Munay

This restaurant closed on 2023-01-28. Thanks for the memories!

Artisanal Bolivian snacks

Bolivian restaurants are really hard to come by. Even in New York, the city with the most number of cuisines in the world, there are less than 3 Bolivian places. It might be due to the paucity of unique dishes and scarcity of immigrants. Bolivia is one of the poorest countries in South America and not as touristed as its neighbours. So, I was excited when Munay opened up in the Wychwood neighbourhood. It’s probably the first, and definitely the only Bolivian food place in Toronto.

Exterior of Munay
Munay

Munay is a cafe that specializes in salteñas and other pastries. Without question, salteña is the most emblematic dish of Bolivia. The best way to describe it is a soupy empanada. There’s a certain technique in eating it so that the liquid doesn’t spill out.

The food

Unlike street food in Bolivia, the ones at Munay seem better crafted. For this review, I sampled a salteña de carne (beef) and sonso.

The salteña had a gorgeous golden hue. The edges were crimped neatly and made a perfect handle for lifting up the pastry. It’s impressive how they managed to bake the ridge into a darker shade of brown, while leaving the rest of the pastry in a lighter tone.

Pastries from Munay
Salteña de carne and sonso

The proper way to eat a salteña is to start from the top corner, slurp the soup out, then continue eating to the other end. I started from the top-center instead so that you can get a better look of the contents.

Saltena de carne from Munay
Salteña de carne, showing soupy filling

The consistency was spot on. The dough was just thick enough to hold its hazardous contents. The ratio of broth to meat and vegetables was perfect. The filling was classic: potatoes, beef cubes, peas, black olives, and half of a hard-boiled egg. It tasted like a Chilean empanada with soup. There weren’t raisins but the sweet broth fulfilled the same function. In fact, it was an odd flavour combination for me. I expected a savoury broth so my brain had trouble processing the taste. It didn’t have a huge flavour punch; perhaps some spices or tangy components might help. Regardless, the cooking technique was good. 7.5/10.

Sonsos are cassava cakes with cheese folded in. Cassava is fairly neutral-tasting, so it’s up to the cheese to give the sonso its flavour. Munay’s version had a delicate but salty cheese. It melded well with the cassava dough. The bread itself was moderately loose and gently toasted. Overall, it was like a spongy cheese bread. 7/10.

Sonso from Munay
Sonso interior

Munay has other baked goods on its menu but the salteñas are the star attraction.

Counter and menu at Munay
Counter and chalkboard menu

The place

Little trinkets from the Bolivian Andes are hung from walls or displayed on the counter. I spotted more than one llama. The rustic-hip decor fits the vibe of the neighbourhood.

Pastry display at Munay
Pastry display and Bolivian trinkets

It’s a cafe, so there is some seating, but not much. The bar counter faces St Clair Avenue and is great for people-watching.

Dining area of Munay
Bar-top dining area

Verdict

Lovingly constructed Bolivian pastries. 7/10.

Practical information

Name
Munay
Rating
7/10
Recommended dishes
Salteña de carne
Prices
Salteña de carne: $5.08 ($4.50 excluding tax)
Sonso: $2.83 ($2.50 excluding tax)
Address
881 St Clair Avenue West
Hours
Tuesday to Saturday 1000h – 1800h
Sunday 1100h – 1600h
Date of visit
May 2021