El Toro Bruto (Formerly Chilito Tacos)
Mixed Tacos from El Toro Bruto
Updated for El Toro Bruto
Chilito Tacos has renamed themselves! I’m not sure the reasoning behind the rebrand; however they are now called El Toro Bruto, and have open a permanent location at Resident Culture in the SouthEnd.
I’m not going to lie, I preferred the food when it was Chilito Tacos rather than El Toro Bruto. It was more comforting. Don’t get me wrong, the food at El Toro Bruto is decent, but it’s very basic. It lost some of it’s soul and became a fast-casual Mexican restaurant. You go into Resident Culture, grab a table, and order everything on your phone. About 5-10 minutes after you order from your phone, a server brings the food over to your table. It’s SUPER fast, and that’s the appeal of El Toro Bruto.
Here’s what we ordered —
Chips and Salsa: It was very standard chips and salsa. Fresh, but nothing revolutionary.
Chips and Guacamole: This was a basic guacamole. Again, nothing revolutionary.
Carnitas Taco: This was a basic, albeit solid, classic carnitas taco.
Al Pastor Taco: This was my favorite, as it was the most flavorful. It was a classic al pastor taco, with lots of pineapple flavor.
Barbacoa Taco: Another standard taco. A classic barbacoa.
Chicken Picadillo Taco: The chicken was bland. It was almost like plain chicken was boiled and shredded, without any seasoning or marinade.
Dilla Barbacoa: This is a hybrid between a taco and a quesadilla. Again, nothing revolutionary.
Dilla Chicken: See note about the Picadillo taco above.
All in, El Toro Brito is a 6.5/10. It’s obviously a better option than something like a Chipotle, and the vibe is far better. With that said, it’s basic, fast-casual Mexican food that is much more appealing after several drinks, rather the comforting destination that Chilito was.
Chilito Tacos (Review Prior to Rebrand)
Every Saturday, outside of Resident Culture, a pop-up called Chilito Tacos sets up to sell breakfast tacos, Hex Coffee, and pastries on some days (think churros). There’s a catch, though — they only make 500 tacos each week. Sold by the half dozen and dozen, they sell out in preorders on Thursday for Saturday pickup between 9-11 am.
However, every few weeks, they’ll do a pop-up somewhere else — like The Batchmaker — where you don’t have to preorder. Find them.
What’s the deal?
So, what’s the skinny on these tacos? They’re sloppy, messy, California-style breakfast tacos. And I love everything about them. While they have vegetarian and vegan options, I’ve never ordered them; I stick with the classics. Even if you’re “not that hungry,” I recommend ordering at least three per person. You won’t regret ordering more to eat later that day (or even the next).
Pork Belly. Chopped pork belly bits, egg, bean, potato, cheese, flour tortilla. It’s my favorite. The pork is super tender and savory. It must have been slow roasting for HOURS before getting a quick sear and put into the taco.
Chorizo. Spicy, fresh-ground pork, egg, bean, potato, cheese, flour tortilla. This one’s excellent as well. There’s nothing revolutionary about the flavors here, but the execution is sheer perfection. It’s a classic Californian Mexican breakfast taco. A little greasy — and perfect for a hangover.
Barbacoa. Slow-cooked shredded beef, egg, bean, potato, cheese, flour tortilla. Another great taco. Beef is usually my least favorite, but this is juicy, tender, melt in your mouth beef.
Pan de muerto. Fluffy sweet bun (made with orange zest) covered in cinnamon sugar. This was a special served for “Day of the Dead.” It was delicious.
Palmier. Puff pastry folded with sugar and baked through to create a crispy sweet caramelized cookie. I wish they served these more often; they’re great. It has the perfect level of crunch and caramelization with a little glaze on top — perfect with a morning coffee.
Scrumptious sauces
They serve the tacos with two different sauces on the side. The heat level is the same in both. To be honest, I’m not sure what the red one is… but it’s good. However, I love the green sauce and ALWAYS ask for extra. It’s garlic tomatillo, and it’s delicious.
Need catering?
Chilito Tacos is in the process of finding a permanent location for full-time service. In the meantime, snag yourself some breakfast tacos, or give them a holler for a special event — they cater!
Final verdict
All in, I give them 7.5/10. They are pretty darn good tacos. Not the best I’ve had (I did live in California), but they are certainly the best I’ve had in Charlotte.
