Where to get family-style Mexican brunch and margarita flights
Answer: El Catrin, in the Distillery District, from now until November
Anyone who has ever wished brunch was less about mimosas and more about margaritas will want to make their way to the Distillery District soon. That’s because, on weekends from now until November, El Catrin Destileria is offering Almuerzo de la Casa, their new limited-edition, family-style Mexican brunch with—get this—a matching Patrón tequila margarita flight. You don’t need to order them together, of course, but it’s not the worst idea.
“This brunch is about serving the way we cook at home on a weekend,” says executive chef José Matamoros. “Different plates, bold flavours and everything is meant to be shared. It reflects how people actually eat together in Mexico.”
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This isn’t a precious tasting menu filled with tiny bites—this is family style with a capital F, which means there’s no skimping and guests may want to bring some Tupperware (not totally kidding) for the sheer volume of food that arrives. They call it five courses, but it’s actually a lineup of 10 dishes.
The menu starts with pastries and a large fruit plate, then slides into a course of guacamole and salsa with chips. Anyone who’s already full after the huevos motulenos tostada (crispy tostada topped with fried egg, plantain, peas and salsa) is clearly an amateur, because that’s only the end of the appetizers.
What follows is a parade of even heartier fare: enmoladas de pollo; DIY tacos with chicken tinga, mushrooms and refried beans; and breakfast birria, which is just regular beef birria, but you can have it for breakfast. To finish, there’s not-too-sweet goat’s milk cheesecake sprinkled with guava jelly and cookie bits.
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Of course, it’s not a true family occasion until someone gets a little in their cups (right, Mom?), so El Catrin has also introduced the Patrón Tree, a sharable margarita flight. The four margs—lime, stone fruit, dragon fruit and lavender-curaçao—come in small branded bottles dangling from a tabletop tequila tree. Is it pretty? Yes. Is it tasty? Very much so. Should you go for a bike ride in the baking heat at the redeveloped Port Lands nearby after four boozy drinks before noon? We don’t recommend it.
The family-style brunch is $55 per person and the Patron Tequila Tree is $55 (but enough for two thirsty people). Both are available on weekends between 11 a.m. and 3 p.m.
Leah Rumack has worked as the deputy editor of Today’s Parent and the features director of Fashion and has contributed as a writer to a long list of Canadian brands including Toronto Life, the Globe and Mail, the Toronto Star, Chatelaine, Elle Canada, Zoomer, the National Post, EnRoute and Re:porter. Her work focuses on travel, food, pop culture, beauty and fashion.
