Hailed by the Globe and Mail as “the most drop-jaw beautiful Mexican restaurant ever to open in the city”, El Catrin certainly takes Mexican to a whole new level.

Located in Toronto’s trendy Distillery District, this wonderful eatery is a bold homage to Mexican cantinas and a feast for the eyes thanks to its vibrant attention to detail, colourful décor, and playful furnishings.

Mexican traditions of Día de los Muertos, urban street art, La Loteria Mexicana, and Papel Picado paper art were some of the elements that inspired the interiors of El Catrin. (Click on photo to enlarge and see slideshow).

Munge Leung’s design of El Catrin features authentic Mexican tile floors, custom designed metal screens, laser-cut lampshades and metal screen details, and two private dining rooms.

The drama and scale of the main dining room is achieved thanks to jaw-dropping features such as oversized folk art-inspired chandeliers and an electrifying two-storey hand-painted bas-relief mural by artist Óscar Flores that’s lit with black lights so that the colours glow and vibrate.

El Catrin’s 5,000 square foot outdoor patio is layered with vibrant colours and features a central open fire pit and full-service outdoor bar.

The Distillery Restaurant Group recruited French-trained Executive Chef Olivier Le Calvez, whose modern tapas-style dishes, mainly inspired by Southern Mexican cuisine from the Oaxaca and Yucatan regions, are enhanced by the superlative design of this establishment.

If you’re looking for an all-season, oustanding Mexican restaurant to escape the cold of winter or to enjoy Toronto’s summer patio season, El Catrin fits the bill.

Website: www.elcatrin.ca

Address: 18 Tank House Lane, Distillery District, Toronto.

Phone: (416) 203-2121.

Special thanks to: Ms. Lianne Defranco.

Focal Journey (by Gustavo Espinola)