Dorado Tacos & Cemitas Celebrates Ten Years

This year, Dorado Tacos & Cemitas near Coolidge Corner is celebrating ten years in business. Located at 401 Harvard Street, the restaurant has been a mainstay for Southern Californian Mexican food for the last decade.

Owner and California native Doug Organ opened the shop after years of running Café D in Jamaica Plain. “I had a restaurant in JP, and I put a few fish tacos on the menu,” he says. “They did really well, and I thought maybe I can just do this.” The tacos and other Mexican inspired menu options are flavors pulled from Organ’s childhood in California. He was born in San Francisco but worked for years running a restaurant in San Diego, close to the border of Mexico.

Ironically, Organ’s culinary background is in French cuisine. He worked in several restaurants in France and specialized in the savory creations of Paris and Lyon. When his time in San Diego came to a close Organ decided he needed a change and moved to Boston. The West Roxbury resident says he’s enjoyed the diversity of Brookline. “Brookline is moving in a lot of different ways,” he says. “I’ve seen the largest demographic here of any restaurant I’ve ever worked in.” Because of its unique position between Coolidge and the Allston-Brighton line, Dorado Tacos hosts customers from their early teens to their senior years.

The menu has evolved a bit in the past ten years, and Organ creates all of the recipes himself. He decided on cemitas, a sandwich native to Puebla, Mexico, as an alternative to the ever-popular and ever-available burrito. He’s also incorporated a rice bowl that has become one of the most popular items on the menu. “I had all the elements right here, and I just wasn’t putting them together in the right way,” he says. Some menu items are seasonal like the street corn, which makes an appearance in the summer months. Diners can also order beer or sangria to accent their meal.

Though there have been some innovations, Organ says his longtime regulars expect to see certain things on the menu every visit. “After this much time, it’s hard to take things away. I can’t do all things for all people,” he says.

Organ says his most popular season is summer because many people associate Mexican food with warmer weather. Soon higher temperatures will roll in heralding Dorado, and Organ’s, tenth summer in Brookline. Swing by Dorado for a light, savory fish taco, a glass of sangria and a taste of a different culture. “It’s a vibrant place, it’s always moving,” Organ says.

By Celina Colby

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