La Casita : Gastown Location

After rescheduling a few many times with FoodinYVR and asking her for restaurant suggestions only to decline them all… I settled on La Casita. La Casita is located in Gastown on the corner of Abott and Cardova, and appears to be a very busy restaurant. I say very busy because on a Thursday late afternoon, we were the first to arrive at the empty restaurant but within thirty minutes, La Casita was packed! The restaurant had a full house by 5:00pm.

La Casita is a Mexican cuisine restaurant that offers a very extensive menu, from ceviche to tostadas, taquitos, fajitas, enchiladas, flautas, tacos, quesadillas, chimichangas and burritos. But how is the quality of food? With regards to the interior, La Casita is a very large restaurant and the seating arrangements are not too cramped. There are also plenty of staff and our server was friendly.

COMPLIMENTARY NACHOS, SALSA AND SALSA VERDE.
Rating: 2.5/5.

Every table is provided with a complimentary bowl of crispy nachos that are neither stale nor overly salted. There are also two accompaniments including the salsa exhibiting a mild tang along with a hint of spiciness, and the salsa verde with a creamy and smooth consistency. The salsa verde is fairly bland and could use a bit more salt however.

CHIPOTLE PRAWNS, "Prawns grilled in butter, garlic and chipotle sauce" ($9.00).

Rating: 2/5.

The chipotle has a nice flavour of spices along with a touch of spiciness, and the buttery prawns taste just cooked while exhibiting a bouncy snap. However, the tortillas are horrible. The tortillas are doughy and taste super bland. Perhaps I am spoiled because after trying Damso's which tastes great, I have been making my own at home.

BARBECUE CHIPOTLE WINGS ($5.50).

Rating: 2/5.

The thick barbecue sauce tastes more sweet than spicy and the wings are fried with a crisp skin, but the meat tastes dry. The price is very reasonable compared to other restaurants though.

SMALL CHORIZO QUESADILLAS, "Handmade folded tortillas with melted cheese" ($13.00).
Rating: 1/5.

I contemplated between the chorizo or chicken quesadilla and our server insisted that the chorizo tastes better. I was disappointed after ordering though because I noticed the restaurant had a special for a chorizo and chicken quesadilla! Lame.

Starting with the sides, the vegetables are heavily pickled and taste very sour. As for the rice, it is served warm and there is no flavour whatsoever. The rice is not fluffy too and the only taste is a bit of tomato. Further on, the refried beans are generic; exhibiting a creamy consistency without tasting salty or bland.

For the highlight, the chorizo quesadilla, this is a huge disappointment. The ground chorizo tastes bland along with dry, and there is no seasoning or sauce. The spongy and thick tortilla is not appetizing as well. Moreover, the cheese tastes chewy and rubbery rather than cheesy and flavourful.

TOTAL: $28.90 + TIP $4.35 = $33.25.

La Casita is a very disappointing restaurant overall. I am glad FoodinYVR had snacks before meeting me and that I had lunch at Dae Bak Bon Ga an hour before seeing her, since this prevented us from ordering more food. But to be fair, perhaps we ordered the wrong dishes? My visit to La Casita actually made me appreciate Poncho's more, where even the beans and rice taste good.

POSITIVES
- Open late night
- Complimentary nachos
- Our server was very friendly

NEGATIVES
- Food quality can be better
- When is quesadilla spongy?

Food: 2/5
Service: 3/5

LA CASITA
101 West Cordova Street Vancouver, BC V6B 5A7
Telephone (604) 646-2444
http://www.lacasita.ca