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LET’S TACO ‘BOUT THE MOST POPULAR MEXICAN PARTY FOODS & DRINKS
If there’s one day made for piling high nachos, digging into tacos and enchiladas, and sipping margaritas, it’s Cinco de Mayo. While it’s a relatively minor holiday in Mexico, in the U.S. it’s become a festive occasion to gather with friends, celebrate Mexican culture, and enjoy bold, crave-worthy flavors.
Whether you’re hosting a party or keeping things low-key, Cinco de Mayo is the perfect excuse to build a delicious spread of Mexican favorites. From tacos and tamales to chips, salsa, and margaritas, there’s no shortage of ways to celebrate. And with Goldbelly, you can skip the prep and get authentic Mexican food shipped nationwide from some of the best restaurants in the country.
What Do You Bring to a Cinco de Mayo Party?
Planning a Cinco de Mayo party menu? The best things to bring are shareable, crowd-pleasing Mexican foods and festive drinks that keep the party going. Here are some popular Cinco de Mayo party food ideas to get you started:
Quick List
- Tacos
- Sharable dips like guacamole, queso, and salsa
- Enchiladas
- Nacho Kits
- Flautas
- Tamales
- Burritos
Drinks to Bring
- Margarita
- Michelada
- Beer
- agua frescas (literally “fresh water”)
- jamaica (hibiscus)
- horchata (a white rice and cinnamon drink).
Easy Cinco de Mayo Food Ideas for a Party
Get the party started with festive Cinco de Mayo food ideas, from tacos and margaritas to ready-to-ship feasts from the best spots in the country.
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
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
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
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
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
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
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 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
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
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
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
Chef Tim Love’s “Urban Western Cuisine” includes his Burrito Kit Best Sellers. 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
What started as a Los Angeles coffee shop quickly grew to include breakfast burritos. Cofax’s Breakfast Burritos 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
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
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
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
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.
Nachos & More: Something for everyone
Guy Fieri’s BBQ Trash Can Nachos
The perfect compliment to his Caliente Margaritas, the Mayor of Flavortown has also created these spectacular Trash Can Nachos, served in a mini trash can. This towering stack of deliciousness starts (of course) with crispy tortilla chips and cheddar, and it’s loaded with Guy’s Super Melty Cheese Sauce, Guy’s Signature BBQ Sauce, black beans, pico de gallo, jalapenos, sour cream, cilantro, and pickled red onions. Versions with BBQ brisket, BBQ chicken, and BBQ pulled pork are available, as well.
All of the Above: Picos Mexican Restaurant
Picos has been one of Houston’s most beloved Mexican restaurants since first opening its doors in 1984. It offers a wide variety of traditional Mexican specialties, including eight styles of tamales loaded with everything from mushroom to chicken in green chile, fajita kits, chicken mole, cochinita pibil, chile con queso, and slow-roasted Sinaloan pork (pictured).
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
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
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).
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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