Wynnie took me out for a belated birthday dinner tonight. We were both interested in trying out an authentic Mexican restaurant, and were originally going to go to El Trompo, but they're closed on Sunday evenings, so we opted for Mariachi's instead.
The guacamole is undoubtedly the most popular appetizer here, as we saw nearly every table with an order of it. Fresh, equal parts creamy and chunky, perfectly seasoned with a hint of lime juice, and topped with a flurry of tomatoes. Super addictive with their crispy homemade tortilla chips and a side of pico de gallo. However, for $8, I was seriously expecting a bigger portion. There is a big pestle sitting in the middle of the mortar that it's served in, so it appears like you're getting a lot more than you really are. The guacamole is good, but not $8 good. For our mains, we decided to share the enchiladas and the taquiza. There are two enchiladas in a single order, and you can choose from chicken, beef, chorizo, or vegetarian. They're topped with your sauce of choice, sprinkled with cheese, and then baked. We decided to get the chicken with mild ranchera sauce and the beef with creamy poblano chile sauce. The chicken was on the bland side, and I think a spicier sauce would've been better with it to give it some kick. The beef enchilada was much better; the meat was well-seasoned and the creamy poblano chile sauce complemented it well.
The taquiza — you get one each of chicken, beef, and chorizo — were good, but I think they could have been served with more toppings, like black beans, sour cream, salsa, and cheese (though whether or not these are authentic is another story, and Mariachi's prides itself on its authenticity). The chicken in this dish was much better, as they used full strips of well-seasoned and marinated chicken breast so it was both tender and flavourful. Wynnie chose the beef one and I chose the chorizo, so while I can't comment on the beef version, the chorizo was fantastic, flavourful with just enough spice. The salad and rice that were served with both dishes were pretty standard, nothing to write home about. Though the salad didn't seem to come with any dressing (at least to my tastebuds), so I ended up mixing it with the rice so it wasn't like I was just eating plain lettuce. Again, the portions were quite small, and for the prices they charge ($13 for the enchiladas, $15 for the taquiza), they weren't quite as filling as we thought they would be. The servers were polite and efficient enough, though on a busier night, I can see them being a little too understaffed. I might try this place again, but there are lots of other Mexican restaurants that I'd go to first before re-visiting Mariachi's.
Mariachi's
2084 Yonge Street
Toronto, ON M4S 2A3
(416) 481-7111
Guacamole!
Served with tortilla chips and pico de gallo
Chicken enchilada with mild ranchera sauce
Beef enchilada with creamy poblano chile sauce
Taquiza (chicken, beef, and chorizo) served with guacamole, pico de gallo, jalepeños, rice, and salad
Chorizo taquiza (innards)
The guacamole is undoubtedly the most popular appetizer here, as we saw nearly every table with an order of it. Fresh, equal parts creamy and chunky, perfectly seasoned with a hint of lime juice, and topped with a flurry of tomatoes. Super addictive with their crispy homemade tortilla chips and a side of pico de gallo. However, for $8, I was seriously expecting a bigger portion. There is a big pestle sitting in the middle of the mortar that it's served in, so it appears like you're getting a lot more than you really are. The guacamole is good, but not $8 good. For our mains, we decided to share the enchiladas and the taquiza. There are two enchiladas in a single order, and you can choose from chicken, beef, chorizo, or vegetarian. They're topped with your sauce of choice, sprinkled with cheese, and then baked. We decided to get the chicken with mild ranchera sauce and the beef with creamy poblano chile sauce. The chicken was on the bland side, and I think a spicier sauce would've been better with it to give it some kick. The beef enchilada was much better; the meat was well-seasoned and the creamy poblano chile sauce complemented it well.
The taquiza — you get one each of chicken, beef, and chorizo — were good, but I think they could have been served with more toppings, like black beans, sour cream, salsa, and cheese (though whether or not these are authentic is another story, and Mariachi's prides itself on its authenticity). The chicken in this dish was much better, as they used full strips of well-seasoned and marinated chicken breast so it was both tender and flavourful. Wynnie chose the beef one and I chose the chorizo, so while I can't comment on the beef version, the chorizo was fantastic, flavourful with just enough spice. The salad and rice that were served with both dishes were pretty standard, nothing to write home about. Though the salad didn't seem to come with any dressing (at least to my tastebuds), so I ended up mixing it with the rice so it wasn't like I was just eating plain lettuce. Again, the portions were quite small, and for the prices they charge ($13 for the enchiladas, $15 for the taquiza), they weren't quite as filling as we thought they would be. The servers were polite and efficient enough, though on a busier night, I can see them being a little too understaffed. I might try this place again, but there are lots of other Mexican restaurants that I'd go to first before re-visiting Mariachi's.
Mariachi's
2084 Yonge Street
Toronto, ON M4S 2A3
(416) 481-7111
I LOOOOVE Mexican! I think I can eat it for every meal for a week and not get tired of it.
ReplyDeleteThis wasn't the most authentic of place, but Chimichanga at Yonge/Eglinton used to have a hilarious guacamole boy who would come to the table with a cart and make the whole thing from scratch in front of you in like 40 seconds. That was about $8 but you got this mini show out of it so my friends and I used to think it was worth it. Then one day the boy was gone and this droopy guy took over the gig and it wasn't so fun anymore.
Haha, that guacamole boy sounds awesome! I would totally have dropped $8 on that and thought it was worth it. We were considering checking out Chimichanga as well; it was sort of between that and Mariachi's. Do you have a regular Mexican restaurant you frequent? And what's your favourite thing to order?
DeleteChimichanga was sort of a regular thing, but it's been a while and I always tried to get something different. There used to be a location in Yorkville that closed down and Yonge/Eg is out of my usual route. I'd love to try some authentic hole in the wall that nobody knows about! There's a popular taco place in old Korea town at Bloor/Christie but it's actually El Salvadorian and I don't love it as much as others do. I need a regular Mexican place, Denise!
DeleteI was craving Mexican food so hard today, I opted for Taco Bell 'cause that was the only option near me. And while it's delicious, it's REALLY not the same thing. :P
DeleteLet's go Mexican fooding next meet-up!!! :D