La Toxica serves three Mexican desserts in Montréal: churros, pastel tres leches and flan napolitano. Mexican desserts are sweets built on fried dough, milk, eggs, cinnamon, caramel and chocolate, and these three are on our menu at both restaurants and for delivery. The rest of this guide covers what Mexicans eat for dessert and how to finish a taco dinner without feeling stuffed.
What Mexican desserts can you order at La Toxica in Montréal?
You can order three Mexican desserts at La Toxica in Montréal: churros, pastel tres leches and flan napolitano, all listed under Desserts on our menu. We name the three we make rather than a dozen we do not.
- Churros, $8.50. Three warm churros drizzled with condensed milk and dusted with sugar and cinnamon.
- Pastel tres leches, $11.00. A traditional tres leches cake with a smooth, creamy flavour.
- Flan napolitano, $7.50. A chilled, creamy flan.
Prices are the ones posted on the menu today and can change, so check the page before you order. The churros are the easy pick after birria tacos, because the cinnamon sugar and the condensed milk cut through the richness of the birria consommé. The flan is the lighter ending. The tres leches is the one to share.
Where do churros come from, and how do Mexicans eat them?
Churros are ridged sticks of fried dough rolled in sugar. Food historians usually trace them to Spain, where one popular story credits shepherds who needed something easy to cook over a fire. They crossed the Atlantic and became a Mexican habit. The dough is simple: flour, water, a little salt, pressed through a star-shaped nozzle into hot oil so the ridges fry crisp while the middle stays soft.
In Mexico they are a morning and evening snack. People eat them from paper bags at street stalls and at fairs, and many dip them in hot chocolate or in cajeta, a thick goat’s-milk caramel. Some bakeries fill them with cajeta or chocolate. Ours come with condensed milk poured over the top, so you do not need a dip.
What is pastel tres leches, and why is it so moist?
Pastel tres leches means three milks cake. A light sponge is soaked in a mix of evaporated milk, condensed milk and cream, then chilled so the liquid spreads evenly. The result is soft and cold, closer to a pudding than to a dry birthday cake.
The cake is claimed by several Latin American countries, and nobody has settled where it started. In Mexico it has become the standard birthday and family-party cake, usually topped with whipped cream and fruit. It is sweet, so one slice between two people is plenty after a full meal of tacos.
How is flan napolitano different from other flans?
Flan napolitano is the Mexican version of the baked custard that came from Spain. What sets it apart is the cream cheese, which makes the custard denser and silkier than a plain egg flan. It is baked in a caramel-lined mould, chilled, then turned out so the caramel runs down the sides.
It is a good ending to a spicy meal, because the cold, mild custard calms the heat of salsa and chile. If you found the birria consommé strong, this is the dessert to pick.
Which other Mexican desserts are worth knowing?
Beyond the three on our menu, Mexican dessert culture includes six more sweets that you may see in bakeries or at family tables. They are not on the La Toxica menu.
- Fresas con crema. Strawberries in sweetened cream, often with a little condensed milk. Especially common in spring, and easy to make at home.
- Arroz con leche. Rice simmered in milk with cinnamon and sugar, served warm or cold.
- Buñuelos. Thin fried dough fritters dusted with sugar or soaked in syrup, a Christmas favourite.
- Cajeta. A caramel made from slowly cooked goat’s milk, spooned over crepes, ice cream or churros.
- Rosca de reyes. The ring-shaped sweet bread eaten on January 6. We wrote about the rosca de reyes tradition separately.
- Chocolate caliente. Mexican hot chocolate, made with cinnamon and sometimes chile. Our post on authentic Mexican chocolate explains how it is prepared.
What are the best Mexican desserts to make at home?
Several Mexican desserts are easy to make at home, and fresas con crema is the quickest: slice strawberries, fold them into cream mixed with a spoonful of condensed milk, chill for an hour. Arroz con leche takes about forty minutes of stirring. Flan and tres leches both need a night in the fridge, so make them the day before. Churros are possible at home, but they need a deep pot, a piping bag with a star tip and careful oil temperature. If you do not want a kitchen covered in oil, ordering them from us is simpler.
How do you end a taco dinner with dessert in Montréal?
The best way to end a taco dinner is to order the dessert with the tacos, not after, because it helps you pace the meal. Two tacos and a shared churros is a full evening for most people. A group of four can split one tres leches, one flan and one order of churros and taste everything.
La Toxica has two restaurants: Plaza Saint-Hubert at 7221 rue Saint-Hubert, Montréal, QC H2R 2N2, in Villeray (514 277-1111), and Chinatown at 1059 boulevard Saint-Laurent, 1st floor, Montréal, QC H2Z 1J6 (438 380-8995). You can reserve a table at either of our two restaurants, Plaza Saint-Hubert or Chinatown Saint-Laurent, and the full list is on our locations page. If you would rather eat at home, order online for delivery. Check the menu page for what is available when you order.
Frequently asked questions
What is the most popular Mexican dessert?
The most popular Mexican dessert depends on taste, but three are among the best known: churros, a fried dough snack eaten at street stalls and fairs; pastel tres leches, the standard birthday and family-party cake in Mexico; and flan napolitano, a creamy cream-cheese custard. La Toxica serves all three.
Does La Toxica serve churros?
La Toxica serves churros: an order is three warm churros with condensed milk, sugar and cinnamon, listed at $8.50 on the menu.
What desserts are on the La Toxica menu?
Churros, pastel tres leches and flan napolitano. Check the menu for current prices.
Can I order La Toxica desserts for delivery?
The menu is available at both restaurants and for delivery. Use the online ordering page to see what you can add to your order.
Is fresas con crema a Mexican dessert?
Fresas con crema is a common dessert in Mexico, made of strawberries and sweetened cream. It is not on our menu, but the recipe above works at home.
Ready for something sweet? See the full La Toxica menu, book a table, or contact us with a question.
