"Named after a hot beverage made with rice and cinnamon, this corner Mexican deli-grocery boasts a complete line of dry goods and produce, a small cafe in its interior with three flower-bedecked tables, and a shed outside that’s part of the operation. Inside the shed, quesadillas and related antojitos are turned out on a griddle, then passed through a window into the store if you choose to eat inside the restaurant. Also available from the shed are a range of fresh squeezed juices. From that shed, a friend and I enjoyed the largest taco placeros we’d ever seen, enfolding an entire poblano chile stuffed with cheese and fried in batter, as well as yellow rice, a boiled egg, and a salad of cactus, cilantro, and onions. It was enough food for two. As if that weren’t enough to attract you to the Horchata Deli Grocery, there’s a counter inside where tortas are fabricated, the Mexican sandwiches here made on an Italian bakery demi-baguette. The version featuring salchichas (hot dogs) and eggs was irresistible, slathered with red salsa and black beans, and loaded down with avocado and grated cheese. It would have made a perfect breakfast. Other tortas feature milanesa de res, carnitas, and — a surprise option — cochinita pibil, barbecued pork that’s a specialty of Yucatan." - Robert Sietsema
