Cinco de Mmmmmayo Baja Shrimp Tacos

Happy Cinco de Mayo everybody! For those of you wondering what Cinco de Mayo is all about, google it! Or Wikipedia it! For us it meant splurging on delicious Americanized Mexican food, and gosh darn it the meal was amazing.

 If I can depart any wisdom on my readers it is trust staff recommendations. The first time I entered Chronic Tacos, wide-eyed and hungry, one of the colorfully tattooed cooks took me under his wing and guided me through the ordering process. Battered fish/shrimp Baja style is the way to go, and he was 100 percent right.

I ordered three tacos, the battered shrimp (pictured above), grilled fish, and the carnitas (shredded pork). They recommend getting it “baja style” which includes fresh squeezed lime, cilantro, and Baja sauce. DO IT.

The heaping tacos are made to order with fresh ingredients and varying degrees of hot sauces. My only complaint is that guacamole was an extra $1.00. Other than that, the prices are reasonable for the amount of food you receive.

I was told my battered shrimp was going to take a while, as they were making it fresh. At 9:00pm this was welcomed, proving again the freshness of their products. The shrimp was well worth the wait. There were about four large shrimp, enough for each bite to be delicious. Crunchy on the outside, tender inside, I recommend trying this. It was also loaded with fresh tomato salsa, cabbage or lettuce, and cheese. The grilled fish wasn’t as outstanding, and didn’t have as defined a flavour. The only thing that stood out for me was the taste of the tomatoes, so I don’t think I would get it again.

Baja Style Battered Shrimp Taco

By far the shrimp was my fave, with the carnitas coming in second. This taco came with guacamole,  probably why I liked it haha, but compared to the bursts of flavour in the shrimp the carnitas was only so-so. They don’t skimp on portions though, this taco came filled with meat and had a hardy spoonful of guacamole.

Carnitas

If you’re hungry and craving good fast food (yes, I believe there is such a thing), go for Chronic Tacos. Today they are featuring Cinco De Mayo drink and food specials  at all their locations, and festivities at their Gastown location!  Might just have to make a repeat appearance….

La Taqueria

2549 Cambie Street
Vancouver, BC V5Z
(604) 568-4406
✭✭✭✭✩

Yo quierro La Taqueria, a bustling pinche taco shop specializing in authentic Mexican tacos. Their website boasts of using organic and sustainable products, their two Vancouver locations have line ups out the door, and their menu lets you mix and match your favourites. What isn’t to love?

For $9.50 you get four tacos of your choice, a good deal but still a little on the pricier side. The tacos are small in appearance however filling; if it’s a big Mexican meal you’re craving you will need more than 4, and that’s where it can get expensive… I do wish there was a little more filling, it was just enough to satiate my appetite and then I was done and onto the next one. Heres what I tried:

Al Pastor: Pork marinated in achiote chili with pineapple.

Hands down our favourite. The pork had a smokey char-grilled taste and the pineapples complimented the flavours perfectly.

Al Pastor

Pascado: Grilled seasonal fish with pico de gallo.

No photo, I ate it too fast!

My second favourite because the fish was tender, fresh and the pico de gallo was delicious. A squirt of lime brought out all the flavours.

Carnitas: Pork confit with pickled red onion

This had a subtle pork flavour, but was not as memorable as the Al Pastor. It was visually appealing but lacked a defined flavour.

Carnitas

Beef Fajita: Skirt steak with onions, peppers and cheese.

This was tasty, but didn’t wow me like the other tacos did; something for the less adventurous palate. I added the salsa verde and lime for a little more zest. 

(in the photo below, the Pascado is third from left, the beef Fajita fourth)

 All tacos come garnished with cilantro and a lime.

I will definitely return to La Taqueria, I loved the ambiance (minus the long line/wait) and I would like to explore their menu further.