Back in 2007 Mr. FFID and I traveled to Tulum on the Caribbean coast of Mexico. This was years before Hartwood opened and at a time when backpacking and sleeping in a rustic cabaña (wooden hut) on the beach wasn't a bother. It was pretty much like camping, except a lot more exotic and even a little scary (like the time I found myself facing a massive iguana while having a shower). The weather was so stormy while we were there that I kept getting sand on my face at night and we ended up leaving earlier than planned.
We then found ourselves in ultra touristy Playa del Carmen which wasn't so memorable apart from my vivid memories of us being the only gringos indulging to (too many) 20 cent tacos in a little taqueria called 'Billy The Kid' just around the corner from our accommodation. Not only were they dirt cheap but also insanely good, probably some of my best food-travel memories.
There's a place in Dublin which somehow brings me back to 'Billy The Kid' and that I've returned to many times since I first visited it last year: El Grito. It's tucked away in the little archway off Temple Bar Square and shares a small space with a Cornish pasty shop. Most of the time it's packed with young Spanish speaking people so it's always a bit tricky to get hold of one of the five stools but you can always grab and go and enjoy your food sitting in nearby Meeting House Square.
It's simple, satisfying, messy food that hits the spot. They also have homemade chilli sauces on the counter which vary from a mild green salsa to a fiery habanero salsa (the red one), which are also highly addictive. The trick is to order the delicious horchata (a rice water drink topped with cinnamon) which helps you cool down when you can't handle the heat of the salsas.
I'm not gonna lie, I'm a creature of habit so for me lunch in El Grito is always a horchata and taco combo which comes to €8.50, making it one of the tastiest meals under a tenner in Dublin. With its narrow lay out, ordering food at El Grito is probably the best street food experience you can get in the city. It may not look like much from the outside but they serve some very tasty stuff. Lastly (just in case you need more convincing!) one of my Mexican Instagram followers told me she visits El Grito three times a week or whenever she misses home, which probably means that it's the 'real deal'.
Disclaimer: This is an independent review, I paid for my food and drink on every single visit to El Grito.
El Grito
4 Merchant's Arch
Temple Bar
Dublin 2
El Grito's Facebook page
