El Sombrero

I must admit that i am a bit of a newbie to mexican food but have developed a taste for it recently. I stopped in to a plaza to grab something at another vendor when i spotted this place and decided to give it a go instead of grabing the usual sandwich to go. So i went in, and was greeted by some nice people, decided i wanted the steak burito and had a seat while they prepared it. I was pretty content sitting there watching the news and eating chips and salsa waiting for my burito to be prepared then i was asked to step up and pick what i wanted on my burito. When i stepped up i was greeted by a massive burito full of mexican flavor, and the person was answering my question about each topping or garnish so i was sure to have a burito perfect for my palet. Now that was pretty awesome. So when it was all wrapped up on a plate this thing was massive. I’ve had a few buritos, but not one the size of this thing. Talk about man vs. food. This time the burito won, I just couldnt finish it all. I tried, the flavor was excellent, and everything was fresh and tasty, and i love the cheese they put in there. But at the end of it all i had to admit defeat and the burito was more than i could handle. Next time i think i should share one or get half to go or something like that. It was well worth the price, and i would love to go again. I noticed they have a patio too, so I’m looking forward to another visit.

Tried the wet chicken the dry chicken burrito and the chicken enchiladas portion is very generous but its really generic tasting. The salsa was nearly frozen and its really more of a plated fast food.l. not a very good deal at all.

Awesome, authentic Mexican food. Huge portions, fresh toppings and a great atmosphere.

Friday was my first visit to the relatively new location of this growing Mississauga Mexican food chain. The third location to open is now located on Tomken Rd just south of Eglington.
The potential of this location is great, with a large patio with music playing happily and what appears to be a covering for said patio, it would appear a Mexican fiesta is possible at any time of the year.
Given the time of day of my visit, it was empty (between meals) and I was greeted by the counter attendant within moments of arrival. Having never eaten at any of the El Sombrero locations, I asked for some recommendations which she happily provided and went through the menu items with me. Standout recommendations for me were the enchiladas, tacos and the burrito. I ended up going with the sauce covered ‘wet’ burrito made with chicken.
Be advised, compared to other burrito and taco spots, I felt their prices to be higher than the average. Almost $ 9 for 2 tacos, where I can get 3 of a kind at Gourmet Gringos in Aurora for a little more. Also, the price of their burritos is for that of a plain burrito with no meat, the price listed beneath the main price is the actual price if you’re getting a meat option.
Once I was seated, I was treated to a basked of chips and salsa while I waited. It’s a simple thing to offer (even in a takeaway style joint such as this) but an element of the service that many GTA Mexican places miss out on. Points to El Sombrero — I appreciated this.
The food turnaround time was questionably quick in my opinion. I’m happy to wait the 10 minutes as I do at Burrito Boyz for something that is cooked all the way through on the flat top, this was served up in little over 5 minutes, and in my opinion there were some gaffs that could be avoided.
1) Rice was overcooked (lots of water in it) and the burrito was more than 60% rice — no bueno
2) Burrito was not warmed up/​cooked after being filled and wrapped — no bueno
3) Burrito was then sauced and shredded cheese tossed along the top and served (it should have at least been put under the salamander to melt the topping cheese down a bit — no bueno
4) Albeit well cooked and well seasoned, the chicken portion in my burrito was sparse — no bueno
Overall, an ‘OK’ experience in terms of service and taste, however I felt this to be more of a Mr Sub/​Subway assembly style Mexican offering as opposed to «Fine Mexican Food» as their slogan would suggest. Some tweaks and I think they’ll be on the right track.
Eatcrest Out