tacos

We have been seriously spoiled here in Dorchester over the past year! I recently wrote about a new favorite, The Industry on Adams, and we’re also loving Molinari’s, Lower Mills Tavern, Lucy’s and a bunch of others, all within walking distance of our house. I still actually can’t believe, despite the plumber issues, the luck we had finding a house we love in a location that is booming.

Right after we returned from Italy a few weeks ago, Yellow Door Taqueria opened up in our very own Lower Mills neighborhood. We had been stalking its opening, peering over papered windows on walks around town, and getting ready for a funky new spot for tacos and tequila. . . it’s worth saying though that we have another taco favorite, Sea Breeze nearby on the Ashmont side of us, which is excellent and totally different. One doesn’t replace the other. . . I caved into a serious Sea Breeze craving last night!

Anyway, back to Yellow Door. . .

The taqueria is an absolutely beautiful spot that was once an antique store that is now down the street. The design is chic and fun and comfortable; the bar is a likely winter hangout for us.

A creative cocktail menu with a focus on tequila made for good reading material as we cozied into our corner table. We’re bar people, but at 5:30, the bar was already full. We were lucky to snag the last table. My strategy going forward, when possible, is to be waiting by the door at 4:00 when they open!

It was a warm day, and I always crave grapefruit, so I went with the Paloma which ended up being completely delicious and fresh and perfectly made.

We took our time ordering food. It’s become our new way of dining that we have a cocktail first, then start to order, so the food doesn’t come piling out.

I am a huge fan of ceviche and am so excited that Yellow Door features three options. I could easily just make a meal of ceviche on its own, but we were there for the tacos, so we went with the scallop ceviche to start before putting in our taco order.

I love that sweet, super fresh scallop flavor when scallop ceviche is done perfectly, and this was it. Delicate flavors of habanero, lime, tequila, all came together for flavor without overwhelming the seafood. Sturdy chips were perfect for scooping!

The taco menu was really hard to put down. We decided we wanted everything but the duck and in the end went with Veggie, Chicken Tinga, Carnitas, Cangrejo (Crab), Azteca, and, as lovers of fish tacos, the Daily Fish. I’ve included the descriptions from the menu below, because these aren’t your ordinary tacos. Each has the perfect accompaniments to go with the meat or fish or veggie that is the main feature.

Everything was SO delicious. The only issue was that, after the ceviche, we definitely did not need six tacos. We forced ourselves to eat every bite because these were incredible and couldn’t go to waste, but I definitely rolled out of there.

Our entire experience at Yellow Door Taqueria was excellent, and considering we went on their third day of being open, that’s pretty amazing. From the warm welcome to the well-paced service, it felt like they had everything down already, and I can’t wait to be back to eat and drink the rest of the menu.

Welcome to Dorchester, Yellow Door Taqueria!

CARNITAS (GF) pork confit, cotija, salsa verde, refried beans, red onion, cilantro, chicharrones 4.

DAILY FISH chili-infused Tecate-battered fried local fish, calabaza purée, crema, grilled pineapple salsa, cilantro 5.

AZTECA tequila-habanero braised beef, salsa ranchero, onion bacon jam, pickled red onion, crispy tortilla strings 5.

CANGREJO (GF) local crab a la plancha, blue corn purée, chipotle beans, mango pickled serrano slaw, red onion 5

CHICKEN TINGA tinga braised chicken, crema, avocado frito, crispy chicken skin, radish, cilantro 4.

VEGGIE (GF) chipotle potato purée, beets, queso de cabra, carrot fresno salsa, house guacamole, tortilla strips, cilantro 4