Cheap Eat of the Week: El Trompo’s tacos al pastor
By Gizelle Lau
Tacos al pastor (Image: Gizelle Lau)
It used to be really hard to come by Mexican food — and I mean real Mexican food — in this city. When you had a nasty hankering for tacos, you had to make do.
Thankfully, in the past few years, Mexican cuisine has made a quiet but certain ascent into Toronto’s food scene with an influx of tortilleria shops, fine Mexican restaurants like Frida or Milagro, contemporary Mexican-fusion with ex-Origin’s Steve Gonzales, trendy pop-ups like La Carnita, food trucks like El Gastrónomo Vagabundo or the more permanent Agave y Aguacate at Pancho’s Bakery.
In the midst of it all, the casual El Trompo Restaurant in Kensington Market has been my go-to for its quick, non-fuss fare like the tacos al pastor ($9.75), often with a side of guacamole, the weekend-only pozole with crunchy tostadas and of course, a margarita ($6.25) to get the day started.
Tacos al pastor is a popular dish in central Mexico and Mexico City, likely influenced by the wave of Middle-Eastern immigrants that came to Mexico in the early and mid-1900s. It’s considered an adaptation of roasted meat dishes like Lebanese shawarma, Turkish kebab or Greek gyros.
Traditionally, meat is marinated in chilies and then roasted on an upright rotisserie (or trompo) spit by open flame. At El Trompo, pork is marinated in a traditional sauce and served on soft corn tortillas with sweet pineapple, cilantro and onion. The dish is finished with a squirt of lime and a dollop of green or red salsa for a taste of sweet, savory and spicy all at once. It never gets old.
El Trompo Restaurant, 277 Augusta Ave., 416-260-0097
Gizelle Lau is a food and travel writer and photographer in Toronto who lives from one meal to the next. Her column, Cheap Eat of the Week, highlights dishes that costs $10 or less. Follow her on Twitter for your daily dose of food from in/around the city.
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