Pinche Good Taco

La Taqueria
Mexican Food
322 West Hastings Street
Vancouver, BC V6B 1K6
Canada
ph: (604) 568-4406

My Mexican ex-boyfriend and Mexican friends always rave about how absolutely delish "real" Mexican food is, particularly their taco. They said that the North American versions don't even come close to the taste and the flavours of the true Mexican taco. Breaking it down, the true taco is 1.) never served in a hard shell but served in soft tortillas 2.) does not require any sprinkle of that gooey cheese goodness unless of course you ordered a quesadilla 3.) does not come in mega jumbo sizes (that is why obesity is not a problem in Mexico) but instead comes in small, 3-bite sizes so you can try all the other taco flavours 4.) has a good variety of flavours, fish, chicken and pork included (but not all together of course) 5.) condiments such as guacamole and hot sauce and pickled vegetables of some sort are usually eaten with it and 6.) always served with a wedge of lime. Yes, the true Mexican taco seems indeed to be far from the taco we have grown to know and unless you've actually stepped on Mexican soil, you will be deprieved of the authentic taco flavour which is available on every street corner of Mexico and that is why La Taqueria was born.

Situated in a semi-shady area of downtown Vancouver, La Taqueria will surely catch your attention with it's bright-coloured Lady of Guadalupe painting on its facade. It's welcoming inside and out adorned with pretty Mexican art on its interior walls which also gives it a very authentic feel. Details such as bottlecaps nailed on the side of the bar, colourful plastic plates and cups, menu posted on a blackboard and a picture of a Mexican churro street vendor near the til also gives this little taqueria a Mexican street vibe which is what this place is all about -- Mexican street tacos. It's space maybe small but it's not cramped with the space-server bar tables and stools although I can imagine this place to get very crowded during the peak dining hours. It is a self-service taqueria where you place an order and a kitchen staff will deliver your picks of the day. Fast and fresh, just the way a taco should be.

Coming into La Taqueria, I was armed with my Mexican friend so that she can give me tips on what to order. The menu is pretty much just tacos and quesadilla but the variety of taco ranges from the special of the day, carne asada (grilled beef with cucumber), pollo con mole (chicken with mole sauce), pescado (fish with pico de gallo), carnitas (pork confit), de lengua (braised beef tongue) and even vegetarian options such as tinga de hongos (mushrooms in chipotle sauce) and so many more to choose from. The quesadilla could also be added with any choice of topping for an extra dollar fifty. Mexican drinks and candies are also available to be tried and consumed and if you're having problems with your taco choices, the server will gladly help you decide.

For my first La Taqueria experience, I ordered the special of the day, pollo con mole and quesadillas. The special of the day was cochinita, it was a tasty slow-roasted pork dish which was made even better with a squeeze of lime juice and some of the guacamole, chipotle sauce and pickled onions and jalapenos which are all available for consumption and are found across the counter. The chicken was also very good as well as the quesadilla which was served with sour cream although tasting the very flavourful toppings, I wished that I have ordered them with any of the available topping choices so I went back the next week and I did as what I promised myself to and ordered the quesadilla with the chicken and I also had the taco pescado and the asada. The fish stood out for me, very fresh flavours and the quesadilla was made 10 times better with the chicken, the asada was also very good... it is very hard to pick a favourite when every variety offers something quite different and so I am more than sure that I will be coming back again to La Taqueria to try all the other flavours cos the tacos are not just good, they are pinche (fucking) good.

* picture stolen from: http://images.google.ca/imgres?imgurl=http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3577/3928280106_9670b7ce03.jpg&imgrefurl=http://flickr.com/photos/kwu/3928280106/&usg=__C6dsoQvHHRea7B4rXS3n4WlgTyo=&h=375&w=500&sz=126&hl=en&start=34&um=1&itbs=1&tbnid=iAQ44ICizZz8yM:&tbnh=98&tbnw=130&prev=/images%3Fq%3Dla%2Btaqueria%2Bvancouver%26start%3D20%26um%3D1%26hl%3Den%26sa%3DN%26rlz%3D1T4RNWN_enCA316CA316%26ndsp%3D20%26tbs%3Disch:1