Oro by Nixta — Restaurant in Minneapolis

TL;DR: This is not your typical “I want cheap Mexican food” experience. Go to a taqueria or Taco Bell for that. There’s a reason why it’s trendy; I think you will understand the hype when you eat here, and it’s reflected in the price. If you are a “foodie”, this is a must-visit. And ask for George—he will get you served right 🙌

So far I’ve come here 3 times and tried a large portion of the menu. I can generally say that the ingredients are top notch, and appreciate all the different flavors.

Disclaimer: ordered lots of dishes with other people who were also pretty big eaters, spending around $70 PP on each occasion (including 18% service charge, but before tip). But an average person probably doesn’t need to order more than 1 dish or 3-4 tacos.

I am not making any attempt to placate any entity when I say that everything is good here. Even the dish that I was least impressed by was still very good. There are some dishes here that massively stand out enough that they would justify coming just to try them out.

 Quesabirria: the birria here is excellent. It has texture reminiscent of a dry-cooked beef, but it is still quite juicy. The sauce compliments the tacos well, but I prefer the lime. The consommé has an interesting flavor that is unique compared to the several I’ve tried, and I appreciate the balance of solids and liquids. The cactus salad is also quite interesting, and helps to balance the savory experience with a touch of acidity. Worth ordering.

 Lechon Prensado: when I read “terrine” I was expecting something resembling the commonly associated paté in French cuisine. This is not a paté, but rather an extremely crispy rectangular, singular prism of pork. At the same time, it somehow maintains a juiciness inside that I have difficulty replicating in my own home cooking in dishes such as these. The sauce, being made partly of beans, carries that flavor strongly and provides a strong backdrop to the savoriness of the pork. At the same time, the kumquat is an excellent touch—providing a bright burst of acidity to the darkness and savoriness of the other components. Highly recommended.

 Chochoyotes Mofongo: if you enjoy some sweetness in your savory dishes, order this. It comes with a savory sort of bacon sauce, which compliments the sweetness of the plantain balls very nicely. This is what I would consider probably the most crowd-pleasing dish I tried here.

 Tamal de Milpa: being a vegan dish, I honestly did not expect to like this. I am not afraid to admit I am biased against vegan food, but that’s because many recipes taste like downgraded version of non-vegan versions. But I was seriously blown away by this dish. The point that stood out the most to me was the corn used for the tamale was unbelievably moist and sweet. It was as if I was biting into FRESH, perfectly ripe corn that had just been ground down into tiny bits. At the time I was eating this, I was with 2 other friends, and they both agreed that this dish stood out the most in our meal. Even if you aren’t vegan, you owe yourself to try this dish out.

 Barbacoa: the meat was braised so well that it slid off the bone with no effort. I swear a gentle breeze could probably strip the meat off of the bone clean. My friends and I were pretty flabbergasted by it.

 Pan de Salmon: of all of the dishes, I found this one to be the most “synergistic”. For context, a lot of the other dishes let you identify different aspects (like the base, heart, and top flavors; sweet vs savory vs acidic). But for this dish, the flavors fit very tightly together with each flavor leading into the next, as if there were no proverbial gaps in its armor of flavor. There is also a cool tortilla hidden underneath the seals everything together as part of the bed of flavor.

In the end, I was most impressed by the vegan dish, Tamal de Milpa. At the same time, I will probably end up going back to taste the rest of the menu. And then probably again after I’ve tasted everything since it’s all great. Don’t sleep...

If you have a service dog I would avoid this place. The second star is because our waitress, Alexandra I believe was wonderful. When we went on a Saturday to eat, I brought my service dog in training along with. She’s in a program for medical alert and my trainer gives us markers on when we are ready to do things such as go to a restaurant. So my dog was given the okay to start going with me to restaurants with a patio as part of her training. Now trust me I understand that there are fake service animals, I have dealt with this first hand and it is extremely frustrating. However, the solution is not to berate every service dog team you interact with. Anyways here’s what happened:

I send my husband in ahead of time to let them know we’d like to eat on the patio and have a service dog in training. A few minutes later they step outside and let us know our table is ready. This is the first person to say “does she have a vest”. I pointed at her working dog patches and we headed into the restaurant. A few seconds later, another staff member stops us and says “where is her vest, she needs to have one”? I again point at her patches and keep moving. As we squeeze through the back, a third staff (I suspect a manager) comes up behind me and says “she needs a vest where is her vest?”. I didn’t turn around since she was behind me and said she has patches and point at them. At this point this woman grabs by dog very aggressively by the harness and says “I need to see them” and then tries to pull her harness up so “it’s more visible”. The ironic part is that patch literally said “please don’t pet me I’m working” with a giant X over a hand touching a dog. I was honestly speechless when it happened. My dog was amazing and shook it right off and kept on duty but I was beyond shocked. I mean isn’t common sense to never touch anyone’s animal without asking? Even more important never ever touch a working dog without asking let alone so aggressively. This restaurant needs to train their staff. I really wanted to leave but I am extremely non confrontational and just sat. I did not feel welcome at the establishment even though my service dog is protected by law and literally went under the chair on command and laid there the entire dinner. So if any staff read this here are some things you NEED to know about service dogs and service dogs in training.

Service dogs in training are protected under the same public access laws as service dogs in Minnesota. They can only be asked to leave if the handler cannot keep them under control. Service dogs are NOT required by law to wear any vest, tag, or patch stating they are working (which is why the staffs questions were so weird). I chose to put patches on my dog so that people are aware she is working and should not be distracted. There are only two questions an individual can ask a service dog team. They are is this a service dog or service dog in training? And what is she/he trained or being trained to do (what is her task)? Funny enough I would have told them all about her training program and what she’s doing and why because it’s such a huge part of my life and I’m very proud of my girl, but they never asked. All the staff cared about was is she wearing a vest (which can be bought online lol). When you make an individual with a disability feel this crappy, it sticks with us for a long time. Things like this are hard to shake off and I was made to feel like I was some sort of criminal doing something wrong and that I should leave immediately.

I think all staff need to read up on ADA laws and Minnesota laws on service dogs and service dogs in training. I don’t see myself ever entering the restaurant again but others with disabilities needing the aid of a service dog should not have to...

We were so pleased to meet chefs Gustavo and Kate Romero and try their top-notch, new Twin Cities Mexican restaurant.

We are impressed with how excellent the food is, and the complexity, deliciousness, and versatility of the heirloom corn that they grind themselves is exquisite tasting.

Romero's deep passion to showcase their culture through creative dishes comes through in a personal way. It was very pleasing to try their selection of corn varieties. We can never make our Mexican meals at home this good; one cannot purchase such fresh and unique corn varieties on our grocery store shelves. Their CHIPS AND DIPS (VV) sikil p'aak, salsas, and tostada is a must-try. It came with three sauces, each one was VERY good! I was pleased with my Chile Relleno; it has marvelous blends of chile guero, seafood filling, and guajillo-seaweed flavors. Next time, I’ll try a different dish to replace the cauliflower as the mole was a bit spicy.

The way that they know how to cook with it is “gold.” We were pleasantly stunned by the diverse presentation and flavor profiles on the menu. Their heirloom varieties are so, much better than the pale yellow corn most of us are more familiar with.

I didn’t expect to like the rice beverage horchata so much – I’ll definitely order it again and again. The locally- and Indigenous-sourced wild rice used tastes refreshing and leaves for feeling good/healthy for a good while. It has a fun toasty, chocolaty, rich flavor. Also, I recommend the El Jefe Negroni cocktail – they also kindly cut the alcohol for me (I’m happy to pay full price.)

Each of our appetizer entrees was a standout dish, especially the Aguachile Rojo. It’s an amazing burst of fresh summer flavors with peeled tomatoes and bright watermelon balls nestled in a piquant, just-perfect-spicy, bright sauce. Delicious, large shrimp floated in the sauce and were accompanied by their delightful crunchy tostadas.

The tacos are exceptional and modestly priced from $6-7; if anything, it's underpriced for the unique flavor. They may be able to keep prices reasonable because while the interior décor is lovely, it is not extravagant like some similar palaces to eat Mexican food. You have to taste their in-house-ground masa to believe how incredibly good they are!

The atmosphere is pleasant and jovial, with a nice entre area if you are waiting for other table guests to join you. We loved the deep luxurious, blue-colored walls; the front reception murals and the bathroom walls are an experience to see – very creative and beautiful.

Gustavo told us that he is eager for the patio to open and the bar area (additional building) to accommodate more people with expanded space. It was fun to try their dessert. We enjoyed it so much - we are already planning a trip back with family and to bring another group of friends!

On a return visit, I tried Molotes, which was new on the menu - it is now my new favorite!

The staff knew the ingredients and menu options and were very kind to explain them to us. Mexican food that is this authentic is hard to find. Both their sweet and savory entrees use corn in a tasty fashion. I highly recommend...