Guadalajara is at once a symbol of both old and new Mexico. On one hand, it is a young and lively university city that has grown into a sprawling metropolis, a booming tech and innovation hub, and home to a vibrant LGBT scene. It’s particularly famous for other cultural events such as the Guadalajara International Film Festival and the annual Book Fair, the latter the largest in the Americas.

Editor’s Note: We asked Culinary Backstreets tour leader Francisco de Santiago, better known as Paco, to share some of his favorite spots to eat and drink in Guadalajara. Paco is a Mexico City native who has a deep passion for his country's cuisine. He is also a sort of renaissance man – a former champion chess player, bullfighter, and more recently, a professional gastro-guide – and Culinary Backstreets’ local expert on all things Mexico. Paco paid a recent visit to Guadalajara, a city close to his heart and the site of our newest food tour. As Guadalajara is a huge city (the second largest in the country, after Mexico City), there are many different ways to experience it. It’s famous among Mexicans because of the unique food you can enjoy only here, such as the torta ahogada, birria or jericalla.

Around here, we all have a recipe for carne en su jugo and think our grandma’s is the best. A very local and traditional dish, it consists of beef cooked in its own juices – as its name in Spanish suggests – along with bacon and beans, and served with different toppings, such as diced onion and cilantro. To prepare this very flavorful and aromatic stew, the beef is cut into thin strips and simmered in a broth made from tomatillo sauce and chile verde – a recipe supposedly invented by a family in Los Altos de Jalisco (the highlands just outside the city) and passed down through generations, becoming a Guadalajara staple. Locals who want to enjoy this meal outside the home usually head to Santa Tere (also known as Santa Teresita), a bustling and historic barrio located northwest of Guadalajara's city center, home to a concentration of classic Mexican spots that specialize in carne en su jugo. Of course, they all claim to be the original creators. It’s a mystery that has never been solved, but we have bravely endured the uncertainty over the years, tasting the dish whenever we get the chance.

Editor’s Note: To properly introduce Guadalajara, CB’s newest location, we turned to Eliza Osher, the local guide who helped design our culinary walk there. Born and raised in Los Angeles, where she studied pastry and breadmaking at Le Cordon Bleu, Eliza first came to Mexico to work at a boutique hotel on the Pacific coast of Jalisco state in 2005 and has been living in the country since.

Editor’s Note: In the latest installment of our recurring First Stop feature, we asked documentary photographer and art director Mónica Rodríguez to share some of her favorite bites and sips in Guadalajara. Mónica is the photographer for the Guía Domingo book series, a taco photobook and guide whose third edition, Tacos Guadalajara, is available now. You can follow Mónica on Instagram @monicardz___ Guadalajara is one of the best food cities in all of Mexico. If you were to tell me that I’m going to Guadalajara right now, the first thing I’d do is go for breakfast at a taquería that I discovered when I went to shoot the photos for the book Guía Domingo. It’s a street cart called Tacos al Vapor Don Fede. I love the vibe of this place. You can tell that it has its lifelong customers – some go there for breakfast before work; there is nothing more Mexican than eating a taco while standing in the middle of the street. When I visited it was springtime and there were many jacaranda trees painting the street purple.

In recent years, the city of Guadalajara has grown so much that it’s starting to merge with the little pueblitos surrounding it. That’s the case with San Isidro, which is now a highly urbanized area but where you can also find some places that still feel like the old days. One of them is Fonda Doña Mica, a must-visit breakfast spot that was a well-kept secret until it went viral a year ago, famous for its traditional cooking and handmade wood-fired tortillas. Driving 40 minutes from the city center just to eat here may sound crazy, but hundreds of people do it daily – that’s how good it is.