Yes…..Vancouver is about half as far from Mexico as it is from Asia. You would think that given the shorter distance you might find more Mexican restaurants than Asian but not even close. Vancouver is a veritable bee hive of Asian restaurants…chinese, japanese, korean, filipino….you name it and there are dozens upon dozens of Asian themed restaurants but when it comes to Mexican “eats”, we definitely could use more quality Mexican restaurants. A bright spot on the restaurant landscape is La Taqueria and bright it certainly is….as in bright yellow! Just west of the intersection of Cambie and Hastings it is not easy to miss the location of La Taqueria.
Upon entering the compact space, you are immediately captivated by the activity. There is definitely a buzz happening here. The space while quite cozy is generally filled to the brim with exuberant diners. This is a taqueria and so don’t be looking for enchiladas or other over cheesed dishes. This is about the ingredients! While the tacos are completely authentic the ingredients aren’t always. The focus here is keep the tacos and atmosphere authentic but use the freshest local ingredients.
Yesterday Dan and I shared 4 Tacos: (1) a traditional Carne asada (2) a sublime Carnitas with local pork (3) a delightful Rajas con crema and the special of the day (4) a tangy Mushroom taco. They were all absolutely fresh and memorable!
Part of the absolute fun of being in this small, cramped environment is sharing impressions with your fellow diners of what they had ordered. I think we sold at least a few orders of Rajas con crema after raving about how delicious it was.
Check it out! It is fun and a great place to practice your high school Spanish.