Pablo Picante…restaurants serving good food that doesn't take itself seriously, that says you can have a Cali Carnitas – slow-cooked pork, long-grain rice, black beans, grated cheese, fresh salsa in a flour tortilla – and eat it with gusto, and smile at all the elements of PP: the whacky language; the funny art work, the groovy Facebook pages, the implausible history. I mean, what's not to love about a couple of Mexican restaurants run by an imaginary wrestler – Pablo – where you can go and order a Pablo's Paleo Box? You have to love it.
 But you will love this zippy spin on Mexican cooking too: chipotle shredded beef torta; the Ensenada Ensalada; the vegetarian Victorio Verde; the Mexicali Mince. The cooking is sharp, and sharply delivered and, whilst it doesn't take itself too seriously, this is serious food, as anyone who has been to Mexico will recognise. But you don't need to have been to Baja to get a kick out of this wonderful, soulful food.

It’s not a secret that I love Pablo Picante. Actually, scratch that, I’m obsessed with Pablo Picante. I would eat at Pablo’s breakfast, lunch and dinner if I could. I’m kind of ashamed to admit this, but occasionally I wait for as long as 20 minutes outside, waiting for the restaurant to open its doors. You can’t blame me, though – the burritos that are lovingly crafted in this fine establishment are delicious, filling and spicy, the three things I want from this kind of food. This is why, while making my usual trip to Pablo’s in Clarendon Market, I was stunned to find the building next door transformed into Pablo’s Tortas. Upon further investigation, I found out that this was a new venture in the Pablo’s chain, which serves – guess what – tortas. Wikipedia unhelpfully described this food as ‘a Spanish (but also an Italian and Portuguese) word with a huge array of culinary meanings’, but upon ordering one, it turned out to be a sandwich on a kind of focaccia-style roll, filled with a choice of meat, rocket salad and assorted fillings. Being a massive fan of burritos, I was obviously sceptical at first. As soon as I bit in, however, all my worries went away. I went to Pablo’s Tortas twice over the past week – the first time, I had the pork torta (‘Tinga Torta’), the second time, I had the ‘El Magnifico’, which was filled with steak. There were other dishes being served in the establishment, such as side orders of ‘Mex Mac’n’Cheese’, and a kind of chilli in a bread bowl, but I hadn’t had the chance to try them (yet).

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#10best Dublin lunch spots (5th place) The Irish lunch could usually be typified by the limp, refrigerated sandwich served with vegetable soup in a pub. This is no longer the reality and the standard of the lunchtime offerings in Dublin has sky rocketed with great options for vegetarians and those with food allergies and intolerances. 5 Pablo's Tortas
The latest addition to the Pablo's family is handily located just beside its Clarendon Market burrito-house but takes some of the most delicious Mexican treats and creates hearty sandwiches with great sides to match. See slow roasted pork, steak and marinated chicken pair up with jalapeno alioli, spinach and cheese in crisp rolls to create a sort of fusion with fluffy Italian bread providing the vessel for rich marinated Mexican fillings. This is a less messy way to consume all the goodness offered next door in the burrito bar and also allows you to enjoy some of these flavours in a different way. Creating twists on classics like the tuna melt and the sloppy joe makes Pablo's Tortas an interesting alternative to your regular sliced pan sandwich. ((01) 6629773)

IT’S far from burritos, taquitos, and chipotles that the Irish palate was reared. Thanks to our ongoing renaissance in the production, cooking, and service of food, however, such ingredients seem less exotic by the day. In Dublin, particularly, a mix of traditional eateries (Acapulco), burrito bars (Boojum, the Little Ass Burrito Bar), quirky cafes (Cafe Azteca, K Chido Mexico) and hipster hotshots (777) have come in under the radar to create a bona fide Mexican food scene.
It’s a work in progress, of course, but the nuggets are finally starting to outweigh the soggy nachos. Picking my way through a long list of recommendations for this review, I got the sense of an increasingly authentic snapshot of one of the world’s most delicious and surprising cuisines.
The best burrito? That question divides Dubliners, but for me it was the Cali Carnitas (€6.50) — a torpedo of slow-cooked pork tucked up with a fistful of long-grain rice, black beans, grated cheese, and smoked chipotle salsa at Pablo Picante on Clarendon Market (“al lado to El Grafton Street” as it’s described).
Pablo’s sunburst colour scheme put me in a chirpy mood even before I got to its short, sweet menu of burritos, nachos, and quesadillas. The burrito pulled no punches. Wrapped in foil and served in a naff wooden basket, its toothsome tortilla gave way to moist meat and a sauce that put just the right tingle in the lips. It was obscenely big, heavy as a pint of porter, but whopping great value.
Mexican iconography and pop culture lend themselves to funky design, and I liked Pablo Picante’s masked Lucha libre wrestler and the collection of hot sauces lovingly displayed on a rack. This remains a casual space, however.

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