Best Tortas

Ever since we discovered the joys of eating at Tortas El Güero, we can hardly bring ourselves to eat at fast-food joints anymore. What, you've never had a torta? Friend, let us introduce you to the glory of the Mexican sandwich: It's a ginormous, filling thing, stuffed with meat, lettuce, tomatoes, pickled jalapeños, mayo, and thick slices of avocado, served on a soft, lightly toasted telera roll. Really, it's enough food for two people, but it's so tasty that we usually end up snarfing down the whole torta ourselves. There are 20-some choices on the menu here, so we could practically eat a different one every day for weeks on end, although we do have a few favorites. The oversized Cubana is a carnivore's dream, layered with ham, cheese, breaded beef, and sliced pork, and the Pastor is a total eye-opener, with tender chunks of pork in a fiery red chile sauce. And the Hawaiiana, jazzed up with queso fresco and pineapple, is a refreshing take on a ham sandwich. With an ice-cold Mexican Coke or a big cup of horchata, these tortas make for a cheap and tasty feast that beats a Big Mac any day.