This Shanghaiist has been living in our fair town for over four years, most of it spent searching for two things: the love of a beautiful woman and a great, authentic burrito. While we're still striking out on the woman front, we're inching ever closer on that elusive burrito, first with the action-packed weekend special from NYC Deli, and now with the cheesy wonder found at Taikang Lu's Togo taco stand.
And by stand, we literally mean stand. Togo is a 1.5 square meter operation that churns out tacos and burritos to be ushered away or devoured while standing on the spot; there are no tables or chairs. We huddled in the adjacent alley on a drizzly weekend morning, waiting for Togo's owner Steve, formerly found concocting dynamite smoothies at neighboring Mojo Cafe, to prepare our feast of beef burritos and fish tacos. The burrito (40 RMB) consisted of beef ground with a perfect mix of jalapenos, paprika, and chili powder that went well with rice and freshly made salsa and guacamole. The fish tacos (38 RMB) were crispy and tasty, each shell cushioned by a soft tortilla and served two in a box. But it was the glorious processed cheese sauce, dripping from the tacos and leaking out of the burritos, that really made the difference. Yes, piping hot cheese sauce poured from a huge can does not scream out "gourmet" in any sense of the word, but it's pretty damn good, even when being gobbled down in an alley on a rainy day. We also tried the beef taco, made with the same chili mixture that was in the burrito, and again the cheesy sauce was the kicker.
Steve mentioned Togo will soon be working with a delivery service, which we look forward to as it means we won't have to keep standing as cheese dribbles down our chins, but in the meantime we have even more of a reason to visit the revitalized Taikang Lu, and happy that we've now doubled our options when the all-too-frequent craving for a good burrito hits.
Togo - 155 Jiangguo Lu, No. 24B near Ruijin Lu (建国路155号，24B, 近瑞金路）Tel: 13611826497, Hours: 11:30am-7:30pm.
Eric Hu is Shanghaiist's Food Editor. Email tips, recommendations, and news and gossip about Shanghai's food scene to food at shanghaiist.com.
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Posted
Mar 24 2008, 09:00 PM
by
Shanghaiist