Mountjoy Square is the new neighbourhood of El Grito, the popular Mexican taqueria that opened in Merchant's Arch in Temple Bar in 2015. Run by husband-and-wife team, Tomasz and Lucia Oleksy, (he’s Polish and she’s Mexican), they quickly earned a loyal customer base with their affordable and tasty Mexican street food.
The move northside elevates them from a take-out joint to a proper restaurant with seating and a longer menu, albeit with the same affordable prices.
Despite the basement setting, two interconnecting rooms have been brightened up with colourful Mexican paraphernalia – sombreros as lamp shades, patterned textiles, Mexican dolls, pinatas, flags, cacti and bunches of artificial flowers. Out back is a large, light-filled conservatory with brilliant corn cob mural and bunting, perfect for bigger groups. There’s a cosy booth too, under the stairs, that’s surrounded by a riot of fun paper flowers and TVs showing Mexican soap operas in the background.
The mood is upbeat and buzzy with charismatic staff and an efficient kitchen. Children are made to feel welcome and dishes can be modified to accommodate Scoville-shy palates. After being seated and choosing your dishes you order at the counter.
The menu seems long (and it is poorly designed) but is quite simple, with mains priced between €6.50 and €7.50. The street food classics include taco (small corn tortillas), torta (a type of Mexican sandwich), choriquesco (chorizo and melting cheese, burrito (filled flour tortilla), gringa (grilled flour tortilla with pineapple and cheese), chimichanga (deep-fried burrito), volcan (crisp corn tortilla) and quesadilla (grilled tortilla with melted cheese). On weekends, until 1.30pm, you’ll also find chilaquiles on the menu – a brunch style dish of fried corn tortillas with eggs, salsa, refried beans, sour cream, cheese and onion.
Essentially, most dishes are a take on the taco or tortilla, each stuffed with a combination of tasty fillings that includes barbecue chicken, battered cod, crispy chicken, veggie chilli con carne, crumbly and piquant Mexican chorizo and chicken chipotle.
Juicy al pastor marinated Irish pork with pineapple, cooked shawarma-style on a vertical spit is stand-out delicious, as is the slow-cooked barbacoa beef.
Portions are generous and rustically presented on enamelware. Everything, from a simple plate of crispy, flavoursome nachos to the homemade salsas are good and everything is big on flavour. Food is brought as it is ready and there’s a stash of complementary spicy salsas – from piquant salsa verde to red hot and smoky varieties – to add to your plate.
Order a Corona, or go one better with a Michelad, a Corona beer served in a salt-rimmed glass with Worcestershire sauce, Tabasco, lime juice and Maggi sauce or a Red Lion, as above, but with additional tomato juice. Soft drinks include horchado, a traditional rice water drink and there’s strong, black coffee sweetened with unrefined cane sugar and cinnamon.
Desserts are the only weak link in this fun, relaxed and excellent value place. (The food is so filling that you’re unlikely to need one anyway!)
