Today we stopped at Tortas Balderas to get a Mexico City snack.
Hello, again. My dad and I, and sometimes my mom comes along too, have been going out on the town to find some of the best not so popular cheap eats, mostly family-owned, restaurants that we can find. We go out almost every day, finding some new little place, or big place, to tell you about and review the food and prices.
My dad had some errands to run in Coapinole, and as usual I ran along with him, so of course we wanted to stop some place to eat. My dad was thinking about a little mom and pops place around the area, but as he was driving I saw little to no restaurants. So, since we found nothing we drove down to Pitillal, as we also have to go past it on our way home, and there are a ton of restaurants, stands, and fondas. We ended up stopping at a torta, burger, and sandwich place called Tortas Balderas on Las Torres #245 in El Toro. Their longitude latitude location is 20.6507861861367, -105.21287880283568, and they also do delivery to all of PV for a small fee; to the tourist zone the cost for delivery is approximately 50-60 pesos.
Tortas Balderas serves tortas, hamburgers, and sandwiches, and they have some pretty special selections on their menu. They have 10 different locations in Mexico City, where their business has existed for over 40 years. The location in Puerto Vallarta has been here 2 years, and all of the staff are from Mexico City. One of the tortas that they offer weighs over a kilo. Yes, over a kilogram!! That’s more than 2.2 pounds!! On a torta!! Our waiter kindly and happily answered our questions and even added in some more info in that we didn't even think to ask! Apparently they receive up to 300 customers a day, and of those around 20 order this huge torta and eat it all, by themselves!
I ordered myself a Torta Rusa, which was huge itself! I thought the tortas were regular with the exception of the kilo torta, but they’re all huge, they just don't all weigh a kilo. My torta had chicken milanesa, pierna, ham, Oaxaca cheese, fresh tomato, onion, and lettuce, and some avocado. The milanesa was super juicy and the chicken isn’t dry at all, yet the breading is crunchy and not soggy! The pierna is really tender and just pulls apart as you bite into the sandwich, and the ham tastes like real ham, not like cheap, processed meat. Also, all the veggies are really fresh and taste perfectly ripe, and the bread is super soft, fluffy, and warm! I'm in love with it! And if you like it as much as me, please go check out Peter Hardy, the maker of this delicious bread, and his Facebook page Vallarta Bagel World.
My dad ordered the giant kilo torta, which is basically a huge torta Cubana. It has so many ingredients; it’s hard to remember them all! But it had panela cheese, American cheese, Oaxaca cheese, scrambled eggs, Mexican sausage, ham, milanesa, and the same veggies as mine did. Everything is very fresh, and tastes super real! The sausage wasn’t hot dog, but it also wasn’t chorizo. It was real sausage and delicious! The cheeses were all melty and yummy, and overall it was just an amazing sandwich. My dad only ate a quarter of his sandwich, and he has a big appetite, but then he brought it home and my mom, him, and me snacked on it for a while, and there’s still about a quarter of it left. So, this could easily feed 4 people, maybe even 5!! I can’t imagine how one person could possibly eat it by themself!!
Tortas Balderas is a little place, but they know how to bring in customers because I was very intrigued by their place, or maybe I just like bright colors and shiny things like a raccoon. The signs were bright red with bright yellow with a very white white font, and they also had some pictures of a couple of the tortas there, and there were also pictures of the tortas, burgers, and sandwiches that they make all around on the walls. And the little stand they have up front had a bright yellow rim, and pictures all over it!! There is plenty of seating and room, even though the area is small, so you should be able to find a place to sit. Even if you don't, the place is still totally worth visiting!!
Tortas Balderas' Second Location
I met the bread maker for Tortas Balderas, Peter Hardy, on Facebook and I thought I'd put his link for anyone who's interested, because he makes bagels too!
Vallarta Bagel World's Facebook
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And to see the rest of my food reviews go here