El Camino’s

Love this place! Still keep coming here for brunch and it is me and my boyfriends fave brunch place in Vancouver! Always great consistent food and service!

I’ve enjoyed myself every time I’ve been here. I like the chicken sandwich a lot.

I’ve been meaning to check out El Camino’s since January. And it did not disappoint! We went on Taco Tuesday, which, in my opinion, is the best day to go. 5 $ tacos. The tacos come in pairs, so they are perfect for sharing. Every taco we tried was so different, and so tasty. The staff were also friendly and helpful in their recommendations.
Nothing less than 5 stars for this place.

I bookmarked this place about a month ago, and finally today, I went with my good friend Yoji. We actually stop by just for a beer (to wait for our table at toshi’s Japanese restaurant across the street). However I was really hungry so we end up ordering some food, So we order tacos and since they come two in one order we share all of them.
So let’s go one by one.
Pastor… So difficult to find good pastor tacos in this city, the salsa on top was really nice and refreshing, but the meat itself was a little bit bland, pastor tacos are supposed to be packed with flavour, with the axiote adobo and the pineapple and orange hint. Not bad, but very average.
The carne asada, a totally different story, the meat was juicy and tender, with a touch of delicious guacamole and horseradish. That was by far our favourite taco of today.
The third taco was pollo was good but I think since it was fried chicken it needed some sort of salsa it was a bit dry for me.
For the last dish we ordered the arepa. Which is a corn «cake» pocket filled with different types of meet and a slaw, in this case was pork. This was also very tasty.
They have some other dishes on their menu that I would like to try next time.
Overall all the experience was very nice and I will come back to try the rest of the menu.
Ambience,
Price pricy Small portions
Food good flavour, fresh, I was missing some salsas.
Service was fast, and friendly.

Been here a few times. They make a mean lime margarita, and I don’t even like margaritas! They give you this bowl of delicious lime popcorn, it’s free, but you can buy a second bowl if you want. Pretty small inside, but because the food is fast, the tables flip quickly.

Great place with kids.
Wonderful staff.
Best of all, yummy wings and drinks!

Great menu and even better staff. Love this place Try the Wings, the Crepioca and the Pao de queijo. Oh and don’t forget an El Tigre (tequila shot with a verdita chaser).

I came here with a friend and her young daughter after checking out a craft market at Heritage Hall and was pleasantly surprised.
The décor is typical of a Mexican style bar that you’d find in the Mid-​West or Texas with a large bar with a good selection of Tequila. We were seated in the middle of the restaurant which gave us a good view of the whole joint.
The service was fast and good and unpretentious.
We ordered all four different tacos that they offered and I liked the steak taco the best. The meat was tender and the toppings are simple but authentic. The chicken taco was also tender but it was breaded which didn’t seem too authentic or healthy to me.
Overall this is one of the better Taco joints in the city so if you are craving a taste of Mexico, I recommend trying it out.

Pretty delicious. Go for «the hangover» or some of the tequila shots. Lots of hipsters. That’s okay. They were nice abor me squeezing in. Yeah… They are swell. My friend had something with bacon… She also liked it. If you are into bandidas, you’d be into this place too (slightly less hippies and more drinks)

Went to El camino tonight excited as I’d read good reviews of their food and drinks.
We arrived and gave our name to the bar tender for a table as there was a bit of a wait. We stepped outside as there isn’t really a waiting area and came back in a couple minutes later.
The bartender apparently «thought we left» and put two other parties in front of us. Even though we had not left, he left these parties in front of us and seated them first.
Then we waited. And waited. 20 minutes. Half an hour. 40 minutes. No one talked to us to apologise for the wait, nothing.
We eventually just left as it didn’t look like they’d be seating us anytime soon.
There are enough tables in the restaurant that this sort of thing shouldn’t happen. The waitstaff must be mismanaging their tables if not a single one left in 40 mins. Just awful.

On a sunny autumn Saturday morning, we picked El Caminos to dine at. It was my man’s first time here; he wanted for me to try somewhere I haven’t been, but I didn’t mind coming here again because I remember enjoying the flavours when I came here a couple years ago.
At 11 am we didn’t have to wait in line. Yesssss. However the restaurant was 85% full. We got to sit wherever we wanted and so we chose the last booth that was free.
We chose fast, and aside from the aimlessly wandering younger girl, the rest of the staff were attentive.
So with our coffee and some patience, we finally places our order. One huevos divorciados and one tomatican hash. We blinked, sipped some coffee and in (give or take) 3.5 minutes our food was there!
Then we enjoyed each other’s plates and shared and were super happy with the flavours. Yummy Latin American flavours on Main Street. Delish.

Amazing chorizo tacos! Tuesday is taco Tuesday $ 5 for two small tacos. I need 4 to fill up. The fish and chicken are good but the chorizo are amazing. Guacamole is simple but good. I believe the server said it was Venezuela style or something. Their Jakepeno tequila is not worth the trouble. The habanero is great though! This place is very small and loud so don’t go late or u will wait. Don’t bring kids either. No room for them to run around or wiggle around.

Absolutely not authentic. Food is tasteless, and forget about getting anything beyond «mild» spice. Portion size is also very small.
This is a great place for people who have never had/​are not interested in having real Latin American food. It’s overpriced and caters to the hipster crowd on Main Street, and people driving in from the burbs looking for something different.
This restaurant is also obnoxiously loud, and the tables are so closely packed that a larger person would have difficulty being comfortable here. An added bonus is you can hear parts of your neighbour’s conversations, between the loud bursts. Definitely not recommended, stay away.

Not impressed with this place. I am Latin and of course I love Latin food, but I was quite disappointed with El Camino’s.
I tried beef empanadas, the first OK dish of the night. The dough was too thin and not tasty and same thing about the filler. There is no flavor in it. I have been in cheaper and less fancy places that offer better empanadas.
Then I tried Gambas and again, no flavor.
Finally, I had a dessert called «pastel de chocolate» which by the description it was a «pastel» (can be a Brazilian word) that would come with a Brazilian dessert called «brigadeiro». When the dish came, it was totally different from what I thought by description! lol But that’s ok, this one was very tasty and we actually call this dessert a different name in Brazil.
Waitress was just ok also, not giving too much attention, but I don’t blame here because the restaurant was full. And also we waited around 45min to seat.

Pretty decent Mexican/​Latin American restaurant. If you wanted to try food from all the places south of the united states, this place would be a good sampler.
The décor was nice and the staff was friendly. The place was a little loud as it was packed. Prices were pretty affordable.
The free lime popcorn was delicious. And free. Let’s give where recognition where recognition is due. Free side dishes are a rarity and always appreciated. I don’t even like popcorn…
I tried the gamba arepca — almost like shrimp and English muffin sorta thing. The ‘English muffin’ had a crispy, dry texture to it. I wasn’t a big fan of it. The shrimp however was pretty delicious. Its lathered in an sauce.
The tacos.
Around $ 7 for 2 for small tacos.
The tortilla was not dry.
The sauce was plentiful.
Overall the tacos are kinda small, but decent overall.
The battered cod taco — 2 small battered pieces with some pickled veggie garnish. Fish was nicely cooked but underwhelming to me.
The chorizo taco — its more like minced meat. But the flavours were nice, with a touch of sweetness to the meat. Sweet meat. This one was easily my favourite.
The pork taco — pineapple was a nice touch. The actual pork was so so. Its sweet, savoury and tender. I think it’s decent; but I wasn’t really loving the way the pork itself tasted. It just tasted off.
The place is a trendy little restaurant and fits well with Main St. I don’t mind this place for what it is. Give it a try one night.

We were walking over to the pizza place next door and I saw the sign saying «latin street food» being from California i eat lots of mexican/​latin food so i was stoked. The ambiance inside is nice, feels intimate and personal and the customer service was excellent. we ordered the sandwiches and i got the veggie one and my friend ordered a chicken one. The bread was delicious, perfectly baked/​crispy, my veggie sandwich was amazing and my friend said his sandwich was awesome too.
Mp’s take: Try it!!! I’m sure you’ll love it

OK so now i’ve tried the food.
:(
just feels like the food was not made with TLC. or a real intent to make this authentic «latin american street food».
i’ll come back for the drinks… not the food.

I used to drive by here all the time and wonder what it was like. I finally made a plan to come with a friend to try it for brunch. I ordered the Hangover with a side of bacon… OF COURSE. It was… DELISH! the ingredients are fresh, presentation was perfect and the flavour was perfect! The hot sauce provided was also quite good.
The restaurant was clean and the staff was so friendly and welcoming. I would definitely come back. I thoroughly enjoyed my visit!

Normally I’m not a huge fan of Mexican food, but this place has me sold.
Parking is available for free along the side streets, but there are meters on Main as well.
***I am giving this place 3 stars instead of 4, as they told us a reservation wasn’t needed when we phoned in to make one. This turned into a 1.5 hour wait. They gave us 2 bowls of lime popcorn during our wait though.***
The theme is a bit unique, as they are playing the «revolution» card. With that said, it seems quite trendy, and somewhat in line with my limited travels to that part of the world. The place is a bit cramped overall. Something to keep in mind.
El tigre — tequila and chaser. I enjoyed the chaser quite a bit.
Empanada de carne — like a mini fried Jamaican Patty. Comes in 3. Nice and crunchy.
Pollo bocadillo (sandwich) — nice and toasty — reminds me of the Vietnamese variety. Served with tangy green sauce.
Carne asada (steak tacos) — actually quite good. There are only 2 though, which makes it awkward if your group has 3.
Pollo (chicken tacos) — also quite good. Chicken is nice and crisp. I liked the steak ones more though.
Lomo saltado — stir-​fried beef. This dish was a bit curious as it comes with potato wedges, which didn’t quite go too well with the rice. My friend was all over the rice though. Flavour is nice and light. Dish is actually not spicy.
Chicken wings — special mention. These things are quite spicy, but with that subtleness that you don’t get at most other wings places. Portion is a bit small, but these are delicious.
Pastel des Tres Lehes — sponge cake with maple syrup. Just the right amount of sweetness. Served with a blob of heavy cream up top, and bits of nuts. Very delicious.
Overall, other than the wait, I was quite happy. Will be back at some point. Recommended.

Little known Jody fact: i’m obsessed with chicken wings.
I don’t go for that dry rub nonsense.
Nor do I eat them with a fork and knife.
But give me saucy, nasty napkin and sticky hands chicken wings any day of the week and i’ll be pretty happy about life. Which leads me to wonder what ridiculous rock i’ve been living under that’s kept me from EC this past year. I live six blocks away. I am disappointed in my wing savviness.
And I am going to spend WAY too much time here from here on out.
The atmosphere in this place is that classy kitschy vibe that Main St does so well. It’s comfortable, clean and bright. The patio is achingly small but on a nice day, with the windows open, you’ll fare well sliding up to the bar.
The cocktails are good and the bartenders are friendly as heck. Anyone who complains about the price as never actually watched them pour these lethal little concoctions. I nearly leapt over the bar to hug them. We put down a pisco sour, mojito & El Diablo. And this scotch girl tips the hat — all were extremely well done. Not too sweet, nicely balanced and put hair on your chest strong. Cheers.
The food? Yes, i’ll agree with my fellow Unilocalers that the price to portion ratio is a little bit off here. But there are stand outs that make for exceptions. From our excursion:
Try:
1. The gosh darn chicken wings. Price to portion be damned, this dish is definitely an exception. $ 12 gets you a healthy damn plate of delicious, that comes out piping hot with just the right amount of spice. Get your hands dirty & just do it.
2. A side order for the red devil chorizo sausage. It’s a plate of sausage. That goes with everything. And for $ 4 it’ll add oomph to your smaller dishes.
On The Fence:
1. Buttered popcorn with chili lime salt. I’m a big fan when I see popcorn as a potential side. And this was tasty, but the dish was small for two and I didn’t investigate the refill situation.
2. The tacos. We took down an order of the Pescado tacos. They were tasty but i’d reserve the re-​order for taco Tuesdays when it’s 2 for $ 5. Even then, they are pretty tiny.
Pass: Gambas aprepa. Far too much aioli makes for a grilled mayo sandwich experience. Just. No.
But over all? Friendly staff, strong cocktails, bit chin chicken wings and a decent scotch selection for when this little one wimps out on tequila? Hi new regular haunt.