Puerto Vallarta

Live a true Mexican tradition at Tortas y Pulques Teotihuacan

October 04, 2022

Very few things in Mexico are as ancient as pulque. And now you can find it in Puerto Vallarta at Tortas y Pulques Teotihuacán, a true pulquería. You will live an authentic Mexican experience. But, what is pulque? Where does it come from?

Pulque has been long regarded as “the poor relation” of tequila and mezcal, as the three of them come from agaves, albeit from different species. Also, pulque is just fermented, not distilled as its more famous cousins. Legend has it that the god Quetzalcoatl, the Feathered Serpent, got so drunk with pulque that he had to flee the city in shame and exile himself, with the promise to return one day.

tortas y pulques teotihuacan logo and mural

Traditionally, pulque has been produced in Mexico’s central plateau. The state of Hidalgo is responsible for over 70% of the countrywide production of pulque. And precisely from Hidalgo comes the pulque you can enjoy at Tortas y Pulques Teotihucan.

What is the experience about?

Certainly, tasting pulque for the first time will be a different experience, especially in a space as authentic as Tortas y Pulques Teotihuacán. You will not find pulque adapted to a fancy space. Rather, you will find a place like the ones where pulque is consumed by locals in Vallarta and, especially, in central Mexico.

Firstly, let’s talk about the location. Tortas y Pulques Teotihuacan is off the beaten path, ensconced on the second floor of a building by the Libramiento. If you are traveling south to north, make a U-turn at the fist traffic light after the large tunnel. O before it if you go north to south. You can also get directly from 5 de Diciembre coming along Guatemala and Rio Danubio streets.

Once you are there, you are ready to live a unique experience. You can get two things here: tortas and pulque (what a surprise!). Tortas are basically Mexican-style sandwiches, ubiquitous all over the country. But these are not the common type: these are tortas chilangas, the kind you will find in Mexico City. And what is the difference? Mainly, the size… the super size. I went with a friend and we shared the one pictured below. Amazingly big and tasty.

tortas de tortas y pulques teotihuacan

What kind of pulque will you find?

And now it is time to talk about pulque. You will find two kinds: natural or plain, and flavored or curado.” Plan pulque is the result of the fermentation of aguamiel, the juice of the agave. It has an acidic touch and a peculiar aroma. Usually, it comes at 4% to 7% of alcohol content. The one I tried was particularly good.

Here I have to tell you that the last time I had had pulque was about 20 years ago, so I was nostalgic about the flavor and the experience. Sure enough, Teotihuacan’s pulque was no disappointment. The texture, the aroma and the flavor were what I was longing for.

Now the curados. Fercho, the owner and manager of the pulquería, explained to us that he had just four flavors that day: peach, tamarind, peanut, and strawberry. I tried the first three, and peach was my favorite. The combination of pulque’s acidic taste and the sweetness of peach created a delicate, subtle balance. All flavors were served in hand-made clay cups, or “tarros”, just as tradition rules.

interior of tortas y pulques teotihuacan

Fercho also mentioned that he changes the flavors every week. Maybe one day you will find apple, orange or even lemon pie flavor! He was very proud of this last one, and promised to tell us the next time it was available. Also, he can prepare any flavor you order and have it ready for your party.

My companion and I were delighted by the end of the evening. It was a surprisingly pleasant, worthy experience. We will be back.

Highly recommended: the whole experience. Even if you ultimately decide pulque is not your thing, you will boast about having drank pulque in an authentic pulquería.

Room for improvement: the access. You need to climb stairs, which can be tricky.