El Vilsito: a Mexico City auto shop becomes a beloved taquería every night

El Vilsito began as an accident of convenience: Mecauto, a car repair workshop on Avenida Universidad 248 in Mexico City's Narvarte district, had customers who needed to eat while their vehicles were being fixed. Founder Juan Carlos Blanco started serving tacos from the same garage, and the stand originally carried a wink at a national chain — El Vipsito — before a legal tangle with the VIPS restaurant brand forced the name change to El Vilsito.

The format became famous for its schedule. Mechanics work on cars during the day; around 7:30pm the workshop closes, and about an hour later the same premises reopen as a taquería, with trompos of marinated al pastor pork spinning where the lifts and transmissions were. Manager Ismael Tilosa told CGTN that first-time visitors find it strange to see a mechanic's shop become a taco stand — 'but the people who come regularly, it's the flavor that keeps them coming back.'

Customers eat standing beside the grill or at tables set up inside the garage, while the body shop's painted signs — offering lubricación, suspensión and transmisión services — stay on the walls. Atlas Obscura described it in 2021 as serving 'some of the city's finest' tacos al pastor, with the real draw the spit-roasted pork sliced directly onto corn tortillas with pineapple, onion and cilantro.

Word of mouth carried it far beyond the neighborhood: people come from across the capital, and Mexico City food-tour guides list the shop as an unmissable stop. CGTN reported in 2019 that the operation had expanded to meet demand and that profits let the owners open two more formal restaurants nearby, while Motorpasión noted in 2026 that the taquería held more than 15,700 Google reviews, a 4.3/5 rating, and a recommendation in the Michelin Guide.