Authentic Mexican that is not just tacos
The Mexican food scene in Toronto is pretty good if you just want tacos. Outside of that, it’s pretty dismal. Comal y Canela is a rare exception. It serves authentic foods and draws a loyal following from the Mexican community.
The Food
The menu is a smattering of representative dishes from central Mexico: carnitas michoacanas from Michoacan, birria from Jalisco, and quesadilla D.F. from Mexico City. The odd one out is cochinita pibil from Yucatan. There are also pan-Mexican foods like tortas, molletes, sopes, and tacos. If you don’t know what these are, all the more reason to come and check them out. While these foods are easy to come by in major cities in USA (and obviously Mexico), it’s rare to see them in Canada.
One of the specialties here is birria de chivo. This is a mildly spicy goat stew from Jalisco state, said to cure hangovers. I tasted at least 8 ingredients in there, but the dominant flavours are tangy and salty. If that is not enough, it can be seasoned further with an assortment of garnishes: dried oregano, chipotles, raw onions, cilantro, and limes. Personally, I like spice and fresh herbs, so I dumped a bunch of chillies and cilantro into the birria. The goat meat is neither tough nor gamey and there is a good portion of it. Tortillas are included.
