It's probably old news that
has the best tacos in Vancouver. Its two locations, Cambie & Broadway, and Hastings Street (near Victory Square), are always packed, and I'm always happy to wait for their delicious little tacos. "Pinche tacos" are Mexican street tacos - smaller than the giant tacos we normally see here in Canada, served on corn tortillas. La Taqueria uses local, organic and sustainable products where possible, and I have yet to be disappointed by any experience there.
I have a few standbys when it comes to choosing a taco. I love the De Picadillo - which is ground tofu in a "secret sauce," and the traditional Frijoles Charros con Queso - refried beans with cheese. I also enjoy the Pollo con Mole, when I'm in a meat-y mood (which is not very often, but sometimes) - that's chicken in chocolate mole sauce.
My tacos: two Pollo con Mole, one De Picadillo, and one Frijoles Charro con Queso.
Unbelievably, Andrew had never been to La Taqueria, so we stopped by last night for a late dinner. Ignacio, who co-owns the Cambie location, was working at Hastings last night and Andrew asked him to pick the four "best" tacos for him to try - he got a nice selection of various cow parts, which anyone who knows Andrew (this man constantly complains that there aren't enough "meat flavoured drinks" in the world) can tell you was a very good choice on Ignacio's part.
As for me, I got my "usual", as listed above, and Ignacio asked me if I wanted him to make them up "his way" - in terms of the various hot sauces and pickles that La Taqueria has on offer. I said sure, and it was amazing how the different sauces Ignacio chose changed the flavours so much! They were delicious - although Ignacio was worried that he had made them too spicy and kept asking me if they were OK and to let him know if they weren't OK and he'd make new ones for me. He also very helpfully wrote down the name of a friend's hotel in Tulum when I mentioned that my friends and I are off on our now-annual Mexican adventure in August. The staff is friendly, and so are the customers - whenever I've been at La Taqueria, I've always had a good conversation with someone, either waiting in line, or fighting for space at one of the counters.
Andrew is much happier with his tacos than he looks in this photo.
La Taqueria Pinche Taco Shop is open Monday to Saturday, 11:00 - 9:30, at both locations. Stand in line, it's worth it.