el sombrero: auténtica comida mexicana

if you think that three amigos equals good mexican food, stop reading now!  chances are that if you think tex-mex is authentic mexican, then you will not like el sombrero.  this place actually serves the real deal. the food does not look like tex-mex, and more importantly, it does not taste like tex-mex.  authentic mexican food is way better (at least in my opinion)!

ok so this statement does beg the question: how do you know that something tastes authentic if you’ve eaten it in its country of origin?  you can always try the home cooking of your friends’ mothers and grandmothers who were born in those countries, or you can rely on the opinion of recent immigrants.  i can’t tell you first-hand if the food here is authentic, but i can tell you that it is good!

let’s start with the starters.  my favourite has to be the queso fundido con chorizo, a melted cheese & chorizo dish.  it’s quite a mouthful when ordering, so i just call it choriqueso.  it comes accompanied by a basket of warm corn tortillas wrapped in a colourful woven cloth.  i love the gooey factor of the cheese and the heat of the sausage. the tortilla helps even out the saltiness of this appetizer.  an order of guacamole is topped with a bit of cheese and comes with a basket of tortilla chips.  the guacamole here is simple.  there is no added tomatoes or onions; the star is the avocado.  it is smooth with just the right amount of lime juice.  if freshness was a flavour, it would taste just like this avocado concoction.  what i really enjoy doing is ordering both of these appetizers, tearing off a piece of warm tortilla, wrapping it around a bit of choriqueso and topping it off with a dollop of guacamole.  the contrast in flavours is an absolute must-try. if you want to skip the appetizers, either to save room for the mains or save some money, they offer a complimentary basket of tortilla chips and smoky salsa (no old el paso chunky tomato salsa here!).

on to the mains!  tacos campechanos is a mix of steak, sausage, and bell peppers. they come six to a plate with a wedge of lime to enhance the flavour.  they are served open faced. just fold them over and eat with your hands.  you can actually recognise the components in the tacos here!  it is definitely not the overly salty, runny mystery meat you get at other “mexican” restaurants.  you will not find anything like this at tex-mex joints.

an order of enchiladas campechanas gets you four large enchiladas with small portions of rice and beans.  two enchiladas are covered in salsa rojo and the other two in salsa verde, all are topped with cheese.  i preferred the salsa verde.  i have a thing for tangy flavours and the green sauce had more of that tang.  the chicken wrapped inside the tortillas is tender and moist.  the assembled product is really good.  the rice simple, never taking the spotlight away from the enchiladas.  i must say that the beans were also good.  that’s saying a lot because i am not a fan of the legume.  unlike the refried beans that look like orangey-brown turd that you get elsewhere, this one is dark brown, almost black, and less dry.  the flavour is quite subtle and does not dry out your mouth like the starchy turd version.  the beans were especially good whem mixed with the salsa.

chilaquiles con bistec is made up of shreds of beef that rest on a layer of fried tortilla strips.  the tortilla strips are covered in salsa rojo, but i think you can ask for salsa verde if that’s your fancy.  with this dish, you also get the beans.  i like to get a little bit of beans in every bite.  some of the shreds of beef can be a little chewy.  other than that, i have no complaints; it is a dish packed with flavour.  according to my mexican sources, chilaquiles are usually eaten for breakfast.  here, they serve them all day long.

to wash everything down, i always order their homemade horchata.  the best description i can find is: cold cinnamon rice milk. it is perfect to cool down the palate while enjoying your mexican feast.  it is available by the glass or the pitcher.

** pictures to come (i need to go back to take better ones) **

el sombrero
500A, rue bélanger
montréal, québec
H2S 1G4
T: 514.272.0888

payment: cash only

hours:
i’ll need to update after an upcoming visit.  the hours have changed!