el toro bravo

el toro bravo caters to families while still serving pretty authentic mexican food. i have to say, the carnitas ateltoro bravo were godly. unlike other places, they took the time to fry the chunks of pork well enough to give them a crispy exterior. they also included two thick, pickled jalapeno peppers which, when added to the carnitas , gave it a little zing. i ordered a churro at the latin quarter earlier in the week and was somewhat disappointed with it. to make up for it, i ordered one ateltoro bravo and was pleasantly surprised. it came out warm and chewy and absolutely delicious. i also give them props for not including warm chocolate sauce. am i the only one that thinks churros and chocolate don’t go together at all? it’s like drinking orange juice while eating apple pie. [no website] the kitchen [rating:3.5] i had lunch at the kitchen by myself while janey ate with coworkers. the i

delicious, fast, good enough. i loveeltoro bravo ... it's 10x better than any chain mexican restaurant. it's not the cleanest joint, but that adds to the appeal. it's fast. it's affordable (though the prices have gone up recently), and it's food that will fill you up and allow you to leave smiling. it's definitely worth the stop. and there's no better place in annapolis ... do not be misguided by that.

great for native our out of towners, not great for poseurs!. both my fiancée and i come from ethnically mexican country, and this is some of the most authentically mexican cooking you can come by in a restaurant. you can taste the real manteca, the real mexican cheeses (not just melted swiss and mozzarella, but real queso fresco. the ambiance can be brisk at times, but only because they want to get you your food quickly. the concentration on service is abundantly clear here. also, even though i don't like tequila, i will say that the margaritas here are friggin huge, and also really, really good.

which brings me to my second point. if you are a native of annapolis, you know that the town is full of cougars, hipsters, poseurs, and bar-going one-night-stand seekers. also midshipmen. i find that all of these groups are found in proportionally smaller quantities ateltoro bravo than at any other restaurant in annapolis. friday nights are a little bit of an exception, but even then, it seems to be a different crowd. fairly normal folk go there, which i like. if you like that kind of thing, this is probably the restaurant for you.