Tobala
Oaxacan restaurant · Riverdale
3732 Riverdale Ave, Bronx, NY 10463
Highlights
Oaxacan-inspired food, handcrafted cocktails, and warm hospitality
Oaxacan-inspired food, handcrafted cocktails, and warm hospitality
"A Riverdale restaurant specializing in Oaxacan cuisine, recommended for starting a meal with a trio of moles and corn tortillas; its mole sauce is singled out as incredibly rich and unforgettable." - Ashley Day
"Tobalá is one of the most exciting spots to hit the Bronx in years. Inside, it's minimal and modern, with a light and creamy palette punctuated by textural design elements and clay masks, and Oaxacan pottery enhances every table. The food is as dreamy as the setting. Inspector notes: "Served piping hot in a folded napkin, blue and yellow corn tortillas are made to order and served with spicy salsa verde and a smoky salsa de chile d'arbol. For tacos, the succulent lamb barbacoa piled high atop two blue corn tortillas, is a no-brainer." - MICHELIN Guide
"Tobalá is one of the most exciting spots to hit the Bronx in years. Inside, it's minimal and modern, with a light and creamy palette punctuated by textural design elements and clay masks, and Oaxacan pottery enhances every table. The food is as dreamy as the setting. Served piping hot in a folded napkin, blue and yellow corn tortillas are made to order and served with spicy salsa verde and a smoky salsa de chile d'arbol. For tacos, the succulent lamb barbacoa piled high atop two blue corn tortillas, is a no-brainer. Enmolada de pato in an earthy and complex mole with notes of fruit and a creeping burn is topped with cooling rings of red onion, a flutter of white sesame seeds, paper-thin slices of calabacitas and shaved serrano peppers for a bit of brightness." - Michelin Inspector
"Tobalá is one of the most exciting spots to hit the Bronx in years. Inside, it's minimal and modern, with a light and creamy palette punctuated by textural design elements and clay masks, and Oaxacan pottery enhances every table. The food is as dreamy as the setting. Served piping hot in a folded napkin, blue and yellow corn tortillas are made to order and served with spicy salsa verde and a smoky salsa de chile d'arbol. For tacos, the succulent lamb barbacoa piled high atop two blue corn tortillas, is a no-brainer. Enmolada de pato in an earthy and complex mole with notes of fruit and a creeping burn is topped with cooling rings of red onion, a flutter of white sesame seeds, paper-thin slices of calabacitas and shaved serrano peppers for a bit of brightness." - Michelin Inspector
"When your waiter at Tobalá launches into a Planet Earth voice-over about Oaxaca’s annual chicatana ant harvest, try to pay attention. It might be hard, especially when the ants in question are part of a dish so delicious that you just want to go back to scooping it up with hot, fresh, purple corn tortillas. But the charmingly chatty service and obsession with all things Oaxacan are part of what make a meal at this pleasant, palo santo-scented restaurant in Riverdale memorable—beyond its killer cocktails, tacos, and flavorful larger plates, like duck smothered in mole negro. On weekends, every table and bar stool in the spacious, skylit room fills up with dates, groups of friends, and families, so reserve ahead for a leisurely brunch or dinner." - Sonal Shah
