Cilantro and Jalapeño Gourmet Mexican Foods

Did not eat a meal here but was pleasantly surprised by the variety of Mexican spices and treats! Mazapan con chocolate, spicy tamarind candies, Ibarra chocolate, duvalin, chamoy mangoes and gansitos! Flan as well and fresh tortillas and packaged tostadas. Will return if I am in the area!

The most bland and uninspiring chicken quesadilla I’ve ever had. There were no veggies in it, just plain chicken and cheese. For some reason not served with sour cream? Only so-​so guac and salsa — beans are a complete waste and rice is only slightly better. Hugely disappointing and I didn’t expect much. I won’t be going back.

Their location is great for them as there aren’t many Mexican options at Lonsdale (tons of Japanese restaurants though!). My boyfriend and I came here and we enjoyed their friendly attitude and the food was quick.
However, if you frequent la taqueria, or sal y limon, this place’s food pales in comparison and it’ll do the trick if you have a hankering for Mexican, but definitely not the best. Wish I could give them 3.5 if anything — but still not quite.

Tex-​Mexican in Vancouver? Yes, please! When we travel to the states there is an abundance of good, cheap Tex-​Mex or Mexican restaurants, but they are much rarer in Vancouver.
However, I must first confess I was looking for «Screaming Mimi’s» at the Lonsdale Quay for a pound of freshly steamed mollusks and chowder, but they are now sadly closed.
The veggie platter was fresh and the portions were adequate. I quite enjoyed the smoothness and freshness of the guacamole and the freshness of the salsa. The refried black beans are quite runny, and tasted okay. The chips were handed to us in a plastic bag?! Odd, since they fry up fresh tortilla chips in house. The sopes with the green sauce was also tasty. More visuals on the menu would help customers decide between all the various Mexican entrees.
Then as we were leaving, we noticed that all the components of our veggie platter were available in the refrigerated section in tubs to to take home.
Solid flavour and freshness in their food, but dishes need a bit more oomph in terms of portions and flavour profile.

Popped in for a quick burrito on the way to the hotel. I’d say it’s a cut above fast food as its clearly made to order but nothing tasted especially complex or rewarding. Black beans on the side were refried style (not a fan) and there was very little meat in my pork burrito. The girlfriend got a different dish with the rancho sauce (combo red and green) and it had a strange aftertaste. Solid 3 stars but not more.

Worst Mexican food ever, and to think I used to actually like this place before .I used to be a regular but since they hired new help things turned for the worse. The new girls are rude and just plain awful, especially that one chubby girl that always looks in pain, and acts like she’s doing me a huge favour by simply working the cash register. One time she was talking horrible stuff about the previous customers, right in front of me, not realising I am fluent in Spanish, this all happened while I was paying for my food.
The food is disgusting, I used to love the caldo talpeno, but now its just a very salty soup, with always rotten avocado in it. The chimichanga is an awful deep fried burrito filled with mostly black beans. The salsas are so watered down, that I bet if I buy a jar of salsa, add 1 gallon of water to it and boil it for 2 days, it would probably taste better. Such a shame, the place has potential

I stopped by here to grab a burrito to take home for lunch. I was super hungry so I ordered the largest one that was about $ 13 after tax.
As I’m not a huge fan of raw tomatoes I asked the lady who was working the counter if there were any inside of the burrito or in their salsa. She said no.
After walking about 5 minutes back to my place, I opened the box ready to tuck in and was completely taken aback. Inside of the take out container was a sloppy mess of red sauce pooling on top of a tortilla that was laid flat on top of all of the burrito’s fillings. Water was puddling on top of the red sauce. Yikes.
But yeah, I was starving so I tucked in with gusto anyway. Turns out the inside was a big sloppy mess that was overflowing with fresh tomatoes. Go figure. The rest of the bottom layer was cold refried beans, chicken and guacamole with peas in it. I managed about 5 bites before I got too grossed out and gave up on lunch.

A previous review had mentioned worst nachos they had ever had, well i had seen this after ordering the nachos and i am going to have to politely disagree. These were actually really good, not the absolute best ive had but by no means the worst. I paired it with a sope and i was plesantly happy with my meal! Would recommend if looking for a quick mexican fix!

Located at the Quay it is one of the better fast food ish Mexican Places when you’re in the area and craving something fast and cheap.

Had the chicken tamale which was really dried out and over cooked in their microwave. Looks like they do not make them fresh… they were frozen and as I was standing there, it looked like they microwave all their food! Also it was they put frozen peas in their guacamole which is a little strange. I don’t think I will be going back to this place again.

Bought the fish, chorizo, and pastor tacos… they all taste the same.
Service was slow — even if it wasn’t busy! The lady at the till did not seem like she knows their menu, and we had to repeat our orders several times for her to understand and catch up.

Comparing this place to other vancouver Mexican spots it is very good– if you compare it to Mexican food with heavy Mexican populations like California and North Carolina, not quite there. Fresh ingredients and nice people– one of the better options for food at the Lonsdale Quay

Best place for Mexican on the North Shore and the only place I have found that is comparable to the stuff I’ve enjoyed down in California. Super fresh ingredients — everything has great flavors and that distinct «crispness» that only comes from fresh produce (none of that mushy crap). The prices are reasonable, they have a very good selection and the staff are always extremely nice. Today I was watching them prepare fresh salsa while enjoying my breakfast and they forced an extra scoop on me for free.
Very highly recommend.

I just moved back to Vancouver after 6 years in LA, and needless to say I am in Mexican food withdrawal. Somehow I thought I had read that Cilantro & Jalapeño had good Mexican that had earned the LA stamp of approval. Well, it’s not true.
They don’t have Carne Asada, only ground beef, which is just ridiculous and should have clued me in. The tamales were OK but not very satisfying, pretty dry and crumbly. The black beans were good. The pico de gallo was good. But overall I was disappointed and my LA-​native husband was downright offended.
I would come here again to buy salsas or hot sauces and tortillas, but not for the food.
Still searching for my Mexican…

I am so desperate for good Mexican food!!!
This is the only place I know of on the North Shore, and I’ve enjoyed it a couple of times. Their location in the Lonsdale Quay food court isn’t really the most comfortable, but the cafeteria seating behind it works just fine.
The fresh salsas are awesome!
The prices are fine,
The food is fine.
Overall, it’s not bad.
I just wish this place was open a bit later,
And would love it if the prices were a little bit lower so I could justify eating it more often. :P

Fresh, delicious Mexican food on the fly they are located in the Lonsdale Quay food court! I have lunched here every other week for several months and it is always delicious. Lots of options that are made with fresh corn tortillas (for those who can’t eat gluten) is always a treat to find. This is authentic Mexican food not to be missed complete with salsa and to die for guacamole. They also offer a deli so you can take some of their mouthwatering creations home.

Excellent food !! The guacamole and salsa’s are amazing. They have a huge menu to choose from as well. I could eat here everyday !

You know those days when you’ve had a long day at work, and the last thing you want to do is go home and piece together a meal that almost always ends up being kind of awful?
This place has saved me from a few of those nights. Their take away guacamole, salsa, crema, corn tortillas, along with some nice chorizo sausage… or even a rotisserie chicken… make for an excellent lazy-man’s (or in this case gal’s) feast.
Lunch here is a bit of a gamble though, some days the food is awesome and other days it doesn’t quite hit the mark. Their prices don’t make them the best deal in the Quay, but on their good days they’re definitely worth the extra buck fifty.

Holy guacamole is this place good! I am always scared to try market fast food but after seeing numerous spanish people purchase their lunches here i decided to give the Big Vegetariano Burrito a try. At $ 8 it was HUGE served with rice, and fresh salsa. I came at the right time as one of the guys was filling up the guac’s for sale and he gave me a huge serving of it for free. adding very much to this meals tastiness. I find as a vegetarian it’s hard to find good mexican food. This place blew me away. Great sweet service, and oh the sauce on top of the burrito was amazing. Don’t miss this place next time you are at the Quay.

Some tasty treats await for you here. Their homemade chips and condiments make my day.
I’m not a soup fan, but the soups here are must-​try items. The ‘caldo tlapeno’ is a regular favorite. Chicken, rice, avocado, and spice are combined with some other great flavours into quite a hearty meal, though if I’m extra hungry I’ll ask for extra avocado, or buy a bag of their homemade taco chips and dip them is some hot sauce beside the soup.
The ‘classic’ mexican items aren’t as impressive… the tacos and the like are quite bland. But if you venture off the norm and try something different you will be rewarded.
The last meal I had was the chorizo… a plate of sausage smothered in Edam cheese, served with black beans, queso freso and lettuce, and tortillas for which to fashion into your own tacos. Simple, yet divine.

My meal here was okay – I got 3 chicken tacos plate. I thought the rice and beans were also quite good. However, my friend got a mole enchilada and it didn’t look enchilada-​esque… Prices were also a bit high.
However, I’d come back if I were grabbing lunch at Lonsdale Quay again.

This place is much smaller than I thought it would be. However, I’m from Los Angeles, and I was craving a taste of home. Mexican food and ingredients can be very difficult to find in Vancouver.
I ended up purchasing some chorizo, some really delicious crema, and some corn tortillas. They also stock Mexican spices, several kinds of chiles including poblano and jalapeño, fresh tomatillos, salsas and guacamoles, corn chips, big and little cans of hominy, masa harina, mole, corn husks, dried chiles, etc.
I haven’t tried their hot prepared food but overall they are a good little source for a few Mexican specialties. Try the crema… it’s much better and richer than sour cream and it tastes fantastic on just about any Mexican dish.

If you are a lover of fine Mexican cuisine, as I am, Cilantro and Jalapeño will quell your south-​of-​the-​border cravings in all capacities. You can eat-​in or take-​out with a variety of unique and tasty gourmet hot plates such as fish tacos and smoked salmon tamales, along with burritos and quesadillas in tempting varieties. If you would rather whip up your own Mexican feast at home, you can peruse the stand-​up fridges full of mole’s (mo-​lays), chipotle-​lime dips and mayos, and the freshest home-​made salsa around.

I was so glad to see that one of the very few places to buy authentic Mexican foods and munch on plates of tostadas, taquiles, and quesadillas has moved out of a tiny stall and into prime corner real estate at Lonsdale Quay Market.
Although the specials board could be easier to read — it looks pretty, but the magic marker script on clear glass ain’t the move — I managed to make out enough to order a Cilantro & Jalapeño special quesadilla. I ordered the small size but it was more than enough to eat, especially when the plate comes with plenty of guacamola, salsa, sour cream, and refried beans, as well as rice and tortilla chips. You don’t expect artful presentation from a take-​out taco joint, but I was charmed by the way they stood up the tortillas in the refried beans and put a cucumber dolloped with sour cream in the centre of the plate.
My only complaint was having to listen to two women yap like the people with annoying voices in radio ads while I was sitting at the counter waiting for my order. I guess that’s the price you pay for sitting on the corner seat at a busy market. Luckily, they got take-​out and took their office gossip or whatever elsewhere. It could have been worse; could have been stuck next to screaming children in the food fair.