Dos Toros: Mexico on the UES

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: New York is SADLY lacking in Mexican food. Sure you can get some great guacamole, but it will cost you. If I want a quick burrito that weighs the size of a toddler and is filled to the brim with quality ingredients, it’s either Chipotle or nothing. 

Or, perhaps it’s Dos Toros.

Opened by brothers Leo and Oliver Kremer, Dos Toros aims to emulate the Mission Style Mexican food that the boys grew up with in San Francisco. That means burritos simply stuffed with everything but the kitchen sink,and the salsa comes in versions of hot and incendiary.  

Plus, the restaurant uses sustainably produced and humanely raised produce and meat whenever possible.

It couldn’t be more me if it was called “Dos Fritos.”

The Upper East Side location is tiny, with a counter where you order your burrito, quesadilla, tacos or platter, then pay and sit down to eat. 

Be sure to treat yourself to a Mexican Coke or a Jarritos if you want to keep it authentic.

Burrito

With Rice, Pinto Beans, Black Beans, Carnitas, Guacamole, Habanero Salsa, Pico de Gallo, Sour Cream.

This was a good burrito that would have been great if there were just a tad less rice. It was quality rice – Spanish style, with sweet tomatoes and zesty cumin. But there was too much of it – it obscured the taste of the smokey pinto beans, the tender black beans and the pork. The pork was fantastic – not at all greasy or flaccid, but moist with crispy edges here and there. Deeply satisfying, this would have been as good on a fork as it was in the warm griddled tortilla. The guacamole was outstanding, and they were very generous with it – buttery, creamy avocados blended with sweet onion and fresh cilantro. And the salsa…oh yeah we will get to the salsa…

Chicken Quesadilla with Guacamole and Habanero Salsa.

This is not the classic quesadilla. This is more of a mini burrito, with a thin layer of mellow jack cheese under juicy pieces of charbroiled chicken, that excellent guacamole and lashings (upon the request of my dining partner) of habanero hot sauce.

I like it hot. You KNOW I like it hot. This was really REALLY hot. So hot that my lips started tingling. So hot that I  broke out in an immediate sweat. So hot that we both needed beers to quell the burning. 

Well, it was a good excuse to get the beers anyway.

Dos Toros is a great option for a low priced lunch or quick dinner on the UES. Though the prices would be a bit high in the East Village, uptown is a different story. Not many places up here offer quality food at low prices, and not many places in the city offer such high quality, low brow Mexican food. It’s what you want when you are sober, it’s what you want when you are drunk and it’s what you want when you are in between. 

NYC may finally have found its casual Mexican restaurant.

*Note: My meal was paid for by the restaurant.  I was not paid or required to write a review, and my opinions are my own and, I feel, impartial.*