My spouse and I visited Toloache 50 for brunch on a Saturday
afternoon in mid-October 2018. The restaurant is open daily from 11:30 am until
at least 10:00 pm (and later on some nights). You can book a spot using the
online Open Table reservation system. The restaurant name (pronounced
toe-lo-AH-chay) refers to a flowering Mexican herb used in love potions.
Toloache 50 opened on West 50th Street (near 8th
Avenue) in Midtown West/Theatre District in 2007. Two additional locations of Toloache are located on the Upper East Side
(East 82th Street), and Greenwich Village (Thompson Street). The
proprietors also operate other restaurants, including Tacuba (two locations in Hell’s
Kitchen and Astoria), Coppelia (West Village), and Lachula (Grand Central
Terminal). The chef/owner hails from Mexico City, where he grew up watching his
father and grandfather cook, then received more formal training and rose to the
position of head chef at a restaurant there. After he relocated to Manhattan,
he attended the French Culinary Institute and perfected his resume at Maya, SushiSamba,
Pampano, and Zocalo before opening his first restaurant, Toloache.
The 50th
Street location of Toloache has two floors of dining space. On the street
level, the wood-burning oven at the back of the room commands attention,
fronted by the ceviche/ guacamole
bar and adjacent to the drinks bar. Guests dine at closely spaced tables or at
a narrow counter near the drinks bar. Mexican decorative elements like tiles
and mosaics add interesting and colorful touches to the space. Additional table
seating is available upstairs on
the mezzanine level.
Toloache serves
Mexican cuisine. We shared the frutas guacamole (with avocado, mango,
peach, apple, pomegranate seeds, onion, Thai basil, and habanero pepper) as a starter while we enjoyed some drinks,
including a spicy mezcalita (a margarita made with smoky mezcal instead of
regular tequila). As entrees, we ordered the suadero tacos (brisket with
avocado, onions, salsa, and crema) and the Jalisco pozole (with pork, hominy,
onions, and radishes in a chile broth and served with a black bean tostada on
the side). After a pleasant conversation with the restaurant manager, he
graciously sent us a complimentary dessert, the corn-berry flan.
We loved our brunch at Toloache 50; we were happy to find
such a great dining option in the Theatre District.
