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Chilo’s Taqueria y Mariscos is closed

Chilo’s Taqueria y Mariscos
Address: 5170 Victoria Drive
Tel: 604-321-0483

Hours:
Vary Seasonally

Filling in the Gaps (updated)

By Jason Chin
Eat Vancouver Editor
Tuesday May, 9th 2006 (updated Thursday August 24th 2006)

** 1/2 (of four stars)

It’s a common sentiment among lovers of Mexican food that Vancouver is plagued by a dearth of said cuisine. You can count the number of authentic Mexican joints on one hand, and the number of good ones on a few fingers. Unfortunately, places like Tacos Mexico Rico and La Casita, serviceable options for somewhat authentic Mexican, are losing the battle against uninspired Taco Bell rip-offs (names such as The Red Burrito and the horrid Casa de Amigos come to mind) and soulless food factories like Las Margaritas and Andale’s.

With this in mind, I’m happy to report that Chilo’s is a step in the right direction. Don’t get me wrong, what you are served isn’t much different than what you would get at any given taco truck in many U.S. cities, but by Vancouver standards, Chilo’s stands out.

Chilo’s a is a family run business, and on most days you can be expected to be greeted by the gaffer himself. Chilo is a fun-loving and outgoing guy, floating through the dining room to make sure his clientele are happy – and they usually are. Chilo’s tacos are just as they should be: simple creations of tender meat within two corn tortillas, topped with onion and cilantro. Personally, I prefer pickled shredded radish on my tacos as well, but the homemade salsas (a tangy green tomatillo-based version and a firey red dried chili-based version) at the table adds more than enough kick. They’re infinitely better than just about any other house salsa around town. The tortillas are, unfortunately, store bought and not made in house. They are served with the traditional lime wedge to brighten up the flavors a little. Fillings vary by day, but you can usually expect to be offered pork (carnitas), steak (carne asada), head (cabeza), rib (saudero), or tongue (lengua). I would recommend focusing on the pork and tongue, as they are the most interesting, but at $1.25 a pop, you can mix and match. The pork is seasoned the most aggressively, tasting of garlic and chili, and the tongue is wonderfully fatty and tender. The beef, head and rib are good, but not quite as distinctive as the others. Most importantly, however, is that you can tell these tacos were made from a family recipe with care and attention.

The décor at Chilo’s isn’t much to talk about. The room is painted orange, with various flags and posters hung around to complete the hole-in-the-wall feel of the place. Much to the delight of his customers, Chilo likes to keep a DVD playing featuring concerts performed by his favorite artist. Chilo likes to keep the volume up on the television, but word on the street is that he will lower it if requested.

Chilo also offers pozole (corn soup) as well as menudo (tripe soup + an amazing boy band), but I haven’t had the pleasure of trying them as they have not been available on my visits. Recently I was offered an great rendition of a Mexican shrimp cocktail. A generous portion of very fresh shrimp arrived at my table in a cup with a spicy tomato sauce. The shrimp and the sauce were a wonderful combination, brightened up even more by the various sauces Chilo makes available. Chilo does not offer a printed menu as his offerings vary daily. This can make ordering somewhat tricky given a signficant language barrier. Still, there is usually at least one employee, or Chilo himself, available to translate.

The beverage selection at Chilo’s could be improved. On my first visit they were only offering Coke, President’s Choice orange soda, and President’s Choice lemon-lime soda. Coke goes quite well with tacos, but so does beer. Luckily, Chilo serves beer, plain or michelada style (with hot sauce, salt and lime).

Chilo’s is constantly improving as the man behind the scenes continues to makes connections that allow him to bring in fresh seafood and produce. He strives to utilize the freshest ingredients possible and stay 100% Mexican, claiming to be the only authentic taqueria in Vancouver, and perhaps even Canada. His efforts are certainly appreciated and his taqueria helps fill an important ditch in Vancouver’s culinary landscape – a family run taqueria featuring authentic tacos made with a passion for the craft.