Chihuahua is Mexico's largest state, a vast expanse of high desert, pine-covered sierra, and one of the world's great canyon systems. It is home to the Copper Canyon (Barranca del Cobre), a network of gorges deeper and larger than the Grand Canyon, crossed by the legendary El Chepe railway. The state blends Rarámuri indigenous culture, Mennonite farming communities, and the ranching and revolutionary history of Pancho Villa's home city, Chihuahua City.
Top food tours
Guided experiences that show you Chihuahua through its food.
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Tour formats
Different ways to experience Chihuahua's food scene.
Items tours
Cooking classes
Take a piece of Chihuahua home with you.
Discada Norteña Grill Masterclass
A hands-on class built around discada, the mixed grill of beef, pork, bacon and sausage cooked in a large metal disc that anchors norteño gatherings across Chihuahua. Participants shop for the meats, learn the sequence for building the disc's layers, press flour tortillas by hand and prepare a charro-bean side before sitting down to the finished plate with a small sotol pairing.
Mennonite Cheese-Making Workshop, Cuauhtemoc
A working-farm workshop on the Cuauhtemoc-Alvaro Obregon corridor that follows queso menonita from milking to the finished wheel. Participants curdle and press the cheese by hand, watch a butter-churning demonstration and taste the results with fresh bread and fruit preserves before taking a small wheel of cheese home, with the family explaining how the Mennonite colonies built the dairy industry that supplies queso Chihuahua nationwide.
Foodie tips
Get more out of every meal.
Comida (the main meal) runs roughly 1:30 PM to 4 PM across the state; many norteño kitchens serve their best discada and cabrito only during those hours
Sotol is the regional spirit rather than tequila or mezcal, and it carries its own denomination of origin centered on Chihuahua; specialty bars in Chihuahua City offer the widest tasting flights
Mennonite farm stores and dairies along the Cuauhtemoc-Alvaro Obregon corridor sell queso menonita well below supermarket prices, but most close on Sunday
Flour tortillas are the default across the state; travellers looking for corn tortillas should ask specifically, since they are less common outside antojitos like gorditas
River trout in Creel and lobina in El Fuerte are seasonal to the local fishing calendar; asking what came in that morning avoids a frozen substitute
Card terminals are unreliable in Creel, Batopilas and along the Cuauhtemoc colony corridor; carrying pesos in cash is the safer default outside Chihuahua City
The Chepe Copper Canyon train schedule shapes meal times at Divisadero and Creel restaurants, so checking the train timetable before planning a meal stop saves a wasted trip
Batopilas sits at a much lower, warmer elevation than Creel, and its cooking leans lighter and more tropical than the sierra towns above it
Tipping 10-15 percent in cash is standard at sit-down restaurants across the state; it is not expected at street stands or market comedores
Tap water is not drinkable anywhere in Chihuahua state; bottled or purified water is standard at restaurants and hotels