About a month ago, a friend and I paid a visit to the
Tacofino located on
Cordova Street in Gastown Vancouver. This Tacofino location recently started offering a sit-down lunch service and opened a patio section, in addition to its burrito bar. We were really interested in the lunch service, but I left the place feeling quite disappointed. To read more about my experience, click.......
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| Seating area facing Blood Alley |
The interior of the new sit-down lunch service area is quite large. The decor is very funky and modern and I love the spacious feel of everything. The large windows facing Blood Alley leads to a 16-seat patio area. We were quickly greeted by a server as the place was not at all busy on a Sunday noon.
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| Bar area of the Tacofino lunch service area |
I've never been to Tacofino but I was immediately thrown off by the prices here. The tacos here are slightly larger than your standard taco but each costing a whopping $6 (versus $2.75 at La Taqueria and $3 at Tacomio)! I know the tacos here are bigger but still the cost versus size ratio does not measure out. We each ordered a fish taco, which contains a smallish piece of battered cod topped with cabbage shreds, chipotle mayo, and fresh salsa. Undoubtedly, the taste is very delicious and fresh. The fish is tender, soft on the inside and nice, crisp on the outside while the tortilla is chewy and soft.
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| Fish Taco |
My friend went ahead and ordered another taco since one is definitely not enough. I, however, did not want to end up paying $12 for two tacos so I opted to try the Ajiaco Soup. Although at $9, the soup is not much cheaper. Made with potato, avocado, a chunk of corn, a dollop of sour cream, and small shreds of chicken, this soup was quite watery, for a lack of a better word. I didn't hate it, but it's not an item I would order again as I found the combination of watery soup and chunks of raw avocado slightly strange. With that said, this is a very light and refreshing side that's almost big enough to be a main.
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| Ajiaco Soup |
After we finished our meal, we exited from the Cordova-facing entrance and both of us noticed, to our dismay, that the Fish Taco is $5 at the Burrito Bar. We were both a bit miffed about the $1 difference as it didn't seem reasonable to make guests pay more just because they want to sit down and eat. Overall, the tacos here are delicious but not worth the crazy price tag. The Ajiaco Soup did not suit my taste buds as the weird combination of avocado chunks and a watery soup base really threw me off. The service was wonderful but I personally believe that one should never have to leave a taco restaurant spending more than $10 on tacos but at $6 per taco, Tacofino is truly one-of-a-kind......
