Venezuelan food in Mexico City: How immigrants are shaping CDMX cuisine

In Mexico City, Venezuelan immigrants are making their mark on the local cuisine scene. According to the International Organization for Migration, over 7.89 million Venezuelans have left their country in the past 25 years, making it the second-largest population displacement in history. While Colombia remains the primary destination, Mexico City has the largest number of Venezuelan residents, with nearly 26,000 now calling the city home, according to Milenio.

Most Venezuelans living in Mexico City obtain visas and permanent residency, indicating their intention to stay long-term. The community is present throughout the capital, with signs of their presence visible in restaurants adorned with Venezuelan flags, grocery stores selling arepa flour, and Venezuelan vendors calling out their wares in the Centro Histórico.

The influx of Venezuelans to Mexico City primarily occurred over the last decade, during a period of significant economic and social turmoil in Venezuela. Some of the first Venezuelans arrived in 1948, fleeing a military coup led by then-President Rómulo Gallegos. Since then, the number of migrants has grown, particularly after the election of leftist President Hugo Chávez in 1999, who prompted many middle-class professionals to leave the country.

One such immigrant is Glexsy Abreu, who moved to Mexico City from Maracaibo in 1999. She faced the challenge of starting over when her doctorate degree from Venezuela was not recognized, working instead at the Venezuelan Embassy issuing passports. Abreu witnessed the gradual increase in Venezuelan immigrants throughout the 2000s and 2010s.

The situation escalated dramatically in 2015, following a global oil price crash and a sharp decline in the quality of life in Venezuela. The country experienced one of its largest exoduses of citizens, with many leaving on foot through the treacherous Darién Gap. In 2022, Mexico and the U.S. agreed to accept 24,000 Venezuelans who could prove they had financial support, but many still attempted to enter illegally and were sent back to Mexico.

By 2025, the Venezuelan community in Mexico City had grown significantly. A government-run shelter in the Tepito neighborhood housed almost exclusively Venezuelan women and children, many of whom had crossed the Darién Gap just months before tightened border restrictions in the United States forced them to remain in Mexico. In March 2024, the Venezuelan government offered free flights for those wishing to return home, and the women in the shelter took advantage of the program, moving back to Caracas just in time for December 2025.