Restaurant Review: La Mexicana Bakery

I really enjoyed my lunch at La Mexicana Bakery and Taqueria recently.  It was like taking a trip not only south of the border, but all the way to Central America.  For La Mexicana is a Salvadorian bakery/restaurant that just happens to serve great Mexican food as well.

As the name says, La Mexicana is both a bakery and a casual counter-service restaurant.  You place your order, grab a drink from the cooler and take a seat at one of the card tables the restaurant has set up for people to eat.  You can also take a moment to admire the nice selection of Latin baked goods for sale in the case, including a huge King Cake that will entice people getting ready for Fat Tuesday.

My main purpose there was to try a selection of their savory homestyle dishes.  I arrived with my dining companion ready to try the best dishes the restaurant had to offer.  Luckily, the gregarious owner was on hand to help us order a nice array of items.  We ended up ordering a three-taco platter (pork, chicken and beef), a beef torta (Latin meat sandwich) and a pupusa (grilled filled corn cake), to which we added a peach/mango drink to wash it all down.  It was the perfect amount of food for two.  The food came with two squirt bottles of sauce - a spicy tomatillo (green tomato) sauce and an even spicier brown chile sauce.

The tacos came with double corn tortillas and were simply topped with diced onions and cilantro.  A wedge of lemon came on the side (they must have run out of limes).  The finely diced meats were enhanced by a crispy exterior, and when combined with the toppings, made for nice three-bite items.

Our hot, freshly-grilled pupusa came filled with pork and cheese and was accompanied by the customary curtido (best described as tangy Latin cole slaw).  Who needs regular pancakes when you can have these for breakfast?

My favorite part of the meal was the meaty beef torta.  Unlike the steak-type beef in the taco, this was more like pot roast beef.  And it was piled up high with lettuce, tomato and a little mayonnaise.  Best of all, it was made with one of the bakery’s freshly baked rolls and then toasted to make the sandwich warm and the outside crispy.  Yes, this dish was a blockbuster, and I can’t wait to try it again with ham, carnitas (pork) or pollo (chicken).

Our bill for the lunch came to a very reasonable $21.00.  Judging by the number of people stopping in during a non-rush hour, a lot of other people thought the food was good and the price was right as well.