Magda’s Restaurant

What a gem… venezuelan restaurant serves authentic latin foods… the size of empanada here is huge, tamales and other delacacies were all excellent in taste… decors are all venezuelan inspired… i love those clay dolls, they are forcsale actually but expensive so i just pumpered my self by taking pictures… free parking at the rear plus street parking… all cards and cash welcome… small place but neat. cant wait for my next vist…

This is a GEM hidden in the streets of Vancouver. I’ve traveled plenty in South America and have many friends from there that are living here in Vancouver… We all agree that this place is as good as it gets in Venezuela.
I’m a true foody and I have been constantly boasting about this place to everyone I know in Vancouver.
To those who are reading this and are not sure what to get for the first time… try the Arepa Reina pepiada. Also, the patacones are amazing.
I could write all day about how good the food is here, but i highly highly advise all to visit it and see for yourselves.

I’m glad I visited Magda’s because it’s places like this that can sustain my dangerous restaurant faring habits on a student budget. Places that are delicious, homey and won’t make you go broke. I’m salvating thinking back to the Arepitas asadas with cheese and sour cream– those little pillows of creamy heaven were the appetizers. I would make it two orders next time instead of one– there’s not enough to share. The tamales appetizer was also very yummy! My friend got the Pabellon Criollo which came with rice, black beans, cheese, Shredded beef, and sweet plantain. The shredded beef was delicious and moist. I got the avocado and shredded chicken arepa which was tasty but very messy to eat. My only complaint would be for fresher chicken. I also had the soursop drink which was too sweet for me but still good.

I am not sure if I would give 4 or 3 stars. I think 3.5 would be the best rating for this place.
My thoughts:
— Very easy to park behind the main entrance and it is free;
— Although it is not a fancy place, it seemed clean to me;
— Empanada were very tasty. I had shredded empanada and cheese empanada. Both was good to me, but my husband liked the beef one better;
— the waiter was friendly;
— Food came fast;
— I had a «bandeja» dish (one of the traditional dishes from magda’s restaurant — I don’t remember the full name). It came with pork, beef, beans, eggs, rice, salad, sweet plantain, guacamole, sausage and pupusa. The taste was as good as I expected, but nothing really amazing. It comes in big size so it is enough to share with another person;
–Since there was just one waiter for the whole restaurant, he used take long to get back to you or bring your bill.
— they have just one option of beer (corona).

I found this place on Unilocal.Food was great and portions are big. I will go again and again :)

What a great, unassuming restaurant. What are you waiting for, check it out!
The service is great. They are friendly, and came to check on us regularly to refill our waters but not so much that it was annoying… It was just perfect. The dosas are fresh and served hot. It is such a filling meal at incredibly reasonable prices. The chutneys were flavourful and the meal was extremely satisfying.
It feels a little bare inside with the wide open space and tables scattered throughout. Windows don’t let in a lot light so it feels a bit dark, and there is an overwhelming smell of spices which is to be expected but a bit of fresh air would be nice. Other than a less than ideal atmosphere, it is a fantastic a place for a meal and great to bring larger groups.
They had a variety of other menu items such as your typical butter chicken and curries, but I mostly loved all the different dosa options. I’m looking forward to coming back for lunch!

This place makes me and my tummy very very happy! Arepas are a most! Good service, nice clean place and decent prices.

I found this restaurant on Unilocal as I prepared for my trip to Vancouver from Los Angeles. I almost gave up on trying this place because my timing was wrong (went on New Year’s Day but they were closed, went the next day but the did not open until noon). I chose to stay in the area until their opening time and I am glad I did!
Walking in, the waitress was very friendly and treated us as if she had known us for years. She was constantly smiling and provided amazing service. We got our food within 10 – 15 minutes of ordering and it looked delicious!
We ordered two platters (can’t remember the name) and they were both amazing. Both came with arepas, white rice, beans, and plantains. One had the shredded beef and the other came with pork, steak, guacamole and salad. We didn’t bother having a conversation and we both devoured our food, having our appetite satisfied and our plates empty.
I’m glad I was able to enjoy this food and that I persisted. My only advice to prevent disappointment is to call ahead to ensure they are open.

My friend and I came here during the week at 5 pm right when the placed opened, therefore, we were the first. We had a $ 25 Groupon and they were nice enough not to charge us tax and tip since we were slightly under the $ 25 by a few bucks, therefore, they got a very decent tip.
Most of the food is gluten free and reasonably healthy. There were some guilty pleasures, however, for the most part played my cards right.
The beef soup was clear basic broth and chunky meat and veggies.
As a sweet tooth I stuck to a pure watermelon drink which saved the points and allowed me to get my serving of fruit in.
This place has no ambiance and the chairs can be uncomfortable, however, the food was really good.
Service was decent since we were the first there. It also helped that since we werefirst for dinner service that we got our meals in a timely manner.
Price was obviously decent, even without a groupon. I was satisfied and the service was friendly.

4.5 stars
⁷⁷⁄₁₀₀
I just can’t go all the way, a few really minor improvements.
#1 — The service is slow and they are proud of it
BUT The food is delicious and well worth the wait.
And you have to come hungry becuase you will be stuffed with food. Want a fun surprise…
#2 — Try the Parrilla, special or mixed it comes out looking great!!! However, try not to go with the pork, it is really too fatty here for me. IMO.
My other favourite is the Patacones .
Yum, homemade sauces for a saucy girl like me… I like that!!!
Garlic, Avocado and Hot sauces.

So. Good. Finally – a place in Vancouver that serves some heavenly lengua (beef tongue). Also had the pupusas chicharron con queso (nom nom) and one of their empanadas, which was the best empanada I ever ate – and I’m gonna bust out my Los Angeleno Latin food snobbery creds here, wave them around with authority, and say that you need to listen to me when I say it’s the best damn empanada I ever ate. Okay, service needs improvement, but Magda’s is on our go-​to list now!

Yummy homey Latin food.
It’s cheap. Big portions. Kid friendly. Can’t complain.
The service was a bit slow, but it was packed.
There’s so little of this kind of food in the city that I’m really happy to have it around.

We bought a groupon for Magda’s and went for breakfast/​lunch. Great food. Nice service. I had breakfast: arepas, eggs, black beans, shredded beef. Husband had two chicken tamales. Both were excellent. And three homemade salsas to compliment the food!
Recommend it very much. Will return soon.

Huge portions, cheap prices & pretty good food. Wins all around!
We had the arepa pabellon (shredded beef) which comes with a choice of soup or salad. They had two soup choices, chicken noodle or chorizo chowder. We went for the chorizo chowder and it was tasty — more of a cream of vegetable soup that they seasoned with spices & added small chunks of chorizo.
I liked the empanada a lot — big pocket full of cheese for $ 3.95, not greasy and reminds me of a big tater tot.
Also ordered the beef tongue entrée, for $ 12 you get 4 or 5 slices of thick beef tongue — for the most part really tender, but some parts were a bit too tough. Served with a chunky tomato red wine sauce, lots of white rice, two slices of plaintain and salad.
Overall a satisfying meal.

Their sandwiches were delicious, although a bit messy to eat. I really enjoyed the fries with their sauces. My favourite one was the garlic, which had a lot of flavour. Will come back!

* Patacon sandwich! *
Somehow I didn’t notice patacon on the menu the first time here — perhaps it is only available at lunch time? Hm… In any case, I was pleasantly surprised to find it on the menu on my most recent visit. I ordered it with shredded beef ($ 8.25).
The beef was the same beef they serve with their pabellón con barandas — a well seasoned, tender, full of slow cooked flavours mouth watering treat. It was stuffed between two bread slice sized fried plantains. The plantains were cooked perfectly without being overly greasy. Topped with a slaw and some fresh cheese to balance things out this was a very nice rendition. They served it with what the menu called french fries, but what I was happy to see was actually slices of fresh fried potato that was crispy and not overly salted — much better! On the side they provided their housemade hotsauce, garlic sauce, and ketchup — no guasacaca this time. But overall a great lunch! Photo:

Thing is, Fraser Street has got to be the best place in Vancouver to get great, cheap food. Add Magda’s to the list of awesome restaurants on the strip between 40^th and 50^th: for a long time there was a place called «Alk-​O-​Bar» that I meant to check out, but Magda’s — a Venezuelan joint — has replaced it.
I have been to Magda’s twice now — once for brunch and once for lunch — and was super-​satisfied each time. I had a scrambled egg and cheese arepa* on the first visit, with a beef empanada as a side. Both were great, and my friend raved about the vegan shredded beef. And we both loved the condiments they bring to your table — one being a guacamole/​garlic blend-​y kind of sauce that I can’t stop thinking about!
The second, solo, visit I ordered a shredded beef arepa and it was also tasty but I swear it took 10 minutes for the greasy bastard to cool down enough for me to eat it! Service was fast and friendly both times, and a TV with South American pop music playing was on both times.
*an arepa is a tasty baked corn-​dough bun. I recently read a article about how Venezuelan baseball player Miguel Cabrera can’t find good arepa in the U.S., which piqued my desire to try one. Come to Vancouver, Miguel!

Great little family place with the real feel of Latin America-​the menu says Venezuela and the flag on the wall is Venezuelan but the feel of the place, the warm easy going greeting and the outstanding music bring me back to many Spanish speaking places I’ve been.
Venezuelan Arepas are a tad different from the Colombian ones I’m accustomed to but if you like Maize based cuisine like I do you’ll be more than pleased.
This is a very fitting addition to one the city’s more interesting neighbourhoods.

Excellent food! Just like I remembered the taste of a good pabellon criollo! If you want to know how Venezuelan food tastes like, you definitely should try this restaurant… Excellent customer service as well!

First visit there last night. Lots of potential. Will give full review once I’ve tried a few more dishes.
_​The Lunchman