Restaurant: Hermanos Mexican Grill
Location: 61 Lakeshore Road E, Mississauga, ON L5G 1C9
Price Range: $$
[wp-review id=”5702″]
For what it is, a takeout for taco place, Hermanos Mexican Grill is so GOOOOD! When Caitlyn from Hermanos contacted me for a tasting, I wasn’t so sure if I could make it as I live in downtown, and the restaurant is in Mississauga.. However I love Mexican food and after seeing rave Yelp reviews, I said “why not!” and dragged Tien (acornerkitchen) with me.
There is only counter seating at Hermanos so it’s really more of a grab and go place. The staff was incredibly friendly and Caitlyn graciously gave my friend extra food, even though we were both completely comfortable with sharing 3 tacos between ourselves. Living in downtown, I found the tacos at Hermanos to be extremely affordable! 3 tacos for about $10 and then $2 and change for a single. All together tax and tacos was about $15. They also have Taco Tuesday where the 3 tacos are for $8 – WORTH IT.
Right after we placed our orders, Caitlyn gave us a side of chips + guac with two bottles of Mexican coke (made with cane sugar) and a pineapple jarritos. The chips were lightly salted which went well with the smooth and creamy guac. However I do prefer my guac to have a bit more lime and good chunks of avocado to give it more texture.
All of their tacos are available in either flour or corn tortilla – I went with corn, of course! The chorizo was seasoned perfectly – slightly spicy but not in a burning hot sensation. A hint of saltiness from the tangy queso fresco went well with the chorizo and the pico de gallo added that dose of freshness to the taco. The flavor really can’t be beat, and it’s definitely a must try if you haven’t already.
The baja fish was lightly breaded and still able to hold its shape without crumbling! I appreciated how they kept the taco refreshing by not drenching the slaw in dressings and the fish was not oily at all. To blend everything together, just squeeze some lime juice and it was pretty much one of the best fish taco I have ever had in Toronto so far.
This was another favorite of the night and I literally fought with Tien to have the last bite of it ;). The shredded chicken with a super sweet and spicy sauce all nestled between corn tortillas with a sprinkle of sharp red onions. Topped it all off with some juicy and sweet pineapple to tone down the heat. Are you drooling? I’m drooling.
As a meat-lover, I tend to stay away from vegetarian tacos but Caitlyn recommended us to try as this was one of their most popular sellers. Since they used firm tofu, the small bits of crunchy tofu added a nice texture to each bite and I found the overall taco to be quite sweet? I was hoping for more spices or other toppings to balance the sweetness. Tien and I decided to add their house special sauce for more flavor and oh boy… THAT *** WAS HOT. Later we found out it was habanero hot sauce.. so add it in moderation :)!
Unfortunately the barbacoa taco was the weakest one out of all the tacos we tried. I found the beef to be quite tough and chewy, not “fork tender” like what I would expected from being braised for a long time. I also thought the beef was not as flavorful as others, but I really liked the fresh pico de gallo. I let Caitlyn know about the beef though, so I’m sure it would have been fixed by now!
On the other hand this taco was just..ohmygosh-so-good-bursting-with-all-the-flavors-pulled-pork. The meat was soft, succulent, juicy and had that “fall-off-the-bone” texture. Slathered in a delicious BBQ sauce and topped it off with some crunchy slaw – It. Was. Magnificent.
Nothing beats a fresh, still-warm churro, with its crisp outer shell exploding with cinnamon sugar and soft, chewy inside that helps balance the cinnamon sugar sweetness with a light saltiness. I also loved how both the chocolate and caramel sauce had a mild sweetness to it – which was quite dangerous as I finished 2 churros in one seating .. oops.
Too often, though, in restaurants, the key elements of tacos get modified and tampered with in ways that dilute the deliciousness of the final product. Hermanos understand what makes a true authentic taco and they delivered it. The tacos are just so damn amazing and affordable that I think they need to open up a location in Toronto. If you don’t feel like having the enormity of a burrito or cheap pizza, or the usual pub food around Port Credit, give this place a shot!
Disclaimer: While the food was provided by Hermanos Mexican Grill, I am not obliged to publish a review on the business. All opinions/thoughts are my own. For more information about my review policy, please click here.