It’s very difficult to find good Mexican food in Vancouver. There is some Tex-Mex, but even it is of widely varying quality. There is little truly authentic, let alone regional Mexican cuisine. So it was delightful to find Taqueria Jalisco. And find is the operative word because it’s not all that apparent where it is from the street, but if you climb the stairs on Denman you’ll find it in the first narrow storefront upstairs.
While it’s not a full-service restaurant, it does offer the sorts of food you would expect to find in one. Prices also seem like what you’d expect in a full-service restaurant, but on the other hand, when you see the size of the portions, you’ll understand the reasoning. Although the menu is fairly short, a lot of the items are for large quantities (e.g., 10 tacos), so it seems that they are aiming for groups with a lot of menu items.
We tried the highly recommended Mega Quesabirria; it had an ample amount of Birria and was served with a consommé for dipping. If you’re into Birria, I think you’d really like this dish.
But our favorite by far was the chilaquiles with green sauce. This was the most authentic Mexican dish that I’ve had in Vancouver. The chips were the sturdy homemade kind that had soaked in just enough of the sauce to give them the true character of chilaquiles, and the green sauce had exactly the right spicy and acidic bite. It was a generous portion, really enough for two people. The accompanying refried beans were a bit soupy but flavorful. I’ll definitely go back for more of their green sauce on the chilaquiles and perhaps their tacos.
They also have some authentic raw fish dishes that sound intriguing. Beverage options are limited, but they do serve beer and shots.
Service was friendly.
They don’t open until 1pm, which is odd for a place that serves what is such a perfect meal for lunch. Too bad.