Depending on your geographical locale, it’s safe to say you are either well acquainted with Day of the Dead-inspired Mexican food and restaurants, or Day of the Dead-inspired Mexican restaurants seem to be popping up all around you. And with any worthwhile trend, Toronto will be on that quicker than you can say Tequila! El Catrin Destileria is the latest Mexican place to open in Toronto, and by far the biggest. Located in the Distillery District – in the famed and former Boiler House premises – the team of John Rosenblatt, John Berman and partners have revamped their priceless Distillery location, offering a unique Mexican fiesta. It’s no surprise that these restaurateurs and Toronto in general could create an authentic Glam-Mex experience for the hipster crowd.
A visually stunning restaurant created by top Toronto design firm Munge Leung, with the help of Mexican street artist Oscar Flores, the walls are adorned with one hell of a mural – on an opposite wall the spirit of choice takes pride of place. With 120 variations of Tequila and its smokey sister Mescal on offer, there’s no shortage of fun to sample or fun to be had – plus, with a 190-seater patio complete with fire pit, good times should flow freely. The food offering matches everything else – AKA fantastic – with one of Mexico City’s top chefs leading the way, the newly relocated Olivier Le Calvez has delivered a wide range of exciting tapas for your sharing pleasure.
A sensory overload of the best kind, El Catrin will surely be the place of many memories, or at least the cause of a few happy hangovers.
Photography, Jason Lee
