Taco Luis (Oakridge Mall) -- Tex-Mex has Invaded South Vancouver!

F4 - 650 West 41st Avenue, Oakridge Centre Food Court, Vancouver

Food: 3

Service: 3.5

Price: Cheap

I don’t know a fast food stall much like Taco Luis in town. It’s been a favourite Tex-Mex stop amongst the public at Landsdowne Mall for years. There’s nothing particularly special about its food per se, but with a staff that sings you through your selections and a boss that treats customers like VIPs, it’s been able to garner more attention for food court
Mexican than your average Taco Time. I, myself, have been trekking all the way down to Richmond for my Taco Luis experience for the last few years, but now with its brand new location in Vancouver at Oakridge Mall, I can very well (but will halt myself from) have(-ing) it everyday J

What to Expect:

·    a selection of Soft tacos, Crispy tacos, Burritos, Crispy burritos, Tater tots, Mexican rice, Taco salad, Beans, Nachos, Fajitas

·    filling options that include: Tomatoes, Shredded cheese, Cucumbers, Sweet onions, Lettuce, Jalapeno peppers, Guacamole, Sour cream, and Olives

7-inch Special, $4.99

7” long burrito (filled with your choice of vegetables, cheese, and sauces), 5” Soft drink, and Tater tots

·    in the burrito seen above: Seasoned beef, Lettuce, Tomatoes, Cucumbers, Cheese, Sour cream, and Guacamole

Inside the Burrito

·    the seasoned ground beef was very salty, but didn’t overwhelm the rest of the burrito because

·    ...the vegetables had an equal impact: they were served in decent proportions and were very refreshing and crunchy

·    the sour cream had a little bit of a creamy taste and definitely added moisture to hold the fillings together; overall it did its job, though it was very, very runny and was quite bland

·    the guacamole added colour; like the sour cream it added moisture, but was runny and bland too

·    can’t go wrong with potato tater tots; they were crispy and warm

·    good Pepsi—not watered-down like some other fast food venues

               

Crispy Special, $4.99

1 Crispy taco (filled with your choice of vegetables, cheese, and sauces), 5” Soft drink, and Tater tots

·    in the taco seen above: Seasoned chicken, Lettuce, Tomatoes, Sour cream, Cucumbers, Cheese, and Guacamole

·    I don’t eat tacos often, but every time I have one from Taco Luis, I’m reminded that crispy tacos are otherwise glorified nacho chips stuffed to the max!

Close-up of the Taco

·    the seasoned chicken was moist and warm, and honestly, this was probably a better meat option than the beef (mentioned in the burrito above) because it wasn’t prepared too salty

·    like in the burrito, there was a good portion of refreshing and crunchy vegetables inside, providing a nice contrast to the soft and warm bed of chicken at the bottom

·    the sour cream and guacamole provided moisture and held the fillings together, but they didn’t provide much taste at all

·    good Pepsi—not watered-down like some other fast food venues

Taco Salad, $4.99

4” wide taco shell filled with your choice of vegetables, cheese, and sauces

·    in the salad seen above: Lettuce, Tomatoes, Cucumbers, Cheese, a little bit of onion, Sour cream, and Guacamole in a Taco shell

·    deep fried shell – tastes like a greasy and flaky fried wonton skin, but thicker

·    it may serve more vegetables and meat than a taco or burrito, so if you like junk food, but know you need to eat vegetables, this is a good bet for you as you can benefit from eating a lot of veggies, but at the same time mash in deep fried tortilla shell bits to satisfy your greasy cravings

               

The constant lineups of 10 or more people here do not lie: Taco Luis is a fast food stall to be reckoned with at any food court it stands in. The food is consistent every time and the service is out of the ordinary, but in a good way! –especially if you are served by its hilarious manager (who is seen at Oakridge these days, instead of Lansdowne). The Oakridge stall opened a couple of weeks ago with all its food at 10% off, so if it’s still on and if you’ve never tried it, now is the time to do some Tex-Mex sampling!