El Moro: How a Churro Shop Became Part of Mexico City’s Cultural Fabric

Article by Rob Kidd | Photography El Moro | Published June 5, 2025

On a warm Friday night in Mexico City, the historic center hums with life — street vendors calling out, traffic weaving through narrow roads, and music drifting from plazas. But step inside El Moro, and the mood shifts: the clatter of plates, the hiss of oil, and the comforting rhythm of tradition take over. Inside, the late-night energy pulses under bright tiles, marble counters, and stained-glass windows as groups of friends and families wait for piles of freshly fried churros and steaming mugs of thick chocolate.

What started in 1935 as a modest churrería founded by a Spanish immigrant, Francisco Iriarte, has become one of the city’s most beloved culinary institutions — one that locals describe with a mix of pride and nostalgia. In a city that constantly reinvents itself, El Moro has endured not by chasing novelty, but by doubling down on ritual, comfort, and its deep connection to everyday Mexican life.

“El Moro is, above all, a family business,” Diego Iturbides, the company’s Operations Director, explained via email. “And in Mexico, we place a lot of importance on family and family values. Churros and hot chocolate are a perfect option for sharing at the table with family and friends. I think that experience is what has helped us endure and become practically a part of Mexican culture.”

This sense of collective memory and cultural rootedness is key to understanding El Moro’s appeal. The original location in the Centro Histórico has been open 24 hours a day for nearly 90 years — a rare constant in a metropolis shaped by change. The shop’s signature blue-and-white Moorish-style tiles, iron window grilles, and glowing neon sign haven’t changed much since the 1930s, nor has the menu.

“The menu has remained virtually the same for 90 years,” said Iturbides. “And the original recipe for our churros and hot chocolate has stayed untouched.”

The enduring popularity of El Moro’s core offering — just churros and hot chocolate — speaks volumes about the strength of its uncomplicated authenticity. But that doesn’t mean the brand is stuck in the past. In recent years, El Moro has opened several new branches in trendy neighborhoods like Roma, Condesa, and Coyoacán. These newer locations blend clean, modernist interiors with the same timeless menu, a careful balancing of heritage and relevance.

Small innovations have helped the brand appeal to younger generations. One standout is the Consuelo, a churro ice cream sandwich that’s become something of a social media darling.

“It’s true we had to make some adjustments to reach a wider audience,” Iturbides said. “That’s how the Consuelo was born — it’s very popular among younger generations.”

Beyond the brand’s evolution, there’s something almost mythic about the pairing of churros and hot chocolate in Mexico. The roots of hot chocolate go back thousands of years to pre-Hispanic cultures who prized cacao as sacred and medicinal. In modern-day Mexico, El Moro represents a kind of culinary bridge: Old World meets New, comfort meets ceremony.

“Chocolate has always been a delicacy, going back to the ancient peoples of this land before the Spanish arrived,” said Iturbides. “With the introduction of the churro, I believe hot chocolate found its ideal companion. Dipping a churro in a hot chocolate has increasingly become a cultural reference point in Mexico. Today, thousands of families celebrate their togetherness with a good churro and hot chocolate.”

This role as both a nostalgic touchstone and a living tradition makes El Moro feel genuinely authentic. Not because it clings to a fixed idea of the past, but because it continues to provide a shared experience that still feels essential. Whether it’s your first visit or your fiftieth, standing at the counter with a cup of hot chocolate in one hand and sugar-dusted churros in the other, you’re part of something familiar, communal, and deeply rooted in the city’s heart.