According to La Taqueria’s website, the restaurant group, which now has three locations, including a brand new one on Welch Street here in North Vancouver, was born in 2009 as a means of bringing authentic Mexican street fare to Vancouver.
I have periodically dropped in at La Taqueria’s Cambie Street location for their carnitas (confit pork) tacos, which are outstanding.
I was excited to see good carnitas available here as I had previously struggled to find a place in town that approximated the extraordinary awesomeness of my all-time best pork taco experience, which took place in Melaque, Mexico, on Feb. 12, 2002.
Yes, it was a meal worth remembering. Have you ever noticed that people who have done a beach vacation usually have a story about some little off-the-beaten path joint they discovered when they ventured into the nearby town?
Everyone’s discovery is simply the best, most revelatory bit of travel insight ever shared.
With that in mind, I won’t try to compete with anyone’s story here. Suffice it to say, I was blown away by the world-class flavours that emerged from this humble road-side set-up that consisted of a large tent, propane burners, plastic lawn furniture and a cooler full of Tecate beer.
Melaque had some exquisite, more upscale restaurants, to be sure, but it was the highly mobile, low-overhead taqueria (taco shop) that stole the limelight in that town.
The North Shore location of La Taqueria will soon be distinguished from its downtown cousins by the presence of a tortilleria, an in-house facility that produces handmade, traditional Nixtamal tortillas for use by the three restaurants.
Nixtamal is an Aztec word for dough made with corn that has undergone a special alkaline soaking process that results in a more defined and robust flavour.
La Taqueria will source its non-GMO corn from the semi-arid region of Culiacan in Northwestern Mexico.
This commitment to authenticity is, in my opinion, a solid strategy in differentiating La Taqueria from its competitors. The pursuit of a dedicated, functional tortilleria likely also explains why the North Shore location of La Taqueria is housed in the commercial park on Welch Street, that narrow industrial strip nestled between the Spirit Trail and West First Street.
The numerous businesses in the area will doubtless be delighted to have this new neighbour, but walk-by traffic to the restaurant will surely be limited; the newest Taqueria will be a destination for those in the know. No matter, once word of their excellent tacos spreads, the “insider” customer group will be substantial. As it was, my recent Saturday afternoon visit revealed an already substantial audience for the fledging business.
La Taqueria offers meat or vegetarian tacos, priced individually ($2.75 and $2.25, respectively) or in value-driven combinations of four ($9.50 and $7.50). I’ve always wanted to go to a restaurant and order one of everything on the menu and on my visit to the North Shore’s newest taco specialist, that’s exactly what I did. I ended up with all 12 of the available tacos, to be precise, as well as a spur-of-the-moment order of bean and cheese quesadilla.
In barely 10 minutes my order was prepared and I delved into the assortment of double tortilla-wrapped tacos with my son, daughter and wife, each of whom was eager to identify a personal favourite.
I must commend La Taqueria for its well-considered menu; each taco was significantly different from the next, benefiting from a unique combination of spices, toppings and cooking methods.
The restaurant already prepares its various taco offerings according to unique recipes, but patrons can further alter the flavour of their specific selections by adding any number of homemade pickles and additional sauces, according to personal taste. Pickled red onions, salsa verde, marinated carrot and cauliflower, and fiery hot habanero sauce are just a few of the build-your-own additions on offer.
I won’t dwell on the carnitas as I have already professed my adoration for them. If you haven’t had these before, just do. Seriously.
Of the remaining tacos, highlights included an extraordinary creation called Al Pastor, which consisted of achiote-marinated pork topped with little cubes of ripe pineapple.
The subtly flavoured, colourful pork married beautifully with the tropical fruit and benefited from a liberal dousing of potent habanero sauce.
A deep and delicious grilled flank steak taco reminded me of my grandmother’s Sunday roasts, while a chicken taco with mole sauce was a conversation-worthy flavour explosion, featuring rich notes of bitter Mexican chocolate.
A veggie taco of roasted poblano peppers topped with creamed corn was a brand new combination for me and turned out to be one of the richest, most decadent creations of the lot, while a distinctly non-veggie taco with braised beef tongue, with its heady flavour and tricky who’s-tasting-who psychology, proved to be a bit much for me, though it was indisputably very well prepared.
Also of note was a vegan taco filled with chipotle-spiced sautéed mushrooms, an ingredient I have not seen in much Mexican cooking before.
Despite its simplicity, the Bean and Cheese Quesadilla was phenomenally tasty and satisfying with its gooey, melted textures and was a great value at $6.
Our meal of every taco on the menu, a quesadilla and three Mexican fruit sodas was $48.
La Taqueria is located at 1305 Welch Street. lataqueria.com 604-971-4744
Chris Dagenais served as a manager for several restaurants downtown and on the North Shore. A self-described wine fanatic, he earned his sommelier diploma in 2001. Contact: [email protected].
