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Tostilocos and Dorilocos: crazy mixes of flavors and chips

tostilocos dorilocos recipe

What Are Tostilocos?

Tostilocos and Dorilocos are popular Mexican antojitos (meaning “little cravings” or snacks). Alternative spellings of these snacks include Tosti locos, Tostilokos, Tosti lokos…as well as Dori locos, Dorilokos and Dori lokos. They are also sometimes called “walking tacos” since they are often eaten on the go.

The basic concept of both these snacks is similar to nachos—chips with toppings. However, they are nothing like any nachos you’ve had before. Tostilocos are made with Salsa Verde Tostitos and Dorilocos are made with Nacho Cheese Doritos. Dubbed with the term “loco” (Spanish for “crazy”), both these chips are topped with a crazy mix of Mexican flavors and textures: cueritos (pickled pork rinds), Japanese nuts, cucumber, jicama, tamarind, lime juice, chamoy, Tajin and Mexican hot sauce.

Visually speaking, they’re like Frito pies or Frito bowls: a sliced-open bag of chips piled on with a bunch of savory saucy toppings.

Tostilocos and Dorilocos

Don’t confuse Dorilocos with Duritos (a.k.a rueditas), which are deep-fried, hot sauce-covered puffed wheat “chips” that have a similar texture to chicharrones and usually come in the shape of pinwheels.

Origin

Tostilocos were first seen on the streets of Tijuana, Mexico in the late 1990s. Internet folklore says it was inadvertently invented by a man by the name of Javier Rodriguez in Tijuana. Javier was attempting to make a tostada with a mix of fruits and snacks he had on-hand, which included tortilla chips, cucumber, jicama, cueritos (pork rinds), Japanese peanuts, rielitos (tamarind candies), lime juice, chamoy and hot sauce.

However, according to LA magazine, the earliest versions came from Jalisco where master food preservers created a fried tortilla snack with pickled pigs feet, skin, onions, tomatoes, lettuce and red salsa. The snack was then adapted in Guadalajara, followed by Baja California, and Alta California where locals created the version that it is known as today.

Variations

There are many different variations of this “loco” snack. Besides Tostitos and Doritos, they are also made with a variety of other chips:

  • Crujitos for Crujilocos or Cruji locos
    crujitos locos crujitoslocos
  • Flamin’ Hot Cheetos for Cheetoslocos or Cheetos locos
    flamin hot cheetos cheetoslocos
  • Ruffles for Rufflelocos or Ruffle locos
    ruffles locos ruffleslocos
  • Takis for Takilocos, Taki locos or Taki nachos (just cover with nacho cheese and your favorite nacho toppings)
    takis locos takislocos

There are also many other Tostitos variations. All of these are typically made with Salsa Verde Tostitos:
tostitos tostilocos variations

  • Tosticeviche (also Tosti ceviche or Tosti-ceviche) – Tostitos mixed with ceviche (raw fish, lime and seasoning)
  • Tosticamaron (also Tosti camaron or Tosti-camaron) – Tostitos with shrimp ceviche
  • Tostielote (also Tosti elote or Tosti-elote) – Tostitos with elotes
  • Tostinachos (also Tosti nachos or Tosti-nachos) – Tostitos (or Ruffles) with nacho cheese and additional nacho toppings
  • Tostiverdura (also Tosti verdura or Tosti-verdura) – Tostitos chips with vegetables

Different eateries and shops often create their own versions by substituting or adding other ingredients. Here are other “loco” type snacks that don’t even include chips:

  • churros locos – “crazy churros”
  • manzana loca – “crazy apple”
  • pepinos locos – “cucumber
  • sandía loca – “crazy watermelon” filled with jicima, cucumber, mango, lime juice, chamoy, Tajin and Mexican candies

Where can I get Tostilocos and Dorilocos?

Without walking the streets of Mexico, you can find Tostilocos and Dorilocos at many Mexican eateries and juice bars that serve antojitos—most commonly found in Hispanic communities in the Southwest. View this map of where you can find these crazy snacks near you.

How can I make Tostilocos and Dorilocos?

If you’re looking to whip yourself a savory snack that hits the spot, these recipes will make you go loco.

tostilocos dorilocos recipe

Tostilocos and Dorilocos

Ingredients

  • 1 bag of Tostitos for Tostilocos, or Doritos for Dorilocos (single serve)
  • 1 cup pork rinds
  • 1 cucumber (chopped)
  • 1 jicama (chopped)
  • 2 pieces tamarind candy (chopped)
  • 2 limes
  • 1 bag Japanese Nuts
  • chamoy (to taste)
  • Mexican hot sauce (Valentina or Tapatio to taste)

Instructions

  1. Lay your bag of chips on a table label side up. Use scissors to make one cut down the middle so it opens up like a bowl.
  2. Add the cucumbers, jicama, pork rinds, tamarind and Japanese peanuts.
  3. Squeeze juice from the limes into the "bowl."
  4. Add as much chamoy and hot sauce as you like.
  5. Enjoy!

Notes

If there is not enough room for 1 cup of pork rinds in the "bowl," reduce the amount so it fits.

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Hello! I'm Kristina

Kristina Reynolds is the Founder & CEO of Glutto and an alumna of the University of California, San Diego. She writes articles & posts for Glutto Digest with insights from fellow industry experts. Furthermore, she is the author of The Fittest Food Lovers: How EVERY BODY Can be Incredibly Fit and Still Enjoy Food, a collaborative philanthropic book with proceeds going to charities that fight world hunger.

One Response

  1. Recently I stumbled into a Mexican snack place and had a Tostilocos! My life has been changed. These places and the food have been invisible to me until now and a whole new world has suddenly opened up. I feel like an idiot for not looking sooner. The best popsicles, the deserts, the best Tostilocos! The nicest people. I am sorry it took me so long.

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