This place is amazing, they sell real and authentic Latin food, at great prices. To be honest the tamales were better than my grandma's back home in Mexico ..... but don't tell her!! The staff here is so friendly so I really recommend this place to anyone who likes Latin food.
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A gem.
I read about this place on blogTO, so I decided to grab a couple snacks from there - a pork papusa and a chicken tamale. They were prepared on the spot by a Latina woman. I need to point that out because it would have been easy for this place to take short cuts and simply reheat. It's mostly a grocery that happens to serve Latin food. It's an old building (a converted garage with wooden tables), but the food is beautiful. They make everything to order and the care, skill and love associated are obvious.
The pork papusa - as someone who has made papusas on a number of occasions, it's not easy to get the soft crunchy texture right. They did it here. The pork filling is well seasoned and abundant, pairing beautifully with the vinegary coleslaw.
Now, the tamale is melt in your mouth. Not sweet. Not salty. Just balanced. The corn flavour wraps around the shredded spicy chicken and it's heavenly. I sighed after taking the first bite.
I love this place. It feels family owned. It feels like everyone is pitching in and producing a wonderful product. A treat.
The Revuelta was a little difficult to cut at first but after a few bites, I really enjoyed it. It was very simple and tasted completely “home-cooking”. The refried beans inside of the shell was really good. I really like refried beans. This reminded me of comfort food too.
Seriously a hidden gem. Though I suppose that's to be expected when you have a tiny shop wedged in the middle of Kensington Market and the eatery is at the very back of it all. As the name suggests, Emporium Latino (or Latin American Emporium) is a store that sells Latin American goods and produce but it also offers a fantastic selection of pupusas and tamales for approx. $3 each. The fried base of the pupusas are thick and crispy while the corn-dough filling in the tamales are soft and divine like the mashed potatoes you would eat at your dream Thanksgiving dinner.
Warning: there's really not a lot of space and it's not exactly the best type of place for a first date unless eating next to cardboard boxes of bell peppers is your thing. Nevertheless, the staff here is friendly and the food is totally worth the visit.
Who doesn't love street food?!
Was fortunate to walk by emporium Latino during a street festival and had the pleasure of trying their pulpusas. Soft and doughy, filled with cheese and pork and a nice spicy of sauce and coleslaw on top. Wonderful combination of textures and flavors
Despite watching the friendly staff prepare the food in front of you..it really tasted like home cooking. Recommend to give it a try. Will not disspoint!
Best pupusas!. I almost don't want to rave too much about this place because longer line-ups means longer wait time for my food. This tiny tucked away spot in Kensington is my go-to place whenever I come to the market. They make the best tasting pork tacos (so tender!), stuffed poblano peppers, and bean and cheese pupusas. The prices are very reasonable, especially for the quality of the food. Seating is limited so I usually get my food to go.
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If they had more seating, I would give Emporium Latino a 4/5. When I am craving pupusas or tamales, I always make my way to Emporium Latino. The prices have gone up over the last year, but I think it is still good value. Pupusas are approximately $3 and they come with a salad and spicy (I mean spicy!) tomato sauce (they probably have mild too). If you are interested in buying items to go from their fridge such as queso fresco, chorizo and tamales, I would not go on a Sunday. I was there last Sunday and their fridge was pretty much empty. Lucky for me I was only interested in eating in.
The way the ordering works is that you order and pay at the front cash, they write your order on a piece of paper that they rip off the number from the top of this piece of paper and then give you both pieces; you take the ticket/piece of paper with your order on it and you give it to the people cooking in the back and keep the other piece (it just has a number on it). Once your order is ready, they will call you and you give them the piece of paper with your order number.
The seating situation is a pain! I was there with 6 people and we had to take turns eating. They have 6 chairs and it is bar-style. When you get there, if you are not alone and you see an empty seat, grab it and have someone else order for you. Though, you are better off buying your food to go and walking over to the park and making yourself a picnic. For a pupusa, tamal and a drink it will cost you around $10.
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