After a successful launch out of The Depanneur nearly a month ago, Cocina Mexicana Don Chingón has secretly expanded to set up shop at Wasted Youth for service Wednesday through Saturday.
How will you find them? Through following the piñata.
Though you'll be able to order right from your seat at Wasted Youth's patio, if you're looking for a quick grab-and-go meal or secret menu items that you wouldn't be able to order elsewhere, your best bet is to knock on their back door. Located right behind Wasted Youth, accessible via Shaw Street, right by Irene Avenue Parkette, you'll follow the piñata and it'll lead you to exactly where you want to be.
The next move for Aaron Okada, Oskar Diaz and Steve Fernandes, the trio behind the popular Mexican street-style food concept, is naturally to expand. After multiple sold-out weekends for brunch at The Depanneur, spending late afternoons and evenings at Wasted Youth will allow them the opportunity to do something a little bit different with their offerings.
To fully utilize chef Diaz's extensive culinary background in seafood, they'll be focusing more on that in this new location, thanks to permanent fridge space. While owning and operating five restaurants in the port city of Tampico, Mexico, Diaz's signature dish became his aguachile. A dish consisting of shrimp submerged in a zesty, vibrant green marinade that includes chili peppers and lime, accompanied by cucumbers and onions with a side of chips.
That being said, orders of fresh ceviche and aguachile are a must here.
In regards to tacos, find their popular Carnitas taco made with tender confit pork belly, Pescado taco made with battered fried fish, Camarón, which is a juicy shrimp taco and even discover your new favourite vegan taco, the Camote. This one is made with a sweet potato base and is dressed with aji amarillo sofrito and pickled red onion.
Just like at The Depanneur, you'll be able to take home some of their LOJA bottled condiments like their signature Huasteca Hot Sauce and grab an order of chips with guacamole or salsa.
Different from The Depanneur, find the addition of Jarritos in various flavours and Modelo to the drink list, with refreshing agua fresca coming soon.
If you're really looking for a treat, keep in mind that along with the new secret back door, comes a secret menu. They'll be offering the same dishes those sitting outside Wasted Youth have, with the addition of daily specials that only you will know about. This opens the floor to more creativity from the chefs who are eager to experiment and serve new dishes throughout the day.
Though there's no official outdoor seating in the spacious alleyway, luckily, they're located just steps away from Irene Avenue Parkette, leaving it in your hands to plan the perfect picnic.
Though they've expanded, you're still able to pre-order your taco, torta or tamale brunch boxes for pick-up via The Depanneur website here.
Find Cocina Mexicana Don Chingón at The Depanneur on Saturdays and Sundays from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. and find them at Wasted Youth Wednesday through Friday from 6 p.m. until 10 p.m. and Saturday from 3 p.m. until 10 p.m. Since they're a pop-up that often sells out before the end of their day, it's best to stay tuned to their Instagram for any changes in their hours.
