Dos Toros Uptown

1111 Lexington Ave., Upper East Side, NY

5.8

map & more

Neighborhood
Upper East Side

Cuisine
Mexican

Nearby
Central Park/Rumsey Playfield
Metropolitan Museum of Art

Official Website

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By Chris Stang
September 20, 2011

Can somebody please explain Dos Toros to us? We’ve given this place so many chances, and yet we still cannot for the life of us understand what the big deal is. I have been hawking this new Upper East Side location since the day it opened (last week), waiting and praying that these tacos and burritos would taste better up here in the no-good-food-zone. Guess what? They don’t. Just like the original Dos Toros in Union Square, this one serves up food that, on it’s best day, is no better than any of the nine Chipotles on my block. And Dos Toros is still packing people in and expanding to new locations like they’re…well…Chipotle.

Maybe there is just such a demand for burritos in this city that we can’t keep up. Maybe we’re all just huge fatties that must be constantly fed black beans and guacamole, and the only way to keep pace is to open a fast food Mexican assembly line on every block. Don’t get me wrong – I’m all for capitalism, and expansion, and burritos. But I think that people love the idea of an indie Chipotle more than they actually love the food at Dos Toros. Maybe it’s time we all just chilled out and ate a salad. And no, putting some lettuce in your burrito bowl does not count.

Photo Credit: Melissa Hom/Grub Street

Food Rundown:

Burritos
As stated previously, none of the burrito options at Dos Toros are better than what you get at any decent Chipotle. People seem to love the carnitas, but I always find the pork here to lack flavor and have weird tough parts. Also, I’d like it if I could get a few more salsa options other than “medium” or “really f*cking hot”. How about a range of choices? As in, more than two. Can I just get “hot”? Why are you punishing me?

Tacos
The tacos get points for being pretty huge, and they certainly won’t skimp you on meat, but again, we always find ourselves hoping to be more impressed with the flavors. I will say that melted cheese > shredded cheese, but that’s about the only leg up Dos Toros has on the rest.

Chips & Guacamole
Dos Toros seems to be pretty proud of their guacamole, and we seem to be moderately unimpressed. I will say that the chips are less greasy than what you find at some places. So there’s that.