Tequila Cocina

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This is the most authentic Mexican food I’ve found in the West End area. The tacos are served traditional style, with a choice of traditional filling such as pastor, cicil, and carne asada. The carnitas were the best, succulent and juicy.

The Mole don Pollo was excellent, a bit more chocolatey than traditional, but nicely complex with spices.

The complementary chips are excellent, apparently fried twice to get them to puff up a bit, and the accompanying salsa verde was spot on.

Service was pleasant and efficient, all seemingly done by one person who was also tending bar. Speaking of which, the margaritas (lime, on the rocks, of course) were excellent.

https://www.yelp.com/biz/tequila-cocina-vancouver

Frying Pan

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Frying pan has an extensive menu, but the star item is their Nashville Hot Chicken Sandwich, which they call the “OG”. It’s the classic combination of chicken breast fried to a crisp brown, with spicy sauce, spicy mayo, slaw, and sweet pickles. It was as good as any I’ve had in Nashville. A word of warning, though: I like spicy food, but I would classify the Medium here as Hot, so proceed with caution.

The combo is a good deal. It comes with a drink and a huge serving of wonderful waffle fries, also cooked to a perfect crispness.

Service is very friendly.

https://www.yelp.com/biz/frying-pan-vancouver-6

Cora Breakfast and Lunch

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I’m a sucker for skillets, and Cora has a good one. Best of all, the one I would pick is on their menu deals at the moment, making it a bargain.

My ideal skillet would be crispy home fries, bacon, cheese, onions, red and green peppers, and an over easy egg. Cora’s Ten Star Skillet adds spinach, green onions, ham, sausage, and, um … frankfurters and bologna? I almost had them leave those last ingredients out, but then figured, what the heck, and tried the standard version. It was very good. I do wish the base had been crispy home fries rather than rather large potato wedges, but I just left those, and convinced myself that’s where all the calories were.

Service was friendly and quick, and the location, which doesn’t look like much on the outside, is quite nice inside.

Overall, very good quality for such a large chain.

https://www.yelp.com/biz/cora-breakfast-and-lunch-vancouver

bb.q Chicken

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Well, it turns out the best wings in the city are right across the street from me. In fact, they’re probably the best wings I’ve ever had.

bb.q offers a variety of wings and boneless chicken, plus quite a few other dishes.

I tried the Gangnam Style Chicken and the Caribbean style. Both were excellent. The former had a wet, spicy, slightly sweet sauce, while the latter was more of a Jamaican Jerk preparation. I loved how crispy the coating was around the succulent chicken meat, and the pepper coating was just the right spice level. Truly extraordinary wings!

Service was friendly. You order at the counter, and then there are inside and outside seating areas. Note that because the wings are cooked to order, it takes awhile, so allow time. Better yet, enjoy a beer or sake while you wait.

https://www.yelp.com/biz/bb-q-chicken-vancouver-5

Greenhorn Cafe

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This cozy brunch spot is located in a quiet neighborhood, and offers both indoor and outdoor seating with table service, or counter service take away.

The menu is all brunch all the time. There are some sandwiches, too, but these are mostly served open face, so they’re pretty crunchy, too.

I had the egg salad on sourdough. The egg salad was nicely seasoned and piled high on a crispy slab of excellent toast.

Service was very friendly.

https://www.yelp.com/biz/greenhorn-cafe-vancouver-2

515 Bar

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Excellent cocktail lounge with a small menu of appropriate noshes. Cool ambiance, and a pleasant, not overwhelming soundtrack.

We had several rounds of cocktails, all good, the standout being the Exit Strategy, a sort of coffee-infused Negroni made with tequila, if that makes any sense at all.

The charcuterie plate was particularly nice.

Pleasant and prompt service.

https://www.yelp.com/biz/the-515-bar-vancouver

Perfecto Cafe

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This new location on Robson has been much-awaited, and was a hit, right from day one. It’s in my building, but I managed to resist for a whole month before sampling their offerings.

The focus here is on pastries and gelato, but I don’t have much of a sweet tooth, so I decided to try one of their sandwiches, something you can’t really find out about on their fairly uninformative website. I had the turkey and brie, and I must say it was absolutely delicious. It was warmed for me, and the gooey consistency of the generous slabs of brie was great, accented by thin slices of pear and some very savory turkey. The pretzel roll was fresh, and half a sandwich was a satisfying lunch. I saved the rest for later.

I should have also asked them to warm the chocolate croissant, but I was expecting to take it with me. But temptation got the better of me, and I dug in after my sandwich. Mistake, because the chocolate was essentially a solid unmelted bar in the center. My fault, not theirs. I will say the pastry crust was perfectly flaky and browned.

The coffee menu is extensive, of course. I simply had an Americano, and it was quite good.

The inside dining area is nice, and outside is even nicer.

https://www.yelp.com/biz/perfecto-cafe-vancouver-3

Maruhachi Ra-men

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Maruhachi Ra-men is a small chain that offers awesome Ramen. This location near Stanley Park provides a cozy, authentic, environment.

Their chicken broth is fairly creamy. I had the aka ramen, which included ground nuts and chili. It was just the right spice level. The pork shoulder chashu topping was tender and full of flavor. The other ingredients—seaweed, green onion, cilantro, bean sprout namuru, and lemon—made it quite complex. Best of all, the thin noodles were the perfect al dente, providing a satisfying meal.

Another plus is the beer list. I’ve struggled to find good dark beers in Vancouver, and Maruhachi offers one of my favorites, Coedo Black Lager.

Service was very quick–with this many customers it has to be.

There’s usually a line, so best to go at an odd time. I went at 3 pm and there was no problem getting in.

https://www.yelp.com/biz/maruhachi-ra-men-vancouver

Al-Hadbah Donair

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Al-Hadbah offers excellent Middle Eastern food in a counter service establishment with some patio seating on Robson Street.

I had the Falafel Plate, which included four pieces of falafel, taboule, pickles, hummus, tahini sauce, harissa sauce, and pita bread. I loved that the falafel was made to order! The hummus and taboule were also very good. Service was friendly, and the prices are very reasonable. Highly recommended.

https://www.yelp.com/biz/al-hadbah-donair-vancouver-2

Spicy 6 Fine Indian Cuisine

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This place, located in the posh part of Robson Street, is a bit hard to find, being upstairs along a narrow passageway, but it’s worth the effort.

For lunch they have an extensive and popular buffet, but we elected to order off the menu.

Papad were served with three chutneys, the normal min and tamarind varieties, and a mayonnaise based one I hadn’t seen before. It was very good on the Chicken Pakora, our other starter.

For mains we had Butter Chicken, Navratan (vegetable) Korma, and some accompanying garlic basic naan bread. All were quite good. I liked that the mains were served in dishes with a built-in flame below, so they stayed hot. Speaking of hot, the “hot” version of the Korma was what I would call medium, so if you are spice-averse you needn’t worry.

Service was friendly and attentive.

https://www.yelp.com/biz/spicy-6-fine-indian-cuisine-vancouver-2