What should we know about Pickosito?
With a blink-and-you’ll-miss-it entrance tucked inside and above Wayback Burgers, Pickosito Taqueria popped up off Capel Street in the middle of May. It’s run by a trio of Northern Mexican women whose longing for their home cuisine, and the lack of an authentic answer in Dublin, led them to take matters into their own hands. The name comes from the fruity, savoury Mexican hot sauce the owners love so much.
What should we have?
Those not familiar with regional variations might struggle to see the substantial differences in the menu here, but the wheat and cattle-heavy plains of El Norte are known for their bounties of beef and flour. That's why their full-size tacotons (€8.90 - €9.90) are on flour tortillas, but keen to try as many of the eight fillings as possible, we mixed four mini corn tacos instead (€14.50).
The best was chorizo. The ground pork mix, like all the tortillas and sauces, has been made in-house to an old family recipe, and its spicy succulence had our eyes flaring up as well as our nostrils. This is where Pickosito sets itself apart. Chili con carne packed just as much punch, even if, like the grilled beef and caramelised onion asada, it felt as though its flavours might better assert in the bigger tacoton.
Adobo sauce-marinated pork had the crisp char of rendered fat, but also the dried texture and flat taste of too long on the grill – the only real disappointment. A lot of things here come with a handful of fries, and while we're not sure why, and they're not homemade, they're of a decent quality.
Sliders (€4.50) are another chance to try out a smaller portion, so we tried the barbacoa. The soft, chewy bun falls somewhere between bap and bao, a good vehicle for tender, slow-cooked shredded beef. Its quality comes closer to the asada than the chorizo, with more pleasing depth of flavour than any novel knockout kick.
Enchiladas (€15.90) offer a more substantial option for those who arrived hungry. Packed with shredded chicken and baked with a green tomato and chili sauce, they’re served over tomato-rich rice in a well-balanced dish that's just a bit stodgy.
Pickosito nachos (€8.50) are an oozing mess of cheese sauce and sour cream hiding nuggets of sliced jalapeno and sweetcorn. The tortilla chips aren’t homemade, but they’ve gone with good quality, and as a sharing starter to keep hunger at bay they do the job nicely.
Neither tres leches nor arroz con leche desserts were on for our visit, so we half-heartedly plumped for a cheesecake instead (€5.90). Lucky us in the end - the creamy cake’s semi-sweetness is elevated by an intense guava syrup we lapped up every last drop of. It’s the dessert we didn’t know we needed, and a parting reminder of where Pickosito hits the high gear.
Why should I go?
In a part of the city where Mexican food’s more often handy high-turnover than anything homely and heartfelt, Pickosito has arrived with flavours that mean business, and prices (it undercuts all the chains) that prove an authentic touch needn’t come at a premium. This might be quick and casual dining, but there's quality here too.
Pickosito
62 Mary Street, Dublin 1
