A recent addition to the east end of Robson Street near BC Place, Rogers Arena and a cluster of hotels, Patron Tacos & Cantina’s large bar menu & 5 tv’s ensures it will be a hit for the sports and after-event crowds. However, based on the food alone, this is a rather average addition to Vancouver’s ever growing Mexican food scene.
The comfortable room, is welcoming and while quiet on the early evening my friend and I stopped in it soon filled with a number of tourists from the many area hotels. Warmly welcomed and seated quickly, served a small basket of taco chips and salsa the meal started on a good note.
The menu featured all the usual suspects; burritos, enchiladas, quesadillas, and of course tacos with a variety of meats – chicken, pork, beef or seafood. The tortas on Mexican bolillos (rolls) – $11 – were filling and tasty, albeit messy, and served with a pile of waffle fries, not sure how Mexican those fries are but they were plentiful. The Burrito – $9.75 – was a bit underwhelming; decent tasting but a bit on the small size and accompanied by a bowl of fresh and spicy salsa (even though I’d asked for no salsa), a ‘salad’ on the side was a small handful of shredded iceberg lettuce and a couple of tomato slices, hardly eligible to be called salad, it looked like the cook forgot to put them inside the tortilla before wrapping. While the presentation and quality of food was adequate, the size and originality lacked. Ending the meal by waiting quite a long time for our bill and then longer to be able to pay with a debit card, did little to ensure the meal ended on the good friendly note that it began on. While Patron Tacos & Cantina may be a good place to drink and worth a second visit for a drinks night, there are definitely better food value for money restaurants in the city.
Small burrito…. Seriously its so big & stuffed packed so filling, and the lettuce with tomato on the side isn’t a salad it’s garnish…..I Eat here all the time the food is amazing and the service has always been top notch. This place is above average it delicious!
I’m glad you enjoy it there, I wish them well, it bring variety to the ‘hood. I had no real complaint about the taste just the size, compared to the burrito I’d had the week before at Ponchos – twice the size serving for a comparable price. And the incredibly slow service to get our bill and pay ended our experience on a down note, they needed more than one server for a full restaurant.