La Taqueria, Pinche Taco Shop
Tortilla wrapping has a good structure. It is firm and not sticky. The interior has a good moisture level for my mouth and did not make the tortilla soggy. There is also no weird chemical smell like the ones you get from the grocery store. I was able to eat it with one hand the tortilla wrapping break or unwrap. This almost never happened, and I am very pleased. Some of the rice did drop on my plate, and it would have been better if I had utensil to pick them up. This is the best burrito I have had in Vancouver.
La Taqueria Pinche Taco Shop Seafood Burrito inside 2
La Taqueria is a Mexican restaurant chain in the greater Vancovuer. We came to the one on Yukon street near Broadway. This location used to be on Cambie Street but the building has recently been demolished. I have heard good things about La Taqueria but never had the chance to try it until today.
Strength: Really good food.
Weakness: Pricy and small portion taco.
Mural on the side of the building
This new La Taqueria location is on Yukon street near Broadway. They took over the old “Edge Cafe” location. They are not located on the busy street like Cambie or Broadway. However, you can still see this mural from Broadway. La Taqueria’s name precedes them. There is a line-up every day even when they are located on a quiet street.
They kept the old column and the doors
The old Edge Cafe’s front column and 2 doors always confused me. The column took too much attention away from the entrances. It blocks one of the entrance when you look at the restaurant at an angle. La Taqueria kept this layout, but use the column to showcase their name and the hours. This is a very good treatment for a poorly designed entrance.
Patio seating with wooden divider for privacy
One of the problems with sitting at the patio is the passerby looking at your food. La Taqueria’s outdoor patio had wooden planter as the divider. The wood and the greenery is at the perfect height to provide some privacy and aesthetically pleasing elements to look at.
The cashier is facing the entrance
Upon entering La Taqueria, you have to order at the counter right in front of you. If there is a lineup and you cannot get a hold of the menu sheets, you can look at the front of cashier where they have printed their menu items on. When it was my turn, the staff greeted me with a warm smile and asked for my name. After, I was given a number on a stand to go sit down.
Order pickup counter to the left
When the food is ready, the staff picks it up from the counter on the left. You can also see the bar from here.
The color is subtle, but definitely Mexican
The interior use of colors is not your typical Mexican bold colors. They use subtle color like light teal with light brown. It is very subtle, yet we can still get the South American atmosphere.
Wooden and steel furnitures are very fitting. The floor is polished concrete. Lighting fixtures are also very retro. The background has Spanish music. It just makes me want to get a couple of shots of tequila and start dancing.
Friendly staff brings the food to me
The friendly server will bring the food to you and take your number stand away. The occasional yelling in Spanish enhanced the atmosphere.
Seafood Burrito
I ordered the seafood burrito, which is $1 extra at $14.75. It has battered prawns, chipotle & poblano mayo, ponzu, and salsa fresca. The burrito was sliced at a diagonal angle to showcase the interior. The grill mark indicates it has been panini pressed. I told the front counter I don’t want any sour cream, but I think he misunderstood. I received a sour cream on the side and got charged $1 for it.
The burrito was super large that I had to open my mouth really wide to bite. It almost felt like I was going to dislocate my jaw. However, it is a very satisfying experience. At first glance, I saw a lot of rice. I thought it was filler like most burrito places in town.
A well crafted burrito
The first bite shocked me by the crisp of battered prawn. Prawns on the inside are also very crunchy that I know it’s fresh. There isn’t a lot of veggies, which I appreciate. The cabbage, cilantro are heavily seasoned with ponzu and chipotle sauce to provide a flavour boost. The crunchy texture gives the burrito a good texture variance. The rice is only as fillers around these ingredients.
Tortilla wrapping has a good structure. It is firm and not sticky. The interior has a good moisture level for my mouth and did not make the tortilla soggy. There is also no weird chemical smell like the ones you get from the grocery store. I was able to eat it with one hand the tortilla wrapping break or unwrap. This almost never happened, and I am very pleased. Some of the rice did drop on my plate, and it would have been better if I had utensil to pick them up. This is the best burrito I have had in Vancouver.
604 Food Critic Assessment
My bill came to $19. A can of coke cost $3, and the sour cream misunderstanding cost $1. If you are here just for the food you are looking at a range of $10 to $15. I know the taco has a very small portion, but the burrito is okay. I would definitely come back again to try their other dishes.
Menu
La Taqueria Pinche Taco Shop Menu 1 La Taqueria Pinche Taco Shop Menu 2 La Taqueria Pinche Taco Shop Menu 3 La Taqueria Pinche Taco Shop Menu 4
The menu has typography resembling a typewriter. I have seen this in many Mexican restaurants.
How to get in touch
- Phone: (604) 558-2549
- Address: 2450 Yukon St. Vancouver
- Website: https://www.lataqueria.com/
- Hours: 11:00 am – 10:00 pm, Saturday 11:00 am – 9:00 pm
