MexiGo – Mexican Food in Brussels – Update

Tostadas de Pollo al Mole Verde

Ask any international food-lover what cuisine is missing from the endless offerings in Brussels and you’ll get the same answer – Mexican food. Andrew and I have been on a mission to find good Mexican food in Brussels, and now, our mission is finally complete, thanks to MexiGo.

Editor’s Note: This is an update to a post I wrote in 2010. MexiGo is still operating their home delivery service as described below. They have also opened a shop selling Mexican and American products as well as fresh food to take away. We visited the shop recently and I have added this to my review.

Andrew and I love Mexican food. I’m not talking about Tex-Mex, which is often so heavy, and greasy it will stop your heart. If that’s what you’re looking for, in Brussels, you’ll find it a Chi-Chi’s. Of course, you may also find heartburn and food poisoning, but whatever floats your boat…

What I crave is fresh, delicious Mexican food, using real Mexican ingredients like tomatillos, varieties of peppers non- existent in Europe and salsas that don’t come from a jar. I’m talking about the kind of Mexican food we ate weekly in Amsterdam at our beloved Los Pilones. In fact, we’ve been known to get so desperate for a fix; we’ve driven to Amsterdam and back just to have supper.

We are fortunate to live near a lovely little South American restaurant called El Vergel, which I highly recommend. It’s not strictly Mexican food, but it is fresh and delicious. Unfortunately, it is only open for lunch, except for Thursday evenings, and it is closed on weekends.

Mexican Food Delivered Free in Brussels

Last week, thanks to a tip from a fellow expat, the Brussels food scene got even better.  Not only did we discover fresh, delicious Mexican food, but it was delivered right to our door.

MexiGo makes authentic Mexican food and delivers it, free of charge, within Brussels, on a set schedule. You can choose from tacos, tamales, tringas, empanadas, and two weekly dishes. In addition, you can order homemade tortillas and tostadas, salsa, sauces and guacamole, rice, beans and even cocktails. Margaritas anyone?

You order before Wednesday evening and your food is delivered on Friday or Saturday (You can also pick it up yourself on Thursdays). Last Friday, we tried it and were not disappointed.

Our first order from MexiGo

Because we weren’t sure what to expect, we ordered a variety of items to try:

• Tacos de Bisteck (beef)
• Empanadas Caseras de Carne Molida
• Fiesta Tacos Fried -Chicken
• Flour Tortillas
• Tostadas
• Tostadas de Pollo al Mole Verde (Item of the week)

Great packaging and labeling

Everything is packaged so you can pop it in the fridge and eat it whenever you like. I was very impressed by the labeling. Each element of a dish is marked with a coloured dot, which corresponds to an instruction sheet. The sheet tells you how to prepare and store your dish properly. There are options for both the oven and microwave and the dishes are very quick and easy to prepare.

Great packaging and labeling

So I’m sure you’re wondering how it tasted. The answer – fantastic! Right after our food was delivered, we tucked into the Tostadas de Pollo. The chicken had a great flavor and was meltingly tender. The tostadas were crispy and delicious. We had some later with my homemade salsa and they were great.

We also tried the fried tacos, a great substitute for our favourite appetiser at Los Pilones, flautas. The empanadas were also tasty and I am in love with the accompanying chipotle sauce. If I could order it by the gallon, consider it sold.

The following day we had the beef tacos and polished off the empanadas. The tacos were also very tasty, although next time I would get the flour tortillas instead of the corn, which we both found a bit grainy.

Empanadas and fried tacos

The portions aren’t large. One dish per person plus an appetiser is probably a reasonable amount. A selection of dishes would make for a great party buffet.

The price was incredibly reasonable considering we had two meals and some added ingredients. Our total was 30 euro and delivery is free; that is next to unheard of in this city.

We’ve already placed our order for this week and are eagerly awaiting our next Mexican fiesta.

Mexican and American Shop in Brussels

When we heard MexiGo opened a shop in Ixelles, it was on our list of places to visit. Unfortunately, it’s on the opposite side of the city from us and it was a case of ‘out of sight, out of mind.’ Finally, we made a point to visit, and now we’re sorry we didn’t go sooner.

Although small, the shop is a treasure trove of Mexican ingredients – dried peppers, sauces, dried beans and cans of re-fried beans, nacho chips, tequila, homemade tortillas and enough hot sauce to start a house fire.

There’s also an odd mix of American foods: Jello, a variety of cereals, Pop-Tarts, Hamburger Helper, Betty Crocker and Aunt Jemima.

For us though, the best part was the take-away counter. We loaded up on fresh-made burritos, fried tacos and empanadas, as well as MexiGo’s delicious guacamole, tomatillo and jalapeno cheddar dips.

In fact, we couldn’t wait to get home so we sampled the huge burritos at one of the small tables on-site. Delicious! We washed them down with Mexican sodas and vowed to go out of our way to return more often.

MexiGo
47 Francois Dons
1050 Ixelles, Brussels
Order On-line at www.mexigo.be

Check out more of our favourite restaurants and feel free to suggest your own. What cuisine are you missing? Leave your comments below.