Trips Places Foods Stories Newsletters

Take your next trip with Atlas Obscura!

Our small-group adventures are inspired by our Atlas of the world's most fascinating places, the stories behind them, and the people who bring them to life.

Visit Adventures
Trips Highlight
Puglia Italy - Matera
Italy • 8 days, 7 nights
Southern Italy: Castles, Caves & Coastal Treasures in Puglia
from
Turkmenistan Gates of Hell Darvaza crater
Turkmenistan • 10 days, 9 nights
Turkmenistan & the Gates of Hell
from
View all trips
Top Destinations
Latest Places
Most Popular Places Random Place Lists Itineraries
Add a Place
Download the App
Top Destinations
View All Destinations »

Countries

  • Australia
  • Canada
  • China
  • France
  • Germany
  • India
  • Italy
  • Japan

Cities

  • Amsterdam
  • Barcelona
  • Beijing
  • Berlin
  • Boston
  • Budapest
  • Chicago
  • London
  • Los Angeles
  • Mexico City
  • Montreal
  • Moscow
  • New Orleans
  • New York City
  • Paris
  • Philadelphia
  • Rome
  • San Francisco
  • Seattle
  • Stockholm
  • Tokyo
  • Toronto
  • Vienna
  • Washington, D.C.
Latest Places
View All Places »
The Murderer’s Birds!
Elgin Public Museum
Tynemouth Castle.
Tynemouth Priory and Castle
Fresco on the ceiling of the chapel.
Cappella Sistina
View southwest from the trilobite quarry out to Cadiz Valley.
Marble Mountains Trilobite Quarry
Latest Places to Eat & Drink
View All Places to Eat »
Everything at Li’l Dizzy’s Cafe is served in takeout containers.
Li’l Dizzy’s Cafe
The fried green tomato sandwich comes on jalapeño cornbread toast.
Café Reconcile
BBQ shrimp braised in beer are a popular menu item.
High Hat Cafe
The pastries at Lagniappe Bakehouse are worth waking up for.
Lagniappe Bakehouse
Peter Vazquez has been quietly making a name for himself for years.
The Appetite Repair Shop
Recent Stories
All Stories Video Podcast
Most Recent Stories
View All Stories »
Su filindeu doesn’t cook in strands, it cooks in sheets.
How the ‘Su Filindeu’ (or ‘Threads of God’) Pasta Recipe Was Almost Lost to Time
Eroded rocks of the badlands in the Painted Desert and Petrified Forest National Park.
Arizona’s Petrified Forest Is Changing What We Know About the Dawn of the Dinosaurs
You could probably take some of that stuff out.
Dear Atlas: How Do I Pack Light for a Long Trip?
Ripples in the land are remnants of the field walls that once held rows of native sugarcane and sweet potatoes.
Unearthing the Mysteries of Hawai'i's Ancient Agriculture

No search results found for
“”

Make sure words are spelled correctly.

Try searching for a travel destination.

Places near me Random place

Popular Destinations

  • Paris
  • London
  • New York
  • Berlin
  • Rome
  • Los Angeles
Trips Places Foods Stories Newsletters
Sign In Join
Places near me Random place
All Mexico Mexico City Helu's Productos Árabes
AO Edited Gastro Obscura

Helu's Productos Árabes

This tiny, tucked-away eatery reflects the history of Mexico's Lebanese immigrants.

Mexico City, Mexico

Added By
Luke Fater
Email
Been Here
Want to go
Added to list
CAPTION
The unassuming entrance.   Dacia Pierson for Atlas Obscura
  Ana Lilia G./used with permission
  floresmiguel88/used with permission
  haydee_lr/used with permission
  sralfonsocastro/used with permission
  Dacia Pierson for Atlas Obscura
  Fco J./used with permission
Been Here
Want to go
Added to list

About

From the street, Helu’s Productos Arabes doesn’t stand out. Sandwiched between two shops, a subtle red sign beckons visitors down a long hallway, which leads to a small, five-table testament to the legacy of Lebanese migration to Mexico.

Beginning in the late-19th century, many Lebanese made Mexico their new home. Some fled religious persecution, others food shortages, war, or economic troubles. Despite widespread mistreatment, by the 1930s they’d utilized their business savvy to become successful merchants, food vendors, and shop owners in their new country. (These immigrants' outsized economic and cultural impact is embodied today by individuals such as actress Salma Hayek and telecommunications billionaire Carlos Slim.)

One of these early businesses was the original Helu’s Productos Árabes, described by the establishment as Mexico’s first Arab bakery, opened by Joseph Helu in Puebla in 1936. The bakery sold an increasingly beloved Lebanese bread to the small but vibrant Poblano-Lebanese community and local restaurants. 

Over time, Lebanese culinary techniques came to be expressed in Mexican cuisine. Spices such as coriander, cumin, cinnamon, and clove had already been introduced to Mexican kitchens through the Moors' influence on Spain, and soon Lebanese Mexicans reimagined shawarma as tacos al pastor. A popular Yucatan street-dish of ground beef and bulgur cakes called kibbeh is also a glaring endorsement of Lebanese cuisine. In 1949, Joseph’s son, Porfirio, opened Helu’s Mexico City location, where Lebanese and Mexicans alike can today revel in the unlikely synthesis of these two food cultures. 

Empanadas and baklava share a display case in the small, windowless eatery that offers a respite from the bustling Merced district outside. The cafe serves rich (and recommended) shawarmas, shared platters of hummus, stuffed grape leaves, and yogurts, as well as thick, dark Arabic coffee to get you back on your feet post-feast.

Related Tags

Fusion Foods Immigration Migrations Coffee Pastry History & Culture

Know Before You Go

Helu's is located near the many sights of Mexico City's Centro Histórico, as well as additional food offerings from pulque to the cake room of Pastelería Ideal.

Atlas Obscura Adventures

Yucatan Family Adventure: Meteors, Pyramids & Maya Legends

Explore Maya temples and learn about the asteroid that wiped out the dinosaurs.

Book Now

Community Contributors

Added By

lukefater

Edited By

Alex Mayyasi

  • Alex Mayyasi

Published

September 3, 2019

Edit this listing

Make an Edit
Add Photos
Sources
  • http://productoshelus.com.mx/index.html
  • https://web.archive.org/web/20090327124211/https://confines.mty.itesm.mx/articulos2/GarciaRE.pdf
  • https://www.middleeasteye.net/features/inside-arab-heart-mexico-city
  • https://www.atlasobscura.com/itineraries/what-to-eat-in-mexico-city-centro-historico
  • https://theculturetrip.com/north-america/mexico/articles/mexicos-hidden-arabic-heritage/
  • https://www.tastingtable.com/dine/national/tacos-pastor-history
Helu's Productos Árabes
Mesones 90
Mexico City
Mexico
19.42854, -99.134611
Visit Website
Get Directions

Nearby Places

Casa de la Memoria Indómita (House of Indomitable Memory)

Mexico City, Mexico

miles away

Tomb of Hernán Cortés

Mexico City, Mexico

miles away

Aztec Serpent Head Cornerstone

Mexico City, Mexico

miles away

Explore the Destination Guide

Photo of Mexico City

Mexico City

Mexico

Places 180
Stories 17

Nearby Places

Casa de la Memoria Indómita (House of Indomitable Memory)

Mexico City, Mexico

miles away

Tomb of Hernán Cortés

Mexico City, Mexico

miles away

Aztec Serpent Head Cornerstone

Mexico City, Mexico

miles away

Explore the Destination Guide

Photo of Mexico City

Mexico City

Mexico

Places 180
Stories 17

Related Places

  • Yokohama, Japan

    ‘Shake Hands With Lima-chan’

    Commemorating the Japanese migration to Peru, this statue has a sister standing across the Pacific.

  • Landis Brothers’ House.

    Lancaster, Pennsylvania

    Landis Valley Museum

    This museum focuses on the history and culture of the German settlers in Pennsylvania.

  • Pull off the petals of this edible, raspberry coulis-filled blossom.

    Brooklyn, New York

    Paloma the Bakery

    This nondescript coffee shop conceals one of the wildest patisseries in New York City.

  • Mural by Nalye Lor

    Denver, Colorado

    Hop Alley

    A mural and a few historical markers commemorate Denver's once-thriving Chinatown, which was obliterated in a racist riot.

  • The historic Mai Wah Noodles and Wai Chong Tai Mercantile Buildings, which date to the early 20th  Century.

    Butte, Montana

    Mai Wah Museum

    This museum, established in Butte's lost Chinatown, celebrates Asian-American culture in what was once the world's largest mining camp.

  • Chinese New Year Meal Miniature, San Francisco 1940s

    San Francisco, California

    Chinese Historical Society of America

    This museum in San Francisco's Chinatown is one of the oldest and largest archives of Chinese American history and culture.

  • Valladolid, Mexico

    Casa China

    A mysterious, abandoned Chinese building in Mexico pays homage to the area's East Asian immigrants.

  • Cabin in Helvetia

    Randolph County, West Virginia

    Helvetia

    In 1869, Swiss and German immigrants settled in this small town in the mountains of West Virginia.

Aerial image of Vietnam, displaying the picturesque rice terraces, characterized by their layered, verdant fields.
Atlas Obscura Membership

Become an Atlas Obscura Member


Join our community of curious explorers.

Become a Member

Get Our Email Newsletter

Follow Us

Facebook YouTube TikTok Instagram Pinterest RSS Feed

Get the app

Download the App
Download on the Apple App Store Get it on Google Play
  • All Places
  • Latest Places
  • Most Popular
  • Places to Eat
  • Random
  • Nearby
  • Add a Place
  • Stories
  • Food & Drink
  • Itineraries
  • Lists
  • Video
  • Podcast
  • Newsletters
  • All Trips
  • Family Trip
  • Food & Drink
  • History & Culture
  • Wildlife & Nature
  • FAQ
  • Membership
  • Feedback & Ideas
  • Community Guidelines
  • Product Blog
  • Unique Gifts
  • Work With Us
  • About
  • FAQ
  • Advertise With Us
  • Advertising Guidelines
  • Privacy Policy
  • Cookie Policy
  • Terms of Use
Atlas Obscura

© 2025 Atlas Obscura. All Rights Reserved.