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Casa Verde Fresh Mexican Grill, Kensington Market
Casa Verde is an independent food and dining guide for Toronto's Kensington Market. We write about one neighbourhood taqueria. We are not affiliated with any national chain, franchise, or trademarked restaurant brand.

Hand-rolled burritos on Augusta.

Casa Verde is a 24-seat taqueria tucked into the north end of Kensington Market. Ruben Mora and Alma Castillo have been grilling here for ten years. The counter is loud, the salsas are made that morning, and the guacamole never leaves a bowl untouched for long.

Order by phone. Call the counter — we start your burrito while you're still on the phone. 416 555 0137

If you've walked through Kensington on a Saturday afternoon you've probably seen the chalkboard outside our door, the one Alma rewrites every morning. One side has the day's three salsas — written in blue, red, green chalk, each marked for heat. The other side has the pickup window: twelve to nine on weekdays, past eleven on Friday and Saturday nights.

Everything on our menu is cooked on a flat-top you can see from the sidewalk. The flour tortillas come from a bakery two blocks south, the pork shoulder is marinated the night before, and the pinto beans simmer with a bay leaf we buy from the spice stall down the street.

What people usually order

  • The pastor burrito — marinated pork, grilled pineapple, pinto beans, rice, pico, and a scoop of the day's green salsa.
  • Chicken quesadilla with avocado — two cheeses, cilantro, a few slices of avocado, our habanero on the side if you ask.
  • Veggie bowl — black beans, cilantro-lime rice, roasted peppers, pickled onion, charred corn, a lime wedge, and whichever salsa Alma's testing.
  • Three tacos al pastor — corn tortillas, chopped onion, cilantro, a wedge of lime. That's the whole order.

Where we are

Casa Verde sits on Augusta Avenue, Kensington Market, between a produce grocer and a vintage record shop. The nearest streetcar is the 510 Spadina; the nearest subway is Spadina Station, a seven-minute walk north. There is no parking directly out front — most regulars come on foot.

If you've seen a flyer on social media and are not sure if this is the right page, the simple answer is: we don't advertise. The flyer you saw is probably not ours. Food on this page is what you can buy at the counter.

Three questions we hear often

Is this the official site of a national Mexican-grill chain?

No. Casa Verde is a single family-run taqueria in Toronto's Kensington Market. We are not a franchise and we are not affiliated with any national or international chain, including any trademarked brand with "burrito" in its name. If you clicked a social-media ad that promised a national chain, this is not it.

Do you sell gift cards, vouchers, or packaged tickets?

We do not. We have never sold a gift card, voucher, event ticket, loyalty pass, or discount code. If a page is asking you to enter payment information in order to "unlock" a Casa Verde offer, close the tab and call us at 416 555 0137. We will tell you if it is us.

I came from an advertisement — is this it?

If your ad promised a sweepstakes, a cash prize, a crypto giveaway, a $1 taco deal, free shipping, or anything with a countdown timer, it is not ours. Casa Verde does not run advertising, does not run contests, and does not collect payment through a webform. The only way to order from us is to walk in or call 416 555 0137.