Pickosito’s days on Mary Street were numbered, and the North Lotts iteration isn’t much different in size. The distinguishing factor remains that the Mary Street restaurant operated canteen-style, with orders meant to be placed at a counter, while the new one offers table service.

Women rolling tortillas on a stone counter greet patrons as they walk in — although they’re too busy ensuring quality to actually say hi. It’s a reassuring set-up: knowing that their tortillas aren’t pulled out of a packet will put most eager diners at ease.

The place is full on a Friday evening, and it takes a while for a server to get to our table. They’re out of lemon aguas frescas, but the horchata and mango are tasty enough to make up for that. A generous dusting of cinnamon complements the sweet, rice notes of the horchata, and the mango is more fruity than saccharine. 

A portion of Pickosito nachos arrives with a drizzle of melted cheese and sour cream, and a sprinkling of sweet corn and sliced jalapeño. After a glance at tortillas being made in real time, it’s disappointing to see that the tortilla chips aren’t prepared in-house — they’re Doritos. It’s not a bad snack, but freshly made tortilla chips would have taken the dish to another level.

Four in a portion, the chicken tacos are brought out next. They’re filled so generously that they splay open on the plate, accompanied by fried potato cubes. It’s possible to choose from flour or corn tortillas; we got the corn version. The chicken is grilled well enough to tear as your teeth touch it, and the roasted peppers and grilled onions add a bit of juiciness. Tortilla quality is outstanding, making each mouthful so pleasurable that it’s entirely possible to keep eating even once hunger has waned.

We’re told that the kitchen is out of the sauce for the enchiladas rojas, and so we’re given enchiladas verdes instead. A smooth salsa verde and thin stream of sour cream coats the entirety of the plate, including the “Mexican rice”. The enchiladas are cheesy, with a slight crunch from sliced, sautéed onion. These are made with corn tortillas by default — a delightful, unfussy combination with the cheese and piquant salsa. 

The “Mexican rice” is too good on its own to treat like an accompaniment. An orangey-red, it’s spicy and salty, bites of which work both like a palate cleanser and a side that’s worthy of being a main. 

We near the end of our meal with a couple of enchiladas still intact, requesting a box to take away the leftovers, knowing they’ll taste as good even when they’re soggy (which they do). Options for dessert include a “three milk” cake, and we make a mental note to try it on a subsequent visit. 

This is a restaurant that provides prototypes for a cuisine in a city that has otherwise reduced it to stereotypes. Pickosito calls itself Ireland’s first Taquería Norteña, and is hopefully on its way to show the country that Mexican food has the variety to dispel preconceived notions and push set boundaries.