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Mexican in Vancouver

peppyre

By peppyre
in Western Canada: Dining

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Vancouver

Vancouver

Posted
Posted

Thanks for the tip above. Today we tried out Taqueria Chilo's at 5170 Victoria Drive today for opening day. The sign posted inside says that they will be open M-F 4pm to 10pm and SS from 11am to 9pm.

We had pollo (chicken), lengua (tongue), and asada (grilled beef) tacos. They were all served as pictured above with cilantro and onion on a double corn freshly grilled tortilla. There were 2 accompanying salsas in bowls on the table. One was tomatillo based (green) and the other was a red chile based one. All were excellent. We also had the seafood soup which came in two separate bowls. The first, and larger one, was red and we think had a mixture of stock from perhaps chicken and seafood. The second was a strong shrimp stock and also red. Both stocks looked the same until we tasted them. The first one contained a generous portion of small shrimp, prawns, squid, clams, and mussels. It also had onions, celery, and cilantro. The second one had some larger fresh prawns (head and shells intact) that the owner recommended peeling and adding tabasco and lemon to. Both were quite flavourful.

The service was extremely friendly and clearly cares about the quality of the food and the customer's experience with it.

So far this is the closest thing to authentic Mexican tacos in Vancouver I have experienced.

Apparently the chef is from Durango.

We will certainly repeat to work out way through the other offerings. (I do hope they get around to writing up a menu or posting their specials on the wall at some point though, as right now you just have to listen to the list from them as they describe everything that is in stock.)

Cheers!

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Keith Talent

Keith Talent

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Posted

We went to Chilos today too. Twice.

Showed up at the crack of noon, to find the lights out, chairs stacked up and the proprietor telling us he had a party last night and was a little slow getting going this morning. Sign one that things were going to be good. Came back a couple hours later after a trip down to the only mall in the city that's even slightly interesting, International Village. The whole place has a cool Blade Runner/Shanghai after the apocolypse feel. The surfeit of empty storefronts only add to the cool vibe. Had a spring roll from the Vietnamese place in the food court to tie us over.

Back at two. A young girl greeted us, beautiful smile and a born front of house confidence. Turns out she was all of eleven and left to oversee things till dad got back. She informed us that her dad was out getting food, would be back and was expecting us as we had told him we'd be back. Sign two that we were in the right place. Two other tables in the place. A couple and a large table of kids that I swear played in "City of God" as extras in scenes as the "Groovies". I fully expected to see Rocket stroll in.

Proprietor showed. Chips and (very very good) salsa were served. Mom took our order. Except she didn't speak english, and our Spanish is limited to dos cervesas por favor. No menu, it's like Mexican dim sum, point at stuff going by that you want.

I had a beer, which came full of hot sauce, lime and salt. All that was missing was having it topped with ice, I guess they didn't want to freak the gringo too badly.

We ordered four carne asada taco, four carnitas, a quesidilla and a bowl of pozole. Food came slowly. Muy authentico. Mannana. Best mexican in the city? After one visit I'm fully confident saying yes, absolutely. Most authentic by a country mile. Carne asada is fried instead of BBQ'ed, I'd stay away in the future, but in spite they're still way closer to the ideal than anything I've seen in this town before. Carnitas was braised rather than roasted with crisp skin on the outside, but still very good. Pozole was excellent with the exception of the missing cabbage/radish on top.

Other tables had what appeared to be bowls of camarone soup, which looked good, as well as cockitelles of shrimps, which also looked appetizing.

Total came to 32 bucks, with the above and three sodas. I suspect we payed an extra tax for being unilingual, fair enough I suppose.

Closest thing to Ensenada without going into the Golden State around here, by a long shot.

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Vancouver

Vancouver

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Must have just missed you - we were there from 12:15 to 1:30. (Yes, we took the chairs down ourselves.)

Guess by 2 they got some chips. :)

I think this place has a lot of potential.

Don't think they had goat on the menu today. But I'm sure as they get established it can be requested. They seemed extremely friendly and accomodating.

Cheers!

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flowbee

flowbee

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i'm so glad you guys had good experiences there. now, i just wish they'd make tripa tacos :biggrin:

album of the moment: Kelley Polar - I Need You To Hold On While The Sky Is Falling - 2008
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flowbee

flowbee

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I wandered over to Chilo's just now and had a taco. It was just the wife there today. She said they opened "around 2". Looks like eatvancouver just missed them :rolleyes: lax hours...how mexican can you get? :wink:

album of the moment: Kelley Polar - I Need You To Hold On While The Sky Is Falling - 2008
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Keith Talent

Keith Talent

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Just to temper my enthusiasm a little now that I'm off the taco high. Make no mistake, Chilo's would be the crappiest taqueria in socal were it located there. The fried minute steak masquerading as carne asada is pretty bad. The lack of appropriate garnish for the pozole is a shame.

In spite of all that, it's far and away the best Mexican joint I've eaten at here. Hopefully they correct a few of their wrongs as they get their feet under them. And they also need to know that regular opening hours aren't just for big multi national corporations.

The wife and I discussed that one of our projects this summer will be to locate a good taqueria in Bellingham, there has to be one.

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makanmakan

makanmakan

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We visited El Pulgarcito today. A little Salvadorean cafe on Hastings, close to Nanaimo.

We had a snack of Pupusas, Tostadas and a Torta. Pretty good, simple and tasty. Not to mention cheap! One thing I did take note of was that the pupusas weren't greasy at all as the Rinconcitos ones can tend to be.

Check it out!

Quentina

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Sam Salmon

Sam Salmon

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Was reminded of a decent option in bucolic Blaine WA yesterday-Paseo del Norte- where I've enjoyed decent Mexican a few times.

It was too early in the AM and I was leaving the USA so no chance to stop/see what was on offer these days.

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Keith Talent

Keith Talent

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Paseo del Norte is the place right at the border next to the Denny's? If so, stay away, stay far far away. Cheap greasy orange cheese covers everything. You will leaving wishing you'd made other dinner plans, hell you'll regret not going to the Denny's next door.

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Sam Salmon

Sam Salmon

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Paseo del Norte is the place right at the border next to the Denny's? If so, stay away, stay far far away. Cheap greasy orange cheese covers everything. You will leaving wishing you'd made other dinner plans, hell you'll regret not going to the Denny's next door.

Thanks for that Keith!

It was 10 years ago or so that I was last there and it was 100% Mexican however as we all know 'time has a way of changing things' :sad:

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Keith Talent

Keith Talent

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I'm going to formulate an all encompassing rule regarding Mexican joints that post walls of Polaroids depicting drunken gringo customers wearing giant sombreros. El Paseo Del Norte has one on the way to the washrooms I beleive.

And not that I'm against cheese covered anything per se, just that greasy orange shit where the oil separates away from the curd when heated leaving puddles of oil congealing on your enchilada.

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Keith Talent

Keith Talent

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So on Saturday we ventured to Bellingham to try Taquiria Tienda El Polivoz. Hallelluah! Mexican. In Vancouver! or at least an hours drive away.

It's the real deal. Located in a shifty looking strip mall on the Guide Meridian just north of Bellis Fair. I had a lenchua taco (Yeah, I know it's spelled wrong, I also recognize that not only are the letters not in order, I don't even have the full compliment required. Deal with it.) Tongue taco. Also orderd pozole. Nicely seasoned, huge chucks of pork, a bowl big enought to bathe a baby. Radish, limes, choppped onion and shredded lettuce on the side, half point deduct for using lettuce rather than cabbage.

Wife ordered a selection of tacos, carne asada, carnitas, cabrillo. All excellent. Monsters had kids meals, sized for adults, one had chicken taco otehr wanted a quesildilla. Generous with rice and beans. The food was excellent. Clientlele exclusively Mexican.

Table behind us ordered a torta and burrito. Both looked excellent. Other tables had steaks and what apperaed to be a very delicious sopa de mariscos. (Seafood soup.)

Highly recommended. Take a roadtrip, there's nothing more typical for a Vancouverite than Saturday afternoons in Bellingham. That whole tourism board ski in the morning, sail in the afternoon is bullshit, real Vancouverites go down the 99 on weekends.

And Paseo Del Norte was open, at least the doors were open, sign on and lights on. It certainly appeared open by any tradition measure.

Thanks to Vancouver for the tip.

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Vancouver

Vancouver

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Posted (edited)

Glad you enjoyed it! I was quite happy with it the time I stumbled upon it on a shopping trip. I only later found that article written about it. I had just gone in based upon the sign written in Spanish that said, "Ship Money to Mexico here" right next to "Tacos." I figured it may actually be the real deal. :wink:

I wonder if we could talk them into opening one north of the border. They apparently have a 2nd location in another Washington town now.

Cheers!

Edited by Vancouver (log)
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