Dos Hermanos Tacos and Burritos Express

2698 S. Sherwood Forest Blvd., Baton Rouge

(225) 291-3477

(225) 291-3478 FAX

It's been my experience that some of the best food arrives out of some of the most humble surroundings. So, with that spirit in mind, I darkened the door of Dos Hermanos Tacos and Burritos Express, inelegantly shoehorned into the old Taco Bell location on  Sherwood Forest near I-12.

The old run-for-the-border spot has been rechristened with a red, white, and green paint scheme in tribute to the Mexican flag, but otherwise is laid out about the same, minus a few Spanish-language DVD racks and a huge projection HDTV wedged into one corner featuring Spanish programming. 

Dos Hermanos has kind of an odd set-up in that the customer comes to the front counter, is handed a menu, and is then told to go sit at one of the booths or tables. Soon, a server appears, ready to take your order, chips and salsas in hand.  In addition to the standard salsa dish, you are also presented with twin squeeze bottles full of salsa verde (green tomatillo) and salsa rojo (red chile) respectively. Good thing, too, as these both outshined the rather ordinary salsa Mexicana in the dish, which was lacking in zip and had a slightly gritty texture. I quickly went through a basket of chips, two-fisting the squeeze bottles of salsa.

My lunch entree' this day would be the Combinaciones dos Hermanos ($8.99), a combination plate featuring one  cheese enchilada, one tamale, and one chile relleno served with the requisite spanish rice and refried beans. The enchilada and chile relleno came bathed in a red ranchero sauce with bell peppers and onions. The enchilada was good if unspectacular. The chile relleno was an improvement, a flavorful poblano pepper filled with gooey cheese that had been battered and fried. The batter could have used a bit more salt to my taste, but it was delicioso nonetheless. The surprise star of this meal was the tamale... frequently an overcooked, dry filler on a combo plate. Not so here- the tamale was served in a corn husk, with a moist masa dough layer inside, covering- to my happy satisfaction- chunks of carne asada that were lick-your-fingers good.  When topped with a squirt of the aforementioned salsa rojo, every bite of tamale was a home run. Another surprise were the refried beans.... dos Hermanos gives these the attention they deserve, serving a creamy and flavorful refried beans that resulted in my making a happy plate! I elected to wash all these down by ordering an Horchata ($2.50), the sweet, creamy, cinnamon flavored rice drink that perfectly quenches the chile fires one sometimes gets eating south-of-the-border cuisine.

Service here was attentive, pleasant and quick. Don't wait on a check when you are done, though... you still have to pay up front at the counter.The good news is that Dos Hermanos presents a good value... I got out of the door, stuffed for just under $13. Dos Hermanos has a large menu that will suit many tastes... all the regular items you'd expect in a Mexican joint... tacos, burritos, nachos... but don't miss out some of their other offerings like Huevos (eggs) or Tortas (Mexican sandwich). Dos Hermanos also has daily specials featuring mole poblano, ribs, and soups like pozole and menudo.

Mexican is a popular choice in Baton Rouge, and also with readers of this blog according to our most recent poll... now, there's another place that provides quality Mexican fare at a good price right in the middle of Baton Rouge- Dos Hermanos Tacos and Burritos Express. Buen Provecho!