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The Mexican Antojitos y Cantina
Category: Restaurants Mexican Mexican
1049 Granville StreetVancouver, BC V6Z 1L4
Neighbourhoods: Downtown, Granville Entertainment District
(604) 569-0955
- Hours:
Tue-Thu, Sun 5 pm - 1 am
Fri-Sat 5 pm - 2 am
- Good for Groups:
- Yes
- Accepts Credit Cards:
- Yes
- Parking:
- Street
- Attire:
- Casual
- Price Range:
-
$$
- Good for Kids:
- Yes
- Take Away:
- Yes
- Waiter Service:
- Yes
- Outdoor Seating:
- No
- Wi-Fi:
- No
- Good For:
- Late Night, Dinner
- Alcohol:
- Full Bar
- Noise Level:
- Average
- Ambience:
- Casual
- Has TV:
- Yes
- Caters:
- No
17 reviews for The Mexican Antojitos y Cantina
Review Highlights
16 reviews in English
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Review from Richard D.
Vancouver, BC
4/4/2012
Despite having almost zero street appeal, this place is definitely worth a visit if you're looking for authentic Mexican food. The prawn tacos are fantastic, and the Barrigon does not disappoint. I wish I had ordered a horchata, but didn't think of it until the end of the meal. The waiter was great, and didn't hesitate to warn us away from the house wine, which he said is only suitable for mixing into sangria!
Update: I went back on the weekend when they offer brunch from noon to 3. The Mexican sub is fantastic! I tried the horchata this time, and although it was well made with great flavour, it was too sweet for my taste. -
Review from Tony T.
Toronto, ON
5/7/2012 1 Check-in Here
Brilliant and cheap.
What more could you ask for in a taco joint?
Great drinks too. -
Review from Brittany W.
North Vancouver, BC
2/28/2012
Simply delicious. So reasonable with a menu under $10. Genuine.
A small, casual and contemporary restaurant along Granville with authentic, well-priced and flavourful Mexican cuisine, ranging from $4 quesadillas to $10 mains - great for a casual / comfortable lunch, dinner or late night snack with friends, any day of the week. It's a definite win-win for quality of food, service and price point. And to boot, the young husband and wife team are darlings - sooo incredible kind and genuine. It's seriously one of those sweet little gem's in the downtown.
We stumbled upon it one Friday night while we were looking for a late-night bite to eat. I had been meaning to try it fully since the Yelp party last Spring, and I only wish I had tried it sooner. My friend and I were thoroughly satisfied with our dishes:
- Horchata - Highly recommend! It's a sweet traditional Mexican drink made of rice milk, so satisfying
- Complimentary chips to start! Tastes like the Chinese deep-fried chips that comes with duck.
- Papas con chorizo quesadillas - $4, well-portioned and delicious!
- Carnitas taco- $2.75, pork was so tender and flavourful. Apparently it's Michoacan's secret recipe!
- Salsa is light, refreshing and with good zest - possibly the best I've ever had!
Yes, I'll be back and yes, I'll be introducing it to some friends as a casual spot to dine to some tacos, quesdillas and chimichengas :)
What's more:
- On the heart of the Granville strip, but it's easy to miss. Look for the pink oning!
- It`s packed with Mexicans in Van, exchange students during dining hours
- A food critique for a Mexican newspaper in Vancouver told me it's in his Top 2!
- Comparable to: Al's Furniture Warehouse and Save on Meats in terms of price point and cheap eats -
Review from Terry S.
5/22/2012
Wow, I'm not kidding when I say this is some of the best Mexican food I've ever had, and you will pay for it. The prices seem a little high but it could simply be the incredible quality. After paying my bill it was worth it. The tacos, cheese dip are incredible, but leave room for desert their Tempura Ice Cream was ridiculous!
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Review from Djleanne B.
Vancouver, BC
4/5/2012
Vancouver's most incredibly authentic Mexican restaurant...Mexican owned, Mexican run. All of their food is high grade, most of it imported from Mexico...Home-made hot sauces, home-made everything!
My fav is the Chimichanga. To die for! Quite possibly my fav dish in all of Vancity! Great atmosphere, music, very intimate. Lots of great fresh cocktails & tequilas! Its has my vote for BEST MEXICAN in the Lower Mainland! :) -
Review from Robin M.
2/1/2012
Whaaaat? For real?? A for real-real Mexican joint in Vancouver? On GRANVILLE?! Made and served by some of the sweetest people imaginable? Celiac friends, rejoice(!) because this is the genuine article, the real McCoy, the straight-up goods.
This food is proper.
For real honest to goodness nachos fill my belly to the point of pants-not-fitting anymore -- fresh (authentic!) corn tortillas slathered in oozy cheesy stringy goodness, proper guacamole... ¿dónde está mi elástica? I'm a need it, 'cuz I be eatin' thur errrday. -
Review from Rheanna F.
Vancouver, BC
2/7/2012
After our fabulous Elite Event i made a mental note to myself to come back here as soon as possible for cheap delicious eats next time i was downtown... Well, that note ended up getting buried in the ten thousand other mental notes in my brain, but it finally resurfaced a few weekends ago when i was shuffling around my brain trying to think of a place for my bf and I to get grub on Granville!
The food and service were just as great as I remembered! Nope, they weren't just putting on a show to impress a room of Yelpers, they are actually awesome, friendly people with amaaaaaaazing food that is incredibly reasonably priced!!
My bf had a big ass enchilada. Figuratively, not literally... I can't remember what was in it but i had a bite and it was GOOD! It was only nine bucks and pretty much conquered him. He finished it, but he definitely made a 'phew' noise and had to lean back in his chair a bit while the food settled. I got two corn tortillas, one with beef tongue and the other a deliciously tangy, spicy pork. Both were delish, but you could probably put an old sock soaked in garbage juice into one of their fresh corn tortillas and i'd still think it was awesome.
It was less than a week before Lex B and i jetted off to Peru, so I wanted to get a dish of cerviche so i could compare it to the cerviche I'd be having there. The verdict? Well, when we got to Lima and i had delicious cerviche there, i certainly didn't think 'wow, this makes the stuff i had at home taste like crap!' ... To be precise, it tasted so deliciously similar the cerviche i had at The Mexican that i didn't even remember to compare them until awhile later! Now THAT'S impressive!! -
Review from Ramon V.
If you've read my other reviews on Mexican food in Vancouver, you'll know that I'm not a big fan, nor do I normally choose it as an option.
I was meeting a friend on Granville prior to going for a drink, and he decided that he need to eat in Larry Kubiak "EAT NOW!" fashion. Not willing to line up or go to the regular spots, he suggested Mexican.
I didn't want to make a fuss so I put my Yelp powers to work and called upon my Elite Event rolodex. The Mexican instantly came to mind, and it was only a block away.
I was concerned that it may be busy at 8pm on a Thursday night, but sometimes things fall into place. As we walked up, a sign outside said "Nachos and Pitcher of Beer - $20". No words were said. It was ordered without discussion.
It was perhaps the best nachos I've had in a while.
I was surprised. It didn't look spectacular, but the quality of the chips, cheese and other toppings were head and shoulders above what you'd normally expect out of a nachos platter, let alone one that was offered as a special. We were so pleased that we used a lifeline and phoned a friend, and ordered another pitcher.
The restaurant was half-occupied when we arrived, but after 20 mins it was completely full, and turned into a noisy, fun atmosphere with Mexican music playing, and the hockey game playing on the projector (without sound). I tried several other smaller things, and menu offers a great way to make up your own combinations.Listed in: Yelp's 30-day Challenge
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Review from Alice A.
10/31/2011
To be honest I'm not a fan of Mexican food, but I'm definitely a fan of friendly service, great location and authenticity.
The highlight of our meal was probably the fried cheese rosti, I mean it's fried, cheesy and salty - that's all one needs in life.
However, I really didn't care for the guacamole. Not creamy like avocado should be.
Next time I'll give their tacos a go and see how they measure up.
Overall, a fun and entertaining place to hang out and feel like you've left Vancouver for a Spanish-speaking country! -
Review from Ed S.
New Westminster, BC
10/12/2011
Awesome, awesome awesome! I can't say enough good things about this place (except maybe for the chairs, they do kind of suck).
In my opinion, the food is the best Mexican in town. Reasonably priced and very authentic.
The service is rocking, the young group of partners who own the place are very friendly and helpful.
The only downside would be the decor - it's definitely different. This is not a fine dining establishment, but the food suggests otherwise. But for me, it's irrelevant unless I'm looking for a classy night out. This is a casual dining place that hits the spot on food, service and value. -
Review from Dee B.
Updated - 2/11/2012 1 Check-in Here
I am downgrading the Mexican. Not for the food, though. For the horrendous service.
I was here with my husband and friend last night. The service was awful - so painfully slow and several things were forgotten.
1. We requested beef on our nachos. There was no beef on said nachos. We pointed this out and just as we were finishing the plate of nachos in front of us, our server appears with a little bowl of beef...? Weird. No thanks. The nachos are over, dude.
2. I asked for water for all of us. 15 minutes later, I get a glass of water, but the other 2 are chopped liver. After 3 more request, my husband finally gets a glass of water, but my friend is still waiting. After another 2 requests and an hour and 15 mins later, she finally gets a glass of water. Only my glass was refilled in the 90 minutes we spent there.
3. Dirty plates and empty margarita glasses sat on our table for upwards of 20 minutes. No one asked us if we'd like drink refills. We had to flag down one of the servers. Drink refills arrived 20 minutes later.
4. We ordered a side of rice and beans with our mains. This was forgotten. Half way through eating our mains, we were able to flag our server down to remind her we were still waiting for said rice and beans. 5 minutes later, they appeared.
5. No one checked on us to ask us if our food was good, if we needed drink refills and if we were generally enjoying ourselves. This wasn't a cocky move knowing that the food is amazing, this was simply a case of our server is overwhelmed and couldn't keep up with the volume of patrons.
I recommend the Mexican hire another server and bartender. I'm happy to see this little restaurant so busy, but come on guys, service is everything. Until you shape up, I'm not coming back.1 Previous Review: Show all »
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7/23/2011
Vamos a tener una fiesta, Vancouver finalmente descubrir la comida mexicana. Arrrrrriba!
One big plus… Read more »
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Review from Amanda F.
6/24/2011 1 photo
Wandering the smutty end of Granville St in search of some eats, my friend & I happened upon this restaurant.
Major pluses about this nice little spot included: Authentic & genuine mexican food on the menu (a rare treat for those of us north of the 49th parallel), friendly staff and decent prices.
We enjoyed our starter, a delicious pile of cheesy nachos with all the fixin's. Seriously, these were delicious.
The main courses, however, left a little more to be desired. My fish tacos were surprisingly served cold (and also ridiculously spicy!).... which, to be fair to them, was partially due to my own ignorance about what I had ordered, but it still would have been nice to know beforehand. Just a little heads up for the pasty Canadian, y'know? :)
Anyways, for the fish tacos, definitely cut back on the hot sauce, guys. Nearly burned my tongue off. I did mention this though- and our server seemed to really take the recommendation to heart, so it was nice to know that your suggestion was being heard.
Also, my friend's main course, which was, if I remember correctly, one of the quesadillas, was a bit too much flour and not enough flavour.
The music was was a bit loud and obnoxious for a lazy wednesday evening.
However, all that being said.....the prices are great, the choices were plentiful & the staff is extremely friendly, so I'd definitely be willing to go back and give it another try. And I'd definitely ask more questions about what I'm ordering next time! -
Review from Clare L.
7/28/2011 1 photo
So my friend and I rolled into this little restaurant purely from my craving of Mexican food, the name "The Mexican" seemed quite appropriate and from Yelper's review.
We got to the place rather easily, and found the resto completely packed except for a small table by the window. So lucky! Decor was a simple CMYK and white rather plain jane. I did however nearly trip up the little step to sit by the window, but I don't blame anyone but my own clumsiness.
Food was great! and not to mention, bang for the buck! We shared the Mexican appies for 2 coming in at $18! It came with Tortilla chips (homemade?) Pico de Gallo, 2 Sopes with homemade corn tortillas - we got the Pollo and Championes (chicken and mixed mushroom), a dish of spicy cactus, fried cheese, guacamole. Everything was awesome. we decided to order 2 extra sopes, same flavours so we can both try both kinds. We also got a couple of rounds of Guava water, and another tropical fruit water that neither of us could repeat or pronounce or spell. Everything was delicious. I personally wasn't too big on the cactus, but not at the fault of the restaurant, but rather cactus can be slightly slimy, but it made my friend M. a happy camper as she loved it! Guacamole was the bomb! It was fresh, chunky, lightly limed. The Sopes were spot on. we loved the chicken, until we had the Mushroom mix. it was even better than the chicken!
Our total came to under $30 before tip, and I will have to say yay! It's not super easy to find cheap eats in this town at times, and this one was worth every penny and dare I say it's worth even more!
Bonus: It's open til late, a bunch of tequilas on the menu, margaritas, has open mic nights, ANNND Karaoke too! -
Review from Louisa P.
Burnaby, BC
11/14/2011 2 Check-ins Here
Probably one of the best Mexican joints in the city. Service was fast, food was fabulous and the price was more than reasonable! 4 tacos for $11, and their pork was amazing. Nachos were cheesylicious, guac and salsa were super fresh and tasty. I'm not a bean fan, but my friend enjoyed it. It's not a big place, but certainly worth the wait if there is one. Will definitely be going back, and SOON!
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Review from Phil S.
Downtown, Vancouver, BC
9/1/2011
Love there nachos - so fresh! Their salsa is insanely good too!
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Review from Daniel M.
Burnaby, BC
8/18/2011
Best Mexican food in Vancouver!
I'm a SoCal guy. This fact has allowed me to eat some of the most amazing Mexican food this side of the border. The key of course is to find someone who learned to cook really well on the other side of the border. I moved to Vancouver for work from '01-'07 and while the city had some of the best sushi in N. America, the Mexican restaurants left something to be desired. Ok, a LOT to be desired. Boy have things changed for the better!
On a recent trip back to Vancouver (you can make a lot of friends in 6 years) I sat next to a lovely woman from Guadalajara, Mexico. I leaned that she and a few friends had opened a Mexican restaurant on Granville Street. They served authentic dishes and was called The Mexican. Great name, btw - very memorable! On my last day in town I finally had some time to stop in for a bite. I'm so glad I did.
I was on vacation so I started with a Copa Cabana - a delicious drink with fresh pineapple juice that made me feel like I was on a beach in Puerto Vallarta. I asked for some chips (made fresh) and pico de gallo salsa (the best I've ever had). I had a hard time deciding so I left it up to my new friend from the plane - who was now my waitress. I told her which dishes I had narrowed it down to. I was delighted when she brought me the Torta Milanesa. This sandwich was made on a fresh roll that was amazing and inside was a tender breaded steak with cheese and avocado, lettuce and tomato. I savored every bite like it was my last meal. Actually, it was my last meal, in Vancouver. My only regret is I didn't make it by sooner so I could have tried something else or brought some friends.
I look forward to eating at The Mexican next time I'm in Vancouver The service is friendly, the people-watching is great and the food was muy delicioso!!
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