- Restaurants |
- Nightlife |
- Shopping |
- Coffee & Tea |
- All
Cafe Mexico Ltd
- Price Range:
-
$$
- Accepts Credit Cards:
- Yes
- Parking:
- Street
- Attire:
- Casual
- Good for Groups:
- Yes
- Good for Kids:
- Yes
- Takes Reservations:
- Yes
- Take Away:
- Yes
- Waiter Service:
- Yes
- Outdoor Seating:
- Yes
- Good For:
- Lunch, Dinner
- Alcohol:
- Full Bar
- Noise Level:
- Average
- Wheelchair Accessible:
- No
17 reviews for Cafe Mexico Ltd
17 reviews in English
-
Review from Amanda J.
Victoria, BC
3/18/2012
I'll be honest, I probably never would have checked out this place if not for a recommendation from our dining companions. We were in search of "cheap and cheerful" dinner, and we succeeded.
The food did not blow me away, but it was tasty, well-portioned, and well-priced. I had enchiladas, others had burritos, and the boyfriend had something grilled on a kebab that looked and smelled pretty great. Throw in $5 margaritas, and I'm happy enough to return anytime.
Bonus points on the decor - very bright and inviting, and when you walk in, they've kept some of the original street, manhole cover and all. Pretty cool. -
Review from D A.
Victoria, BC
5/13/2012
The bad:
1. Double margarita tasted like a virgin margarita. And I'm not exaggerating. My partner was also very dissapointed.
2. The quesadilla meal was more like an appetizer size.
3. The free wifi was virtually unusable.
The good:
1. Service was good.
2. The atmosphere was good.
We arrived with a small amount of luggage, and believe they mistook us for tourists. Hence the nearly virgin double margaritas. I suppose it's partially my fault for not returning them when I had the chance. -
Review from Mark W.
Vancouver, BC
4/2/2012
The only reason I went to Cafe Mexico was because a group of visiting relatives chose it and I deferred to their judgment (I have my own favourite Victoria joints, but they're probably a bit too... outré for my upcountry rels). I generally avoid Mexican restos north of 49 and Cafe Mexico reminded me of why in spades. After considering the burritos and the chile rellenos, I ordered the steak-and prawn fajitas. Bad move. I should have been tipped off by the corn chips and salsa, which seemed to be having a competition to see who could be the more tasteless and bland. When the fajitas eventually arrived the steak strips, which I'd asked to be medium rare, resembled hunks of leather. The rice was up to Chef Boy-Ar-Dee's usual standards. The prawns were coated in some unidentifiable red substance which, like the salsa, was notable primarily for its lack of piquancy. The refried beans at least vaguely resembled refried beans. Accompaniments included more of the blah salsa (it must have been on sale that week at Safeway), a small ball of sour cream, an equally small ball of soggy guacamole, and a small green salad (?!), along with a container of tortillas, the first of which tasted like it had been used to clean tables. I refrained from sampling the others. Really, how is it possible to screw up a tortilla?? The strips of pepper, while cooked until limp, at least were not without flavour. Not wanting to hurt their feelings, I did not inquire as to how my companions enjoyed their meals, but I noticed several unfinished plates. The capper, at least for me, came as were were preparing to leave; one of the waitresses got a little impatient about wanting us to stop obstructing an adjoining booth so she could seat some new arrivals. As the obstruction was caused by A) a narrow aisle and B) one of our party being in a wheelchair, this attitude was not appreciated. Nor was it appreciated that my cousin and I, neither of whom will see our fifties again, had to lift his chair-bound wife up and down a short set of steps in front of several staff members (including Ms. In-a-Hurry), all of whom merely stood by and watched. We didn't really need assistance, but it would have been nice if it had been offered.
There will be those who will say that I should not judge a place on a single visit and they may be right. Unfortunately, I have no intention of returning to Cafe Mexico. Ever. So further judgments are a moot point. I have had far better Mexican food even in Bellingham, and in towns like LA or Tucson, this place wouldn't last a week. Only in a thoroughly whitebread town like Victoria, where people don't know any better, could they survive as long as they have. Just to end on a positive note, though: The decor is pretty good, with some nice Mexican quasi-folk-art touches, including a magnificent pair of giant calaveras above the bar. Whoever was hired for the interior decor did a good job. Too bad the same care wasn't put into the food. -
Review from Garbiel A.
Victoria, BC
4/4/2011
Beth and I had a good dinner here on saturday night.
It was a packed house so we sat down at the bar. We hadn't really wanted to sit at the bar but we were quite hungry so we gave in. It turned out to be the right move.The bartender was friendly and attentive even though she was clearly swamped with crazy drink orders. She ruled.Get that poor girl some back-up sometime.
The tortilla chips before dinner were fantastic. The sauce was surprisingly hot and everything was just tasty about it.
The rest of dinner was, like yelp would say, A-OK. I liked it and would go back, but it wasn't particularly memorable. -
Review from Beth C.
Victoria, BC
12/20/2011
Solid, tex-mexified Mexican food. They do good chips and salsa, and decent food. It's a bit overpriced for what you get, but it's tourist mecca, so I guess that shouldn;'t be a surprise. It's decent and tasty, but for better Mexican in Victoria I'd definitely choose Hernandez or La Taquisa. Still, you're not going to leave Cafe Mexico hungry - that's for sure! - and it's a good place for groups in a fun atmosphere.
-
Review from Laura D.
Calgary, AB
2/18/2012
Great food, excellent service and good portion sizes and VERY inexpensive! Two entrees and three cocktails all for only $42. Highly recommended. Our server told us they had recently lowered all of their prices by about 30% and refined all of their dishes and it really shows. The refrained beans and the black beans are both amazing. The enchiladas were spectacular. Definitely have a Mojitos with your meal. Yum!
-
Review from Tabatha Anne Y.
Richmond, BC
8/8/2010
The decore inside is really cool! Christmas lights everywhere and lots of bright colours.
The food was tasty, fresh and a good value. The drink prices were not bad either.
I don't remember much about this place, since it's been a few years, but I had a great meal here and will probably go back the next time I'm in Victoria. -
Review from MrandMrs C.
Coldstream, BC
8/23/2010
We came across this spot by a recommendation from a street vendor. We were in Victoria over night and we wanted to try a local restaurant. The food and service was amazing! It has been a week and we all still talk about how incredible the food was.
The restaurant was clean and the service was pleasant and attentive. I sometimes find Mexican food to be somewhat "mushy" in that it can be hard to identify the individual flavours of the dish. We all agreed our meal here was like have an orchestra of delight; each ingredient was clear, distinct, and added together to complete the total composition. I wish more restaurants would produce food of this quality. It is quite possibly the best meal I have had in a very long time. Don't miss this hidden gem! -
Review from John G.
10/22/2011
Friendly staff, great food. The place was packed so we sat at the bar, but still had a very pleasant experience. Our water glasses were never empty :). Highly recommended.
-
Review from nita m.
7/19/2010
Great mexican food in a town clearly lacking mexican food. I quite enjoyed the vivid & colorful decorations, other than the offensive sign for the place. The food was overpriced, but I guess normal relative to other restaurants in the area.
- Enchilada Plate: The plate comes with only 1 enchilada (where other restaurants for that price would serve 2), but it's semi-large. The enchilada sauce is really really good.
- Vegetarian Soft Tacos: The tacos themselves are on the small side but combined with the rice & beans it makes a normal sized meal. The tortillas are not fresh but still soft, and the tacos were covered in an excessive amount of cheese. Cafe Mexico's black beans are soooo good - super full of flavor! The rice is standard, the guacamole is ok.
- Chips & Salsa: They make you buy them for $3. The salsa is pretty good, the chips are normal. It's worth it if you're hungry, because the food took awhile to come out. -
Review from Matthew L.
Edmonton, AB
5/21/2009
Cafe Mexico serves flavorless, pedestrian Mexican food for vacationing Albertans. I also didn't feel spectacular after eating at this place, but that could be due to an allergy or a sick co-worker whom I ate with. I had a vegetarian Chimichanga.
This place has its positives:
1) Drink Specials
2) Festive decor
3) Kind servers
Dinner is far more expensive than lunch. Margaritas and Nachos are probably the way to go here. -
Review from Alison A.
7/8/2011
We stumbled upon this place when we were walking around the streets of Victoria starved for an early dinner before heading to the Clipper. The service was wonderful. We enjoyed our many margaritas, the atmosphere and all loved our food! I think all 4 of us cleaned our plates. This is a fun, casual Mexican restaurant perfect for lunch, dinner or just drinks/happy hour.
-
Review from Rod P.
Victoria, BC
The highlight of a solid restaurant is quality after a number of years. Cafe Mexico still offers quality after 20+ years
-
Review from Weirdie B.
Victoria, BC
3/15/2009
It's a little on the expensive side, so I only go once or twice a year, but it's always fantastic and you leave absolutely stuffed! Cheap margarita night is the time to go. The chimichangas are excellent, as well as the nachos. Service is friendly. The restaurant is alway busy around dinner time, so expect to wait a little while. It's worth it.
-
Review from mike m.
5/21/2009
never would have thought of finding a place of this quality this far from mexico!
i had the chili relleno!, and it was exceptional.
the waitress then told me that this dish (chili relleno) takes three days to make.
and it shows.
they have my favorite tequila too! corralejo!
go try this food!
and tequilla! -
Review from Graham P.
2/19/2009
Kind of dirty looking, but decent-ish food. Not a single Méxicano working there, however.
-
Review from Amanda A.
Toronto, ON
4/2/2009
I feel bad for the overall rating to be a 3, because I think at some points it is a 5, and others a little bit lower...
5- The food. It's hot, it's delicious.. it's just really good. The waitresses are real pretty, so it makes eating their a bit nicer knowing they aren't going to keel over in your dish. The restaurant itself is colourful, exciting and is like Mexico!
4- The place was so busy, but I give it a 4 for the wait because even though we had to wait for a half hour... the staff was still friendly, and it was nice! Ocean front view!
3- This is where it's a bit touchy. The waitress said that the fajitas and a little bit extra would be more than enough for 3 people if we ordered extra meat. We got the beef, chicken and shrimp. Well, the fajitas were good and all, but that wasn't even enough to feed me.. and I'm pretty little. We kind of got screwed over on that one.
2- The price. It was ridiculous. I believe the fajitas, which wouldn't even be able to save a life in Ethiopia, were about 21 dollars.
1- We had to go eat at Azuma sushi afterwards to have a real meal....
