Last week my roommate and I decided to hit up one of our favorite spots for lunch. Toro is located in Boston’s South End neighborhood and is arguably one of the hottest restaurants in town.

We were shocked when we arrived at almost 2pm on a Friday how crowded it was.

Since the restaurant doesn’t take reservations there is a chance you may have to wait upwards of two hours for a table. Trust me, it’s worth it.

Luckily they have great cocktails to sip on while you wait and if any seats open up at the bar grab them because you can order from the whole menu while sitting there. We lucked out and snagged two seats at the bar within 5 minutes of walking in the door, otherwise we would have been waiting at least and hour.

As we looked over the menu we decided to treat ourselves to some day time cocktails.

My roommate got the Chupacabra made with tequila, lime, and spicy mango simple syrup. I like spicy foods and drinks but this one was really SPICY! Order with caution because your mouth will be on fire throughout the meal.

My cocktail choice was the Gypsy made with gin, elderflower, yellow chartreuse and lime. I liked how light and refreshing it was. I could definitely sip down a few of these in one sitting but restrained myself to just one as it was a Friday afternoon.

Toro’s menu is broken down into Pinchos, Tapas and Calientes as well as Bocadillos Y Ensaladas and Paella’s.

For our first Pincho (small snack) we chose a Pan con Tomate which is a toasted bread with tomato, garlic, Spanish olive oil and sea salt. It was like eating a really fresh bruschetta.

Our second Pincho was the Datiles con Jamon. These Medjool dates filled with Marcona almonds and Cabrales blue cheese are one of my favorite items on the menu. Oh, they are wrapped in Jamon Serrano. Anything wrapped in bacon or ham is a win in my book!

Now for the Tapas. Another favorite of mine is the Pato con Membrillo, or the Smoked duck drumettes with quince glaze. These sticky and sweet drumettes are finger-licking good and have a ton of meat on them.

They were so good I had to take two pictures of them!

The Maiz Asado con Alioli y Queso Cotija is a house special. I get this dish EVERY time I go to Toro and if you look around you will find and order at every table. This grilled corn with alioli, lime, espelette pepper and aged cotija cheese is a little taste of heaven. There are many restaurants that try to recreate this dish but none will ever be as good as this. EVER.

A special dish on the menu was the Mejillones otherwise known as mussels with chorizo and basque cider. I loved how big the mussels were and the broth was flavorful with just the right amount of spice from the chorizo. Make sure to get extra bread to sop up the additional broth.

Another special on the menu was the Empanada de Carne de Res y Patatas. This spicy curry beef and potato empanada was served with a cucumber, yogurt and clianto sauce. I am not a huge curry fan but I liked this dish because the curry was very faint. The dish is slighly spicy but if you dip it in the yogurt sauce it has a nice cooling effect.

Our last tapa dish was another menu special and a little on the adventurous side for me. The Pate de Cerdo, or bacon wrapped rabbit and pork pate with basque cider and rhubarb mostarda, had a lot of flavor and I loved the rhubarb and mustard.

You can’t go to Toro and not get the Churros con Chocolate for dessert. These are some of the best churros I have had – nice and crispy on the outside but light and fluffy on the inside and served warm. You get a nice portion of chocolate on the side so you can dip each and every last bite!

If you live in Boston and haven’t been to Toro yet make sure to get in there ASAP. The menu is constantly changing so no matter how many times you go back there will always be something new to try!

Toro Boston
1704 Washington Street
Boston, MA 02118

617.536.4300

If you are living in the NYC area you are in luck! Toro NYC opened in September 2013 in the former Nabisco Factory in Chelsea.

Toro NYC
85 10TH AVENUE
Entrance on 15th Street and 11th Avenue
NEW YORK NY 10011

212.691.2360