Introducing: Wilbur Mexicana, the slick new Mexican restaurant on King West
Name: Wilbur Mexicana
Contact Info: 552 King St. W., wilburmexicana.com, @WilburMexicana
Neighbourhood: King West
Owners: Will Cumberland, Baird Cumberland and Stephen Chan
Chefs: Daniel Janetos, previously the chef de cuisine at Farmhouse Tavern, and Mario Escobar
The Food: The short menu sticks to simple Mexican street food dishes, mostly of the tortilla-wrapped variety (tacos, burritos, quesadillas, etc.). To start, there’s queso-topped corn and traditional guacamole with chips. The salsa bar stocks eight condiments of varying intensity, including a dare-worthy blend laced with ghost peppers.
The Drinks: Beer and wine are the only options for now, but a tequila-heavy cocktail list is in development. Customers can help themselves to fizzy drinks at the old-fashioned soda fountain.
The Place: Wilbur is a “fast-casual” restaurant, which means guests order at the counter and then wait to be served at their tables. Named after American pharmacist Wilbur Scoville (the guy who invented the Scoville scale for measuring the relative heat of chili peppers), the restaurant feels more like a trendy apothecary than a typical cantina. The light fixtures are shaped like beakers and there are scientific formulas scrawled on the walls. (Oh, and no sombreros.)
