WINNIPEG, MB – The format of Mercadito Latino is very much like the places that we love to visit in Mexico with the matriarch in the kitchen lovingly recreating her family recipes and her husband up front serving the tables and manning the cash register. The food came out quickly and steaming hot. You could taste that all the concoctions had been freshly made.

We were delighted by the tortilla soup that we shared. Dotted with pieces of silky avocado, gooey cheese, pulled chicken, crispy tortilla strips and sour cream, it warmed us up nicely. We sampled “Revueltas” pupusas which meant we enjoyed cheese, beans and pork in all three corn flour pockets.

We were full by this time and still had chicken tacos coming to the table. If you think that tacos are always the Old El Paso style, you would be mistaken. Soft corn tortillas are eaten at almost every Mexican meal as a way of scooping up the fare. We had to have at least a bite and appreciated the subtle spiciness of the chicken and peppers inside the soft corn taco. My bite resulted in juices bursting out of the wrap and onto my plate (the sign of a very delicious taco).

Reviews and photos by Kathryne Grisim

Kathryne’S food and travel blog can be found at foodmusings.ca.