One of the first meals that my wife and I had in Dartmouth when we were doing some AirBnB-based…read morerecon on the neighbourhood we would eventually move to, was El Este. Their tacos made for top tier takeout while watching The Roast of Tom Brady, and in subsequent visits as well.
As quaint as their small shop on Albro is, I was excited for both them and my taste buds when I heard that they'd be opening a second restaurant in downtown Halifax in the old Starbucks location on Barrington.
My wife and I stopped in with some friends after Curated's cider festival for more substantial sustenance than what we'd had that afternoon. The space is an order of magnitude larger than the OG spot, but it's just as colourful and lively, if not more, with a La Catrina mural taking a place of prominence behind the bar (yes, they're licensed!).
This location has a slightly bigger menu than the Dartmouth location, so I opted for something that isn't a regular menu option on my side of the harbour - a torta.
These hearty Mexican sandwiches are essentially taco ingredients with more veg that are thrown in a supple bun, and if you're thinking "That sounds friggin' delicious!", then you'd be absolutely correct!
The plentiful shreds of brisket were moist and tender without being mushy, and packed a deep, earthy flavour. Shredduce and pickled red onion brightened up the picture, as did a layer of spice from the habanero salsa. I don't know if it was baked in-house or not, but the bulilo bun was pleasantly chewy and held up well against its precious cargo.
A return visit had me diving into the taco section of the menu. I had a light lunch so I doubled down on taco orders - one of the Baja-style fish, and then mix and matched the next two, getting shrimp for one and barbacoa for the second. Each plate of tacos comes with a side (this isn't well advertised on the menu), so instead of getting a ridiculous amount of corn chips, I got rice and beans for one of the plates.
When my food arrived, I quickly dug into the fish before the batter had a chance to soften. The beer batter was light and crisp, and not too bulky - this was a fish taco, not a batter taco. The fish itself flaked easily and wasn't at all mushy. Shredded lettuce, pickled red onion and a crema made for a light, but flavourful taco.
The side of house-made nacho chips were wonderfully crunchy, with a nice little dusting of seasoning to give them a little pep.
My second batch of tacos did not disappoint either! The shrimp were plump and had a pleasant snap, without being rubbery. Their chipotle sauce was deeply rich and savoury, with a little bit of spicy bite to it.
The barbacoa was equally well-executed, with the moist bits of beefs still maintaining crispy edges. Both tacos were minimally-topped, with traditional toppings of diced onion, cilantro and salsa roja.
The rice and beans which came with my second duo of tacos were solid if somewhat forgettable, although some strands of pickled red onion brought more flavour to the show.
I also had a house-made iced tea, which had a light fruity edge to the tea, without being too sweet, which I really enjoyed. It was a much-needed balance to those extra doses of Valentina's that I was adding to my food!
I've been an advocate for El Este's tacos since my first bite, and now that they've expanded, I'm sure there will be many more bites to come.
