By Kelly Thoreson
There’s more to life than Taco Bell — follow this Peak guide and your stomach to greener pastures
You live on the Wet Coast. It is cold, and it is wet — all the time. Summer is coming, but not soon enough. Instead of getting your heat from the sun, why not grab some Mexican cuisine to turn the temperature up? Tacos are cheap, quick to prepare, and appeal to most taste buds . They are also small enough to allow you to eat multiple in one sitting — meaning you can try a variety of flavours.
In sum, they are the perfect food. Don’t be confused into thinking that I am talking about the stuff they serve at Taco Bell though; the restaurants listed here provide true quality. So, if you’re interested in adding some Latin flavour to your life, here are some of the best places in the east side to grab these golden wonders.
La Taqueria
322 W. Hastings St.
Instead of subjecting yourself to the overpriced slop served at Taco Del Mar in the Harbour Centre food court, stretch your legs and head over to La Taqueria. This quaint shop is the perfect place for a quick taste of Mexican flavour while you’re at the downtown campus.
The service is quick and very friendly, and the bar seating is casual so you don’t have to feel like a loser for eating there by yourself between classes. They also have a wide variety of traditional flavours, each of them unique.
A popular menu item is the De Lengua taco, which has a beef tongue filling, and the Pescado, which is a lemon-tinged fish filling. There are also plenty of vegetarian and vegan options to satisfy herbivores. An added bonus: all products are locally, sustainably, and organically sourced whenever possible.
When to go: Between classes or as your first stop of a night out.
What to try: De Lengua, beef tongue, or the vegan Tinga de Hongo.
Bandidas Taqueria
2781 Commercial Drive
Bandidas Taqueria is exactly what you would expect from a taco restaurant on the Drive: vegan-friendly, busy, and equal parts welcoming and ‘too-cool’.
Bandidas is more of a Mexican-style restaurant than an authentic one. They serve tacos, along wth burritos and enchiladas, but not in the traditional flavours. Instead, they opt to serve only vegetarian tacos, with produce that is locally-sourced — they recently eliminated pineapples from their ingredient selection — and all of which can be easily veganized.
This means that instead of toppings like shredded pork and cilantro, you might have yam and pumpkin seeds or walnuts and apple salsa lining your taco shell. These comfort food, tummy-friendly tacos go a long way to avoid giving you ‘Montezuma’s Revenge’, if you know what I mean.
When to go: On a date, especially when you need to prove your pro-veganism.
What to order: Ronny Russell, which comes with roasted yams and onions, fresh guacamole, black beans, purple cabbage, and toasted pumpkin seeds.
Doña Cata
5079 Victoria Drive
You won’t regret the extra time it took you to transit to Dona Cata. Once you are greeted with the dozens of awards and praising reviews framed on their walls, you will understand why they rank third on Urbanspoon’s directory for the Kensington neighbourhood.
Run by a family who emigrated from Mexico, Dona Cata is doing its best to bring authentic Mexican food to Vancouver. Not only are they one of the most traditional Mexican restaurants in the city, they are also one of the most affordable at $2 per taco.
They have an impressive selection of tacos on their menu, and an equally impressive salsa bar to match. However, your vegetarian friends might have a difficult time finding a meal of more than beans and cheese here, as vegetarian dishes seem included on the menu almost as an afterthought.
When to go: With a group of friends to enjoy the two for $8 margarita special.
What to order: Carnitas, which has a pulled pork filling.
El Comal
7650 Winston St.
Nestled between wholesalers in an industrial zone near Burnaby Lake, El Comal is unfortunately most easily accessed by vehicle, but don’t let it deter you from coercing your friend with a car to take you on a field trip.
Working overtime as a small eatery, specialty grocer, and one of the most important manufacturers of Mexican food products in Vancouver, El Comal has a lot going on, though the multitasking doesn’t stop them from making tasty food. Peruse their shelves while you wait for your food, you might find a new brand of hot sauce worth taking home.
Priding themselves on providing authentic Mexican food, El Comal has a wide variety of traditional dishes to choose from at affordable prices. The next time you order take out, you should reconsider the Chinese food and grab some hearty Mexican here instead.
When to go: Grabbing take out for you and your friends. You’ll be a hero.
What to order: The traditional pork taco, with a shredded meat filling.
