In my continuing mission to eat at and review every Mexican restaurant in Norristown, I arrived…read morehere at El Escondite for dinner one evening. In short, it's a decent place, but ultimately there are better options out there.
If you've read my review for El Paraiso Mexicano, also in Norristown, then you can pretty much copy that over to El Escondite, as they are pretty similar. They both have a large and varied menu, with translations in English, featuring combinations and items not common or simply unavailable at most of the other hole-in-the-wall places. They have more of a "Restaurant" feel than some of the other Mexican eateries.
However, where they differ, they differ in substantial ways. I can only comment on two items at El Escondite, the burrito and the tostada. While both were decent, the tostada was the clear winner. The tortilla was just the right consistency, the meat was flavorful, and the toppings were plentiful. It was also huge. However, the burrito was not quite as good. It was a grilled burrito, which is uncommon, but I enjoyed the slight crispiness of the tortilla. The fillings were also okay, being filled with meat and salsa and plentiful guacamole. However, the cheese was a melted queso that ended up being very rubbery and almost ruined the whole meal for me.
In addition, despite the fact that the menu stated burritos come with rice and beans, mine came with french fries. Perhaps because I am a gringo? Not sure and didn't ask.
One plus is the provided salsas. You get a spicy chipotle red, which is very spicy, and a green salsa which is unlike anything I've had prior. It had tastes of avocado and cucumber, along with a nice heat. It wasn't guacamole; it was much too runny for that. But it was similar, and it was very, very good. They also have fresh juice and horchata, both of which are very good and you get a large portion when you order them.
The negatives are, as with El Paraiso Mexicano, relatively high prices for the area, and unlike El Paraiso, not great service. The food was timely, don't get me wrong, but the waitress spoke almost no English and could not be bothered with our bad Spanish.
In all, El Escondite is a good place. But the fact is, there are better places within a minute or two.
