into tacos and drowned until messy, rich and ridiculous. Finally, I visit Vernáculo, a restaurant cooking Northern Mexican food the old-fashioned way with meat over fire, proper ingredients and a deep respect for Monterrey’s food traditions. This is part of my 16-part series travelling to every 2026 FIFA World Cup host city in North America to find out which city has the best food. I’ve visited New York, Los Angeles, Philadelphia, Atlanta, Houston, Boston, Miami, Toronto, San Francisco, Seattle and Dallas - and now I’m in Monterrey to explore one of Mexico’s most fascinating food cities. 00:00 - Introduction to Monterrey & Northern Mexican Cuisine 00:36 - El Rey del Cabrito: Traditional Baby Goat 03:42 - Eating Goat’s Brain 05:35 - Tacos El Muerto: Michelin-Recognised Street Tacos 10:19 - Los Frijoles: Monterrey's Busiest Buffet 14:59 - Tacos Rafa: Trying "Drowned" Tacos (Tacos Ahogados) 18:22 - Vernáculo: Elevated Fire-Cooked Dining 23:03 - Final Thoughts: Why Monterrey is a Must-Visit