Journey To Mexico / Food & culture

Mexican food

15 Mexican Appetizers & Botanas to Try

Mexican meals do not always follow the appetizer-main-course structure familiar to travelers from the United States. Instead, you will often see botanas, antojitos, seafood starters and shareable dishes that work before a meal—or become the meal themselves.

BotanasAntojitosStreet foodRegional dishes

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The list15 Mexican startersFrom guacamole and queso fundido to tostadas and aguachile.Explore → Useful vocabularyBotana vs. antojitoKnow what the menu is actually telling you.Learn the terms → Regional foodMatch dishes to placesSeafood on the coast, maize-based snacks inland and regional specialties everywhere.See the regions → OrderingBuild a tasting mealShare several smaller dishes instead of ordering one large plate.Plan your order →

The quick answer

What are popular Mexican appetizers?

Popular Mexican starters include guacamole, queso fundido, esquites, elote, tostadas, ceviche, aguachile, sopes, tlacoyos, quesadillas, empanadas and other regional botanas and antojitos.

The category is flexible. A tostada or quesadilla may be a snack, appetizer or full meal depending on its size and filling. In a cantina, botanas may arrive as small dishes to share, while antojitos usually refers to informal prepared foods built around masa, tortillas or other everyday ingredients.

What to order

15 Mexican appetizers and botanas worth trying

Rather than treating these as one national menu, use the list as a guide to dishes you may encounter in different regions and types of restaurants.

1 · Shareable classic

Guacamole

Mashed avocado is typically mixed with some combination of lime, chile, onion, cilantro and tomato. Recipes vary widely, but the best versions keep the avocado at the center rather than burying it under too many additions.

AvocadoShareable

Order with: totopos, tostadas or alongside tacos.

2 · Hot starter

Queso fundido

Queso fundido is melted cheese served hot, often with chorizo, mushrooms, poblano chile or other additions. It is usually spooned into warm tortillas rather than eaten like a cold cheese dip.

CheeseTortillas

Best for: sharing at the table while it is still hot.

3 · Street food

Esquites

Esquites are corn kernels served in a cup, commonly seasoned with lime, chile, mayonnaise or crema and cheese. Regional variations can include herbs, broth and different chile mixtures.

CornStreet food

Good to know: you control the heat by asking for less chile.

4 · Street food

Elote

Elote is corn on the cob served with toppings such as lime, chile, cheese and mayonnaise or crema. It is more often a street snack than a formal restaurant appetizer, but it belongs on any list of classic Mexican snack foods.

CornStreet food

Try it: from a busy vendor where the corn is being prepared continuously.

5 · Crisp base

Tostadas

A tostada starts with a crisp tortilla and can carry beans, shredded meat, seafood, ceviche, avocado, cabbage, salsa or many other toppings. The format changes dramatically from inland kitchens to coastal restaurants.

Corn tortillaFlexible toppings

Best strategy: order several different toppings for the table.

6 · Coastal starter

Ceviche

Mexican ceviche commonly combines fish or seafood with citrus, chile, onion, cilantro, tomato or cucumber. Styles vary by coast, and tostadas or crackers are common accompaniments.

SeafoodCoastal

Where: especially natural in Pacific and Caribbean coastal destinations.

7 · Pacific seafood

Aguachile

Aguachile is strongly associated with northwestern Mexico, especially Sinaloa. Shrimp or other seafood is dressed with lime and a chile-forward mixture, often with cucumber and onion.

SeafoodSpicyPacific

Expect: brighter acidity and usually more heat than a mild ceviche.

8 · Masa-based antojito

Sopes

Sopes use a thick masa base with raised edges that hold beans, meat, lettuce, crema, cheese and salsa. Their sturdy shape makes them feel more substantial than a chip-based starter.

MasaAntojito

Best for: sharing a few different toppings.

9 · Central Mexico

Tlacoyos

Tlacoyos are oval masa cakes traditionally stuffed with ingredients such as beans, fava beans or requesón, then topped with salsa, nopales, cheese or other garnishes. They are especially associated with central Mexico.

MasaCentral Mexico

Look for: street stands and markets rather than only formal restaurants.

10 · Flexible favorite

Quesadillas

Mexican quesadillas vary by region and filling. In Mexico City, whether a quesadilla automatically includes cheese is famously a matter of local usage; fillings can include mushrooms, squash blossoms, huitlacoche, potatoes, meat and more.

TortillaMany fillings

Useful phrase: ask what fillings are available before choosing.

11 · Regional pastry

Empanadas

Empanadas appear in multiple Mexican regions with sweet and savory fillings. Depending on the place, they may be baked or fried and filled with cheese, meat, seafood or regional ingredients.

RegionalSavory or sweet

Think regional: the filling matters more than expecting one national version.

12 · Yucatán

Panuchos

Panuchos are a Yucatecan specialty made from tortillas filled with refried black beans, fried and then topped with ingredients such as turkey or chicken, pickled red onion, avocado and salsa.

YucatánBeans

Try them in: Mérida or other parts of the Yucatán Peninsula.

13 · Yucatán

Salbutes

Salbutes are another Yucatecan antojito. The tortilla is fried until puffy and then topped with shredded meat, lettuce or cabbage, tomato, pickled onion and salsa.

YucatánFried tortilla

Compare: order one panucho and one salbute to see the difference.

14 · Oaxaca

Memelas

Memelas are thick, oval masa snacks associated especially with Oaxaca. They are commonly topped with asiento, beans, cheese and salsa, though preparations vary by stall and town.

OaxacaMasa

Pair with: a market breakfast or casual food crawl in Oaxaca.

15 · Cantina-style snack

Botanas mixtas

In cantinas and casual bars, botana can mean a small snack or a spread of several foods served for sharing. What arrives depends on the establishment and region—from peanuts and pickled vegetables to more substantial prepared dishes.

CantinaShareable

Best approach: ask what the house botana includes before ordering more food.

Menu language

Botanas, antojitos and entradas are not exactly the same

Botanas

Think shareable snacks or small dishes, especially with drinks. A botana can be simple or surprisingly substantial depending on the restaurant or cantina.

Antojitos

Literally “little cravings,” this broad category often includes masa- and tortilla-based prepared foods such as sopes, quesadillas, tlacoyos and tostadas.

Entradas

This is the closest menu term to “starters” or “appetizers” in a formal restaurant. Seafood restaurants may list ceviches, aguachiles and shareable dishes here.

Eat by region

Where these appetizers make the most sense

Region	Look for	Why
Mexico City & central Mexico	Tlacoyos, quesadillas, sopes, esquites	Excellent street-food and market culture built around masa and corn.
Oaxaca	Memelas, quesadillas, regional salsas	Strong maize traditions and a deep market-food culture.
Yucatán Peninsula	Panuchos, salbutes	Distinct regional antojitos with black beans, pickled onion and local seasonings.
Pacific coast	Aguachile, ceviche, seafood tostadas	Fresh seafood and chile-forward coastal preparations.
Jalisco	Queso fundido, botanas, market snacks	Guadalajara combines cantina culture, markets and regional food traditions.

Want to taste these foods in Mexico City?

A guided food tour can be an easy way to try several local specialties while learning how the dishes fit into the city’s market and street-food culture.

Check Mexico City food tour availability

A practical tasting strategy

How to order Mexican appetizers without over-ordering

Start with three textures

For two people, try one fresh dish, one hot dish and one masa-based dish—for example ceviche, queso fundido and sopes.

Ask about portion size

A “starter” can be large enough to share, and some antojitos are sold individually while others come as a plate of several pieces.

Let the region choose

Instead of ordering the same dishes everywhere, prioritize what the destination is known for: panuchos in Yucatán, memelas in Oaxaca or aguachile on the Pacific coast.

Useful answers

Mexican appetizer FAQ

What is a traditional Mexican appetizer?

There is no single national appetizer. Common shareable or starter-style foods include guacamole, queso fundido, tostadas, sopes, esquites and regional seafood dishes such as ceviche and aguachile.

What are botanas in Mexico?

Botanas are snacks or small dishes, often served with drinks and intended for sharing. The word can describe anything from simple nuts or pickled vegetables to a more substantial prepared plate.

What are antojitos?

Antojitos are informal Mexican prepared foods—often based on masa or tortillas—that satisfy a craving rather than fitting neatly into a formal course. Sopes, quesadillas, tlacoyos and tostadas are common examples.

Is queso fundido the same as queso dip?

Not exactly. Queso fundido is typically melted cheese served hot, often with chorizo or vegetables, and eaten with tortillas. It is different from the processed-cheese dips commonly associated with Tex-Mex restaurants in the United States.

Is ceviche Mexican?

Ceviche exists across Latin America, and Mexico has many regional versions, particularly along the Pacific, Gulf and Caribbean coasts.

What is a good Mexican appetizer for vegetarians?

Guacamole, esquites, elote, bean-filled tlacoyos, mushroom quesadillas and some sopes can all work, but toppings and cooking fats vary, so ask how the dish is prepared.

Keep eating through Mexico