El Caracol Café

My sister and I were about to go to Adelitas and they were very busy so we went to El Caracol instead. It was a small restaurant when we walked in and the server greeted us warm smile.
The décor wasn’t too fancy but it totally reminded me of Mexico trip I’ve went back in 2010. Even the washroom decoration reminded me of Mexico as well. By the way you have to walk behind the counter and then walk through the kitchen to go to washroom.
Food was pretty delicious and filling. We ordered Yuca Con Chicharron $ 6 and Enchiladas Mexicana (chicken) $ 9.99 they were so good. Yuca Con Chicharron –Yuca (cassava) were nicely deep fried and pork were tender and delicious.
Enchiladas– this dish was delicious as well. I wish it came with more beans and there was very little on the plate. It was such a filling dish as it came with salad and rice as well. Forgot to mention that we had to get water on our own. Water fountain is placed by the entrance along with empty cups.
I’d love to go back there to try Pupusas.

Nothing fancy. Just good, honest Mexican food.
The fact that about a dozen Latino customers were eating in this joint probably means that this place is legit. One overworked waitressed took our order. But we had to wait almost 20 minutes to get our takeout order. This suggested that there might have been only one cook as well. But, like I said, this place had about a dozen other customers waiting, so it might just have been a busy night; we were there around 8pm on a Monday night.
The chicken burrito we got was dense and filling. There was a lot of rice and beans. It could have used more chicken. Surprisingly, there was cauliflower in the burrito which is a first for me. The salsa came in a little baggie and was extremely hot. I was quite pleased with the burrito, and I can see why this place is popular.

Excellent find on a Friday night. Delicious inexpensive Latin foods in an unexpected location. I was craving Nachos ($ 18) from Foundation but friends cautioned that it would be insane on a Friday night a prime time so suggested trying somewhere else. Well we were not disappointed. The Nachos ($ 7.50) here are a fully loaded taste delight with freshly made corn chips still warm layered with bean, queso cheese, mozzarella tomatoes and onions. The true pairing perfection came from the two salsas Verde y Rojas. So good we finished almost 3 containers (2 green & 1 red). An order of Nachos fits on a large dinner plate so for 2 – 3 people it works as an appetizer. Then we had an order (3) Papusas $ 9. Each sold for $ 3 if you want more. Traditional is bean cheese pork. They can do vegetarian option of just bean and cheese or just bean/​cheese. It comes with pickled cabbage as a side dish in a jar that you serve yourself. My 2 Papusas were really great I liked the content (although light on pork) and texture and tasted great. My friend had veg Papusa and it came on the same plate as meat ones (which is fine if you are not a fussy Veg because they are each self contained). The part I was less cool (lost a Star) with was that when served they didn’t know which were the Veg ones and had to cut into the Papusa pretty extensively and poke around to assess if it was Veg. It could have been labeled in some way like put a little piece of tomato on top or just put it on the side plate that was brought with the meal.
We thought we hadn’t ordered enough so we got another order of nachos and our friend ordered the soft corn tortillas shelled beef tacos. They looked amazing with real chunks of actual beef Not ground beef and served with pico de gaillo (sp?). He said the meat wasn’t tender but still delicious. he LOVED it and ate the whole thing despite complaints of being full before it arrived. An earlier review said there was no bathroom Not True but either you walk through the kitchen to get to it or come at it by exiting the restaurant and going in through the back door.
The place is rustic, no question, but it’s clean well lit and the food is Great (taste/​price/​quantity) of course I will go back.
Other patrons were 3 families with young kids (even at 8:30), 6 Youths, adults starting their evening (us & outside table folk). Ironically given that we came there to avoid the Main St crowd, on a Friday night it was also packed here! :)

This place was amazing! We had nachos as a starter and enchiladas as the main. Both were fantastic. Customer service was great as well. Its a nice little mom and pop type place and it was busy when we were there.
The hot sauce and salsas were really great to.

I have wanted to check out this brightly-​coloured fun and festive-​looking little place forever! I finally went and got a chicken tamale and enchiladas. Delicious! Tamale was only $ 3 which is crazy-​cheap and the enchilada was $ 9.99 and delicious. Our servers were great, the place is small but a totally fun hangout. The Horchata was so delicious, I can not wait to go back for more. Great deal for the money and I will be all the time. So glad I finally went inside. For complete review:

Unilocal needs to allow for ½ stars, should be a 3.5 rating, food is above average, service is good. Reasonable prices.

This was a nice find! Came here for lunch on a weekday. The prices are good and the portions are large. Had the chicken enchiladas and beef burrito. The burrito was a real star! Enchiladas were not as flavourful as the burrito. They come with a side of rice, beans and salad, which is very generous.
The décor is authentic and the service was good. There are a lot of regulars who come here and call in their orders in advance. I recommend doing this if you are on a tight schedule (lunch break etc).

simply amazing home cooked mexican /​honduran cuisine, made from the heart. Must Try ! The staff is amazing as well, the owner is a sweetheart

their pupusas and food are sooooo good! i die. this place is a «find» for me – and this is how much i *love* the Unilocal community: i’m sharing «finds» which i typically like to keep secrets!
very authentic «hole in the wall» sort of atmosphere, friendly service, and awesomesauce food. to go to the bathroom, you also walk through the kitchen so you can peep how clean (very) the atmosphere your edibles are being prepped in.
I’m not going to bother recommending many dishes as everything i’ve tried is great… but I will put out that the seafood soup is some kinda wonderful.
definitely a do.

Authentic as hell! They got delicious food, great horchata, soap operas playing in the background and some very legit décor. Service can be a little slow, it’s cash only, but once you try a baleada you’ll forget about all that.

Been hearing about El Caracol for a while now, and was in the neighbourhood, so dropped in for an early supper.
Ordered the Mexican enchilada ‘cuz the sign states «Mexican Café!» The dish itself was good, but no sour cream, no salsa, no guac. I’m okay with that, the price is ok at $ 8.99. But the restraint in dressing this soft, moist, stuffed with chicken enchilada was disappointing.
As a solo diner (again) I wasn’t sure why I was being ignored, so moseyed up to the server and placed my order. The meal arrived in a short time, so I wondered — microwaved? The salad was delicious, but teeny, the sliver of avocado was microscopic, and the generous serving of rice was absolutely delicious.
I have mixed feelings about this cosy place. The one other diner was snoozing at his table, so the place is definitely laid back. I plan to go back with a group, so we can order the milkshakes, try the nachos, and support a local business.
Cash only, lots of street parking,

The pupusas are on point and taste very good. I travelled to El Salvador and it has the same local taste as pupusaria’s. Curtido is made perfect along with several options for mild to hot sauce. I eat here every time I travel to Vancouver.

Ive been here couple of times different server different time and the place never disappoint me… small with mexican decors, street parking, accept card and cash. server always friendly and smiling, welcoming you and always there to ask what else we neef, foods are awesome, noise level moderate… i would love to come back here soon and bring more friends to enjoy latin foods.

Great little family run café serving Mexican and Latino food. The enchilada Mexicana was a huge tasty plateful. We had dinner for under $ 20 which is a steal in vancouver.

My boyfriend and I liked this place so much the first night that we came again the evening thereafter.
A very down-​to-​earth mom and pop restaurant with tummy pleasing interesting food combinations that while not necessarily plate pretty but definitely hunger sating.
The first visit was enchiladas and was enough for two meals for me (one for my boyfriend) and our second we ordered three different things: Barajas (?), papulas (?), and Honduran enchiladas (please forgive my spelling). With those three things one had chicken, one had pork and one had chorizo.
The waitress on the second evening put a jar covered with Saran Wrap on the table with an incredible coleslaw-​like mixture (without a serving spoon which concerned my boyfriend — how many other spoons have been in this communal jar? — I used my clean knife)
This is the first restaurant where eggs aren’t thrown in without warning — at least in the form of mayo — which is a huge plus for me being allergically sensitive to uncooked egg.
It’s cash only so come prepared.

I’ve been here a couple of times and the food was fantastic, affordable, and left me stuffed each time. I’ll be back again for sure. Don’t pay any mind to the 1 star reviews. I think they aren’t accurate at all. What you’re getting here is homemade Mexican food for a great price. Recommended: the 3 $ Pupusa and the Horchata. Cash only.

This place is getting 5 stars based solely on the food which was literally the best Latin food I have ever had. When you come here, be aware that it is a hole in the wall with only a few tables, cash only, and the service is average to below average. However the food makes up for this and some. Also you can’t argue with the price. And as a bonus, if you have to use the washroom, you will get to take a tour of the entire kitchen and see the two old El Salvadorian ladies making your food.

The best poupousas hands down!!!
Awesome location
Just worth trying if you are in the area.

Summary:
— super yummy refried beans
— it is cash only
— service is average
— they have an über spicy sauce that will set your mouth on fire
This hole in the wall is worth checking out if you are in the area. The food is alright and portions are filling for the price.

Yummy Quesadilla
Good price
Nice atmosphere
Cute place to hangout.

Boyfriend, a Salvadorian, was so happy. At first blush it seemed expensive, but then he saw the size of the pupusas. I could only finish 2 of the 3 that come with each plate, so he had to eat 4! Liked how the condiments came out in big sizes and the green hot sauce has some bite.
Solid 4 stars– when I asked what could make it better, beer! But then it’s cheaper without, and the horchata is delish.
New fav pupusa place. Didn’t try anything Mexcian.

I agree with Jane D. Epic Unilocal fail! Bleh food all around. We ordered some chicken and beef burritos for takeout tonight. Some pupusas and poutine. The burrito was wrapped fajita style and a big soggy, wet mess im sure that even if I’d ordered and eaten there it would have been the same. I have never seen cauliflower in a burrito either, omg could have made better at home!
I didn’t want to waste my burrito so I managed to salvage what I could (and leave behind the crap) by grabbing a tortilla from the cupboard and rewrapping it. Seriously, u should not have to worry about your burrito tearing through the soaked bread while trying to eat. The meat was tasteless and bland. Stay away! Go grab an olé el paso kit instead n save ur self the time n money. Really wish I could give it a lower rating.

This is THE biggest Unilocal fail ever. I was in the mood for Mexican so I went here because of the good reviews.
What a joke, I had enchiladas and my friend had tostadas and it seriously sucked. It tasted and looked like I could have made this in a jiffy at my house. Our food was not fresh! It was half cold and I’m pretty sure it was made earlier in the day and just warmed up because our food was soggy, and the chicken was just bleh. As well, walking to use the bathroom in the back I saw that they use packaged tortilla and taco shells bought from the store.
For my meal, they really skimped on the side things like sour cream, they give you like a thin slice of avocado instead of guac, and 2 tbl of chopped tomatoes instead of salsa.
THE SERVICE WAS SOOO Terrible as well! This tiny restaurant was empty and it still took forever for the server to tend to us. Didn’t even ask if we wanted water.
Lastly, the prices aren’t even cheap comparative to other Mexican restaurants in Vancouver. It was like 10 $ a dish. I know this is supposed to be a homemade style restaurant. but I didn’t know they meant food comparable to yourself making it at your home. What a waste of calories. PS — this place is Cash only.

Probably the most traditional South American meal I’ve had in Vancouver, at super economical prices!
I had their chicken fajitas and it was more food than I could eat. Stir-​fried chicken with sweet peppers and onions, a large portion of wonderful boiled rice, perfect refritos (frijoles), pickled veggies, great salsa, and a stack of warm tortillas. And, the horchata was super fresh and not too sweet.
Heaven!