SunSport and F1 driver Valtteri Bottas visit £2 Mexican taco stand with first-ever Michelin star

1 month ago 8

LA Taqueria el Califa de Leon is the humble market stall selling £2 tacos that incredibly won a Michelin star earlier this year.

At this weekend’s Mexico Grand Prix, F1 driver Valtteri Bottas visited the taco hotspot, so F1 reporter Isabelle Barker followed suit to see what all the fuss is about.

a man holding a plate of food in a kitchen with the date 13 22 14

Valtteri Bottas visited Taqueira el Califa de Leon ahead of the Mexico Grand Prix[/caption]

a man wearing a pink hat that says snmnl is eating a taco

Prices range from £2.50 to £4 which is expensive for a taco by Mexican standards[/caption]

a blue plate with a steak on it has the date 10 22 21 on it

There are four types of ‘carne asada’ grilled steak on the menu[/caption]

a man sits on the sidewalk in front of a taqueria

The stand went from humble market stall to Michelin star in May this year[/caption]

The stand, which has just four items on the menu, made headlines on May 14 after it was crowned with a Michelin star after the guide debuted in Mexico for the first time ever this year.

It is a 10ft-by-10ft taco shop tucked behind a row of street stalls in the working-class San Rafael neighbourhood.

There was a small queue of mainly tourists outside when SunSport visited around 6pm on Wednesday night.

They were eagerly waiting to sample its four types of carne asada (grilled steak) tacos, which is the only thing on the menu.

Prices range from £2.50 to £4 which is actually considered expensive by Mexican standards for a taco.

Sauber driver Bottas, who used to partner Lewis Hamilton at Mercedes, visited the stand on Tuesday.

He posted a picture of him outside the stand to his Instagram with the caption: “Michelin star taco Tuesday.”

The taco itself is no-frills, with the owners priding themselves in the quality of the meat as well as their homemade tortillas.

There are wedges of lime or salsa rojo and salsa verde on the side to drizzle over the taco.

The stand has been around for more than 50 years and is known for its Gaonera taco, which is said to be named in honour of Mexican bullfighter Rodolfo Gaona.

The Michelin Guide website said: “This taqueria may be bare bones with just enough room for a handful of diners to stand at the counter but its creation, the Gaonera taco, is exceptional.”

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