#28: La Taqueria - January 17, 2014

So we're only 3 weeks in and we've already been to 4 of the Top 50, plus a hand-full of others. With many dollars spent in a short period of time and nothing in the fridge on a Friday night, we were looking for a real bang for your buck place. I filtered the Top 50 by price by clicking "$" - the cheapest category. No results in the Top 50. Lame!

We started doing groceries at the Save-on-Foods in Fairview (conveniently across the street from Whole Foods and their heavenly banana chocolate chip muffins), and on our way back to the Skytrain I spotted La Taqueria. I recognized it from the list. I didn't know much else about it.

It came to mind when we were trying to come up with where to eat on Friday. We took a look at the menu online, and we were sold, especially at the price point. Meat tacos are 4 for $9.50, and vegetarian tacos are 4 for $7.00. 8 tacos for $16.50, plus $4 Mexican beers... why wasn't this placed categorized as "$"!?

The place only seats about 25 people between twin bars, and a few tables. When we walked in there was a small line of about 4 people, so we observed the ordering, seating and serving ritual. You order at the counter from a Mexican guy that treats you like you're his best buddy that just walked into a bar. Then you wait for a seat to clear up (all were taken when we walked in), and a server comes out of the kitchen shouting out your name to deliver your order to your table. 

We ordered all 4 of the vegetarian tacos, 4 of the meat ones, and 2 beers. We only waited about 2 minutes before a table cleared up for us. I think the best way to review the tacos is to rank them by preference (#1 being the best). So here we go:

1. Carnitas - pork confit with pickled red onion: The flavours were very well balanced. The pork was sweet and savoury, and the pickles gave it a little bit of a bite.
2. Tinga de hongos - sauteed mushrooms in chipotle sauce: You don't miss the meat with this one. It was just a little spicy and a depth of flavours. Never underestimate mushrooms.
3. Rajas con crema - roasted poblanos with creamed corn, sour cream and cheese: I didn't expect to like this one. Creamed corn is gross. Obviously this wasn't the crap Green Giant creamed corned that your mother tried to feed you when you were a kid. It just tasted fresh and crisp and delicious.
4. Al Pastor - pork in anchiote chili marinate and pineapple: You could tell the pork had been marinating and cooking forever. It was tender and savory, and pineapple was a perfectly sweet and slightly tart complement.
5. Pescado - fish with chipotle mayo, rashi and pumpkin seeds: Stephen and I don't agree on number 5 and 6. I think these two should be reversed. I found the fish to be a little dry, but it was a decent fish taco. More chipotle mayo was needed.
6. Frijoles charros con queso - refried beans with cheese: Best refried beans ever. Starchy, savory, meaty, smooth yumminess. I saw a very petite girl about 12 years old order 4 of them for herself. I don't know what kind of cheese was on it. Its texture was similar to parmesan, but it was much more creamy and salty (not quite pecorino romano, but close). There was only a tiny pinch of cheese but it packed a punch!
7. Pollo con mole - chicken in a mole sauce: I don't think I'm a huge fan of mole. The chicken was juicy and perfectly cooked, but the sauce didn't do it justice. I liked the sauce until the chocolate flavour sneaks in at the end. Yep, not a mole fan... or maybe just not this mole's fan. Will have to try it again.
8. De Picadillo - tofu in a secret sauce: It was alright. For tofu and a vegan item, it was quite good. But in comparison to the others, it was just average.

Overall, they were good tacos. It's worth mentioning that the fresh home-made tortillas were fantastic. Eight was a perfect portion size for 2. We were afraid that it would be too much since tex-mex-style tacos are sometimes mammoth. I can't say that these are authentic, since I've never been to Mexico, but it's definitely not Carlos & Pepe's (shout out to a Montreal staple), but it did resemble the offerings at El Rey Del Taco in Montreal, which I've been told is "authentic". 

Stephen with our Mexican Beers and Taqueria's Business Card

The Vegetarian Tacos

The Meat Tacos

View From the Inside

View From the Outside

THE STATS - Out of 10

Taste: 7 - It was good, but not blow your mind good.
Creativity: 5 - They're classic, authentic flavours, so it's hard to rate them high on creativity
Service: 7 - Very friendly staff, but not sit-down quality service
Bang for your buck: 10 - You can't get 8 decent tacos for $16.50 anywhere else
Overall experience: 7.5 - Pretty good Friday night.

Would I go back? Probably not, just because the menu doesn't change. Though we didn't try all the tacos, there were only 3 that we didn't.
Who would I recommend it to? Couples or pairs. There isn't much seating, and getting a table for more than 2 could take a long while. Don't bring your kids! There were 3 horribly behaved kids on their way out when we walked in, and in a small space it's especially aggravating for everyone. Bring your annoying vegetarian and vegan friends! Don't bring your picky friend who thinks Taco Bell is a real Mexican feast.
For what occasion? Quick dinner or lunch, or even a mid-afternoon snack
It was better than: Any "americanized" mexican restaurant
It wasn't as good as: Grumman 78 back in MTL
Expect: To wait for a few minutes for a seat, and to feel the pressure to leave as quickly as possible from the people waiting in line eye-ing you down. Though the beers are cheap, you won't feel like sticking around for 2-3, which sucks. $4 beers!

Top 50 Worthy? Maybe not. The tacos were good, and it's a great value, but I could probably find 50 better restaurants. I was glad we went, and I did enjoy the food, but it doesn't get an A for Amazing unfortunately.