Dishes · Dinner · Side dishes
Totopos, before they were chips
A totopo, strictly speaking, is a crisp corn disc from the Isthmus of Tehuantepec in Oaxaca, baked by Zapotec women in a clay oven called a comixcal.
Cantina Rooftop
Dinner menu · Tuesday to Sunday from 5pm
Side dishes
- Arroz de la Abuela$8
- Frijoles Charros$6
- Pico de Gallo$7
- Totopos$7
With one salsa
- Chicharrón$10
Same dish and price on the brunch menu (Saturday and Sunday, 12pm to 4pm).
Please tell your server about any food allergies.
A word that traveled
The word comes from the Nahuatl totopochtli, something toasted or something that crunches. Unlike a tortilla, the old kind has salt in the dough and holes poked through it before baking.
Across Mexico and the US it's now also the word for fried tortilla triangles, the chips you know, even though they aren't made the Oaxacan way. They're for scooping, so thickness matters: too thin and they snap off in the guacamole. Order more when the table runs out halfway through a dip, which happens more than anyone plans for.
An order comes with one salsa. That's all the menu says, so ask which.
Totopos: questions
What's the difference between totopos and tortilla chips?
In most restaurants, nothing: totopos is the Spanish word for the chips. The original Oaxacan totopo is a larger round baked in a clay oven.
What does totopo mean?
It comes from the Nahuatl totopochtli, usually translated as a toasted thing or a thing that crunches when eaten.
What comes with the totopos at Cantina Rooftop?
Our menu says: With one salsa. Tell your server about any allergies when you order.
How much for the totopos at Cantina Rooftop?
$7 on our menu right now. See it on the full menu.
When can I order the totopos?
It's on our dinner menu (Tuesday to Sunday from 5pm) and our brunch menu (Saturday and Sunday, 12pm to 4pm). We're at 605 W 48th St in Hell's Kitchen. Book a table.