Good Mexicans food is in short supply in Cape Town, which makes El Burro an extremely rare and valuable commodity. If you've never been to Mexico, this is as close as you'll get to experiencing the land of sombreros in SA.
The Place – is located on Main Road in Greenpoint in close proximity to the stadium, the red wooden donkey at the door an obvious give away to the entrance to another world. Climbing the staircase up to the restaurant, the tunes drifting down are a second clue you're about to take a trip 10,000 miles to the other side of the world. Enter the restaurant and its taken all of 15 seconds to teleport to middle of Mexico City. The interior is authentic and original, but at the same time trendy and unconventional. Mexican style dresses worn by the waitresses are subtle enough to avoid being costumy. Finally, take a look at the extent of the tequila collection stacked behind the bar, and its clear these people are serious. The layout offers plenty of seating options, and although reservations are usually not required, rather be safe than sorry. We chose to sit on the balcony, which is a great option in summer, but beware the smokers who can ruin your whole experience! If you are sensitive to smoke, we recommend you sit inside away from the windows, which is not a bad option, especially at night. Our service was excellent - the best since starting our blog.
The Menu – El Burro offers Mexican classics like fajitas, quesadillas, tacos and enchiladas, but they also get creative with their dishes. Apart from beef, pork, chicken and line fish options, there are a bunch of vegetarian dishes on the menu, so that for the first time in quite a while we felt there was an actual choice. With their corn tortillas, gluten free is an option too. Some super delicious salsa (the best in town) and taco chips are usually provided to get the juices flowing while you decide. For starters this time we chose 'Calamares a la Sartén' (pan-seared squid with chilli, lime & coriander) for R42 and 'Chiles Relenos' (three smoked jalapeno's stuffed with queso fresco, served with rocket, radish & pickled red onion) for R32. For our mains we ordered a 'Mushroom & Courgette Quesadilla' (grilled flour tortilla filled with sautéed field mushrooms and pan-fried courgette ribbons) for R70 and 'Rajas' (sliced peppers, jalapenos & poblano chillis, sautéed with queso fresco, parmesan, crème fraîche, on corn tortillas with pumpkin seed pesto) for R72. In case your carnivorous tendencies are predominant, we've tried the 'Cerviche' (line fish marinated in lime juice, chillies, red onion, ginger & coriander) as a starter, and been back more than once to "make our own tacos" with the braised pork shoulder and the beef short-rib fillings. None of these have ever disappointed.
The Meal – With a cold beer and the taco chips to nibble on, the wait for our starters was hardly tough. When they arrived, the smiles got even bigger. The calamares looked very appetising, even healthy, covered with fresh herbs and chilly, not swimming in oil. The stuffed jalapeno's were delightful and we even had one extra on the plate to share. The mains lived up to expectations too. Although the "new" mushroom quesadilla recipe may not be quite as good as the original one we fell in love with, at its core the combination of wild mushrooms and cheese still makes it a winner. Picking at a very high level, the Rajas may have been a bit oily, but as far as flavour goes, definitely did not require pimping up with chilli sauce etc. Unfortunately, we were beaten by the main courses and could not manage a dessert. But for the record, we've tried the chocolate fondant before and it scores right up there with the best of them... riiiight up there. Instead, we finished off with espresso and americano, both excellent.
The Wallet – For what you get, authentic, high quality food, made with love, prices are fair. Their lunch specials, however, are unreal! On certain tacos and enchiladas (make sure to ask, which ones exactly) and in winter on their entire lunch menu you get 50% off, so that you can eat a full-on lunch for R35. Best deal in town!
The Rating – 7.5
Would we go back? Definitely! Would I have my next birthday party there? Absolutely!
About the place: https://www.facebook.com/pages/El-Burro/159449044124894
