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Real People. Real Reviews.®
Mon-Thu, Sun 11:30 am - 10 pm
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This ain't taco bell folks.
It's GOOD, and real Mexican food.
No matter what I order it's always delicious.
The margaritas come in many different flavours (peach, mango, banana) and you can get them in an array of sizes (included a pitcher! A freakin margarita pitcher!)
My only gripe about this place is that it's always busy and while that's great for them, it means it takes forever to get fed. So if you want to be in an out in half an hour or so, do not bother. Or if you're particularly hungry and will want your food right away don't bother. Because it takes a while.
However the food is always worth the wait!
Went here this afternoon around 4 for a late lunch/early-ass dinner.
I ordered the Veg combo number 7, which is a burrito and a chile relleno. Mmm, mmm, good! It comes with beans and rice which are pretty much my favourite part of the meal. I also ordered a lime margarita, and when that was done, a blanca sangria, which is made with white wine. The food and drink were amazing, never a disapointment.
The service could have been better. It took a while for our drinks and orders to be taken, and once they were it seemed like forever until they came. The restaurant wasn't even that busy, so I don't know why they weren't as attentive as normal but it's no biggie. The boyfriend and I had a great time, nice meal, nice atmosphere. There was no line to get in this afternoon!
The prices are still pretty steep. Our bill came to $50, which I wasn't anticipating when we left the house, but eh, we had a good time.
This is a good place to take out of town visitors, or to just hang out with friends. I love it here!
This is my favorite Mexican place in the city. Every time I get to pick a place to eat this is my… Read more »
Ohhhh Mexican food, how I dislike thee! However, for someone who can't seem to find one Mexican dish I think is tasty, even I like this place. One time I came here and it was around the time of Día de los Muertos, and the whole place was decorated with skulls and stuff, so beautiful. :D
Anyway, I came here last week while the Celebration of Light was happening, and had a lovely quesadilla with chicken, plus rice and a salad. I think this is the place to get good quesadillas - mmm! I was full and didn't get around to eating much of the sides, but that's okay...at least it was satisfying! Even the rice is slightly less dry than at other places, haha. You get free chips and salsa here, which is always great. I wish they gave out more salsa though. In addition, I had a lime margarita on the rocks, which was standard and alcohol-y, so no complaints there.
Yeah, that's all I really have to say. Service was good, environment had some classy drunken 40-something ladies boisterously partying it up and dropping silverware in the corner, but hey, I guess they were having fun. Hey, I had fun!
This place is the black hole of Kitsilano... And i mean that in a GOOD way, because the food and drinks are so delish that i always get sucked in whenever i'm in the area! They make a mean Sangria... and a mean margarita... and pina colada... You get the picture!
This place isn't my favorite for dinner since i'm more into laid back places and Kitsilano restaurants don't tend to fall into that category... but come summer time their patio is my fave place to go to an appies and a few pitchers before taking a stroll on the seawall! (Well, depending how much i've drank, it might be more like stumbling on the seawall...)
Their patio is super nice since you can totally be a super creep and stare at people as they go by, and nine times out of ten they don't even notice you! Kits house wife with creepy, fake-looking implants, d-bag guys suppressing homoerotic tendencies who love UFC, lady who uses her unnecessarily large baby stroller to run people over, i am watching all of you. Keep it up!
No stranger to this place, I knew to expect the 20 min wait for a table. That is par for the course at Las Margaritas... and it's worth it. Came here for date night last Friday. I wanted to go someplace different, but the hubby-to-be wanted to use our almost brand new entertainment book (seriously, I get this book every year and have yet to use more than five coupons). We were able to find parking (the fact that it was free made it better) and put our name on the list. Normally, I would walk around and browse 4th, but since it was only 20 mins, I opted to read the Georgia Straight on top of the box that sits outside the entrance. Plus, I perused the menu outside the door because I always like to be prepared.
Once seated, we had to wait awhile until our waiter noticed us and brought us the complimentary salsa and chips. The chips were super fresh and the salsa was just the right amount of spicy... we started with the ceviche. I love ceviche that is lime based. When we were in Mexico, we were in the Guerrero province and every time I ordered it, it was fish in tomato sauce. This was wonderful. While the H-T-B thought it was fishy, I loved it. There were pieces of tomato and onion and lots of lime juice.
For our mains, I had the Sonora Enchilada. There are way more items on the actual menu than what is on the wall outside the entrance. They have seasonal items on the first page of the menu, but they don't have specials per se. The enchilada was huge! The beef was shredded and tender. The amarilla sauce was wonderful with the beef. I thought the guacamole on top was spicy, but I must have just bit into something else... I love rice and beans. Again, in Mexico, I love beans so much I had them with my waffles... beans... I loved mixing the rice and the beans together... perfection.
My fiance had the beef burrito. Same tender beef, but in a red sauce this time. His meal also came with beans and rice, and I was sad that the waiter took his plate away before I scraped all that could off of his plate. If you ever see my fiance, he is super thin because of his metabolism and not because I steal his food. Seriously, I swear. True story.
I wanted to have dessert, but after conquering my Everest of an enchilada, I said no. I want to come back and try the dessert trio. I like variety, and this had it all--- flan, cheesecake, and something else... hmm, I need to go back.
If you like Pina Colada, and getting caught in the rain! We staggered here for a late breakfast after a wild night of mayhem. Its usually easier to get a table when you come for lunch since it gets super busy at dinner, and my patience is always limited.
The BF ordered us a pitcher of Pina Colada which went down far too easily, I could have sucked that bad boy down all by myself! I guess if I really wanted to I could've had a Mexican standoff with the other four people at our table for their drink, but I was far too hungover and lethargic, and I hadn't even entered the food coma stage yet.
I had the Pancho Villa Tostada, which was super yum, it is one of my favourite menu items, and its so filling, I have never finished it. My friend ordered the a la carte tomale which she said was "bad ass" which I assume means good, but she wasn't too happy about how much A/C the restaurant had going. "Isn't this place supposed to be authentic Mexican? It's hot in Mexico, can't they turn the heat up, so its more like Mexico?"
I am happy to announce that Las Marg is now selling that wonderful complimentary salsa they bring you when you are first seated. This is going to break my bank because I LOVE this salsa! Las Marg also deserves some props for breaking the nacho bylaw, that's right, you can order nachos all day anytime, not just after 5pm!
If I had $50 to drop on dinner every night I would live under the bar at Las Margaritas! Ole!
Listed in: Vancouver Vege-me-tarian.
Fiesta! Siesta! Horray for Las Margaritas! Because who doesn't love margaritas anyways? And you can… Read more »
What can I say? It may not be the most authentic Mexican food you can find, but I've always had a fondness for this Kits institution. The portions are huge, the atmosphere is fun, and the prices are reasonable. In the summertime, they have a great patio that just begs you to sit and enjoy a margarita. Speaking of which, they have an impressive margarita selection, and with the frozen margaritas, they will serve pitchers and combine flavours. This most recent visit we tried lime and coconut together, which worked really well as the acidity of the lime balanced out the sweetness of the coconut.
Back to the food, my current favourite is the vegetarian enchilada, which comes smothered in cheese and red enchilada sauce with Mexican rice and beans on the side. But of course beforehand there are warm tortilla chips and delicious salsa. It is a challenge to force yourself to stop eating them so you don't spoil your dinner! I highly recommend this restaurant for value, atmosphere and tastiness. You may not get the world's fastest service when it's very busy, but the staff are friendly and make their best effort.
After a rare and sizable donation by the good people at Canada Revenue into my account, I got a sudden craving for Las Margaritas. I was surprised and a bit confused to see such a stack of dismal reviews on here, but we went anyway because it's such a beautiful room and patio.
It was the first really hot sunny day (last Thursday) and the busiest they've been to date this year. The hostesses were so clearly exhausted I was considering buying them a round of mojitos. Admittedly, I'm a bit more of hard ass than Baroness Von Schnizzlepants when it comes to service, but I don't feel like I should be the one to take their fatigue out on. So despite feeling a bit for them, I also gently suggested that it felt kinda like they weren't very happy to have us. They quickly realized that that was no good, assured us that they were, and we were all BFF's from then on.
The bar staff is another story. Once seated, I ordered a half-pitcher of Sangria (who you callin' a souse?) and BVS ordered a VIRGIN marguerita. I say VIRGIN in ALL CAPS, because under NO circumstances does the Baroness partake in the imbibing.
The drinks arrived, she took a sip, and the next thing that happened was me up at the bar about to relieve the bar manager of his arms and legs. I could quickly tell that it wasn't his fault, and that he was trying to handle the blame for the clearly distraught young women frantically slinging drinks together beside him. So no one was injured, and I went back to my seat.
*People in the service industry: it is one thing to ring in chicken instead of beef, or caesar salad instead of garden. But you absolutely CANNOT screw up on a virgin drink order. You can ruin someone's life. Which is exactly what I told the manager when she promptly came over to talk to us about it.
Of course, Baroness Von Schnizzlepants blamed herself for not inspecting the drink before tasting, but I (yes, hard-ass) still think it's totally unacceptable.
Not surprisingly, the manager threw the "new girl behind the bar" under the bus, and was very quick to agree with my point of view. She comp'd our drinks, but then apparently that move canceled our food order as well. I think our server - who was fantastic and had nothing to do with any of the fuss - was a little afraid to tell us (okay me) the news about the food, but really, it didn't bother me in the least. *That* is the kind of mistake that falls into the "No harm done" category. Why do people go out to the restaurant and then be all in a rush anyway?
Uhh, so the review: We eventually had San Blas Enchiladas and Tacos De Pescasdo. The Enchiladas were a huge plate of seafood gorgeousness: Shrimp, crab, and snapper drenched in cheese and cream sauce, topped with sliced avocado. Are you kidding me? Am I actually allowed to eat that? It was fantastic. The fish tacos were.. decent, but we both agreed we'd had better.
All in all, it was a good experience, the little booze-blunder was handled very well - except that we kinda got the feeling that the new bartender was going to receive lashings or a firing squad, which I'm not very comfortable with. I just don't think drinkers understand the importance of not springing a surprise glass full of alcohol onto non-drinkers.
Ole!
Often when I think of Kits, I think of Las Margaritas. It stands out on a street filled with uber trendy, tapas restaurants, with its ""themed" outer and inner decor.
If you want *authentic* Mexican, I suggest making your way to Salsa & Agave. If you want "Tourist visiting Mexico and staying at an All-Inclusive Resort"/San Diego Mexican, then have a seat here!
If my above comment sounds a tad harsh, it's not supposed to be, just truthful. That being said, the food is decent, the portions generous and the atmosphere/ambience is nothing but rambunctious and fun! It's a wonderful place to be raucous with friends!
Details about the food:
I had the Soho Margarita, and being somewhat a light weight in the alcohol department, enjoyed a gentle buzz from this crisp & sweet beverage. I nibbled on the guacamole and ceviche, which were unfortunately nothing special and very small, even for appy size. The guac ended up tasting like mashed avocado (pretty flavourless) and the ceviche, while cooked well, I felt could have had a bit more of an acid kick. A few drops of their habenero sauce more than helped with that, though.
I still have not found a ceviche more delicious than at the dearly departed "Tequila Kitchen", once found in Yaletown.
Everyone else's dishes (including the burrito, fajitas and taco salad) looked generously portioned and delicious. As a yelper, it was my duty to sample my companion's dishes. I can ensure its yummy, fresh quality.
A fun note, if it's your birthday, be sure to tell the staff so they can make you wear the giant sombrero and sing to you.
It's like a Mexican TGI Friday's!
Nothing wrong really with our visit to Las M's last night -- it just wasn't very good. It was my second visit to the restaurant -- I previously ordered a massive and tasty pollo con salsa mole.
It was packed last night, but we were determined to eat here and the hostesses were friendly, and their wait estimate was pretty accurate.
My friend was famished and ordered the pollo con mole, and I ordered enchiladas pollo con salsa verde (which I order almost everywhere I go).
The mole dish was as expected, huge with tender chicken and heavy dark, chocolatey and spicy mole sauce.
My dish was okay -- not bad, just not what I'd expect. The shredded chicken was perfectly cooked and wrapped in fresh corn tortillas. The difference between Las M's and other restaurants I've been to in the US and Mexico, is at Las M's the salsa verde is thick, and they're extremely stingy with it -- as if they were running low in the pot and couldn't afford to give very much sauce with the dish.
Usually, and traditionally -- which I've learned from many times ordering this dish in US and Mexico, and from cooking with my Mexican friends here and in Mexico -- there should be two medium sized tortillas that have been lightly fried in oil and then wrapped around a generous but not huge amount of tasty and tender shredded chicken -- and should be *swimming* in a fairly runny salsa verde, and you have access (for free) to a dollop or two of fresh creme.
However, at Las M's there is one very large enchilada with two tortillas wrapped around a large amount of chicken, with a very light drizzle of sour cream and a sprinkling of cheddar cheese (cheddar is not very Mexican), and only a few tablespoons of the thick salsa verde which quickly made the fresh (and not fried) tortillas soggy and no sauce left on the plate. Certainly for the amount of chicken -- which of course doesn't have any sauce -- there is not enough salsa verde in the dish. So for a $1.50 charge, I got a half cup of salsa -- then I had too much! If only they'd given the proper amount in the first place to match the amount of chicken and tortillas -- and that is appropriate for the fairly heavy price of $14, everything would have been okay.
The beans and rice that come with the main dishes are just OK, nothing special, didn't need salt but otherwise bland. I guess they think of these two side dishes as not important.
Oh, and they use a chemically mix in their Margaritas -- I ordered a virgin strawberry Marg, and I couldn't drink it because of the chemical taste (that would normally be hidden with the booze that I didn't have). I sent it back and they deleted it from the bill without any hassle, and I drank water instead.
I like this place for two reasons: it's a good place to bring kids, and it isn't too 'authentic' Mexican.
'Adult' restaurants that truely cater for kids are rare in Vancouver. Kids-themed restaurants are OK for toddlers in high chairs, but older kids cringe in such places. Too many Vancouver restaurants are glorified bars and not places for children Las Margaritas has a very good kids menu (i.e. kids food, not smaller portions of adult dishes)and also a very 'kids friendly' atmosphere. A good place for them to sample Mexican food without wasting a whole meal if they don't like it. The outside eating area is truely charming and must be wonderful lit up at night. Did't hear any Mexican music, a Mariachi band would be ideal in the evening. The staff were also very pleasant and helpful without being pushy (on the Saturday afternoon we visited).
I've been to Mexico a few times (Mexico City, Acapulco, Oaxaca) and tried my share of 'authentic' Mexican food. Not to disparage a great nation, but Mexican food in Mexico is terrible. A great shame because it's a great place to visit and the people are fine - but authentic Mexican food just isn't great. So it's Tex-Mex for me - just the way I like it!
For 20 years this restaurant has never been a disappointment..the food is EXCELLENT!
Super overrated. Found the food here average at best. Not really Mexican at all but that Tex-Mex Americanized version of thus. The margaritas are great but super pricey.
There are better places to go for Mexican food fix in town.
Hopefully, this is not the best Mexican in Vancouver. If it is, then it's a depressing reminder of just how far from the Mexican border we are here.
For what it is, the food is outrageously overpriced. There are taco trucks selling $4 burritos that can make you weak at the knees and see visions of la Virgen de Guadalupe. Then there's this place.
So save yourself some time and just eat your dollar bills. The flavor will be roughly equivalent.
Full disclosure: I have been eating at Las Margaritas since I was kid, long before I had any idea what real Mexican food tasted like; I am biased by nostalgia.
We are definitely talking about Tex-Mex here, emphasis on the tex. But sometimes a girl just wants a pile of refried beans, some fresh chips and salsa, sour cream, grated orange cheese and heaps of guacamole. And on those days, you can't beat Las Margaritas.
Because I've been eating here most of my life, the service over the years has blended together in my brain. Sometimes it's great. Sometimes it sucks. Sometimes you're seated at a table with a draft. It's always noisy. But no matter what, I will always love their House Nachos (a plate of 8 perfectly constructed nachos, each one with everything you want on it - genius).
Listed in: The NAFTA List
Just like Joseph B. said... this place is a joke. Way too expensive. Bad service. Boring food.
It was probably good at one point but has gone down the tubes. I assume it's less chef or owner attention, cutting food costs, and why not? Volume never decreases.... the sheep just keep coming. Someone needs to coin a term for this. There are many restaurants in Vancouver that still have lineups but are no longer good.
The food here reminds me of a place in Austin, Tx.
Granted, a nod towards my hometown during a review of a Mexican restaurant anywhere outside of Texas normally is a good thing. In this case, it's both a good and bad thing.
The chips and salsa here are decent. I didn't particularly care for their chips, but I thought their salsa was tasty. It had a little zest and zing and good texture.
I ordered the tostada, which here at Las Margaritas means "taco salad" rather than its traditional definition. The "tostada" was essentially a large salad (chicken, guac, rice, beans, lettuce, cheese) served inside a fried taco bowl. The chicken was actually pretty flavorful and moist and the rest of the ingredients were fresh.
I thought the refried beans were uninspired and a little bland (i.e., needs more lard).
The guy had beef fajitas, which he thought were okay, although, I don't think the tortillas are made in house. They had that uncooked, floury aftertaste of mass produced tortillas.
This place isn't authentic by any means, but when the jonesing comes for some pseudo-version of the Mexican food I love, this place could temporarily satiate that hankering.
Being a loyal customer at Las Margs, I was truly disappointed by the service I received there this evening.
We had planned our family dinner to be there... so as we get to our table and take our seats, we're given menus... [*insert pause here*] ...where after we wait quite a while before our waitress (we can call her K.) comes to our table. She asks us if we want beverages (normal, right?), so we reply with "waters all around and also a pitcher of..." and that's where we get cut off as K. says, "let me get the waters first". ok fine.
5 minutes later our waters arrive, and my mom says "can I get my water without ice please", K. snatches up the glass and gives the table the most exasperated look... cough cough... (please note: that she has not asked to take our actual drink orders yet)... another few minutes pass when some 'no-ice' waters make their way to the table. K. drops the waters on the table and starts to walk away, when my brother has to stop her and say "Can we order our drinks now?" as we wanted 2 pitchers of margaritas and I had ordered some lime for my water...
so whatever - our drinks come out about 10 minutes later. And as K. walks away:
Me: "Excuse me?"
K.: "What?" as she continues to walk away...
Me: (yelling a bit so she can hear me bc she's walked so far from me at this point) "Can I please get some more water and some lime please?"
K.: (No answer)
This is when I start to get just a little bit peeved. I was tempted to ask the hostess if we could request another server, but I decided it would be ok to stick it out.
My bowl of limes arrive, and as she's refilling my water, K. conveniently drops some ice cold water on the back of my top, and then proceeds to say "sorry" to my brother whom I am sitting beside without even looking at me.
It took about 30 minutes for our food to come. I had to get up to ask for hot sauce bc K. wasn't coming around to our table. And I had to ask another server for the salad dressing that my mom had ordered, along with the water refills.
I am not knocking the food at Las Margs AT ALL here. The food was FABULOUS (as always), but I was extremely disappointed by the service, and it definitely put a huge damper on our experience there. My mom and dad have already proclaimed that they will NEVER eat there again because of the service, and this was my mom's ALL TIME favorite restaurant.
It's really sad to see a great restaurant get a bad review because of one of its staff members. I also love the food at Las Margs, but i am highly doubtful that I will ever go there again.
Absolutely the best Mexican food in Vancouver! When you walk into this restaurant off of West 4th,… Read more »
Reminds me of All-Inclusive resort meals in Mexico!
As my fellow Yelpers have already pointed out, the food isn't bad, it's just that it seems to be missing something. A lil pizazz perhaps?
I should know better when asked if I want Guacamole. Of course it costs more, but $2 for a two ounce shooter. Really? Apparently it's $6 for a larger side order. Yikes. Where are they getting their avocados from?
Listed in: Spicy Vancouver
While I enjoy going here, I never come expecting to have fantastic mouth-watering mexican food. Instead I set my expectations at "satisfactory tex mex" and thus am never disappointed.
I really like their patio, and they have standard fare, like enchiladas, burritos, tacos, etc. I enjoyed the taco salad the last time I was there, and really, it's hard to go wrong with lots of cheese, guacamole, salsa and sour cream on things, am I right? Their margaritas are alright, but nothing to write home about.
My enjoyment of this place would stand to change if there were some really really mindblowing Mexican places in Vancouver, but there is a seriously lack of these which is pretty unfortunate.
A wholly uninspired Californian style Mexican restaurant.
I just can't get in to the food here, everything is technically done well but it's missing that extra little bit that takes it over the edge.
I'd give it marks for having a decent enough patio however, worth a margarita in the sun. But for food I suggest you look elsewhere.
I personally really like Las Margaritas, mainly for their burritos. I simply love the simplicity here. If you order a beef burrito, it will be filled only with deliciously slow-cooked, well-seasoned beef - nothing else. Everything else someone might want in a burritos can be found somewhere on your plate, but the thing itself is a rarely found gem for the purist in me. I've had other dishes there and have always found them perfectly tasty, though never exactly great. In fact, we went there with some friends for one of our dinners during this year's Dine Out and I took the opportunity to try their famed Mole, but found a bit disappointing.
On the flip-side, this restaurant apparently possesses the power of conversion. My wife, who otherwise has a much more cosmopolitan palate than me, had never been a fan of Mexican food ... until she had the Conchinita Pibil (I believe it's called), a Yucatan pork dish, at Las Margaritas. She now officially calls this her favourite food - ever.
I'm giving Las Margaritas a good review! Here's why:
The ambiance:
- It's a fun, lively atmosphere!
- If you really look at the pictures on the wall (they are covered with them) some of them are really funny / interesting.
- The patio to me is just so-so - but it's an option!
- It's the largest Mexican restaurant in Vancouver, so it is good for larger groups / parties, etc.
- It's also a good 'date' restaurant to take a blind-date or someone you don't know very well, because there is a lot going on to perhaps fill in some awkward conversation! ; )
The menu / food:
- Free chips and salsa! I mean, how can you complain that refills are not free, when even getting this for free in Vancouver in the first place is like extremely rare!
- All of the food I have ordered has been very good!
- Yes, most plates come with basic beans and rice on the side and some have complained about the taste of the beans, but I never even eat that part! To me it was just filler, so why complain about something that is basically just added to the side of the Real menu item? If you hate it so much, ask for no beans and rice = no problem!
I think the key here is that, people have to remember that we are up north in Vancouver, Canada! (salmon burritos - it's a Canadian west-coast twist!)
It is Not totally authentic - but it doesn't really claim to be. It's been in Kits FOREVER - it's a local staple.
As far as the wait is concerned - I normally go with just a 2-person party, and every time, we have skipped the line to get a table within 10 minutes! Larger parties do wait a lot longer - as they would in any busy place.
Prices are average. Every mid-price point restaurant these days (think: Earls, Cactus, etc) have their entrees for about $15 - $20. Same with Las Margaritas - because this restaurant definitely falls into that category of restaurant, as far as size, service, choices, drinks, etc.
There ARE cheaper and a bit more 'authentic' Mexican places to eat in Vancouver (Salsa & Agave) - which is definitely cheaper, but it also only has like 5 tables and people waiting outside, smaller portions, half of the selection, etc.
So, in conclusion to my great defending of Las Margaritas - it's good. Don't expect super-authentic mexican, relax, breathe, have fun!
: P
I used to think this place was really bad, until I tested out some other latin american restaurants around in Vancouver. See, I grew up in NW U.S.A where we get pretty good Mexican food for really cheap and even some really authentic foods. But now that I've been here for some time, I've come to appreciate this restaurant because it's probably one of the best mexican restaurants here, especially for its price range.
Las Margaritas:
Pros:
-Flavour
-Spicy heat is present
-Blended margaritas and daiquiris etc.
-Atmosphere is fun and lively
-Ambiance feels authentic for the most part.
-Inexpensive
-Patio in Summer
-Free chips and salsa
Cons:
-The rice is really strange. it doesn't look like full grains yet the texture seems like its long grain rice
-Some of the items don't taste that good (compared to the U.S. restaurants I guess, e.g. enchiladas)
-I think it's fully tex-mex
I have to give it 4 stars now since I'm kind of a fan compared to most of the other latin american restaurants i've tried in Vancouver. But before it would have just been 2 or 3 stars if it was compared to U.S. restaurants.
Listed in: Reena M's Guide to Kitsilano, Hola! Bienvenidos a Vancouver!
I'd heard good things about this place but after finally going I was pretty disappointed. I was there around 4:30 so it was quiet. Service was friendly, atmosphere was fun, drinks were good (sangria!), but the food was overpriced and not very tasty. I wouldn't come here again cause I honestly did not enjoy the food. Disappointing :(
The rating i will give Las Margaritas will reflect the experiences i had there. Which will consist of giving a 2 stars here, a 4 stars somewhere else, then a 1 star, and a 5. My point being, inconsistency. I've had the best and the worst margaritas of my life there. Once we went for the bar and were on our asses, the drinks were amazing.
I've had the very tasty version of the pina coladas and the very bland ones. The food has always been over oversalted and mushy, the service... don't even get me started. Last time (literally) i went there, it took 20 minutes for the waiter to give us a "hi, can i offer you some drinks ?", he was too busy chit-chatting with the ladies at the other table. Another 20 to receive the drinks, that were really under-alcoholed. Ok, it happens right? So 40 minutes into service, "ready to order?". "Eh, yeah i think we would?" After 1h15 minutes of waiting with only one drink offered by the over-the-top waiter, my girlfriend decided it was enough. How long does it take to make at least the nachos so we don't die of hunger spending the rest of our lives waiting in vain?
Inconsistency in a restaurant is simply a bad restaurant with good days. Thanks to Kits pretentious trendiness, this place will still attract people that don't know the difference between a Safeway's burrito, and a badly-put-together enchilada.
The 2 stars are for the drinks, whenever they were great. If i ever go back, it's to the bar.
Note to all: This is NOT a mexican restaurant, travel and get over it.
I've lived in Arizona and Colorado and traveled through much of the southwest in my life. I've tasted some mighty fine Mexican food. Upon moving to Canada a couple years ago, I've discovered one major flaw: it's tough to find good Mexican food here. Either the Mexican families get to Seattle and fall in love with the Puget sound, thus depriving us of their wonderful recipes, or the recipes get tailored to Canadian taste buds. Or worse, otherwise well-meaning Canadians attempt to make Mexican food, but have only seen it on TV. I've had some extremely bizarre Mexican food, even more bizarre than the time I went to a Mexican restaurant in Oslo with a Norwegian and Englishman and got waited on by a lovely lady from Sweden. For instance, one place served a burrito in a pastry shell. I have no idea what possessed them to think that was a burrito.
Anyhow, Las Margaritas is fortunately much more authentic than some of the other places I've been to. While it still seems a bit watered down compared to what you might find in Austin, Texas, it's still pretty darned good. Our visit last night found us coming in right during a big early dinner rush, but we were sat promptly and our waitress, while quite busy, never missed a beat with good service.
The food is California-Mex, which is not a bad thing. I ordered a beef burrito that was well seasoned, though the green chilis did seem like they were from a can, not the fresh type I used to absolutely love while living in Denver. But the portion was plentiful and still pretty tasty.
When you consider the few options for Mexican food north of the 49th, I'm okay with Las Margaritas. It'd be generic in a place like Austin or Denver, but in Vancouver, it's about as good as you are going to get. I've enjoyed every visit and look forward to my next visit.
I am from Chicago so I would like to think I know good Mexican food. I was in Vancouver and had quite a craving for some Mexican food. So I headed to Las Margaritas and it left me longing for good Mexican food.
The portion sizes are big and the salsa has a little kick but the food was bland and without taste. Maybe I should have tried one of Las Margaritas' margarita's.
I realize that when in Vancouver, I should stick to sushi, thai food and poutine after this experience.
I consider myself both a Texan and a Californian, and I say this place has great Mexican food.
I love the patio and the mariachi music in the background. I love the margaritas and the salsa. This place made me feel more at home in Vancouver. Muy delicioso.
this place is a joke.
i've been here at least three times and all were lame.
the food is terrible. way over priced, gringo shit, that had been sitting under a lamp all day.
service sucked as usual with cocky, faux haux sporting waiters that have never met a mexican.
I gave this place a try after hesitating few months. There are always so many people inside, place looks nice and with Mexican style.
What I liked was that we had tortillas and tomato dip given to us as we sat down. Food could be better though. My tortilla soup was quite tasteless. But otherwise place and atmosphere were really nice.
If you're hankering for a burrito, some nachos or a drink on a nice patio, check this place out. There's nothing really outstanding about it (aside from the patio), but there's nothing really that bad about it; you leave satisfied but ultimately Las Margaritas is pretty forgettable.
The free, home-made chips and salsa are really good. The salsa has a lively tomato taste, a spicy kick, and garlic and cilantro are present to round off the flavours. The nachos themselves are thick and crispy, allowing them to hold plenty of salsa without going to mush.
The chicken dish, despite the toughness of the chicken, was tasty, but the supposedly spicy sauce was woefully inadequate on the heat; I was looking forward to some capsicum punishment! My date's burrito was also good (and huge), but it came to the table luke-warm, and by the end of the head-sized burrito it was quite cold. Like many other Yelpers here I have to wonder what is up with the rice.. it looks like it's pre-chewed or put in a blender or something.
I had to downgrade my thoughts on the service from good to average after our server never brought us condiments (such as hot sauce), and took away my beer with an inch left in the bottom.
I've been to authentic Mexican restaurants in Toronto, Ottawa, and Montreal, and Las Margaritas falls fairly firmly in the Tex-Mex style. It's not authentic, but it's still good.
Not sure what I was thinking earlier. This is a decent restaurant for food. Not so great for Mexican food. In fact, not even close really. So they serve salsa and chips, that's one thing in the bag, but not much else. Sorry Las Marg's but you've been relegated to the depths of tourist trap.
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Having stayed in several small Mexican cities, I have a pretty good sense of what is good, authentic Mexican food. Las Margaritas is the best I've tried in Vancouver so far. Their free chips & salsa are great and their staple dishes are tasty. It's a little pricey for Mexican, but a decent place.
Underrated Mexican... the mole chicken is divine and authentic... ceviche is excellent as well...
When I'm hungry - I'm hungry, and I don't like to waste my precious eating time waiting in a long line hoping to get a table. However, there are a few places in the city that are always worth the wait, Las Margaritas on West 4th being one of them.
You can expect to wait at least 20 minutes even on a weekday evening - rain or shine. On a busy Friday, figure you'll be waiting for about an hour. If you're lucky, or just plain pushy, you can snag a seat at the bar or in the entrance alcove and chow down on free chips and salsa (only the first basket is free) and some of their signature drinks. Their tequila selection is outstanding, better still are their margaritas. Try the Cadillac with Herradura El Jimador Reposado, lime juice and a bit of Grand Marnier. That hour wait will pass in no time!
Strangely enough, it's not so much the food nor the service that really make Las Margaritas special or wait worthy. The menu is hit or miss, with some items being outstanding, and others making you wish you'd had the Mexi-fries at Taco Time. And the service is notoriously slow. However, with great authentic music, a dark candlelit vibe, and plenty of loud and lively tables (plus a huge patio), you'll find yourself coming back again and again.
Best dish not on the menu: Recently the "taco platter" was taken off the menu, but if you ask for it by name may serve it anyway. This dish is a steal at under $20 and will feed two VERY hungry people easily. It's also a fun appetizer to share along with a big pitcher of their fruit laden sangria.
Tip: Las Margaritas does not take reservations, so if you are coming with a big group send one person along early to put your name down on the list.
It's a mexican restaurant in Vancouver, so you can't expect much authenticity.. I had the flautas which tasted & looked more like taquitos to me. Having had authentic flautas I was really kind of disappointed. Everyone raves about this place - but I really don't think most people know what real mexican food tastes like.
However, their margaritas (mmm coconut) make up for the dissapointment. And what's with their rice? It looks like mangled maggots.
I'd eat here again if I had to - but I'll try to save it more for the little places like Mexico Rico & such.
My experience at this restaurant can best be expressed in a really bad haiku.
Bad, mexican food.
Run, quicky south. Don't eat here!
Sad ex-San Diegan*.
* pronounced as one syllable.
The seafood enchiladas were very good, and the margaritas were tasty. Good Mexican food with a distinct Vancouver influence.
There are several nice things about this place, but there are some things that I just don't like.
Biggest Grievance: Small chips and salsa, which are free with an entree order. But then you must pay if you want the basket refilled. Lame.
Biggest Perk: The enchiladas tasted good.
Reason NOT to go: The prices are too high.
Reason to go: That patio is irresistible.
Neighborhood: Kitsilano
Neighborhood: West End
Neighborhood: Gastown
Neighborhood: Downtown
Neighborhood: Kitsilano
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