When brothers Andrés and Arturo Anhalt opened Milagro restaurant on Mercer Street, they did it to offer authentic Mexican cuisine to a city hooked on burritos, nachos and other dishes of the Tex-Mex persuasion. Torontonians, it turned out, were receptive to their ceviches and mole sauces—so much so that a mere three years later, Milagro has opened a second location, on Yonge, north of Lawrence.

The food is described by the Mexican-born Anhalts as “cantina fare”: rustic, unpretentious homestyle cooking. “We do what Chilangos [residents of Mexico City] do. We grab the best dishes from various regions and present them as our own. Just like the Aztecs,” says Andrés. That translates into such dishes as cochinita pibil (pulled roasted pork marinated with achiote and orange, $19.95) from Merida, or octopus ceviche (from $11.25) with chipotle and tomatillos. You’ll also find the brothers’ favourite street eats on the menu. Carnitas pancho ($19.95), which means “little meats,” is pieces of pork confit with drunken salsa.

The new Milagro sits in the former Herbs restaurant space; Arturo, who lives in the neighbourhood, noticed it was for lease. “We couldn’t say no. We thought, We have to do this. It wasn’t exactly planned,” he says. “It’s the worst time, economically,” adds his brother. “Banks weren’t lending, and everything shrank.” But they got resourceful and made it happen, creating a dining room that is more intimate than its downtown sibling. The cantina-style decor is a decidedly funky, modern version of what one finds in Mexico. The restaurant’s signature turquoise stripe is here, lining the bottom half of the dining room walls, and an abstract photograph of a neon sign creates an urban feel.

Despite their two Mexican cantinas, the Anhalts still see Toronto as having peculiar food-based idiosyncrasies. They’ve had customers come in expecting tacos and fajitas, then storm out when they weren’t available. The brothers say they work in the “people-pleasing industry,” but they won’t water down their menu with food that isn’t informed by their culinary heritage. “If it’s Italian, most people [in Toronto] just want pizza and pasta. If it’s Thai, they want pad Thai,” explains Arturo. “Mexican food in Toronto is where Chinese food was in the 1970s.” Milagro's hope? To please palates and broaden culinary horizons.

Milagro, 3187 Yonge St. (at Bedford Park Ave.), 416-487-2855, milagrorestaurant.com.

Our review of the Mercer St. location of Milagro is available here.