OH SNAP! That’s a loaded question.

Let me break this down and weigh my options:

Torta de milanesa: A fried steak on a bolillo served with beans, lettuce, tomato, salsa, avocado and sour cream. This is good comfort food, especially when served fresh out of the oven. When made properly, it’s easily one of the better types of sandwiches in the whole world. The downside being, like most sandwiches, it’s not nutritiously balanced.

Chile relleno: A chile stuffed with cheese and lightly pan fried whipped egg on the outside. My mom serves it with broth, but most places serve it dry. This is also quite comforting and not as unhealthy as it sounds since the “fried” part is eggs and not batter. The bad part is that it takes FOREVER to make one batch.

Mole poblano: Shredded chicken in the original red, chiles/spices/chocolate version of the mole recipe. This is a great, balanced dish in every way. The nutrition is sound and the flavors play delightfully on each other. It is masterful demonstration in complimentary ingredients. One famous chef even call it “the food of the gods.” Thanks to the Doña Maria company, the sauce comes in a handy jar—and it’s surprisingly good. The bad part is, even though you can make the ready-to-serve version at home (making it from scratch is a looooooong process), it is easy for restaurants to fuck up. You really can’t get good mole in the United States unless it’s at a pricey restaurant (and even still, it’s doubtful).

Cochinita pibil: A heavenly sauce, thinner than a mole sauce, but thicker than a salsa on top of pulled pork that is wrapped for cooking. This is an excellent way to serve pork and I could probably sit and eat the stuff all day. Plus, it’s high in protein and I like that. The bad part is, like mole poblano, not many folk make it well. Worse still, it’s considerably hard to find in the U.S. It is also only semi-common to find in the parts of Mexico I typically frequent (central) as it is mostly served in the Yucatan (it’s a Mayan dish, actually).

Gorditas: A piece of dough that is flattened stuffed with meat, cheese or beans, then cooked on a lightly-oiled griddle. Probably the most comforting food of all, especially if you add sour cream to the inside. They’re usually quite large and I will eat the whole thing if you let me. Bad part is, I can only ever seem to find them in Mexico made by little old ladies en el mercado.

Chorizo con huevo: A spicy Mexican sausage (can also be Spanish, but Mexican in vastly superior) with eggs. Probably the greasiest piece of meat ever, but it’s spiced so well and it should be illegal how beautifully it mixes with scrambled eggs. Really no downsides here except that NYC doesn’t have Mexican chorizo and that’s the dumbest thing I’ve ever heard.

Pozole: Shredded pork and hominy soup served either red or white. Topped with shredded lettuce, oregano, red chili flake, onion and avocado. Probably the most filling soup on the planet. You probably will feel like you can’t walk after this. Traditionally served on NYE as a symbol of prosperity. No real downside to this except that my mom serves it white and most other places serve it red. But it’s not that huge of a deal, I just prefer white.

Ok, I’ll stop here and I’m sure I forgot tons of shit that I like, but I will implode on myself from thinking about it if I allow myself to continue. So there’s my options and I hope you enjoyed my culinary tour of Mexico.

I’m gonna say the big winner is chorizo and eggs because I absolutely love breakfast food, and it’s easy to find/make so I’ll never go long periods without eating Mexican food. It’s also high in protein and reminds me of home. Nothing says “good morning” quite like a hefty plate of chorizo and eggs. Just let me have a side of tortillas with it as part of the dish and we’re golden.

P.S.- And of course my list of Mexican food is all the shit no one’s heard of or hardly any non-Mexican in the U.S. eats. The Mexicana in me is STRONG.

P.P.S- I hope your question didn’t also concern desserts because I would probably just end my life if I had to give up Mexican desserts, too.