Why huevos rancheros is the dish everyone orders first

Two sunny-side-up eggs over tortillas, refried beans, pico de gallo and fresh cheese: huevos rancheros doesn't try to be clever, and that's exactly the point. It's the dish that tells a first-time table what this kitchen is about, so it's the one most people end up ordering, whether they meant to or not.

The version on the menu keeps things close to how it's eaten at a market stall: hot tortillas underneath, a runny yolk to tie everything together, beans cooked long enough to go properly soft. Order it divorciados-style and it comes split between salsa verde and salsa roja, a plate that's really two arguments about which sauce wins.

It's vegetarian and gluten-free as it stands, and it pairs easily with a Mexican spiced coffee brewed slow in a pottery bowl, if there are two of you willing to wait fifteen minutes for it.