Placos Tacos Mexican Food & Bar – 21 Kensington Ave, Toronto, ON M5T 2J8
Country: Mexico         
Must-try dish: Chicharron Castacan Quesadilla 
Dinner guests: Dancing Queen & Pornstar Sam 
Seating: Indoor seating, with picnic tables in the front and a big back patio
The high: These are the best tacos that we’ve had in the city. 
The low: There’s no carne asada on the menu. Missed opportunity! 

“Mild, medium, or spicy?” That’s the million dollar question at Placos Tacos when you make your order for tacos, burritos, or quesadillas. 

Placos Tacos is located in a pretty house on Kensington Avenue in the heart of Kensington market. It feels like you’re walking straight into someone’s home, so don’t feel alarmed as you step into the restaurant. Once you’re in, there are plenty of tables, “Dia de los Muertos” artwork, a stocked bar, and a big patio in the back for the warmer months. 

Ariadna, the restaurant manager will pleasantly greet you upon walking in and make sure that you’re quickly sorted out with a drink before going through the menu with you. The appetizers are straightforward with tostadas, guacamole, and nacho options. These all come out quickly to munch on while perusing the menu for the next course. 

Guacamole held it down for the first course. The chips were those thick, unsalted ones that are baked and perfect for scooping up the dip without breaking. It was tangy and fresh – a terrific pairing with our margaritas and micheladas.There’s an extensive choice of flavours for the margaritas from classic to tamarind to strawberry, while a michelada comes with the clamato, spices, and your pick of Mexican beer. 

Whether a group of four, or even two, the quesadilla comes highly recommended for sharing. There are four triangle shaped pieces with the filling of your choice – ours was the Chicharron Castacan, which are fried pieces of pork belly that become crunchy during the cooking process, all you add is the melted cheese and the tortilla, and you’ve got yourself the quesadilla. This was the must-try dish of the night because it’s often overlooked yet delicious, and we all loved every bite of it. 

The quesadillas, tacos, and burritos are all fluid with spice levels – eaters’ choice in curating their order for  mild, medium, or hot. The spicy isn’t whitewashed, so spice haters beware. Since tacos are a personal dining journey, we all ordered three of our own. 

• California Shrimp: These grilled delights are served with crunchy vegetables, melted cheese, and a smokey chipotle mayo. It’s a fresh and flavourful dish that was a highlight of the meal for everyone who ate it. 
• Birria: This is what we came for, and it didn’t disappoint. There’s the option of getting it with or without cheese, but as it cooks the cheese oozes in all the knicks and crannies of the beef pieces and stays ever-present in each bite. As always, the consomme comes alongside it for dipping or sipping, do you.  
• Cochinita Pibil: This award-winning pork recipe hails from the Yuccatan. The meat is marinated and slow-cooked in a banana leaf. The chef at Placos Tacos was awarded the title of best taco in the city from judges who came all the way from Mexico. You don’t want to miss this one! 
• Pastor: The sweet and savoury duo – this delicious taco is difficult to find in Toronto, let alone a good one. The pork is slow-cooked with spices and topped with onion, cilantro and pineapple. Even if you’re not a pineapple on pizza type of person, this taco will rock your world. Travellers from the Middle East brought spices and cooking techniques to Mexico, which ultimately led to this taco being created. Often, the meat is on a pit twirling around as it cooks all day like a shawarma, Mexican style. 

There are notable taco fillings that we missed such as the Chicken Tinga, Nopal, and the Carnita, so another trip is in the books. But until then, we’re happy with what we tasted on our first trip. It’s daunting trying to find an authentic restaurant in the city since so many exist, yet so many are disappointing. We can finally sleep well knowing that one does exist. 

There was no way that dessert was being skipped when Tres Leches Cake was on the menu. These cute, miniature cakes were fluffy, creamy and sweet, with so much caramel. Again, this isn’t always on the menu, so when you catch it, you must get it.  

Although the food was incredible, the thing that stuck out the most was the service and attention from the staff. They took the time to go through the menu, discuss the cooking techniques, and share their favourites on the menu with us. The quality and care is unparalleled, and it’s just an added bonus that we loved the food.  

Eat with you soon, 

Mandrea Bike
(Mat & Andrea)