Restaurant Review: The Three Amigos
THE THREE AMIGOS
4035 106th Street | the3amigos.ca
Instagram: @3amigosyeg
Co-Diners: The E.A.T Crew
Edmonton is home to a lot of incredible options when it comes to Mexican food but the amigos have been around since 2005 and are probably one of the earlier additions of this cuisine to the city's food scene. And yes, there really are three amigos - three brothers, actually. The Rosales brothers are from Oaxaca and have been treating Edmonton to their vibrant flavours for nearly twenty years. It's no surprise that the Edmonton Journal voted them as Favourite Mexican Restaurant 2023 after becoming such a long-lasting and trusted name in Mexican fare. What better day of the week to visit a bumpin' Mexican joint than on Tuesday! Taco Tuesday, that is! I highly recommend making a reservation at Three Amigos because every time that I visit I watch people get turned away at the door because the restaurant is often full. This is especially true on a Tuesday, the day of my recent dinner. You'll find Three Amigos in a strip mall in Duggan, not far removed from all of the south side hustle and bustle. You can't possibly miss them with their awesome sign with a giant lit-up number three on it. Stepping into the space is like a portal straight to Mexico! The colours! The energy! The smells! The restaurant is positively alive with the vibration of Mexico and it's a feast for the senses. No inch of the dining area is spared from a bright splash of paint, an interesting piece of art, or something else that feels incredibly authentic. I love the corrugated tin walls, the tabletops made out of metal Corona signs, and the Latin music filling the air. And I especially love the bathrooms, which you need to see for yourself. Let's just say that they have leaned into an entire unexpected Simpsons theme down in that end of the restaurant and it's hilariously wonderful. You will certainly not be short on atmosphere at Three Amigos. The servers are warm and friendly, offering a glow of hospitality that makes every customer feel welcome. Seated at my table, I was treated to an excellent view of the entire room and I watched as each and every table filled and became occupied for the evening. I could think of no better way to start the meal than with a Horchata Aguas Frescas ($5.00) and Totopos ($12.00).
Horchata is my forever favourite and I order it every time (if I'm not drinking alcohol). A traditional Mexican beverage made up of white rice soaked in water and then flavoured with cinnamon. It's sweet, nutty, and milky but also somehow quite refreshing. The horchata at Three Amigos is very good, however I did find that the bottom of my drink was very dense with ground cinnamon. I found the grainy sips to be a bit much and could have used for the cinnamon to have been dialed back a bit. The totopos seem simple enough but are not to be missed. The heaping mountain of tortilla chips are the perfect thing for everyone to munch on, and let me tell you, these housemade chips are addictive. You can tell that they taste freshly fried and are salted just the right amount. Nothing like the bagged kind from the grocery store. I also really enjoyed the three salsas that were served with the chips, each a different level of heat. The bright red one (Roja) was the mildest, while the darker red one (Diablo) was spicy, smoky, and full of deep chipotle flavour. My favourite is the creamy green salsa (Verde) which is medium in spice. The menu at Three Amigos is HUGE. It can be overwhelming to consider all of the options from starters to mains to tacos (an entire section all its own) to tortas. The best way to sample a lot of different things (especially if you're undecided) is to try the Amigo Plato ($29.00), a sampler plate which consists of a surprising number of items.
The food all arrived extremely quickly, and placed in front of us, this platter summed up Three Amigos in one single dish. Exciting, bursting with colours, each option enticing in its own way. I wasn't quite sure where to begin but I just started eating! The empanada, a stuffed corn pastry with chicken on the inside, was fried to a golden perfection. However, of all of the items, I did find it the least exciting. Next to the empanada was the taco dorado, a rolled fried corn tortilla stuffed with chicken and potato. The shape made it easy to eat, but again the overall flavour wasn't so interesting. Things kicked up a notch with the tostada, this crispy fried corn tortilla is topped with refried beans, braised chipotle chicken, queso fresco, avocado, and pico de gallo. I find a tostada pretty difficult to eat because as soon as you pick it up and bite it the whole thing often shatters and falls apart! But I love them anyway because you get the satisfaction of a crunchy tortilla paired with a fresh and delicious flavour combo piled high on top. The gordita might have been my favourite, a corn tortilla pressed pancake stuffed with queso. This reminded me of a Salvadorian pupusa and I loved the fried texture of the outside which gave way to a cheesy interior. The chicken tinga taco was a great way to sample one of their tacos, which they obviously do well. I loved the guacamole and pico de gallo, which only added to our collection of dips for the chips that we already had. Most dishes at Three Amigos are served with refried beans and rice and both are excellent. The Amigo rice is some of the best Mexican rice in the city and full of flavour. Three Amigos makes a really solid Birria Quesadilla ($27.00) and I often order it.
The French dip sandwich of the taco world, birria has taken Mexican cuisine by storm over the past few years. Three Amigos also serves birria tacos but the only difference between a taco and a quesadilla is that the later includes cheese. I don't know about you, but a cheesy birria is an absolute must for me. Quesadilla it is! The bold, tender beef was a major highlight and I loved how it melted in my mouth. However, the star for me is the deeply-coloured consommé, which I find to be such a unique aspect of these tacos. Gorgeous and full of rich, concentrated flavour, you are meant to dunk your tacos into the broth. The broth is also meant for sipping, so do not let a single drop go to waste even if your tacos are finished! I would have liked for the cheese to have been more involved - this was a quesadilla after all. I was really dreaming of pan-fried crispy edges of cheese encrusting the exterior of each tortilla, but this wasn't really the case. I find the birria situation to sometimes be hit or miss at Three Amigos. On some visits I've ordered it and have been blown away and on others I have felt that it was missing something. Next time I really want to try their torta, a Mexican sandwich that can be really incredible when done well. I'm sure that Three Amigos knows their way around a torta and I look forward to finding out. Lastly, I was looking forward to ordering a slice of Tres Leches for dessert but was sadly informed that there was none left. The Ultimate Amigo sounds like a pretty epic time but instead I opted for the Amigo Churros ($10.00) which seemed like a classic choice.
Easy to share and fun to eat, a churro is essentially a Mexican donut. Served piping hot, the fried exterior is delightfully crispy while the interior is soft and warm. I enjoyed dipping my churro into the rich chocolate sauce and also the fluffy pile of whipped cream. The rainbow sprinkles were a very fun touch. The Three Amigos is a reliable place for wonderful Mexican food. They are not new to this game and they manage to keep things fresh and exciting. We are lucky to live in a city that celebrates a vibrant Mexican culture and we certainly have no shortage of restaurants to try. Three Amigos have locked themselves in as a mainstay whose presence has paved the way for other restaurants to follow. If you haven't dined with them in a while it's time to visit your amigos!
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