Category

Mexican

Category

Don Oso’s Restaurant is Burnaby’s newest restaurant in Burnaby Heights on Hastings. There really aren’t many Mexican restaurants in the area, so it was so good to see more diversity in the neighbourhood.

I heard from a few friends that it opened a few days ago and the neighbourhood is really excited to see them open up.

Interior

There are 3 tables inside, so the space isn’t large so it’s hard to social distance properly. They do clean all tables after every use, but when it’s busy, it will feel cramped.

Don Cevichote

This has diced sole filet cooked in a lime bath, then tossed together with tomatoes, onion, and cilantro. It is then mixed with more lime and seasoning. It also comes with chips.

Can’t go wrong with their ceviche. It was pretty good with the right amount of acidity. It’s also one of their most popular items.

Tacos

I ordered one of each taco but I found all of them pretty dry except for the pollo taco. Definitely ask for some extra salsa to add to them or ask them to have extra juicy meat.

Pollo Taco
Shredded chicken slow cooked in tomato, white wine and seasonings.

Carne Asada Taco
Well done sirloin pieces topped with onions, cilantro and radish.

Barbacoa Taco
Slow cooked beer in red wine and spices topped with slaw and cilantro.

Carnitas Taco
Pork shoulder slow cooked and shredded alongside onion, cilantro and pickled onions.

Barros Luco with Palta

This sandwich has thinly sliced grilled beef, melted white cheese, tomato and mayo. I also asked for avocado to be added to it and it was pretty good. The texture of the bun is very soft and goes well with the ingredients inside.

Quesadilla

This has a flour tortilla folded with lots of cheese, peppers and onions served with pico de gallo, sour cream, and guacamole. You can also add meat to it for an additional charge. I went with just the cheese and they weren’t kidding when they said there would be lots of cheese. Next time, I’ll definitely add some meat to it.

Final Thoughts

Don Oso’s restaurant is very new, so they are working out the kinks. There is definitely room for improvement, but I’ll be back to try more of their menu. I think it’ll be a local favourite as they were pretty busy for a Friday lunch rush. Barros Luco and their Don Cevichote is a must!

When you do take out, make sure they add extra salsa. I was sad I didn’t get some extra spicy sauce, but I should have asked.

Address:
4421 Hastings St, Burnaby, BC 

Website:
https://donososrestaurant.square.site/

Chancho Tortilleria is a casual counter service restaurant serving up authentic Mexican cuisine in Downtown Vancouver. Like many restaurants operating during this pandemic, they have recently shifted to offer Backyard Picnic Kits for Vancouverites to enjoy the Summer weather while enjoying good eats and drinks.

The kits include your choice of filling for your tacos, margaritas or Micheladas, and sides for a group of 4. Just the perfect group size for social distancing without people looking at you funny.

Backyard Picnic Kits

Chancho’s new Backyard Picnic Kits include a choice of either:

  • Maciza (pork shoulder/leg) $80 + tax
  • Panza (pork Belly)  $86 + tax
  • Campechano (pork shoulder and belly) $82 + tax 
  • Papas dia (potato) $74 + tax
  • Verduras dia (veggies) $74 + tax

Included in the price are the sides and drinks:

  • Fresh-made Native Corn Tortillas
  • Chips and Guacamole
  • Salsas and Black Beans
  • Choice of either Margarita (375 mL bottle of Hornitos tequila and mix) or Michelada (4 bottles of Pacifico lager and mix) kit.

How to order Chancho’s Backyard Picnic Kits

Orders for Chancho’s Picnic Kits can be made seven days a week from noon to 8 p.m. both in store (560 Davie Street) or by phoning the restaurant at 604-336-9219, with a 20% discount applied to all orders placed and picked up between 3 to 5 p.m. Monday to Friday.

Thoughts

The kits are very delicious and flavourful, you have everything you need to have a great time with friends. If you’re looking for high quality authentic tacos, this is it. The price is higher than other taco kits around town, but you get alcohol included in this. Plus, the quality of the ingredients used are very good.

Address:
560 Davie St, Vancouver, BC V6B 2G4

Website:
https://www.chancho.ca/

Tace Bell Canada is currently featuring the Triplelupa – three chalupas stuck together where you just tear and enjoy. It resembles a taco sub more than anything.

People kept sending me the ads for it and so we decided to pick up the Triplelupa for lunch to give it a try. I love how people associate use with fast food and snacks. It’s very humbling.

What is the Triplelupa?

The Triplelupa has 3 chewy chalupa shells filled with double seasoned beef, crisp lettuce, diced tomatoes and their blend of three cheeses. It is then topped off with nacho cheese sauce at one end, chipotle sauce at the other, and a delicious combo of both sauces in between.

All you need to do is tear and enjoy.

Taste Test

The size of the Triplelupa isn’t as large as I imagined. It’s a bit small and is the size of a small baguette. The Triplelupa is great for sharing as you can tear it apart into 3 pieces. Good for kids with smaller appetites.

it didn’t taste like anything special. It tastes like any other taco but in the chewy chalupa shell. The dominant flavours are the nacho cheese and seasoned beef.

Final Thoughts

Overall, interesting and fun concept for the Triplelupa. I just wish it was bigger.

Website:
https://www.tacobell.ca/en/food/featured/triplelupa/

El Santo is a contemporary Mexican restaurant in New Westminster. We decided to come here as we needed a family-friendly place to have brunch on the weekend with our friends.

I’ve heard lots about this place and they had OpenTable reservations. With 2 kids with us, we really didn’t want to wait. As we came on a weekend, there were other tables of families too with strollers. That’s our new life now, but glad we don’t have to compromise on taste when it means taking children with us to eat.

Interior

The space is really nice with booth-style seating and then larger tables in the back. The windows are really large so there is a lot of natural light that comes in.

Menu

Horchata

This is their house-made rice milk with cinnamon. Beautiful and delicious. Not too sweet at all.

Los Benedictos

They have 2 different types of Egg Benedict on the menu – Costillita Benedict and Verduras Benedict. We ended up getting the Costillita Benedict which has Ancho braised short rib, skillet corn bread, poached eggs, and a chipotle hollandaise.

This benedict doesn’t look like much but it’s packed with so much depth of flavour. It was pretty darn good.

Chilaquiles de Conchino

This is essentially Mexican Nachos. It has confit pork belly, salsa verde, Cotija, and deep-fried chips. It’s more of a share dish rather than a meal for one person. The cotija is mild in taste which pairs with the bacon.

Huevos D I Vorciados

This has fried eggs, tortillas, refried beans, avocado, salsa roja, and salsa verde. Saucy and delicious.

Chamorro

This has Chili braised ham hock and rice. This was huge portion of meat as the ham hock can really serve a few people. It was so tender and flavourful! the sauce went so well with the rice. Highly recommended,

Churros

The churros are dusted with cinnamon and sugar. Then paired with a dulce de leche dip. The churros were coated with so much sugar that it was overwhelming. We had to shake off the sugar.

Final Thoughts

Overall, the dishes we had were delicious and flavourful. They really take care in creating beautiful flavour profiles in their meats. The churros could have been a bit better with less sugar.

Address:
680 Columbia St, New Westminster, BC

Website:
http://elsanto.ca

Did someone say tacos? A few hours before our flight back home, we needed to stop at Taqueria El Farolito for some delicious Mexican tacos in this hole in the wall. If there is a line, it better be good. We heard of this place as my brother in law came here on a previous trip to San Francisco. They have a few location in San Francisco, but we came to their Mission location.

Also, it’s cash only, so make sure you have money on you.

Interior

As a hole in the wall restaurant with no-frills, don’t expect much and that didn’t bother us at all. It’s all about the food. You get in line and order on the left side of the restaurant. There are some seats on the right side and the rear of the restaurant, but very limited.

Menu

Sauces

As we paid for our order and waited till it was ready, there is a sauce station where you can grab what you need. There are mild, medium and hot sauces.

To Go

We got our meal to go as there weren’t any seats, so we ate our tacos in the car before going to the airport. It was messy but oh so good.

Al Pastor Taco

This is their Marinated Pork taco with onion, and cilantro on a soft tortilla. It was really good as the meat was very juicy. I paired it with the medium salsa and inhaled it so quickly.

Carne Asada Taco

This is their steak taco with onion, and cilantro on a soft tortilla. Similar to this one, it was really delicious.

Final Thoughts

Overall, it was a nice quick stop to Taqueria El Farolito for their delicious tacos. The prices were really good and I would come back again. The sizes of the tacos were nice too.

Address:
2779 Mission St, San Francisco, CA

Website:
https://elfarolitosf.com/

Nothing says comfort food like tacos and fried chicken. Milssam Tacorea brings another iteration of Korean-Mexican fusion to the city. This time in the heart of Yaletown at 1130 Mainland Street. The spot is cozy with a big fire pit up front, a selection of booth, regular table and communal table seats and a projector for hockey games.

Sister restaurant to Damso Korean Restaurant and Mr. Osmad Souffle Cheesecake in the West End, Milssam brings favorites from both, like the cheesecake that gives Uncle Tetsu’s a run for their money, while creating new dishes for taco lovers.

Tacos

My favorite taco of theirs, pictured in the middle above, is the cauliflower one. Taking inspiration from the classic Korean saucy noodle dish jjajangmyeon, the taco features warm and crunchy fried cauliflower, corn, avocado flavored with black bean mole sauce with pickled onions and greens. Unlike the usual chocolate mole, black bean mole has a salty richness that packs this taco with flavor.

The namesake taco, the Milssam Taco, was so popular at Damso that it sparked the creation of Milssam Tacorea itself. Beef belly, onion, lettuce and gochujang vin in a soft steam bun shell. The gochujang is mild with just enough of a sweet kick to linger delightfully on your lips.

Their seafood ceviche taco is a refreshing addition to the meal. Marinated shrimp and snapper, avocado, shallots and soy vin. The meat is tangy and sweet and the shell stayed crisp even though it was on the table for some time for pictures. The layering was well thought out to keep those conditions.

Makuli and rum “majito”

Milssam also has Korean-Mexican fusion drinks like a makuli and rum “majito” pictured above, Songria (soju and sangria) and Shikhae Horchata (horchata with malt, pictured below).  Makuli, rum, mint, lime and soda are a fantastic combination. The idea of the soda threw me off when I read the menu but I highly recommend giving it a try.

Shikhae Horchata

This wouldn’t be a taco place without Jarritos but in fusion cuisine fashion they’ve also imported the Korean 7-Up, Chilsung Cider.

KFC, Korean friend chicken

Their KFC, Korean friend chicken is exactly what you would expect from a good Korean bar. Glad Yaletown finally has an option for this.

Cheesecake

Seems a little confusing why a souffle cheesecake is on the menu at a Korean taco place but when you have a bite, you’ll ask no questions and only be glad that it’s there instead of halfway across town. I prefer it with the strawberry compote, but I have a sweet tooth. Light, fluffy, freshly made in 30 minutes. So, if you plan to have one, order it when you order your food. Just as good as Uncle Tetsu’s without the lineup. I’m not sure this photo shows off the size of the cake, but I’ll tell you that it can generously serve 4 after the fried chicken.

Address:
1130 Mainland St, Vancouver, BC

Website:
https://milssam-tacorea.business.site/

I thought Yaletown’s Hamilton street would be bustling on a weekend brunch hour. Instead, it was quiet and empty. Early morning yoga, barre and spin cyclists silently stream out of the studios after their classes. A brunch spot is needed for this area and Fayuca is stepping up!

Huevos Dias is Fayuca’s brunch menu served every Saturday and Sunday from 9am to 3pm.

Menu

Their new brunch menu features signature Mexican breakfast items such as huevos rancheros, chillaquiles and enfrijolada. It also lends Mexican flavours to typical PNW brunch fares including avocado toast and bennies.

Juices

Fayuca has a great selection of brunch cocktails, but we opted to try their non-alcoholic drinks. Jugo Verde was refreshing and tasted very healthy. It has cactus, parsley, celery, pineapple and orange. Licuado is whole milk blended with fruit and cardamom which was very tasty.

The Food

Chilaquiles

Crispy tortillas in salsa verde, two fried eggs, beans, onion, creme fraiche, avocado and feta cheese. These are breakfast nachos with an egg on top (which makes everything better)! This would be good to share with the table, to pick at as you drink and chat. Or eat it by yourself because it’s a mix of everything you love in one bowl.

Mexican Benny (Benny Mexicano)

I needed to try their take on the classic eggs benedict. Benny Mexicano features two poached eggs on crispy corn sopes with pork carnitas and hollandaise.

The corn sopes has more bite and texture than your typical english muffin, but it’s not dry because of the rich blend of hollandaise, avocado and yolk slathered on top. The toasted pumpkin seeds impart a nice nutty flavour.

It’s served with a salad with a tart dressing which help cuts through the rich flavours from the benny.

Birria “Hangover Stew”

Jalisco, Mexico is known for tequila and for birria stew. Putting these two concepts together is perfect, because this makes for a really good hangover cure.

Fayuca’s Birria is a traditional spicy brisket stew with crispy tortilla, onion, cilantro and limes. Squeeze a healthy dose of lime juice and sprinkle the crispy tortilla on top for a filling, savoury meal. This stew would be good any time of the day, especially while it’s dreary and raining.

Final Thoughts

Part of the immigrant experience is recreating your beloved foods using ingredients that are available in your new home country. Beyond the taste, food is tied closely to memories, culture and identity. Fayuca applies the same approach in their brunch menu. The food draws upon their childhood memories from Northern Mexico—the gatherings, the fun and the flavours—and expresses them through Pacific Northwest ingredients. I really love this concept and it’s so well executed.

The Yaletown restaurant strip on Hamilton is oddly devoid of early weekend brunch spots and Fayuca is filling that need. If you’re hungry after your morning exercise or if you’re rolling out of bed after a hard night out, indulging on filling and flavourful brunch at Fayuca is a solid choice.

Address:
1009 Hamilton St, Vancouver, BC

Website:
https://www.fayuca.ca/

As a relatively new resident of New Westminster, finding places to eat has been a great way to explore the neighbourhood. Ay! Picante is a Mexican restaurant that has been open in the Sapperton area for about 2 months, and Luis welcomed Roman and I to a tasting of some of the food and drinks on their menu.

With the Spanish word for “spicy” in its name, Ay! Picante does live up to it. The restaurant offers a range of hot sauces, from mild for the timid, to hot heat for those who like very spicy flavours. The hot sauces are a tasty addition to the tacos, burritos, tortas, tostadas, gorditas and quesadillas.

Tacos

The menu has a great variety of tacos to choose from, all for $2.60 each. The hard part is picking with ones! Roman and I ended up going with the following choices:

  • shrimp
  • fish
  • roasted lamb
  • grilled chicken
  • slow-roasted pulled pork
  • a veggie taco with my choice of 3 veggies

These tacos were made with 4-inch corn tortillas, filled with one of the above listed, and garnished with onion and cilantro. I gravitate towards seafood tacos, and Ay! Picante’s shrimp and fish did not disappoint. The batter was light and crispy, and both tacos had a generous amount of shrimp and fish. Roman enjoyed the roasted lamb taco, which was tender. The grilled chicken was moist and very well-seasoned, and the pulled-pork taco was satisfying. For the veggie taco, I asked Luis what he recommended and he created a nopal (which is also known as prickly pear cactus), mushroom and pineapple taco. It seemed unusual, but I was curious about trying nopales, and Luis assured that these ingredients go well together. Amazing, they did! The mushrooms were earthy, the pineapples were sweet and bright, and the nopales added an interesting texture that reminded me of aloe vera, and green beans combined. This veggie taco was delicious!

Gordita

In addition to devouring these tacos, we also had a gordita. A gordita is a fried stuffed corn cake with red beans, lettuce, white onion, cilantro, sour cream, avocado mayonnaise and fresh cheese. Just like the tacos, you can choose from the list of available proteins or veggies to put in your gordita. We went with the beef tongue. The gordita was very filling, and had different flavours and textures. It was soft, crispy, savoury, and creamy all in one bite, which made it enjoyable to eat.

Drinks

To wash it all down, Roman had a mango Jarritos while I had their homemade horchata. Jarritos is a popular brand of pop in Mexico, and comes in many different flavours. Horchata is drink made of rice water, milk, vanilla and cinnamon and sugar. I’ve had horchata before, and love the cinnamon-sugar flavour of it. Ay! Picante’s cool and sweet horchata also served as a dessert for me.

Final Thoughts

If you’re in New Westminster and are craving tacos and Mexican food from a casual place, hit up Ay! Picante. The restaurant offers great value for good food, with all the tacos at the same price, making it easy to want to order one of everything! And with these tacos being tasty, you’d want to.

Address:
418 E Columbia St, New Westminster, BC

Website:
https://www.aypicante.ca/

Rostizado is a Modern Mexican Restaurant in Downtown Edmonton. I was recommended to come here late at night for dessert. I love desserts and have a little sweet tooth for churros.

Flan de Queso

This is a Mexican caramel custard folded with cream cheese and garnished with shaved almonds. Very delicious, silky smooth and rich. It might be a tad sweet for some people, but still enjoyable.

Churros

This is fried Mexican dough coated with sugar and cinnamon. It is served with salted pasilla milk chocolate and dulce de leche sauces. Freshly made and highly recommended! Easily sharable among the table too.

Final Thoughts

Overall, even though we came here for just desserts, we had a good time chatting and enjoying good desserts. If you’re here for dinner, make sure not to skip out on dessert.

Address:
10359 104 Street #102, Edmonton, AB

Website:
http://www.rostizado.com/

Kurumucho is a Japanese Taco Shop in Vancouver. M and I wanted to grab a bite before seeing a movie, so we decided to come here for some of their unique tacos. The menu looks very healthy, so it is one of the better options in the area.

Interior

The shop is small and very narrow. There are many seats but its suited for groups of 2 or 4.

Menu

Spider Sushi Taco

There is a whole soft shell crab in this tempura seaweed taco shell. There is also multigrain sushi rice, avocado, cucumber, alfalfa sprouts and their aurora sauce. It was pretty good with different textures and not heavy at all.

Soy Garlic Salmon Sushi Taco

In this tempura seaweed taco shell is wild sockeye salmon, multigrain sushi rice, avocado, cucumber, spring salad mix, soy garlic sauce, sesame seeds and nori on top. The quality of the salmon was really good and the taco overall had clean flavours. I enjoyed it.

Pork Brisket Kakuni Taco

This taco is a bit different as it’s on a tortilla wrap. There is pork brisket, spring lettuce mix, avocado, cayenne pepper, cilantro, Jalapeño, tomato, onion, pickled ginger, and a mustard garlic sauce. They highly recommended their taco and it was good.

Chicken Breast Karaage

We shared this dish and it was also delicious. It has the deep fried chicken breast with tonkatsu mayo. On the bottom of the bowl is spring lettuce mix. The chicken was surprisingly moist for chicken breast.

Beets Marble Ice Cream

This ice cream caught our eye and we had to get it. It has coconut milk, soy milk, cane sugar, beets, coconut oil, salt, guar gum, vanilla powder, vanilla extract and lemon juice. It is organic, vegan and gluten-free. We were pleasantly surprised.

Final Thoughts

Overall, the food at Kurumucho was delicious. I like how there are a lot of items on the menu that cater to those who are vegan, vegetarian or gluten-free. The sushi tacos are unique and they do a good job creating those tempura seaweed shells.

We Rate Kurumucho

Address:
985 Hornby St, Vancouver, BC

Website: https://www.kurumucho.com/

My friend Hilda told me about Original’s Café Mexicano on Clarke Street in Port Moody in this heritage house. I had no idea it was in such a cute place. We came here after work on a weekday and it was busy here later in the evening. They also take reservations, so if you have a large group to secure your table, definitely do that.

Interior

The space is literally in a house, so it has a very cozy friendly feel just like entering someone’s home.

Menu

Guacamole and Chips

We started the meal with guacamole and chips. The tortilla chips are made fresh and fried to a beautiful golden brown. The guacamole is is so damn good. There is a good amount of acidity and I like how it is topped with some diced tomatoes. Really good flavour.

Prawn Ceviche

This was their feature ceviche when we went. It changes, so ask them what kind it is as it may be different.  The prawns are cured in lime and served with guacamole, onions, cilantro, tomatoes, and avocado. It was really fresh.

Enchiladas de Mole

Their special mole has nuts, chocolate, a bunch of different dried peppers and spices. We chose to have chicken on the inside, but you can ask for different proteins or veggies too. The mole has depth of flavour and it was very tasty.

Los Tacos

They have tacos on the menu and we can’t say no to tacos. We ordered the:

  • Baja Style Taco: breaded white basa with chipotle mayo, lettuce and avocado.
  • Carnitas: slow cooked fried pork with hints of cinnamon and orange.
  • Chilorio: Slow cooked pulled porl in ancho and huajillo pepper.

On the table, there are also different kinds of hot sauce you can add.

Final Thoughts

Overall, it was a great find in Port Moody. The food is great and there is nice atmosphere in the heritage house, makes you feel right at home. As the weather is getting hotter, there is some outdoor patio seating too.

We Rate Original’s Café Mexicano

Website:
http://www.originalsmexicano.com/

Address:
1-2231 Clarke St, Port Moody, BC

La Taqueria recently opened their 6th location on Main Street just off Broadway. I am ecstatic. Main Street is easily one of my favourite areas to go bar and food hopping. Quality gems all around, huge variation and just the perfect level of crowded. Add one of the best taco joints in Vancouver to the mix and Main Street pretty much has all the favourite “casual-frivolous” hang out options that could satisfy any crowd. Cocktail bars, breweries, local coffee, west coast, pho, all day breakfast, pizza, shawarma, dim sum, tiki and now authentic tacos.

Their new location has a different vibe from the Hastings and Cambie locations. The bright yellow, pink and cyan everything has been traded for high ceilings, steel plates and industrial lighting. As for the food, all the same classics prepared as it always has. Now with nachos. I’ll have one of everything please.

Their menu features 8 meat taco options, 4 veggie taco options, 3 seafood options on 6” flour tortillas, nachos, tortilla soup and churros. Every taco is delicious, you can’t go wrong.

My favourites are the cachete (braised beef cheeks, imagine pulled pork but beef), rajas con crema (sweet corn with a kick of poblano pepper), mole (chocolate mole stewed chicken) and the atun (seared tuna with wasabi mayo). Mole always confuses me by its description as a chocolate sauce. It’s made of unsweetened chocolate or dark chocolate so while just a tiniest bit sweet, the only way I can describe it is complex and savoury. In their taco it reminds me of the flavours of Taiwanese pork floss.

Pictured above is the beer battered prawn taco on 6” tortilla. It’s very satisfying.

We were lucky to be invited to their grand opening where the house was filled to the edges. With the live music and the excited bellies, I felt transported to a busy bar in San Francisco’s Mission District on a Saturday night.

La Taqueria’s bar featured 3 cocktails for the night. A classic margarita, a paloma and a mezcal negroni. If you’re looking for something strong, go for the negroni. It’s made with a kiss of fire and appropriately garnished with a lightning bolt shaped orange peel.

A night out only gets betters when you add tacos. Currently they open from 11 am to 9 pm every day except Sunday when they open at noon.

Address:
2521 Main St, Vancouver, BC

Website:
http://www.lataqueria.com/

Bandidas Taqueria has been on Commercial Drive for a long time serving up vegetarian Mexican-inspired cuisine. It’s been a while since my last visit, but it was nice to see they have expanded their space to have more guests.  We came on a weekend and its was pretty busy.

Interior

Lots of tables inside for small to large groups. They don’t take reservations so it’s first come, first serve.

Chips, Salsa and Guacamole

To start off the brunch, we had this to munch on before getting our other dishes. Loved how the dishes were overflowing with salsa and guac.

Breakfast Tacos

There is 3 handmade corn tortillas topped with scrambled eggs, black beans, caramelized onions, roasted tomato salsa, cheese, and sour cream, and served with purple cabbage. I added guacamole for $1.50 extra.

Breakfast Burrito

This has scrambled free-range eggs, pinto beans, roasted tomato salsa, cheese, and sour cream wrapped in a whole wheat tortilla and grilled. Then, you can get this baked with cheese on top. We added roasted yam and potato hash for $2.50 extra.

Ronny Russell Burrito

This has roasted yams, guacamole, black beans, salsa verde, purple cabbage, and toasted pumpkin seeds. Baked and with added cheese too. These burritos are very filling.

Horace “Lefty” Burrito

This has spicy Mexican corn mix, pinto beans, fresh jalapeños, cheese, fresh-cut tomato salsa, sour cream, and crushed tortilla chips. This is also baked and added cheese on top.

Beer

They have a range of local beers on tap. I got a beer and my friends ordered the East Van Radler with Driftwood’s Fat Tug IPA and freshly-squeezed grapefruit juice.

Mimosa

Weekend brunch time calls for mimosas. It comes in a small mason jar, but it’s a good match for brunch here.

Horchata

For something non-alcoholic, they have horchata, which is a Mexican drink made with rice and is flavoured with cinnamon and sweetened with sugar.

Final Thoughts

We Rate Bandidas Taqueria

Address:
2781 Commercial Dr, Vancouver

Website:
https://www.bandidastaqueria.com

Earlier this week, I had the pleasure of attending the Fayuca Launch Party. I brought Roman, my sister and brother-in-law to check out this new spot in Yaletown with me. Fayuca identifies itself as a Northern Pacific Mexican restaurant, offering dishes that are inspired by this particular region. I’ve had Mexican food, but I can say that I have not had Mexican food like Fayuca’s.

The evening started with cocktails at the bar. The first one we tried was a Damiana Margarita, which was made with Damiana-infused Cazadores tequila. Based on my research, Damiana is an herb that is known to have aphrodisiac affects. Regardless, I actually enjoyed the cocktail’s smooth, slightly woody flavour, which finishes off nicely with lime. The other cocktails we were happy to try that night included a White Smoked Negroni and a Suelo Sour. The guys enjoyed the Suelo Sour as they waited for their beers by the bar.

Damiana Margarita

​White Smoked Negroni

Suelo Sour

As we got settled at a table, servers started to come out with appetizer-sized bites. First up was the Guacamole Chip, which had crispy sunchokes, toasted pumpkin seeds and Macedonian feta all atop a crispy chip.This guacamole was so tasty and I really enjoyed the texture that the toasted pumpkin seeds added.

Guacamole Chip

The second item we tried was Cockles cucumber and citrus gastrique. The cockle was a touch salty, but it was nicely contrasted by the cool crunch of the diced cucumber, and the acid from the gastrique.

Cockle with Cucumber and Citrus Gastrique

The third item, which was our fave, was the Deep-fried Soft Shell Crab with aioli. It was so good, we wanted more! It was popular among the crowd that night as it kept disappearing from the servers’ plates. All four of us enjoyed the crab’s crispiness, and the aioli added a creamy, savoury component to this delicious bite. Roman would come back to Fayuca to have more of this.

Deep-fried Soft Shell Crab with Aioli

Our last bite of the night was the Albacore Ceviche. I am picky when it comes to eating tuna (I’m not the biggest fan), but this was a pleasant bite. The flavour was fresh, light, and mild.

​Albacore Ceviche

The event had all the components of a fun night out: delicious food, great cocktails, awesome music, and good company. The interior of Fayuca is reminiscent of being in an all-inclusive resort restaurant, which brought me back to happy feelings of being on vacation. My sister and I particularly liked how Fayuca used light turquoise, aquas, and tan in its furnishings. Everything from the light fixtures to the seating was cohesive and contributed to the restaurant’s relaxed ambiance. Thanks Fayuca, for having us!

Address:
1009 Hamilton St, Vancouver, BC

Website:
https://www.fayuca.ca/

Fayuca Menu, Reviews, Photos, Location and Info - Zomato

La Taqueria has their new location on Hornby Street, which has 90 seats and also offers counter service for convenient food on the go. Happy Hour runs from 3pm–6pm daily with $4 Margaritas to toast the end of a long workday.

This location is the largest of all their locations. You will find the same delicious tacos and burritos.

Burritos

Seven Burritos have joined the existing menu of tacos and quesadillas, and are substantial meals on their own—weighing in at approximately one pound per burrito—with authentic Mexican fillings wrapped in fresh flour tortillas.

Carne in Adobo Burrito has Braised Sirloin Tips in Adobo Sauce, served with Pico de Gallo, Charro Beans, Cilantro and Tortilla Chips.

Fish Baja Burrito has Beer Battered Ocean Wise Cod Fillet, Served with Chipotle and Wasabi Mayo, Sweet Ponzu, and Cilantro and a touch of Salsa Fresca.

Rajas con Crema Burrito has Authentic Rajas con Crema (Roasted Poblano Peppers), served with Black Beans, Chipotle Mayo, Sauteed Mushrooms and Kale, and Mozzarella Cheese.

You can always dress it up with more sauce.

Tacos

The best part of La Taqueria are their tacos. Little bites of deliciousness.

De Lengua Taco is braised beef tongue.

Carnitas Tacos has pork confit with pickled red onions.

Calabacitas taco is a vegan option with zucchini, sweet corn and bell pepper medley topped with queso fresco.

Tinga de Pollo taco has chicken with chorizo in a chipotle tomato sauce, topped with Mexican cheese and sour cream.

Drinks

There are tons of drinks to have with your meal. Alcoholic and noon-alcoholic options.

Slushie Lime Margaritas

Horchata

Tequila shots

Coronita Extra

Final Thoughts

A great lunch option at La Taqueria to add to the Downtown core. There are lots of seats and you can’t go wrong with their burritos or tacos. They make ordering efficient, so if you’re tight on time, you can get take out.

Address:
586 Hornby St, Vancouver

Website: http://www.lataqueria.com/

La Taqueria Menu, Reviews, Photos, Location and Info - Zomato

The Pawn Shop is a new restaurant on Granville Street specializing in Tacos, Tapas and Tequila. The took over SIP Resto Lounge and brings an awesome space for locals and tourists to enjoy.

We were curious about their name as well as their tacos.

Interior

There are tons of seat inside and it has a dark vibe with graffiti and neon signs on the walls. It definitely has a young hip vibe going on.

Drinks

You can find beer on tap, wine on tap, cocktails, spiked slushies, shooters and non-alcoholic drinks.

Cheese Tots

This has tots, cheddar, feta, green onions with side of queso and salsa. Definitely cheesy.

A fun dish to share among friends at the table.

Deuce Papoose

This has fried pastry dough stuffed with carnitas, tomato, and then topped with cheddar, salsa, lettuce, sour cream, rojo sauce chicharron, and cilantro. This dish was ok, we felt like there really wasn’t much stuffing in the pastry dough.

Tacos

On their menu, they have 8 different types of tacos. On our visit, we tried 4 of them. If you come from happy hour, these are $1 with drink purchase, which is really good. Originally, they are around $4.

  • Carnitas
  • Al Pastor
  • Bistec
  • Pescado

Carnitas

This has slow cooked pulled pork, house slaw, fried onions and Valentina Mayo. It tasted ok, but the flour tortilla, I prefer corn tortillas.

Al Pastor

This has fried pork belly, Guajillo pepper and pineapple glaze, house slaw, sour cream, pickled onion, and a grilled pineapple.

Pescado

It has beer battered basa fish, house slaw, Valentina mayo, cucumber salsa, and jalapeno.

Bistec

It has grilled skirt steak, pawn shop dry rub, house slaw, pickled carrot, rojo mayo, and chimichurri. All of the tacos were decent, but I feel like it was missing an umph of flavour compared to other taco shops around town.

There is also some hot sauce on the table if you need some heat added to your meal.

Churros

For dessert, we had churros with cinnamon sugar and a caramel and chocolate sauce.

Final Thoughts

Overall, the place is great for happy hour for cheap tacos and drinks. There are screens to watch the game as well. The food was alright but nothing super amazing.

We Rate The Pawn Shop YVR

Address:
1117 Granville Street, Vancouver

Website:
http://thepawnshopyvr.com/

The Pawn Shop YVR Menu, Reviews, Photos, Location and Info - Zomato

Masaladobo is a Indian Mexican Cantina in Downtown Vancouver. This fusion cuisine is almost entirely gluten and dairy free, which is great for those with dietary restrictions. They now bringing healthy and delicious food to those who need a quick bite in the area.

The skytrain is just located a few steps away, which is very convenient for those taking the Canada Line.

Interior

The interior is fun, casual and full of colour. During peak hours, you order at the counter, but for other times, they can serve you at your table instead of going up.

There are lots of tables inside, so there shouldn’t be a problem finding a table.

Tacones

Tacos rolled up into a cone shape for easy eating. It has roti-taco-handroll hybrid red shred, masaladobo (spicy sweet indo salsa), raita verde, in a plancha tortilla, which is all gluten-free on corn tostada.

There are many kinds you can order but we tried the ginger duck kebabs and it has a very unique taste, which blends Indian and Mexican flavours together. The OceanWise options are great too with wild salmon pekora or the seared albacore & shrimp kebab.

Blackened tuna tikka taki

Masaladobo bowl

Masaladobo bowl with added ginger duck kebabs also has golden basmati and sofrito-coconut gravy with fresh greens , pickles and masaladobo.

Margaritas on Tap

They have margaritas on tap. It’s not a party without margaritas. A great item to have after work or sometime closer to the Summer during the hot months.

Indian Cola

A unique non-alcoholic beverage with all the syrups made in-house. It’s very different that your average soda.

If you want something stronger, they definitely have that too. Try a shot of tequila and a fresh-pressed juice chaser.

Final Thoughts

Overall, it’s a unique concept mixing Indian and Mexican flavours. You won’t find a lot of red meat on the menu besides duck, but if you have dietary restrictions, they cater well to those people that are dairy-free or gluten-free, and vegetarians.

We Rate Masaladobo

Address:
433 Granville Street, Vancouver

Website: 
http://www.masaladobo.com/

Masaladobo Menu, Reviews, Photos, Location and Info - Zomato

Las Tortas is a restaurant on Cambie Street that serves up Mexican cuisine as is known for their tortas – Mexican sandwiches. M and I were in the area and needed some dinner, so I thought we should stop here to grab a quick bite since I haven’t been here before and we are both huge fans of Mexican food.

Interior

The interior is small and decorated with movie posters. You order up at the counter and find your seat. We came here right after work, so it wasn’t busy at all.

Horchata and Mexican Cola

We got a drink each. I went with the horchata and it was good but a little gritty on the bottom from the almonds. Finding Mexican Coca-Cola is a joy as it tastes better as its made with cane sugar instead of high fructose corn syrup.

Tortilla Soup

The tortilla soup comes in a large bowl, so M and I split this between us. The tortillas were hiding inside and got soggy by the time we dug in. I didn’t really like it.

Chorizo Con Huevo Torta

This torta has Mexican spicy sausage, egg, and veggies between the buns. It was a delicious blend of egg and sausage.

Carne Asada Torta

This was similar to the other torta, but it has grilled asada steak and Oaxaca cheese. This was our favourite of the 2 tortas. It is more meaty, but the jalapenos were a bit much for me.

Churro

Churros are made fresh and it is powdered with cinnamon and sugar on the outside. Too bad that it doesn’t come with dipping sauces.

Final Thoughts

Overall, it was a great place to stop by for a torta. I enjoyed the tortas, but the other items were a bit of a miss. They also have tacos, which I will have to come back for a revisit.

We Rate Las Tortas

Address:
3353 Cambie Street, Vancouver, BC

Website:
http://lastortas.ca/

Las Tortas Menu, Reviews, Photos, Location and Info - Zomato