Dos Toros Taqueria: Mission-Style Burritos, As Good as California's?
"If this were a burrito episode of Iron Chef, Dos Toros would be the winner."
[Photographs: Robyn Lee]
Dos Toros Taqueria
137 Fourth Avenue, New York NY 10003 (b/n 13th and 14th; map); 212-677-7300; dostorosnyc.com/
Service: Speedy, friendly, strangely efficient
Setting: Walk-up counter with table seating for ten
Compare It To: Chipotle, Calexico
Must-Haves: Any quesadilla in the place, beef burritos, chicken burritos with guacamole
Cost: $3.67 tacos, $7.35 burritos
Grade: A, quesadillas; B+, steak and chicken burritos; B, carnitas anything, tacos
I admit it. Mission-style burrito joint Dos Toros Taqueria is in Serious Eats's wheelhouse, and somehow, we didn't make it over there in the two months they have been open. So we have no excuses—only remorse—for allowing Oliver Strand at the Times to beat us to the punch (or, should we say, the horchata). Strand is younger than this serious eater, which probably explains why he didn't mention Dos Toros's predecessor in New York—the much beloved Kitchen on Eighth Avenue, which regrettably went out of business two years ago.
But I digress. Once we got past the embarassment of being scooped, we picked ourselves up off the ground and hustled down to Dos Toros for a Friday lunch. Its reputation preceded us, so at 12:12 on a Friday afternoon, we found ourselves in line at the cheerful storefront. What did we find when got to the front of the line (which, thanks to some kind of bizarre hipster efficiency, was only ten minutes)?
We basically ordered one of everything on the menu—namely, soft tacos, crispy tacos, burritos, and quesadillas—filled with either pork (carnitas), beef (carne asada), chicken (pollo asado) or no meat, plus rice, your choice of black or pinto beans, pico de gallo, sour cream, hot sauce, and guacamole ($0.92 extra).
Dos Toros uses Tortilleria Nixtamal tortillas from Corona, Queens, and that was the first of many good decisions made by owners Leo and Oliver Kremer—who turn out, generally speaking, to know what good is. The tortillas are thin, flaky, and taste of fresh masa.
The burritos (all $7.35) are plenty hefty, as they are in the Mission in San Francisco, and they are made with considerable care. Most of the bite-sized pieces of pollo asado, grilled chicken thigh, are shockingly moist. Ditto the chunks of skirt steak in the carne asada. Surprisingly to this avowed pork lover, the stringy carnitas is the driest meat in the joint. Some people, like Midtown Lunch's Zach Brooks, who attended our hastily assembled lunch, think it's okay if the protein is dry in a Mission-style burrito because the other wet elements compensate. I respectfully disagree. Dry is dry, when it comes to pork, and it's not acceptable in any form.
The fresh-tasting, mildy seasoned creamy guacamole ($0.92) is a meaningful addition to any chicken or pork item, and the spritely pico de gallo makes anything you order taste better at Dos Toros.
Those delicious tortillas are the housing for both the hard and soft tacos. The soft are steamed and the hard are not deep-fried, but rather griddled, so they are not all that crunchy. These tacos are good but in no way earth-shattering. They're bigger and more filling than what you'd find on a taco truck (as they should be, at $3.67 for one), but the flavors are not as bright as I would have liked. There are better tacos to be had in Jackson Heights and Corona, on Amsterdam Avenue above 100th Street, and, of course, in Sunset Park.
The rice was standard burrito rice, nothing more, nothing less, and neither the underseasoned black nor the dull-tasting pinto beans did much for me, either. Even if you don't care much for hot sauce, you might ask for a taste of the freshly made, fairly mild green serrano and jalapeño hot sauce or salsa, because it really amps up the flavor of the rice and beans.
The stars of the menu at Dos Toros are the quesadillas ($5.97), which were somewhat revelatory. A flour tortilla that has been crisped on the griddle, with lovely golden brown spots, is topped with a slice of jack cheese before it's built with your choice of protein, pico de gallo, and hot sauce. What makes these quesadillas revelatory is the crisped tortilla, the melted jack cheese, and the perfect ratio of tortilla to filling. I want one of these quesadillas now. I don't think there is a better quesadilla to be had in all New York City.
The Head-to-Head Chipotle Test
The question we kept asking ourselves as we munched is whether the burritos were any better than Chipotle Grill's, which, while fast-food creations, are comparably marketed and priced. So I found myself a few days later racing down to Dos Toros in a cab, while Erin (synchronized watch in hand) brought back four Chipotle burritos.
Left to right: Chipotle and Dos Toros.
I am a fan of Chipotle—I have a lot of respect for what they do, as responsible citizens turning out tasty food while operating in the fast-food realm. But my respect made the results of the taste test that much more disappointing. Up next to Dos Toros, the Chipotle tortilla was stiff, thick, and dull. The rice and beans were underseasoned and so were the proteins. The chicken was really dry and the pork and beef weren't much better. The Chipotle guacamole is fine, and the various salsas are really the strongest part of its game. Good to know—the small shop beat the chain, hands-down.
So if you're looking for a burrito in New York, there's your answer. If this were a burrito episode of Iron Chef, Dos Toros would be the winner. If they spiced the beans more intensely and moistened the pork, I wouldn't have to hold the memory of my beloved Kitchen so close to my heart. But Kitchen is not coming back any time soon, so in the meantime, I will happily make do with Dos Toros.
Read more of Ed's reviews.
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53 Comments:
I actually quite liked the carnitas. I like them a little crispy. I thought the rice was the only problem... too soft, at least Chipotle's rice has some bite. Everything else was good though, and I definitely need to get back there for the quesadillas.
ChiefHDB at 11:11PM on 01/12/10
the quesadillas are exactly what i miss eating at la taqueria in san francisco. this place is dangerously near my office on 14th street! i wonder why i haven't noticed it yet? i'll have to get over there in the next day or two.
cybercita at 11:14PM on 01/12/10
Looks good- I love quesadilla's like that. Definitely makes me long for the days when Ana's Taqueria (Brookline, Boston) was right outside my window...
RachelDP at 11:21PM on 01/12/10
Zach Brooks mentioned Ana's while we were eating at Dos Toros.
Ed Levine at 11:26PM on 01/12/10
How do they compare to Freebirds?
Lyra Ngalia at 11:28PM on 01/12/10
I don't think it's ok to dry out meat... I just like my carnitas a bit crispy.
Zach Brooks at 11:28PM on 01/12/10
crispy on the outside, tender and juicy on the inside, dude:)
Ed Levine at 11:33PM on 01/12/10
I don't have any specific beef with Dos Toros. I do have a beef with anyone that says this place is "Mission Style" or authentic. Find me one place in the Mission that uses guacamole instead of fresh avocados. The majority of the popular taquerias in the Mission (Farrolito, Cancun, etc) grill the tortillas used for burritos and refuse to steam them (for a reason). The Dos Toros "carne asada" doesn't resemble any skirt steak I've ever had in the Mission. Isn't skirt steak supposed to be thin? Dos Toros puts the NYC style red or green sauce on their food. In the Mission it's always a fresh pico de gallo. If you do the research, these guys actually copied a generic college town "taqueria" in Berkeley named Gordos that caters to college kids on a budget from all over the country, not to the Mission or the Mexican population elsewhere. Is Dos Toros bad? No, but it is not "Mission Style." Or is Mission Style just any big burrito with some beans, meat, and rice in it? The qualifications seem very low if that is the case.
greekzo at 11:56PM on 01/12/10
Are all the tortillas wheat (de harina) or do they (please say yes) have corn tortillas also?
Dogwood at 12:29AM on 01/13/10
Looks tempting.....
BritneyWales at 7:02AM on 01/13/10
The smaller ones for the tacos are corn.
Ed Levine at 7:24AM on 01/13/10
Thanks for posting this review, Ed!
I'm looking forward to trying Dos Toros on for size - while I'll be the first to argue against anyone who says there's no good Mexican food in New York, I haven't yet found a burrito close to the ones I used to eat at La Taqueria, Farolito and Ojo De Agua in the Bay Area.
I used to live one block away from Gordo's in the Elmwood district of Berkeley, and as a poor college student I ate there probably once a week. I hope that Dos Toros ups the ante on them, because those meals always felt like an admission of defeat, much like eating at Chipotle here - nothing to scoff at, but only a placeholder for the real thing :]
James Boo at 9:02AM on 01/13/10
@James - I couldn't agree more with this statement:
"I'll be the first to argue against anyone who says there's no good Mexican food in New York, I haven't yet found a burrito close to the ones I used to eat at La Taqueria, Farolito and Ojo De Agua in the Bay Area."
SO TRUE!!!
Zach Brooks at 9:04AM on 01/13/10
@James you're not going to be surprised. Dos Toros is basically a clone of Gordos and nothing even close to the three places you listed. People who say Dos Toros burritos are comparable to any authentic Mission burritos have either never had one or forgotten how good they are. I'd rather have Dos Toros over Chipotle, but they still aren't what I'm looking for.
greekzo at 9:12AM on 01/13/10
I haven't tried this place yet, but we usually satisfy our burrito and taco cravings at Downtown Bakery (East Village...especially love the carne asada and the chicken mole burrito) or Great Burrito (23rd st). I wonder how these compare...Both, I would say, are considerably better than Chipotle.
Maggie Hoffman at 9:50AM on 01/13/10
wow if you even have to compare it with shipotle then its already bad even if its better. Thats what I love about NYers and their "we have the best everything" nah not really...NY has no good Mexican food and never has. Hell the "mission style" buritto aint even real Mexican...but yall still have the best pizza right? nah
http://chibbqking.blogspot.com/search/label/mexican%20food
KingT at 9:52AM on 01/13/10
the tacos were meh. gotta try the burrito.
walk down to La Lucha in the E.Village for good tacos.
travpard at 10:09AM on 01/13/10
Yum. But you really do need to review Cascabel on the Upper East. Heck, I'll treat you. Truly wonderful everytime.
RickyT at 10:14AM on 01/13/10
These "food fights" are just a little stupid. I won't be going to California any time soon and could care less if what we have here is real Mexican or not. If it tastes good, I'm in.
QueenAlli at 10:16AM on 01/13/10
wasn't it called kitchen market? i miss that place - they had the absolute best chips and guac ever.
loreal8 at 10:35AM on 01/13/10
@Queenalli - I'd agree that food fights are stupid - I don't really feel the need to single out people for not having grown up on a certain kind of burrito. I'm hoping that the general idea behind some of these comments is to avoid oversimplifying the conversation, not to attack the credibility of those contributing to it :)
James Boo at 10:46AM on 01/13/10
I apologize in advance, if this isn't a good place to post this -
" I am a fan of Chipotle—I have a lot of respect for what they do, as responsible citizens turning out tasty food while operating in the fast-food realm."
I know that no company is perfect, but there's a bit of criticism out there against Chipotle - they are not as " responsible" as they claim. just for awareness please read.
http://tinyurl.com/kqy626
pickle at 11:00AM on 01/13/10
I dislike the bulging "Mission style" no matter where it's from and what it's stuffed with. For me, only Southern California style will do. A SoCal/NoMex burrito is simply meat (no, I won't say "protein") and maybe a slather of guacamole--no rice, no beans, no drippy salsa, cheese or anything else. If you want the burritista to add something else like cheese or beans, you can certainly request it, but that's not the way it normally comes. It's a purist burrito that can easily be eaten with one hand, not some unwieldy, one-pound behemoth that's likely to burst and drip on you before you've finished it.
Lorenzo at 11:54AM on 01/13/10
I had two insanely satisfying tacos there myself last week! If you're curious, you can read about me experince here:
Union Squared | PHUDE-nyc
kacnyc at 12:15PM on 01/13/10
For those who say there is indeed quality Mexican food in NYC, where?
If the place uses sour cream, cheddar/jack cheese it's automatically out.
Places that include oaxaca, chihuahua, cotija, queso fresco need only apply.
wahbjo01 at 12:48PM on 01/13/10
For really good, non-chain-style Mexican, y'all really need to check out Grand Burrito (SW corner of 23rd/5th), open 24/7.
drmoze at 12:57PM on 01/13/10
Give up on finding anything remotely "Mission Style" in New York and either go to San Francisco for the real thing at El Farolito or head down to Sunset Park for some worthy alternatives.
tortor at 1:44PM on 01/13/10
SO AGREE with Wahbjo01. Ugh. This place was crappy and badly done and slow. Nothing at all like SF burritos. (I grew up in SF.) Another NY fail.
NYminknit at 2:51PM on 01/13/10
Anyone who doesn't believe that there is good, even great Mexican food in NYC hasn't looked hard enough. Hint: it isn't to be found in shiny Manhattan restaurants covered in the Times.
bedwell at 8:54PM on 01/13/10
I don't know. This was like a step up from Chipotle but not revelatory. Have sampled 3 different burritos from here. Two fell apart (carnitas), one held (chicken) — and that one probably held together b/c the chicken was so dry and had no juice to damage the tortilla's structural integrity. And this was after we/I asked them "to not overstuff it" and ordered only rice, beans, and "a little" salsa and hot sauce. I don't even want to know what a the-works burrito here would be like.
Adam Kuban at 10:55PM on 01/13/10
I went with 3 friends on Tuesday night. I had the chicken burrito 2 of my friends had the carnitas and one had the steak. The one's who had the chicken and pork all felt they were the best burritos we had had in NYC in a long while. The steak burrito person said it was just fine - but noted that all the other ingrediants were very good. I felt like everything tasted super-fresh - guac was mild but very good. Pico de gallo was A+ and Chicken that night was perfect. I'll be back.
DessertBuzz at 9:19AM on 01/14/10
I laugh when people say no good Mexican food in NYC (as if this were the 1980's or something)
If there are Mexicans here, then there is good Mexican food here. You're too clueless to find it; well all the more for me.
As a born and bred Los Angelino, trust me; there's good Mexican food in NYC.
bebo at 12:56PM on 01/14/10
Dos Toros is crap. Their tacos were meh and their burritos were nothing special. The only people who like it are NYU students who have never had real good Mexican food.
@bebo name some places! I've checked various hole in the wall/bodega Mexican places around the city and yet to have my mind blown. It's like all crappy Mexican cooks all moved and settled in NYC. The closest thing to mind-blowing Mexican I was at this small Mexican restaurant in White Plains.
Serious_Cynic at 1:16PM on 01/14/10
Again, to the people that claim there is quality Mexican food and say the rest of us are "too clueless" or haven't looked hard enough I pose the same question:
Where is it?
Quick to criticize yet no offering in where it can be found.
wahbjo01 at 1:45PM on 01/14/10
There's a huge difference between Mexican and Tex Mex...this sounds like Tex Mex to me.
Major Texas cities have the state-local Freebird's chain. It's great.
Hobsy at 2:27PM on 01/14/10
@RachelDP
I love Anna's! Better than any other burrito I've had in New England and way way better/cheaper than Chipotle. I haven't had their quesadillas yet but now I'll have to try them this weekend when I make the two hour haul to Boston...
slin1 at 8:19PM on 01/14/10
@Hobsy, funny enough Freebirds started in Santa Barbara, CA.
thesteveroller at 8:24PM on 01/14/10
i've only been once, and had a burrito. i was surprised to learn that they use nixtamal tortillas for the tacos, cause my biggest problem with the burrito was the tortilla, which resembled the wrap that you get with mushu pork.
can anyone compare the quesadilla to the one from calexico? this sounds fairly similar.
bgruber at 3:50AM on 01/15/10
@thesteveroller, I totally knew that! One of my best friends from high school is a regional manager in Ft. Worth. The franchise is now a completely different one from the original store. The identity, recipes, etc. were purchased from the location in Santa Barbara and transformed into what it is today.
Hobsy at 12:18PM on 01/15/10
The food at Tortilleria Nixtamal itself in Corona is pretty great. Definitely worth a visit.
I used to go to both La Cascada and Cancun in Berkeley, Pancho Villa in the Mission, when I lived there in the 90s. Some of them steamed their tortillas and it made for a delicious burrito, so no reason to look down upon that technique. I was never a Gordo's fan.
It's nice to want to find a good Mission-style burrito in NYC, but I've given up and have embraced the regional style of the NYC immigrants. Tacos are the name of the game! So simple and so delicious. Again, Tortilla Nixtamal - it's awesome!
megc at 1:19PM on 01/15/10
"Thats what I love about NYers and their "we have the best everything" "
You accidentally wrote "NY" instead of "San Francisco"
hlance at 1:27PM on 01/15/10
Thanks for the write up--I'm not a real fan of Chipotle either, for most of the reasons you've listed (that, and the hair I found in my burrito). The Pizzeria Bianco of tacos is at Tacos Parilla de Villa in Central Phoenix--Thursday through Sunday they turn out fresh, bright, and soul satisfying tacos, burritos, and quesadillas. They also make a mean orchada!
MattTalksTacos at 12:41PM on 01/17/10
freebirds stinks. aggies like it because they like anything that reminds them of college station (just like they like the horrible double dave's).
carriebwc at 10:57AM on 01/18/10
I believe that there might be good Mexican food in NY*, but what there isn't (and this is why I complain without offering alternatives) is that there is no good Northern Californian-Mexican food.
*like at my bodega!
Just like pizza has changed dramatically since being introduced in the US, so has Mexican food. In Texas, (well, at least according to my ex-boyfriend, a Texan), it took on a lot of the attributes of the Germans who were living in Texas--a tendency towards heavy starchiness (refried instead of black beans), a fondness for queso dip (that might be related to the football part of Texas), etc.
Northern Californian (aka "Mission-style burritos") is a thing unto itself, and has been transformed from its original Mexican roots. It's not about Mexican authenticity, it's about Californian authenticity. And this is why Dos Toros is bad.
NYminknit at 12:10PM on 01/18/10
I'm sorry, but the day I eat an above-average burrito in New York is the day hell freezes over. I had a better burrito in Berlin than I've ever eaten here. New York "Mexican" food is just a waste of money. I've basically given up my hope of finding a place that doesn't suck and/or isn't overpriced. The only time I get a decent Mexican or Tex-Mex meal for a reasonable price (read: CHEAP) is when I'm home in Texas. I simply don't eat it here because I always feel like a sucker when I do.
And when did California become an authority on Mexican food?? The alleged fajitas I ate at Merrick's in WeHo were a disappointment and a total ripoff. Don't even get me started on the queso.
With one or two exceptions, the only outstanding meals I've eating in NYC have cost $50-$100+ dollars. They weren't Mexican, and there was no fresh produce involved--because there doesn't seem to be any such thing as fresh produce on this damn island unless it was grown in limited qualities on a yuppie farm upstate.
lindasusername at 1:25PM on 01/18/10
i really enjoy this place
burrito bowl is a winner!
Jason NYC at 4:22PM on 01/20/10
i wish the food here tasted half as good as it looks in the photos. someone above mentioned anna's in boston. anyone who has tried anna's would be so let down with dos toros.
justcook at 4:35PM on 01/23/10
I finally got around to trying a burrito from Dos Toros, and it was almost identical to a burrito from Gordo's in Berkeley. Slightly better in the quality of tortilla and condiments, slightly worse in the lack of a chile verde option (my carnitas with green sauce were pleasantly juicy, but not all too flavorful).
I definitely wouldn't compare this to a burrito from the Mission, but as many have pointed out, what's the point in doing that anyway? This is a decent bite all-around. If you don't have the alpha burrito hangups that us Mexicali loyalists so lovingly cling to, it'll do fine. For superior Mexican, head down to Sunset Park.
James Boo at 5:21PM on 01/23/10
Gave this place a try for the first time last night and it was good! I had the basic enchilada (no protein) and it was yummy -- better than expected. Definitely ranks as one of the best enchiladas I've had from DC to NY so far.
zilla.cong at 1:13AM on 01/24/10
The fact that you would use Chipotle as some kind of gauge for good Mexican food is REEEDICULOUS. It's terrible. I think you need to develop your palette some more.
meatball at 11:25PM on 01/24/10
I ate here on Saturday with my husband and we were really disappointed. He got a carne asada quesadilla and crispy pork taco and I got a black bean burrito. Everything was incredibly bland, especially my burrito. There wasn't a drop of seasoning or salt in the beans - it's like they were taken straight from a can - and the rice was comparably bland. The only good thing about our meal was the extra cup of tomatillo salsa we asked for, the tortillas, and the cans of Tecate for $2.30.
BTW, @meatball, it's PALATE.
bklyn_foodster at 11:29AM on 02/17/10
As a borned and raised Mexican is still amazes me everyday that you can actually call this food Mexican "Burritos"??? WE DONT HAVE THEM IN MEXICO!!
mexicanfoodlover at 11:51AM on 02/25/10
Here's my review and my recommendations on some alternatives:
http://3kmne.blogspot.com/2010/03/dos-toros-tacqueria-new-york.html
spnder at 2:23AM on 03/15/10