As you know, or have guessed by now, eating out in downtown is kind of our thing. We love to explore the small “hole in the wall” restaurants that fill our urban streets. There’s a lot of really good food here.
One spot that we’ve fallen in love with is Papaya Mexican Grill. Located at 54 Liberty Street, next to Feliz Used Auto Sales, sits this small family run Mexican restaurant. It’s easy to pass this eatery by and not even realize you missed it. But I’m telling you, get out of the car and stop in. It’s a hidden gem.
I guess you could categorize Papaya Grill as a local fast food joint. It’s certainly fast, but someone is actually making your meal with real ingredients. Inside the modest location, are colorful walls, a handful of tables, and a chalkboard menu behind the counter. They have a small but varied menu offering made to order tacos, tortas, quesadillas, enchiladas, burritos and daily specials including a soup of the day. As for drinks, you have basic options of soda, bottled water, energy drinks, and iced teas. They also have house-made made drinks, like agua de horchata and agua de papaya, that rotate on a frequent basis.
One of the fun, unique features at Papaya Grill is the salsa bar. There are house-made green sauces, red sauces, mild sauces, hot sauces and fresh pico de gallo as well as bottled hot sauce favorites too. There are also toppings like pickled jalapenos (Alicia’s personal favorite, whole chipotles in adobo, sliced radishes and onions. After we place our order at the counter, we immediately see what’s in the salsa/toppings bar and select at least 4 different items before settling into “our” table by the window.
We’ve tasted the tortas, tacos, and burritos. It’s all been delicious. Our favorite thing to order is the taco combination plate. You can get 2 or 3 tacos with the filling of your choice served with rice and black beans. It’s a filling lunch; you might need a nap afterward.
Papaya Mexican Grill is one of downtown Danbury’s tiny hidden gems. You get really good food at an incredibly reasonable price. They are open 7 days a week from 11 am to 9 pm. Cash and credit cards accepted. You can also find them on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/papayamexicangrill?fref=ts.
Labels: danbury, restaurants
