El hijo de TIZOC  – 797 Gerrard St E, Toronto, ON M4M 1Y5
Country: Mexico
Must-try dish: Pulled Pork Enchiladas 
Dinner guests: Horse Girl
Seating: Indoor seating only. 
The high: The alternative options of Mexican dishes available. 
The low: The space is small so it fills up fast.

El Hijo de TIZOC has a new home in the east end after moving from the west end at the end of the summer. During the day, the front windows are open giving a breeze and light to the otherwise dark restaurant, while the space in the nighttime has a vibe with fairy lights and loud Spanish music that’s inviting for the passersby on the sidewalk. 

On the weekends, there’s an all day Mexican breakfast that’s a delicious alternative to the tacos and quesadillas that are the more common fare at Mexican restaurants in the city. You can pick your own food adventure with a number of options for the base, the protein, and the toppings. 

On a Sunday afternoon, we opted to taste a few items from different sections of the menu to try a variety of meats and dishes on offer. The Pulled Pork Enchiladas, which are on the breakfast menu were one of our favourites, and it’s a hearty plate indeed. Picture four tortillas wrapped into tubes and stuffed with decadent pork and then doused with green and red chili sauces. Spice haters beware – there’s a kick to this dish. The meal is served with velvety refried beans, rice, pickled onions and guacamole. 

It was hard not to immediately gravitate towards the Sexy Birria, which are three tacos decked out with slow cooked beef in a rich consume, which comes on the side too. It’s totally worth the mess, and tastes even better with the melted cheese on top. It’s almost impossible to dismiss a birria option on a menu, especially when it’s sexy. 

The range of taco options is tempting to explore. You can order “dos” or “cuatro”, which is a combination of two of the same taco fillings for the former, and for the latter you get four tacos with two flavour combinations. On this particular day, the Carne Asada and the Chicharron were the picks. Carne Asada are strips of barbecued beef, while the Chicharron are seasoned pork shavings. They balanced each other out for flavour. They come served on corn tortilla shells. 

Finally, another highlight of the meal were the Chorizo Quesadillas, which are perfect for sharing in a group. The quesadilla itself is cooked in a half moon formation and then cut into three triangle pieces. It’s oozing with melted cheese, and the right balance of meat inside it. This dish was a close second for our must-try dish. 

A Mexican meal without Churros is not worth having. This addictive dessert never disappoints with the dulce de leche interior and crispy dough exterior. There’s a chocolate dipping sauce too! 

El hijo de TIZOC has an extensive bar and Mexican beer list if you’re in the mood for a drink or two. Certainly the atmosphere in the evenings would make it tempting. But there are otherwise all the classic non-alcoholic favourites like Jarritos and pop. 

The variety of Mexican dishes makes this an exciting place to eat to try new things and step away from only eating tacos. Although we had our fair share of them, we would actually recommend going off-pite by ordering something different on the menu. You can’t go wrong here between the food, atmosphere, and service. 

Eat with you soon, 

Mandrea Bike
(Mat & Andrea)