Lolita's

One of the biggest problems with my move to Vancouver has been the lack of high quality Mexican food. There are plenty of Mexican fusion places and a few chain burrito shops, but traditional Mexican food is difficult to find. When I first moved here I was told that Lolita’s has the best Mexican food in the city. For months I postponed visiting, primarily because of the high cost, but finally I caved in to the allure of margaritas and good food. 

First I should say that Lolita’s is not really a traditional Mexican restaurant. Although they have several traditional dishes, most menu items involve Pacific Northwest ingredients such as albacore tuna, B.C. salmon, and ling cod. Since I was on a mission to find true Mexican food, I stuck with traditional items such as carne asada and achiote chicken tacos, guacamole, and chips. The food was excellent and the portions were large. The chips were made fresh and I could not stop eating them. The guacamole had good flavor and was clearly made fresh, and the bean dip was a pleasant surprise. Both of the tacos had excellent flavor, but were unfortunately drowning in red cabbage coleslaw, which was delicious on its own, but did not belong on tacos.

In the end I can say that Lolita’s deserves a positive review, but has some key kinks to work out. Mexican food is meant to be an inexpensive treat, but at Lolita’s the prices are higher than I would like to pay. My search is for traditional Mexican food with flair and a reasonable price tag. At Lolita’s the food is delicious, but I strongly believe that there is better Mexican food to be found in Vancouver at a much lower price.