West Side St. Paul Mexican Food on Cesar Chavez Street

West Side St. Paul Mexican food centers on Cesar Chavez Street, where a grocery with a cantina, a long-running family restaurant and a new coffee shop for pan dulce sit within a short walk. The West Side flats have been home to a Mexican American community for generations, and the cooking reflects that history.

This guide names three places that Visit Saint Paul and a second source both describe, and explains what each is known for.

Where should you start with West Side St. Paul Mexican food?

Begin on Cesar Chavez Street, the main street of the West Side flats south of downtown. Explore Minnesota and Visit Saint Paul both describe the street as the center of the neighborhood's Mexican food, and the places below are within a few minutes of one another. Park once and walk.

Weekends are busiest, especially at midday. A weekday lunch is calmer and gives you time to shop as well as eat.

What is El Burrito Mercado known for?

El Burrito Mercado is a deli, specialty grocery and cantina on the West Side. Explore Minnesota notes chilaquiles and tamales among its lunch dishes, and The Infatuation's review praised the burrito ahogado with its green and red sauces, crisp flautas and tamales.

Buy ingredients on the way out. The grocery stocks cooking spices, peppers and fresh produce, so a meal here can turn into a dinner at home.

What does a long-running Cesar Chavez Street restaurant feel like?

One family restaurant has long served Mexican food on the street, according to Explore Minnesota and Visit Saint Paul. Explore Minnesota lists guisados, sopes, carne asada, chile rellenos and tamales on its menu, and Mpls.St.Paul Magazine also lists the restaurant among the Twin Cities' Mexican restaurants. Check that it is open before you go.

It is a sit-down room with a full menu. Go for a long lunch with friends, and order a few plates to share.

Where can you find St. Paul tamales?

Tamales appear on the menus of both the grocery's restaurant and the long-running family restaurant, according to Explore Minnesota. Ask which kinds are made that day, because fillings change, and try one with a salsa before you decide. Tamales are also a good test of a kitchen: the masa should be tender, and the filling should taste of itself.

Buy extra to freeze. They reheat well, which is why many families buy a dozen at a time.

Is there a place for pan dulce and coffee on the West Side?

A Latine, queer and woman-owned coffee shop on Cesar Chavez Street was reported open by Mpls.St.Paul Magazine. The coffee shops and bakeries guide covers more of the city. The magazine recommends the shop for specialty Mexican coffee and pan dulce, and Visit Saint Paul says its pan dulce comes from El Burrito Mercado. Check its hours before you go.

It is a good stop between meals. Order a coffee and one pastry, and save the rest of your appetite for the next stop.

What is West Side flats food, and how does the area's history matter?

The West Side flats sit across the Mississippi from downtown, and the neighborhood has long been home to Mexican American families and the businesses they built along the main street. The family restaurant and the grocery have lasted for decades. Eat here for the food first.

What should you order on a first visit?

Order across the menu rather than from one place. Take a tamale and a plate of guisados, which are slow-cooked stews served with rice and beans or tortillas, then add something fresh such as a salsa-topped flauta or a taco. The Infatuation's review praised the burrito ahogado for its green and red sauces, which is a good reason to ask what is made in house that day.

Finish with a sweet. Pan dulce, the Mexican sweet breads, is the usual ending, and a coffee from the shop on the same street makes the walk back easy.

How do you rate and tag a West Side meal?

Rate the dish, not the neighborhood. A burrito ahogado, a plate of guisados and a tamale each deserve their own score, and the dish rating is what the next person can use. Tags such as Family Friendly, Group Dining, Great Value and Bakery describe the visit.

Tags earn badges and help people find a place. They are a rater's note, never a guarantee, so confirm hours and menus before you go.

How do you plan a West Side day?

Start with coffee and pan dulce, shop at the grocery, have lunch at a sit-down room and take tamales home. Put the stops in a list, add a note on why each belongs and share it with the people you are meeting. If a place is closed that day, the next is ready.

For more of St. Paul, the farmers market and food halls guide adds a Saturday morning, and the Mexican food in Minneapolis guide covers the other city.

More in the US food guides, and across the state in the Minnesota guides.

Order the same dish at two West Side kitchens, rate each by the dish in the Mosey app, and the difference between the guisados or the tamales stays in your own notes.

Open the Mosey app after your next West Side lunch, rate the dish you shared and save the place to a list for the friends who ask where to eat.