Midtown Lunch

As you readers of ML Downtown may have noticed, there aren’t a lot of “lighter” things like soup featured on here. It’s not that I’m purposely trying to omit liquid-based lunches, it’s just that they’re not that exciting (unless they’re pho, which is exempt from this bias). When I first went to Toloache Taqueria on Maiden Lane (btw. William & Gold) to try the tacos I saw they had a couple of interesting soups on the menu. Since it’s been freaking cold outside I figured it was the perfect time to try their version of pozole.

When I got there, a guy handing out the menus pointed out that they now have some combos and you can also customize your burrito fillings. I was unaware that you couldn’t before, but good to know! A couple of the combos were out of ML price range, but you can get a torta and drink (like Jarritos or Mexican Coke) for $8.50.

Back to the soup. In addition to the pozole they also have tortilla soup for the meat-averse out there. They only come in one size for $3.21, but it’s the equivalent of the large you get at most crappy delis and other soup places, so not a bad deal at all. To round it out I got a small chips and guacamole ($2.76). Together they were $6.50 for what turned out to be a good alternative to the usual soup/bread combination.

The soup was impressively filling thanks to the large amount of pulled chicken and hominy in it. You also get a cup with some lettuce and a lime wedge in it, which helped the soup a little bit from being too bland. Might I also suggest putting in some of the hot sauce that sits on every table?

The small size of guacamole and chips was just right to go with the soup. If you get the large you might want to share with someone because you basically get a tub of guac and what I’m guessing is a pretty sizeable bag of chips. I only know this because someone at the table next to me had ordered this as a side to their three tacos. That combo is way out of ML price range, but impressive nonetheless.

Toloache Taqueria, 83 Maiden Lane (at Gold), (212) 809-9800