Review: I ate at Los Dos Amigos in Portsmouth - the Mexican that replicates Parks and Rec's meat tornado

Los Dos Amigos in Albert Road, Southsea.

That is the question I have been repeatedly asking myself after having dinner at Southsea’s Mexican paradise, Los Dos Amigos.

For decades there has been a distinct lack of Mexican cuisine in Portsmouth – especially when compared to the likes of Italian, Chinese and Indian food.

But the team behind Los Dos Amigos has started to change all that, opening in 2021 to high praise from their customers. Since then, they have been going from strength to strength, but the Dish Detective has never actually paid them a visit. Until now.

Pulled pork and cheese loaded fries from Los Dos Amigos in Southsea.

NOW READ: Dish Detective Review – O Sole Mio

After a busy day at work my partner and I ordered from the Albert Road eatery for a quick dinner. I ordered the los grande burrito (£11.95) with pulled pork and cheese loaded fries (£9.95). My partner opted for the chipotle chicken burrito (£9.95) with halloumi fries (£6.95) and homemade coleslaw (£2.50). Considering we both put add-ons into our burritos, the price for all of this was frankly very reasonable.

The first thing we noticed were the portion sizes - they were enormous. The loaded fries were piled high, the halloumi fries were served in abundance and the burritos were wider than my ever-expanding waistline.

Firstly I dived into the fries, which were coated with a seasoning that was packed with flavour. The pulled pork and cheese topping was excellent, lifted by a sprinkling of chives to stop it from being too heavy. My only issue (and it’s a minor one) was that you can’t pull pulled pork when it’s had cheese melted in with it, but the taste more than made up for that. It was rich, without overwhelming the fries themselves.

Dish Detective's haul from Los Dos Amigos - two burritos, loaded fries, halloumi fries and homemade coleslaw.

My partner tucked into their halloumi fries first, which were not only plentiful but also massive in size; they were the width and depth of a bottleneck, cooked to perfection without being dried out, yet still crispy on the outside. According to my partner, these were their favourite part of the meal.

Fans of the US sitcom Parks and Recreation will be familiar with the concept of a ‘meat tornado’ – as Ron Swanson said: ‘It’s a whole new meat delivery system.’

Well I’m pleased to report that los grande burrito is perhaps the closest thing we could possibly imagine to the real deal. It’s packed to the brim with beef, pulled pork and chicken, which combine to form a perfect meaty delight. For some foodies this might prove a bit too heavy, but it was complimented well by the crisp salad and abundant jalapenos, which also gave the burrito a pleasant kick in every bite.

My partner found their chipotle chicken burrito to be a tad too spicy for their liking, perhaps due to the aforementioned jalapenos. They really pack them in so if you’re not a fan, I’d recommend asking for those to be left out.

Review: I ate at Los Dos Amigos in Portsmouth - the Mexican that replicates Parks and Rec's meat tornado

NOW READ: Dish Detective Review – O Sole Mio

SEE ALSO: 10 of the Dish Detective’s favourite places 2022