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El Rincon Mexicano Restaurant
Category: Restaurants Mexican Mexican [Edit]
653 St Clair Ave WToronto, ON M6C 1A7
Neighbourhood: Wychwood
(416) 656-1059
- Price Range:
-
$$
- Accepts Credit Cards:
- Yes
- Parking:
- Street
- Attire:
- Casual
- Good for Groups:
- Yes
- Good for Kids:
- Yes
- Takes Reservations:
- Yes
- Delivery:
- No
- Take Away:
- Yes
- Waiter Service:
- Yes
- Outdoor Seating:
- Yes
- Good For:
- Dinner
- Alcohol:
- Full Bar
- Noise Level:
- Average
- Has TV:
- Yes
- Wheelchair Accessible:
- No
15 reviews for El Rincon Mexicano Restaurant
15 reviews in English
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Review from Shawn I.
Toronto, ON
5/23/2012 1 Check-in Here
Great place if you are feeling spicy Mexican food. The food is quite flavorful and in decent quantities. The guacamole was amazing!. word to the wise, there is a BIG difference between medium and hot. The hot rivals the 10 spice at salad king. location is pretty easy to get to via subway. St. Clair is a pain in the car.
There is a back patio which is just perfect in the summer heat.
Side note:
There is a Dutch ice cream place 2 blocks away which is a great way to cool off after a spicy meal. -
Review from Kent P.
9/9/2011
Service slow. Food was OK - adequately spicy. Prices unreasonable. 5 mini tacos for 15.95$?? Like you could eat 10 of them and still be hungry. And all that's on them is a two tablespoons of meat and some chopped onions. Best part was the patio which was festive and spacious.
BEER: A pint of Amsterdam was 7.95$. It should be half that. What kind of Mexican bullshit is this???
A Mexican friend recommended me this place last week and I've been cursing him all afternoon (in Spanish) but now realize he was talking about a spot by Oakwood (not Wychwood - Latin Fiesta @ 1002 St. Clair). So my bad, Juan-Pablo, my bad.
Lunch for two and three beers was 55$. Dios mio. Dios mio.
Note: El Trompo in Kensington is much better, I think.Listed in: Worst Experiences @…
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Review from Mauricio A.
Toronto, ON
10/11/2011
Some quick facts off the gate:
*I am not Mexican but lived in Mexico for a few years.
*The mother of one of my best friends used to own this joint about 20 years ago.
*One of the cooks bought the place about 15 years ago, changed the name and turned it into a Mexican place. I have no idea what happened after that.
*If you have sat on the patio, then you sat on the same spot where I spent many an afternoon playing fútbol. (!)
Okay. Now that we are past that, remember, Mexican food is a very simple, delicious, peasant food. So in Canada it is generally ill advised to open an "Authentic Mexican Restaurant" because if you do, chances are you will find yourself out of business faster than you can say 'A mi me encanta el tequila!'
Why? Because Westernized tastes clash with the concept behind Mexican cuisine. Canadians (and to a greater extend Americans) like to "have more" put into their food. For example, did you know that a real burrito is just beef and re-fried beans in a soft taco? That's it. That is a true and authentic Mexican dish. Now go to any so-called Mexican restaurants in Toronto and try find a burrito that has just that. You won't find it. Unless it was a tiny locals-only-hole-in-the-wall-pick-up-food-joint, since they would have to in order to keep prices low.
Why?
A-) Canadians think Tex-Mex food is Mexican food. Which is not.
B-) Canadians won't buy just a burrito. They expect their dishes to be "filling" or "bigger," so restaurants are forced to add filler items like lettuce, cheese (?!), rice, salsa, avocado which are not authentic, in order to trick you into buying it, thus reinforcing point A-)
C-) Even if they sold the authentic burrito, the fair price point would be too low to make it a viable business model. Since they are so cheap to make. Why are they so cheap? Because they are peasant food.
So, all Mexican restaurants in Toronto are lying to you because they want to sell you a simile of Mexican food and stay in business so they can send their kids to university.
Now El Rincon is more or less authentic, although unfortunately leaning 'less' on the Authentic and 'more' on the Tex-Mex part. But they have to since in order to try to keep it semi-authentic, they have to raise their profit margins in order to pay their rent. Is the food good? Yes, it's alright. After all the real secret of Mexican food is in the sauces. The main dishes can sometimes be kind of bland.
The decor looks like an authentic Mexican restaurant in a touristy area of Mexico and the patio is a nice place to hang out at. I sat there a while ago and service was a bit on the slow but I did not mind.
Also, as an FYI, I too can make you their Ceviche Veracruzano ($21.95) but for that price, I could make you enough to serve at least 3 people. There is that high-margin thing again.
Is it fair?
Well, you are paying to get out of the house and to try some semi-authentic Mexican food, no? Sometimes just not having to cook and having it brought to you is worth the price of admission. But don't be too surprised when you pay $13(!?) for two flautas. Seriously??!
Personally, when I go to restaurants, I try to not pick the ones I can easily make the same dishes at home for about half the price. -
Review from Natalie F.
Toronto, ON
8/18/2011
I went here because of the other reviews, but was pretty surprised to find that the service wasn't unusually bad. I found it to be pretty much the same as any other restaurant.
As for the food - I had the chicken and lime soup, and it was good. After that, I had the beef flautas, and they were okay as well. The meat was incredibly flavourful, but a little dry for my tastes.
The rice side dish was good as well, but i was really too full to eat much of it, given the soup and the flautas. -
Review from K M.
Toronto, ON
Good Peruvian fair. Simple and understated. Had the Lomo Saltado de Carne (beef) and wife had fried sea bass. Both good. Service was good and staff friendly.
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Review from Jeff H.
Toronto, ON
2/22/2012
Good food, though you shouldn't have any expectations of a quick meal here -- the food takes a long time to get to the table and it can really go down to a crawl when the resto is dimly busy.
Pircewise, it ain't cheap, but doesn't break the bank. Portion sizes are perfect and the place is child friendly. -
Review from Alida S.
Toronto, ON
10/18/2010 1 photo
El Rincon Mexicano Restaurant is as authentic as it gets in Toronto, but there are a few things you need to know before going.
The food is good, but way overpriced. The service is pretty slow: waited forever to get a refill, and trust me, when your food is that spicy, you don't want to be waiting to get a refill! I felt that my mouth was going to explode, and my waitress was nowhere to be seen! When she finally appeared, I told her I needed a refill. Another 10-15 passed and no refill, and at that point, I had stopped eating my food. When she came by again to ask how we were, I asked about my refill, and she said she had forgotten. By that point, my food was cold, and I didn't want to have to pay for another drink, so I told her to forget it. Service like this is unacceptable.
The atmosphere is lively, but it feels too cramped inside. The chairs are not very comfortable, either. I would avoid going during the winter because the patio out back seems to be the biggest draw. I didn't eat outside, so I can't comment on it.
I've gone to many Mexican restaurants over the years, and El Rincon Mexicano is nothing special. If I hadn't received such awful service, I would probably give it another chance just because I love Mexican food. If you are craving Mexican, then by all means, go to El Rincon Mexicano. Just make sure you save your drink, because you never know when your waitress is going to disappear. -
Review from Camille K.
North York, ON
5/9/2009 ROTD 11/12/2009
I'll be the first to admit that outside of Burrito Boyz, I've never really had an "authentic" burrito.
I will say that I thought the Burrito Mojado I had was quite good. The beef chunks were good and the rice was delicious. The side salad is a bit lame but I never expect much out of side salads. I also heard good things about the chorizo taco (better than beef) and side rice.
I think the biggest vote of confidence I can give is that I will be back. I want to try and tacos, nachos, and the fajitas. I think if you're looking for authentic (at least I think it's authentic) Mexican food, you can't go wrong with El Rinco. -
Review from Stephen B.
Toronto, ON
6/21/2010
I like the patio out back. A kid friendly place. I'm giving it three stars because of the hour long wait for food.
I want to find a good Mexican restaurant that also has good service (ie not El Sol) -
Review from Lupillo R.
Toronto, ON
9/16/2010
I went to El Rincón Mexicano to celebrate Mexican independence day tonight and I'm pleased to say that after trying a few "authentic" Mexican restaurants (see my other reviews), I've finally found one that truly is authentic. The decor is bright and typically Mexican and the patio out back, while a bit chilly tonight, is surely great in warmer weather.
We started with an order of sopes (like mini, open-faced soft tacos with extra thick tortillas) and some guacamole. Both were on par with what I used to eat when I lived in Mexico City. My wife ordered the pozole and said it was the best she's had in Toronto and almost as good as our favourite place in Mexico (which even by Mexican standards was very hard to beat). I had the flautas (deep fried rolled tacos) and they were quite tasty, especially with the house hot sauce. I've built up a tolerance to spiciness and I normally order the absolute spiciest thing at restaurants and am usually disappointed. This was not the case at El Rincón Mexicano. They put 2 different sauces on the table, one was a chipotle sauce which was ok but I'm not a big chipotle fan in general. The other was made with habanero peppers and it was very hot. Like my mouth was on fire after eating it hot. I loved it. The only thing I didn't like was the rice. It was overcooked.
My only complaint would be the slow service. While our server was very pleasant and was able to offer suggestions from the menu, she was overworked. There were only 2 servers working on a big night for any Mexican restaurant and they were really running. It took about half an hour for our food to arrive and when it did one main course arrived about 5min after the appetizers, another main course arrived 5min after that, then our friends had to wait another 10min for their main courses.
I will definitely go back to El Rincón Mexicano on a slower night so I can try more things and let the flavours help me not miss Mexico so much. -
Review from David E.
York, ON
7/31/2011
We've been to El Rincon a few times over the last few years, and every time we wonder why we waited so long to go back. The food is as authentic as we've had anywhere in Toronto, the atmosphere is pleasant, and the prices reasonable (though not inexpensive). The service tends to be a little slow - this is not the place to go for a quick meal, but it is great for a relaxing meal over a couple of hours.
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Review from Elaine K.
6/7/2010
This is my go to place for Mexican food in the city. The food is great and reasonably priced. The drinks are a bit on the pricey side ($6-ish). The back patio is amazing, plastic chairs Mexican decorations, a big tree, Mexican tunes and the smell of food wafting from the kitchen. Makes you feel like you're someone else just for a little while.
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Review from Steve E.
Toronto, ON
11/14/2010
The food wans't terrbile but they had one server working on a Saturday afternoon. We waited for a table, then 15 mins more to take our order, then another 30 for food. This is a small place so they don't need a staff of 20 but a bit more attention to customer service would have made this a very different review.
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Review from Alan K.
London, ON
1/13/2011
I ordered the beef enchiladas and they were absolutely first rate. My only complaint was that the rice and beans that came with the dish were very small in terms of their portions. Nevertheless, I found the food to be pleasant tasting and the service was very friendly. I would definitely go back.
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Review from Sarah L.
North York, ON
2/21/2010
I checked out El Rincon Mexicano this past weekend by accident while attempting to get into Marcello's for pizza. Big mistake about Marcello's but also a big win for trying out something new. Ironically the best Mexican food I've ever had is in Hong Kong in the Mid-levels, but for Toronto, El Rincon is tops. The place is tiny and is easy to pass by if you are driving on St. Clair but worth seeking out. Inside, the brightly light, lively decor is set to a backdrop of Mexican music playing on the speakers. The menu has a mix of all the traditional Mexican foods you would want to eat. Sampled at the restaurant was white sangria, guacamole, a veggie burrito, pork soft shell tacos and a churros for dessert. Sangria was sweet yet refreshing, guacamole had a mild spice in the after taste which was complemented by the chipolte sauce served on the side. However, not as spicy or as thick as the guac from Dos Caminos in New York though :(. After the guac and sangria, I barely had room for the burrito but managed my way through it. I left the side salad as it did not look super appetizing but the burrito was good. My partner had the pork tacos and gave it two thumbs up. We both tasted the churros. Two came for dessert with caramel sauce and whipping cream as decor. It was warm, fried goodness on a plate! Inexpensive and a great place to share some drinks and food with friends or family. El Rincon also has a sizeable tequila list if you are interested. I would go back the next time I crave Mexican.
