Pachuco

great place for Mexican on the Danforth. Quite similar to Playa Cabana. the guacamole (I think we got the cactus one) and the adobo beef was amazing (I’m biased cause of the coffee).
The restaurant is very small though so if you can make reservations I would do so.

So, ok, this place has all the makings of a super-​sexy, intimate night out with your lova. Until you make your way into the dark, prohibition-​style basement setting and realize that it is literally 50 below zero and have to wear your parka through dinner. Sorry, fancy new date shirt, you won’t see the light of day in this place (or complete lack thereof).
It’s a dark, dank cantina setting. Very authentic feeling, with a very authentic, adventurous, but smallish on the entrée side of things menu.
If you’ve read any of my past reviews, you know I strive to find the best Mexican food. When I was pregnant with Baby #1, I wanted, nay, needed Mexican food 3 – 5 times per week. At that time, we frequented La Cabana on the Danforth (now closed, RIP) and I should have probably made Eduardo my son’s Godfather. Real talk. Then we tried the other places– El Sol and a handful of others– and nothing really compared.
So, while Pachuco has a lovely, intimate setting, it is absolutely tiny (can’t seat more than 20 people, max) and a limited menu that actually does NOT feature a chicken dish. Seriously. Duck? Check. Cactus? Check. Chicken? Nope. Like, why? Really.
The guacamole was great and I’d likely try the goat cheese guacamole were I to venture back. It’s definitely and obviously child-​unfriendly, which is fine, but I still think you should know, and the staff are… meh…they’re ok. Nothing fantastic or exciting.
Given I’m pregnant now with Baby 2 who apparently doesn’t like Mexican food as much, I am also not drinking, but their margarita sampler was crazy popular and it looks like it’s delicious. The prices are average-​moderately expensive and we went on a Wednesday to a packed house, so I can imagine the weekends are harder still.

Um no. Just because you throw fabric napkins over your food doesn’t mean you’re wicked. I’m sorry, I wanted to be the person to jazz up my description like, «oooh la la its so cozy and intimate» but it just wasn’t; it was way too small.
I was late meeting up with my friends and they had all ordered drinks. I asked the waiter for the most popular beverage and he recommended the cucumber margarita. Little did I know that I could have gotten 3 of those margaritas for $ 15 instead of 1 for $ 10! And when I asked the waiter if I could change it, he said, No. NO??! REALLY? He said it was because the bartender had already started making it. It’s the SAME thing and you know it! That’s comin outta the tip fo sho! Also, it took forever to even get the drinks and I don’t know why. BAD!
Then my friends got two appetizers; the guacamole and the guacamole with feta. They both had ZERO flavor. If you wanna get fancy, you could say, the flavor was silent like the «N» in damn or the «X» in faux pas! There was no feta in that guac and u know it Pachuco! hmmph!
The only thing good about this place was the portion size and the clean washrooms. However, due to the large portion size and high price, one would feel an obligation to complete their meal right? I heard some Chewbacca noises in the ladies washroom coming from the occupied stalls. A similar chant was heard 4 hours later coming from the washroom in my home. I was the only person home. 3 stars! MEH!

Brief review about this place. Quite small and cozy. Really gets loud due to how small it is and people trying to yell over each other.
Pros
Great drink sampler
Great guacamole
Good fish tacos
Cons
Service takes a while
Rest of the menu is ok
I would more than likely go back though.

Tucked away in the basement of Embrujo Flamenco lies the speakeasy-​esque charms of Pachuco. Descending the wooden stairs into the intimate grotto like space you’ll feel as though you’ve stepped into a bar in Kensington or Ossie, it’s got that hip local happening vibe kind of feel to it.
Service here is very friendly, warm and polite, although there was a bit of wait for our reserved table and a fair bit of confusion with regards to our drink orders, no matter I was in no rush and once I got my teeth into their awesome Margaritas it was all good!
Like I said, put your pesos on the fab Margaritas especially the 3 Margarita sampler ($ 15) in which you can choose from an interesting array of flavours strawberry-​mint, blueberry, mango, spicy cucumber, raspberry etc. SALUD!!!
My DC’s order the Taquitos de Machaca, which apparently was very reminiscent of adobo and the Alitas con Chamoy or chicken wings, which win a nod of approval from my fellow diners (not so much in the way of spice but a nice zing nonetheless) while I order the Taquitos estilo Baja. The fish tacos were so-​so, very Gringo-​fied in flavour as the halibut was super coated in thick batter, and brought to mind those Captain Highliner fish sticks more so than an actual Baja style taco.
Tip: It gets pretty loud and crowded in here, so don’t expect to carry-​on any important intellectual convo, or business type dining. Also the dancers from the flamenco club upstairs pass through Pachucos to change costumes, so it may be a bit distracting, if not somewhat eye-​catching.
All-​in-​all Pachuco is a great place to catch-​up for drinks and modern Mexican food, and a welcome addition of Latin flavour to the sometimes over hellenic tastes of the Danforth.

Competent food. Excellent guacamole. Try the different varieties, all very good. The margarita sampler is a great way to try different beverages. Cucumber margarita was exceptional. Tacos were good, pork and duck above average. Fish taco good but heavily battered. Too bad they don’t make their own taco shells. Too loud for good conversation, we had people almost screaming at each other to be heard. Beverages a bit steep in price, but mixed drinks were all tasty. Service friendly but slow.

Amazing time! Amazing food!

A nice little restaurant located underneath another related but much larger latin restaurant. Lots of exposed brick, dim lights, and only a dozen or so tables makes this a very cozy spot for a date night or catching up with a friend.
Food — recommend the guacamole. They have different types to try and they come with a basket of nice and thick blue corn chips. Tried the Bolobanes de Pollo, which are like small dumpling shaped empanadas. I wouldn’t be dying to try those again — they were ok. The taquitos were very good. We tried the pulled pork and fish. The pork tacos were paired with a salsa/​chipotle mayo and the fish was deep fried and paired with a mexican cole slaw.
Drinks — my partner had a margarita sampler which she really enjoyed. Out of the 3, the raspberry one was her favorite. I had a Mexican beer. Drinks were too expensive in my opinion — $ 8 for bottled beer, no draft beer and very limited wine by the glass/​bottle selection. There were a lot of mexican soda selections if you like non-​alcoholic beverages.
With a very competent and warm service, we enjoyed our first visit to Pachuco and would highly recommend.
The only drawback at this time is value for money — prices are fairly high for both food and drink in my opinion, which is perhaps even more obvious when having Mexican food.

Shakespeare may have been on to something when he wrote the line «Get thee to a nunnery» (Hamlet) — at least where Mexican food is concerned. In the 1800s one main function of nuns was to cook for the monks and priests; it was behind convent walls that some of Mexico’s best dishes were born.
While the three sisters who own Pachuco don’t don habits and you won’t see any rosaries — the food is delicious!
Mali Fernandez does Mod Mex in the kitchen and definitely introduced me to a side of Mexican cuisine different from what I knew. Tonight’s menu featured cuisine from Central Mexico, specifically from the region of Puebla.
The subterranean restaurant is cozy and intimate. The bartender was whipping up plenty of yummy margaritas from cucumber, guava to raspberry. My favourite was the refreshing cucumber margarita with a hint of ginger.
The evening started with a Jicama-​Pineapple Salad atop a bed of Romaine lettuce and mint and lemon dressing. I loved the crispy-​sweet combo of the pineapple and jicama coupled with hints of citrus. A great way to stir your appetite!
The second course was a Trio of Gorditas featuring huitlacoche which has been dubbed the Mexican truffle and is considered a delicacy though it is easily accessible. It was slightly sweet and earthy like most funghi. However, my favourite of the three would have had to be the Chorizo + Potato because I like my Mexican food with a bit of zing. The third was Chicken in Pipian sauce made with pumpkin seed and green tomatillo. It loosely reminded me of the texture of canned tuna.
The tour de force for me was the Chile en Nogada, a seasonal dish from the region of Puebla. It is typically consumed in the months of August/​September when pomegranates and walnuts are in season which coincides with Mexican Independence Day. Because the dish contains ingredients that are representative of the Mexican flag (red, white and green); it is a very symbolic and patriotic dish. The dish is made with Poblano chiles that are stuffed with meat, dried fruits and smothered in a walnut sauce with pomegranate seeds as garnish. This was a rich dish — both in history and for the palate.
The evening ended off with a Sweet Corn Flan which was finished off with a Rompope sauce (an egg nog-​like drink made with eggs, milk and vanilla) with a splash of brandy and finished with a caramel drizzle. The Rompope reminded me very much of Dutch Advocaat which I love to drink at Christmas. The texture of this cake was nice and airy, somewhere between a custard and a sponge cake. The natural sweetness from the corn coupled with the brandy in the Rompope really enhanced the overall flavour of the flan.
I really enjoyed my dinner at Pachuco because it highlighted a different side of Mexican cuisine that I had never experienced before. I will definitely be back for some great food and to check out sister restaurant Embrujo Flamenco upstairs for some tapas and highly praised paella. If I’m lucky I may even be able to come on Sunday, Thursday, Friday or Saturday where they feature live flamenco dancers.

This is fresh, clean flavours in Mexican food — not the overly cheesed and larded up stuff that seems to pass for Mexican food in a lot of places.
We had the guacamole sampler with traditional, cactus and smoked fish. All three were fresh with vibrant flavours. To my mind the cactus one was the best of the three, and the smoked trout didn’t really seem to benefit from the trout, though the smokiness was a nice touch. The traditional guacamole was quite good as well.
We also had the margarita sampler, with traditional, peach and spicy cucumber. I found the peach too sweet, though my wife liked it, and the spicy cucumber (the most popular according to our waiter) was quite good, as was the traditional.
Mains were what the waiter said were the two most popular — pulled pork and fish, after he seemed less than enthusiastic about the corn truffle. Fish were excellent — crispy, warm and well-​seasoned. The pulled pork was good — fresh clear flavours, though it didn’t seem to stand out in any way.
The flan we had for dessert was also very well done.
The restaurant itself is tiny — like 23 seats, with attentive but not obsequious staff. The ambiance is relaxed and nothing fancy.
This is probably the best Mexican restaurant I’ve been to in Toronto, and you can easily do a lot worse.

Finally posting my review of this tucked-​away gem on the Danforth (practically across from Broadview subway station). I chose this place for an anniversary dinner, because a taqueria sounded damn tasty for a hot summer outing. (We even checked beforehand, and yes! they do have a/​c!)
Pachuco has a cosy dining room in the basement of another restaurant. The setting is casual fine dining, with fun Mexican-​themed décor. They even had an old b&w movie playing over the bar to add a little je né sais quoi!
Started with the raspberry mojito — an eyeopener! So tasty, with all the crushed berries making this a minty, raspberry explosion of yumminess.
For appetizer our waiter tried to tempt us with the various types of guacamole on the menu (fish was an option) but we stuck with the plain jane version. Still an excellent choice. We wanted to save room for tacos!
Tacos were the piece de resistance in the meal, and Pachuco delivers. I had three good-​sized fish tacos, really bursting with flavour. I was in heaven! The only slight drawback with my choice was the fish were breaded and deep-​fried, which some people may enjoy, but just leaves me feeling a little bloated. I would choose another taco next time; there are lots of varieties to choose from.
The server was attentive, friendly, and knowledgeable. Maybe a little over zealous in attention to our table (considering we were looking for an intimate meal tête-​à-​tête), but easily forgiven!

This restaurant has a nice vibe for a basement. The bathrooms are dank and smelly like most basement bathrooms tend to be on the Danforth, but at least they tried to make them look pretty. Service was slow, in fact some people that arrived after us were served before us. After ordering I was disappointed that our guacamole arrived before my mojito. Apparently it takes a long time to crush the mint according to our waiter, but I think it had more to do with the bartender”s long personal conversation with another member of the staff. The mojito itself was bitter, which I found odd as I’ve never had a bitter mojit before, it was almost as if some tonic water had been added to it. The smoked trout guacamole and homemade tortilla chips were good, albeit there was very little smoked trout in the guacamole. I would call it guacamole with essence of smoked trout. The fish tacos were very nice, fresh and light tasting which made us hopeful for our next dish which was the tacos with duck confit. I have my suspicions that the duck was actually turkey leg. I have never had such horrible duck in my life. It was very overcooked. There were some bits that were too tough to even chew. Also there were bits of bone in the meat. The hostess told us this is because they scrape the meat off the bone to shred it (Really, the meat was shredded? I don’t think so, it was in big hunks in some sort of sweet red sauce). The portion sizes were not big, but that didn’t bother us much since the food really wasn’t that good. There are so many better Mexican restaurants in Toronto, don’t waste your money here.

Pachuco is my kind of place… Dark, Cozy, Intimate, Small, Personal
Wonderful Service. Awesome Food!
Margarita Sampler $ 15 for 3 flavours… Great for people like me that could not make up their mind. even so, I still could not make up my mind! With the help of my waiter, I ended up having Original, Spicy Mango and Spicy Cucumber… The cucumber is so refreshing… and delicious… and I feel healthy drinking. All three I had are all so tasty and balanced!
Tacos… what should I have for tacos… I wish I can have a Taco Sampler just like the drinks. but I am out of luck… So I decided on the Baja Fish Taco ($ 15)… The batter is a little heavy but still really good! And thanks for my waiter in bringing me their secret house prepared extra spicy chili…
Dessert though is a little disappointing… My Sweet Corn Torte ($ 7) lacks flavour… and sweetness… I don’t think I would order that again…
I’ll be back… I still have another 9 different Margarita flavour to try out and of course the Duck Confit Taco… :)

Pachuco feels like a secretive jazz bar without the jazz or a former bomb shelter turned into an any-​time-​of-​the-​day romantic love den… with, um, mexican food. It’s not that there’s pillows lying around or people serving you food in lingerie, but maybe it’s their lick your finger dips and oozing and slightly sloppy tacos that round out the notion quite delectably.
Try one of their specialty drinks. I had one that combined beer, Worcestershire, soya sauce, chipotle maybe, cant quite remember, but it was refreshing and spicy at the same time.
Dive in and order 3 different kinds of guacamole (pass on the traditional — BORING CHOICE — even if it is tasty — besides IT COMES IN ALL THE REST OF THE OTHER CHOICES.). We had the blue cheese and walnut, goat cheese and cactus — all great with substantially crunchy tortilla chips.
The four elements that comprised the braised beef tacos — the beef, guacamole, black beans and honey chipotle sauce — were all tasty in and of themselves, and when combined, fabulous, messy and fun.
Pachuco is a small, carefully orchestrated, cozy little lovebite.

I came here last night around 9pm with a friend. The space as mentioned previously, is TINY and the few tables they had were occupied so we grabbed a spot at the bar. I liked the vibe of the place — it was casual and friendly.
I had the margarita sampler — you get 3 small margaritas for $ 15. I had the spicy mango, strawberry mint and cucumber — yum! I liked all 3 but the cucumber had a slight edge simply because I had never had that before.
We also had the guacamole sampler — 3 guacs for around $ 17. We had the blue cheese, walnut, the goat cheese and the regular. I LOVE the idea of samplers. I don’t think I ever would have tried either the blue cheese or goat cheese guacamole and I ended up really liking both of them.
We were really just there for drinks so didn’t have anything else or even really look at the other stuff on the menu but I would definitely recommend if you are looking for a casual place for a drink.

I love that there is Mexican on the Danforth! Olé.
VIBE
It’s downstairs underneath a basement. You’ll also notice flamenco dancers walking back and forth to their gig at neighbour, Emburjo Flamenco.
Lots of deuces and a good six seater in the back, this intimate space also has room at the bar.
One thing about the service: no one greeted me and they saw me! Luckily, my dining partner was already there but still… not a terribly good impression.
Our server was nice but nervous. It was a bit weird. Otherwise, the food was served in good timing. The bill was not. I literally had to go up and I think it took five minutes for the other server to process my bill. It’s not that hard!
WE ATE
The Taquitos de Pato /​Slow cooked duck confit, /​Pear salsa and guajillo peppers /​
This, unfortunately, was a bit of a disappointing dish. It had flavour but not enough and it looked a bit unappetizing in the bowl. And yes, the set up is, you get five tortillas and a bowl and you make your own taco. I don’t know. I think it’s a bit counter intuitive to a restaurant.
The baja fish tacos were a bit better but in comparison to Grand Electric were too over dressed. Let the fish speak for itself! On top of that the tacos had guacamole on them.
This is the thing: if you are selling about five different types of guacamole as an appetizer and expect your patrons to get tacos afterwards, put the guacamole on the side! I told our waiter this so hopefully he will relay the message.
It’s a bit of a guacamole overload! But the guac was good. That said, not sure if I’d want to try the other guacamole recipes. I’m a fan of the tried and true recipe. Guacamole is not something you mess with especially if you’re an authentic Mexican restaurant.
Another note: if you do like to guac it up, they have samplers! SMART idea.
No alcohol this time but they serve coke in the bottle and it’s a big bottle! Yum. Me likey.
OBLIGATORY CATCHY REMARK
It’s a nice change to see something different and new on the Danforth. I also like that it’s close to the subway at Broadview. But there can be too much of a good thing (i.e. guacamole). Nice for snacks and a drink. That said, the baja fish taco award goes to Grand Electric.
Another note: NO DEBIT. There’s a CIBC across the street so make sure you have some dollar bills!

Pachuco is an intimate restaurant located on the basement level of Embrujo on the Danforth. Don’t let the stairs down scare you — there is nothing about Pachuco that is «basement-​y». The restaurant is warm and offers «modern mexican» cuisine. There are no sloppy chimichangas thrown on plates here — everything is made fresh and extreme care goes in to every dish. The servers and bartenders were knowledgeable about every dish on the menu and were happy to offer their suggestions if you can’t decide what to order (everything sounded amazing!).
While the décor is elegant, the music is fun and casual (not obnoxious — no pop or Top 40 here) and the vibe is more casual than pretentious.
The menu is reasonably priced, although not if you want to try everything like me!
We ordered the blue cheese guacamole to start and were impressed. Not enough chips by my standards, but I’m sure we could have asked for more without a problem. The guac tasted fresh — I like knowing my food hasn’t been sitting in plastic containers in a fridge for a week.
For dinner we ordered the fish and beef brisket tacos (Taquitos estilo Baja and Taquitos de Machaca). The fish was breaded and fried (not sure what fish was used) and I wanted seconds as soon as I finished. I would come back every day for them if I could! The beef brisket was good — a nice combo of the dark, coffee flavours went well with the sweet flavours of the guac and salsa. There was a bit of spice to the dish as well.
These dishes were washed down nicely with the margarita sampler — 3 flavours for $ 15. We had the traditional lime (my personal favourite), spicy mango (my boyfriend’s favourite) and the guava (meh). We couldn’t get enough so we ordered the Mexican Cosmo.
What I wished I had ordered: the Canadian Churros — «poutine-​style» Churros. Guess I do have to go back :)
Great selection of tequilas!
Great date spot!

There is a new kid in town, and his name is Pachuco — named after the look and style of Mexican youth back in the 1930s to 1950s that dressed in zoot suits. Pachuco opened its doors on Friday, January 13^th, perhaps a sign of bad luck, but that shouldn’t hinder their success.
Pachuco is a small (read: reservations) and cozy space, with exposed brick walls, wrought-​iron décor and, and a pretty impressive wall of wine bottles lit by a neon sign. Even though Pachuco shares a kitchen with older brother and Danforth favourite Embrujo Flamenco, they definitely serve up their own distinctive flavour.
Their menu is well thought out and varied, with an excellent selection of meat, fish and vegetarian dishes. Their appetizer menu alone is worth the trip. With a confident boasting of guacamole flavours, including goat cheese, blue cheese, smoked trout and walnut, and a guacamole sampler patter that allows you to try three of their creations, there is seemingly no end to the interesting flavour combinations. We decided to stick to our guns, however, and go with the traditional guacamole, which was a stellar choice; lots of lime, onion and creamy avocado, but with no flavour left too overpowering. Their homemade tortilla chips have to be mentioned as well: crisp and tasty. I am hoping they will one day provide these in a to-​go bag for purchase before you leave. We also ordered the Chile poblana, swathed in an excellent and perfectly spicy tomato sauce, with queso fresco and refried beans, all baked perfectly. The portion size on both entrees was more than enough for two people, and it could easily serve as a great entrée.
For our meals (both $ 15) we went with the Taquitos de Machaca (coffee and ancho braised beef brisket, with guacamole and honey chipotle salsa), and the pre-​Hispanic delicacy of Taquitos de Huitlacoche (corn truffle, onions, jalapeño peppers, Cazuela beans served with requesón-​avocado salsa). Where to start? Let’s save the most interesting for last. The braised beef was well cooked and well spiced, the chipotle salsa was a great added touch, and one order of beans and rice between the two of us was more than enough to share. In fact, we both left incredibly full. Their fresh-​this-​second corn tortillas are amazing, sweet, soft and still warm from the press, prepared just the way you would expect to find them in a traditional Mexican eatery. The Huitlacoche, however, was an adventure in and of itself.
For those who don’t know (myself included), Huitlacoche is a fungus, which grows naturally on corn in damp environments. The fungus is harvested and has been consumed as a delicacy for centuries in Central and South America cuisine. When it arrived, it tasted smokey and earthy; it looked like a dark mash of black corn, onion– and was that a jalapeño in there? Hard to tell. The dish was good, but I can’t say I would strongly recommend it. Overall, I found the food at Pachuco’s to be mostly over-​salted, and the Huitlacoche had to be the worst offender. This is the main reason why I would not order it again; although the flavour was very different from any other Mexican dishes I have tried, and I actually did enjoy it, I just could not get over the intensity of the salt.
The drinks and food at Pachuco’s ranged from good to very good, and if they could tone down the salt (margaritas included), I would probably rate most of it as excellent. However, I cannot say our overall experience was excellent, but I would not fault them for it in my overall rating. Being that it was their opening weekend, one expects a few hiccups, and I am sure they will be cleared up by the time you visit. I was served the wrong meal at first, and we had to wait about 10 to 15 minutes for the Huitlacoche to be prepared, instead of the fish tacos, (though delightful looking), I was initially served. By the time my dish came around, the other half of our meal was cold. Our side plates and used cutlery were never removed from our table after we finished with our appetizers, and the tables are so small and cramped as it is, there was no room for our mains. Instead of removing our side plates, there was a vain attempt to stuff everything on the table. I eventually had to ask for fresh cutlery and removal of the used dishes from our table. Not once, but twice, we almost had our not-​quite-​finished drinks taken from us, and we had to ask a few times for extra tortillas. It seemed a little strange to me that you would only get four at a time, and as great as they were, they are very, very small, so I imagine each meal would require a minimum of 3 or 4 on its own.
Overall, I think these are minor complaints, especially since it was Pachuco’s opening preview. I found that the service was friendly and genuine, the restaurant was quaint and ambient, with Latin music, candles and a few kitschy décor details, which made it seem authentic and allow it to live up to it’s self-​proclaimed ‘Modern Mexican’ dining experience.