¿Que Es Esto? – Tortas Las Tortugas

In a new regular series at Go Oak Cliff, ‘¿Que Es Esto?’ will venture into the under explored nooks and crannies of the Oak Cliff culinary scene and report back for you. The good, the bad and the indigestion, we’ll let you know where you should be eating off the beaten path.

Name: Tortas Las Tortugas
Address: 235 Centre Street (Corner of Madison & Centre, 1 block south of Jefferson Blvd.)

We had heard rumblings of something special happening at Tortas Las Tortugas and decided that we needed to investigate for ourselves. Our Mexican food adventures typically limited to tacos, enchiladas and other more traditional Tex-Mex fare, I can’t claim to be a torta expert. But when I learned that the family that started the restaurant comes from a bread baking background, and that the homemade bolillos are the foundation for their extrodinary tortas, I was intrigued.

We waited in a short line at 1pm on a Sunday and ordered our torta de chorizo and torta de lomo and an horchata to wash it down. We settled in to a booth and watched and waited. The dining room was full of families enjoying a Sunday lunch and within minutes our own lunch was delivered.

The fresh made bread lived up to it’s reputation, being perfectly crusty on the outside while soft and warm on the inside. The torta de lomo has the typical torta toppings – avacado, crema, lettuce, tomato and picked jalapeno, and the pork was flavorful. The torta de chorizo was a little more minimalist – letting the savory chorizo sausage do most of the work. It was only topped with a slice of tomato and a piece of jalapeno. We likened it to a chorizo filled donut – or a pork bun in a Dim Sum restaurant.

And the horchata was excellent – creamy and sweet. It made a great compliment to the savory spice of the tortas.

At $3 per torta, and the fact that they accept credit cards, Tortas Las Tortugas will be a regular stop when we’re looking for a quick bite to eat in the Cliff.