Cinco De Mayo Party Food Ideas

LET’S TACO ‘BOUT THE MOST POPULAR MEXICAN PARTY FOODS

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Cinco de May is more of a commercialized holiday in America than a major holiday in Mexico. This Mexican holiday is observed with fiestas and festive Mexican foods. Cinco de Mayo celebrates the Mexican army’s victory over France at the Battle of Puebla on May 5, 1862. 

From tamales to dips to Mexican margaritas and michelada (beer, lime juice, assorted sauces, spices, and chili peppers), get ready for Cinco de Mayo with popular Mexican food worth celebrating.

What Do You Bring to a Cinco de Mayo Party?

Food is the best thing to bring to a Cinco de Mayo party. We have mucho Cinco de Mayo party food ideas. Another popular thing to bring is refreshing beverages. Be the life of the party with drink mixes like:

  • margarita
  • michelada
  • beer
  • agua frescas (literally “fresh water”)
  • jamaica (hibiscus)
  • horchata (a white rice and cinnamon drink)

Best Cinco de Mayo Food Ideas

From burritos to enchiladas to tacos, there are many Cinco de Mayo food options. The best Cinco de Mayo foods are Mexican dishes that are shareable. Examples include: dips like guacamole, queso, and salsa, DIY tacos, and desserts. 

The most popular Mexican dishes are made even better when shared with friends. Check out our favorite Cinco de Mayo fiesta food ideas, including:

Tacos: Let’s taco ’bout a fiesta

Whether you’re looking for traditional barbacoa, carnitas, or al pastor tacos, no party is complete without tacos filled with protein and all the fixin’s. Here are five terrific tacos.

El Palote Panaderia Vegan Taco Kit

El Palote Panaderia

Dallas’ family-run El Palote Panaderia handmakes the best vegan Mexican food. They use a soy-based meat substitute that yields delicious Barbacoa, Carne Guisada, Al Pastor, Carnitas, Bistec, Chicharron Con Salsa, Longanisa, and Fajitas. The restaurant’s Vegan Taco Kit comes with corn tortillas, pico de gallo, red and green salsa, rice and beans, limes, and protein.

Frontera Grill Carnitas Taco Kit

Frontera Grill

Since 1987, Chef Rick Bayless has been making authentic Mexican fare at Chicago’s award-winning Frontera Grill. Frontera Grill’s Carnitas Taco Kit is perfectly prepared with pasture-raised pork carnitas, black beans, guacamole, salsa verde, limes, and corn tortillas.

Johnny Sanchez Taco Fiesta Pack

Johnny Sanchez

Food Network star Aarón Sánchez makes superlative street-style tacos at his eponymous Johnny Sanchez in New Orleans. His Taco Fiesta Pack is a party-in-a-box. It comes with ingredients to make 20 tacos plus queso, queso fundido (a baked cheese dish from Mexico, packed with chorizo, caramelized onions, and fire-roasted Poblano peppers), and margarita mix.

South Philly Barbacoa Taco Kit

South Philly Barbacoa

Chef Cristina Martinez comes from a long line of barbacoieros. She has been making traditional barbacoa the old-fashioned way since she was a little girl growing up in Capulhuac, Mexico. Unlike Philly locals, you don’t have to wait until the weekend to enjoy South Philly Barbacoa’s slow-roasted Lamb Barbacoa Taco Kit.

Taquiza Best Seller Taco Kits

Taquiza

Founded by Steve Santana in 2014, Taquiza handcrafts traditional Mexican street fare, including their signature blue masa. The Miami Beach restaurant’s Best Seller Taco Kit includes their famous blue corn tortillas, chicken and carnitas, and red pepper sauce.

Tamales: One hot tamale and tasty treat

Tamales are made of masa, a dough made of maize (corn) and stuffed with seasoned meat, pork, cheese, beans, veggies, or sweet fillings like coconut, raisins, and pineapple. Tamales are steamed in a corn husk or banana leaf.

Read More: What are Tamales: Explained

Cootie Brown's Tamales

Cootie Brown’s

Founded by the Vella family in 1999, Cootie Brown’s handmakes traditional tamales. The Johnson City, Tennessee restaurant ships one dozen tamales. Choose from beef, chicken, Chicken Verde, black bean, smoked pork, Hatch green chile & cheese, and Fiesta Tamales with sweet corn, black beans, tomato, onion, and green and red peppers.

El Bolillo Bakery Chicken Hatch Chili Tamales

El Bolillo Bakery

Founded as a small Mexican panadería in 1998, El Bolillo Bakery is famous for its Pork and Chicken and Hatch Chili Tamales. The Houston bakery in a one-stop party shop with tamales, Mexican pastries, and desserts.

El Charro Café Tamales

El Charro Cafe

For more than a century, El Charro Cafe is credited with inventing the chimichanga. El Charro Café is America’s oldest Mexican restaurant in continuous operation by the same family. El Charro Cafe ships their famous Choose Your Own Tamales. Options include Green Corn, Chicken Tomatillo, Red Chile Beef, Red Chile Pork, Hola Hemp and vegan Hola Hemp and Red Chile Jackfruit.

Fat Mama's Tamales Mississippi Tamales

Fat Mama’s Tamales

Fat Mama’s was founded by Jimmy and Britton Gammill in 1989. The couple has been making their crave-worthy ground beef and roasted pork Mississippi Tamales.

Texas Tamale Company Party Pack

Texas Tamale Company

What started as a small business shipping “survival kits” of tamales, chili, queso, and sauces to displaced Texans in 1985 has now become a beloved Houston institution. Texas Tamale Company’s Tamale Party Pack Meal Kit includes beef, black bean, chicken, and pork Tex-Mex tamales.

Burritos: Un-burrito-ble wrap stars

Give yourself a food hug. From breakfast burritos to chicken burritos to beefy burritos, this one one burritoful comfort food.

Burritos La Palma Burritos

Burritos La Palma

Los Angeles’ Burritos La Palma makes Zacatecan-style burritos. Their Choose Your Own Burritos are made with soft and chewy tortillas. Each is rolled with refried beans & cheese or birria de res (slowly-braised shredded beef & cheese).

Chef Tim Love Burrito Kit

Chef Tim Love

Chef Tim Love’s “Urban Western Cuisine” includes his Burrito Kit Best Sellers – 6 Pack. His burrito box includes two veggie, two grilled chicken, and two grilled steak burritos stuffed with pico de gallo, Monterey Jack cheese, and grilled peppers and onions.

Cofax Breakfast Burrito

Cofax

What started as a Los Angeles coffee shop quickly grew to include breakfast burritos. Cofax’s Breakfast Burritos – Choose Your Own include a combo from five flavors. Each burrito contains a choice of meat or veggie. Each burrito has a smoky stew of potatoes, peppers, and onion, fluffy scrambled eggs, melted jack cheese, and crunchy tortilla chips.

El Charro Café Mini Chimichangas

El Charro Café

El Charro’s legendary Tia Monica Flin is well-known as “The Inventor of The Chimichanga.” Her famous El Charro fried ground beef tacos are legendary. Her mini chimichangas are perfect for sharing at parties.

Margaritas & Micheladas: Get spirited

Shake it up at Cinco de Mayo classic margaritas made with freshly squeezed limes and lemons lightly sweetened with agave nectar. Cheers to Mexican drink mixes!

Guy Fieri Caliente Margaritas

Guy Fieri

Take a trip to Flavortown and sip Guy Fieri’s signature Caliente Margarita. Mix Guy’s Caliente Margaritas mix with your favorite tequila. The kit comes with limes, cilantro, Jalapeños, and Spicy Rojo Rim Salt.

Fat Mama's Tamales Margarita Mix

Fat Mama’s Tamales

Pair Fat Mama’s Tamales with memorable margaritas. Fat Mama’s “Knock-You-Naked” Margarita Mix makes it easy to make margaritas and get the party started.

Taquiza Taco + Cocktail Kit

Taquiza

Taquiza taqueria mixes its Mexican street fare, including hand-made tortillas and totopos, with refreshing adult beverages. Get ready to party with Taquiza’s Taco + Cocktail Kit. The kit includes a choice of Michelada Mix, Classic Margarita Mix, Spicy Margarita Mix, and Passion Fruit Margarita Mix.

Desserts: Your party desserts them

Make Cinco de Mayo the ultimate cheat day with delicious desserts, including:

  • Sweet breads
  • Mexican hot chocolate
  • Dessert nachos
  • Churros
  • Tres leches cake
El Bolillo Bakery Pan Grande Sweet Bread

El Bolillo Bakery

El Bolillo Bakery is named after the classic Mexican white roll. Enjoy the Houston bakery’s most popular breads with its “Pan Grande” Sweet Bread Sampler. Breads include:

  • Caracoles and Piernas: Soft dough topped with crispy cookie paste and filled with sweet cream cheese
  • Cuernos de Queso: Crescent-shaped pastry filled with sweet cream cheese
  • Gusanos de Cajeta: Soft dough topped with crispy cookie paste and filled with sweet Mexican caramel
Guy Fieri Trash Can Dessert Nachos

Guy Fieri

Make an impression with Guy Fieri’s Trash Can Dessert Nachos. Partiers can have fun piling crispy cannoli chips, mini pretzels, chocolate toffee pieces, mascarpone cream, and brownie pieces into a trash can. Then, drizzle it with whiskey dark chocolate and whiskey salted caramel sauces.

La Newyorkina Mexican Churros

La Newyorkina: Mexican Churros

Dip into one of the most famous desserts. Brooklyn’s La Newyorkina celebrates Mexican sweets like Mexican Churros. Guests will delight in dipping churros in hot fudge à la Mexicana, and Cajeta (Goat Milk Caramel).

Tres Lechería Tres Leches Cake

Tres Lechería

Kevin Moulder’s Tres Lechería is the world’s first bakery that exclusively makes tres leches cakes. Tres leches is a sponge cake soaked in a blend of three milks and topped with velvety whipped cream. Tres Lechería’s tins of tres leches in flavors like horchata, dulce de leche, cookies & cream, and matcha are perfect party pleasing desserts and a-mmm-azing hostess gifts.

Have a grande Cinco de Mayo party. Stock up on Cinco de Mayo eats, treats, and drinks shipping nationwide on Goldbelly! Shop the Cinco de Mayo Sale now!

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