Man Food: Classic Mexican Sandwiches at Dorado Tacos

All photos by Katie Chudy

In a city teeming with high- and low-end versions of everything, people who love to eat don’t need to dig deep in their pockets for the real deal. Parts of Boston might showcase fancy-pants Mexican food, but often the gems are the restaurants without the show, the places that keep it simple and allow the ingredients and flavors to speak for themselves. Dorado Tacos in Coolidge Corner is not reinventing the wheel by any means, keeping the menu simple with tacos, quesadillas, and cemitas while maintaining a low price point.

The cemita is a classically prepared Mexican sandwich in the most unpretentious of ways. Stacked high with layers of black beans, avocado, Oaxacan cheese, and the choice of different meats, it’s straight-forward and fantastic. I opted for the house-made chorizo, a fire-packed mixture of ground pork, chilis, and a ton of garlic that would be killer on their own, but becomes a masterpiece when put together as a sandwich. The cemita bread—heavy on the sesame seeds and very similar to a good brioche—is loaded with eggs and fillings. The slight sting of smoky chipotle is counterbalanced by creamy avocado and smooth black beans, and the saltiness of the Mexican cheese punches everything right up.

There’s a reason these ingredients and flavors work so well together, and Dorado is wise to not deviate too far (if at all) from the traditional preparations. It’s a neat, tidy little number that satisfies in the way the best sandwiches do by sticking true to its roots. Dorado’s chorizo cemita is a winner, and for less than seven bucks, it’s a practically a steal.

Dorado Tacos, 401 Harvard St., Brookline. Info: 617-566-2100, doradotacos.com.