Tortas in Mexico City: El Modelo: cheeses, cold cuts, and baguettes in Del Valle

By: Jazmín Martínez, aka Tía Polís. Photos: Jazmín Martínez

Gourmet Grocery Store in Mexico City

Residents of Del Valle have been demanding specialized products from certain cuisines, making it fertile ground for so-called "gourmet grocery stores." Personally, the word "gourmet" gets under my skin because it's been overused to try to elevate any second-rate gastronomic proposal. It also serves to jack up prices for inexperienced consumers who are dazzled by anything labeled "gourmet," "VIP," "signature," and other terms filled with gray areas.

But there was a time when "gourmet" meant something. In 1995, Moni left her job in the private sector to heed her father's advice to "have something of your own." Moni's father had founded "Salchichonería El Modelo" in the 1920s in the Juárez market of the same name, where Bucareli turns into Cuauhtémoc Avenue. With this background, Moni ventured to extend the tradition of "El Modelo" further south, to the Del Valle neighborhood.

"El Modelo" is one of those neighborhood businesses where Moni personally attends to you. "I had to start studying wines," Moni says, proud that she enjoys helping her customers choose the right wine. She also had to learn about cheeses, emphasizing that a fundamental characteristic of the cheeses she sells is that they must be made from milk, because she tastes everything she sells there. "Of course, we sell commercial chocolates," she says while serving me at the counter full of Nestlé chocolates, "but we also have more specialized chocolates."

But since we're here to talk about tortas (sandwiches), you should know that the deli meats and cheeses sold at "El Modelo" aren't just for taking home to store in the fridge or as charcuterie boards to spoil your guests. All these products are also sold as baguettes using a bread that deserves all the recognition. Order them cold or hot.

Food Police Advise

Don't skip the baguette with serrano ham, brie cheese, and crystallized figs or any with stuffed turkey. Doña Moni says that the way she managed to position her store as a place for buying cod was by offering it in tortas. "People buy cod where their mothers and grandmothers used to buy it; it's very difficult to get them to buy from a new store," she recalls from the early days of opening. "My mom gave me the idea to promote our cod through tortas." It worked; 30 years later, it's one of their best-selling tortas.

• Address: Mier y Pesado 332, code 2, Col del Valle Centro, Benito Juárez, 03100 Mexico City, CDMX
• Opening Hours: Monday to Friday from 9 am to 8 pm, Saturdays from 9 am to 7 pm
• Ideal For: buying cheeses, deli meats, and food for your parties and gatherings. They also sell Christmas hampers.
• Type of Cuisine: grocery store, cheeses, and deli meats.
• Payment: cash and cards accepted
• Accessibility: no
• Parking: street parking
• Nearby Public Transport: Metrobus Amores
• Pet Friendly: yes
• Suitable for Children: yes
• Vegan Options: yes