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<\/p>\nWhen I visit a country for the first time, one of my favorite activities is to get to know local cuisine, to thus understand the country\u2019s culture. The ideal is to try the foods you can find at street corners or stalls, better known as \u201cstreet food\u201d.
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In Mexico City, one of the desserts you often find at street corners is churros, made with flour dough passed through a \u201cchurrera\u201d, <\/i>extruded to the desired size and shape, then fried and sprinkled with cinnamon sugar.<\/p>\n
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![\"Churros](\"https:\/\/www.michelleonbell.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/07\/Churros-6.jpg\")
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One of Mexico City\u2019s most famous churrer\u00edas<\/em> is El Moro. Founded by Mr. Francisco Iriarte, who arrived at Mexico from the Basque Country in Spain, and began selling churros from a small cart at the capital\u2019s city square in 1933. As his popularity grew, in 1935 he was able to purchase lot number 42 on the street that was then known as San Juan de Letr\u00e1n, at the Historical Center. The name comes from the Moor who used to sell churros from town to town during the holidays in Spain.<\/p>\n From the start he offered churros, chocolates and coffee, using Spanish-style family recipes adjusted to Mexican ingredients. Even though Mr. Francisco, the founder, died at a young age, his siblings moved to Mexico to run the business, and that\u2019s how it has been handed over from one generation to the next over the last 80 years.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n Santiago, grandson of Mr. Francisco, now leads the churrer\u00eda<\/em>. His innovations have provided the family business with a modern twist. Since Santiago has been at the forefront, three new branches have opened at different areas of the city, and the business will continue to expand; turning El Moro into a must stop for all churro lovers in Mexico City. Today, El Moro has four branches at the Historical Center, Mercado Roma, Palacio de Hierro Polanco, and the newest on Rio Lerma.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n For the brand\u2019s expansion process, they hired Cadena y Asociados, with a vast experience in food projects, including Cielito Querido Caf\u00e9, La Leche in Puerto Vallarta, and La Negra in the Roma neighborhood. They changed its branding, designed the new logo, and updated the shops\u2019 decor with blue and white wall tiles, creating a wonderfully harmonious space that invites guests to enjoy their dishes. Visually, the branch shops are beautiful, so much so that they were awarded for Best Interiors of Latin America & the Caribbean in the Restaurant Category, and are nominated for the Restaurant & Bar Design Awards.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n![\"Churros\"](\"https:\/\/www.michelleonbell.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/07\/Churros-1.jpg\")
<\/p>\n![\"Churros](\"https:\/\/www.michelleonbell.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/07\/Churros-5.jpg\")
<\/p>\n![\"Churros](\"https:\/\/www.michelleonbell.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/07\/Churros-3.jpg\")
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