Mexicali

Husband and I have been coming here for 8 years, and it’s my favourite place to get tasty food on a budget. Our favorite dish is the enchilada suizas, and the guacamole is quite good as well. Festive seasonal décor, lively music, and friendly service.

They have a sign when you walk through the door. Warning the food is highly addictive. Very accurate.

Absolutely love this place. Great service, and cheap but remarkably good food. As many others have said, it is not authentic Mexican food, but nonetheless it hits the spot. The Beef Rendondo Rollup Combo is hard to beat for $ 7, and definitely fills all the criteria for a quick, delicious meal.

Great place for a cheap and quick bite. Serves easy mexican «fast food». Quesadillas and tatertots are go to. The food is good, then again it isn’t hard to mess up. My favourite part about Mexicali is the lime slush drink. It really hits the spot on a warm day. A go-​to spot for small wallets and busy bees

I have been coming here for friends for about 12 years, back when it was on Arbutus and still in it’s current location on Dunbar near the Shoppers. Never need to look at a menu because we also get the same thing… the Redondo Special.
For $ 7, redondo, mexi fries and a pop of your choice. Can’t beat this as a great cheap meal option if you’re in the area! Made fresh to order! No, it’s probably not the most authentic thing, after all, it’s made by Lee, who is not at all Mexican but Vietnamese. He’s the owner and there every day, he’s friendly and it’s a quick, cheap meal, what more do you need? Nope, it’s not a fancy place, the specials are served in a plastic red woven ‘plate’ with red/​white checkered paper lining it, but who cares. Tastes good and made to order!
The guac, salsa and chips are really good too, but either order by calling ahead or right away when you sit down as it takes a while to make (again = fresh)!
Plenty of free parking in the area too! Just be prepared because this isn’t a fancy place, super casual, so maybe not first date material!

Not the most authentic Mexican food, but still awesome for what it is. I recommend it for short quick meals. Frequented by many high school students, so avoid lunch hours.

This place is by far the most affordable mexican food in town. I ordered the beef redondo and it was tasty but greasy. The food here isn’t authentic Mexican although it is amazing value. A meal usually costs no more than 7 dollars and that gets you a meal, fries, and a slushie. Used to be the go to spot for years. Tasty fast Mexican food for cheap.

Not the most amazing Mexican in the world, but pretty dang good for the price!

Awesome value! This is hands down the best Mexican restaurant that I’ve been to in Vancouver. I’ve been their regular when I lived in Dunbar. Now that I live further away I still to go there when I want some Mexican food.
The staff is very friendly and courteous. I think they’re the owners. Atmosphere is casual with Mexican music playing in the background. The place is clean and cozy. They also have a TV with sports channels.
I always get one of their all day specials. They’re great tasting and fantastic value too since the price is only around $ 6. You get slushy lemonade, mexifries with house made fresh salsa and sour cream, and the main dish. My favorite dish used to be Beef Redondo but ever since I stopped eating meat, I usually order Veggie Redondo which tastes great too. In addition to that, they also have soft or crunchy tacos on all day special menu.

This little place is found in the heart of Dunbar… a nice, local restaurant that boasts tacky Mexican décor, but actually has decent food. It’s not authentic, but for the price, and the amount you get, it’s worth it for something low key. Don’t come here expecting anything fancy!
I ordered the cheese enchiladas, which came with refried beans, rice, and lettuce topped with sour cream and salsa. The plate was MASSIVE!!! And it was absolutely full! For $ 9.95, it was an amazing deal! Also ordered the guacamole, which was served with chips and salsa. The guac had really big chunks of avocado, which shows that it’s homemade, however the large chunks made it difficult to scoop up. The salsa looked like it came from a jar, but was actually pretty good, and enough for a 2-​person appy. Ordered the virgin strawberry slush drink, and it was delicious! Would’ve been better with some tequila, but it doesn’t look like they serve alcohol.
From the outside, this place doesn’t look like much, but if you’re looking for a satisfying bargain gem, this is the place to be!

I go there for the slushy only, I prefer real Mexican food so I go to my Aunt Julie for that… Owners are very friendly…

Nice microwaves guys. You can hear them go off before they bring food to your table…
I know this is by no means authentic but I can’t resist their food. It’s pretty good for what it is. Nice and cheap. Slushies are delish.
Tater tots…

Hmmm… I’m still trying to figure out this place. There is so much to both love and hate. as Sarana S. said so perfectly, «It’s so bad, it’s good», but then its bad again!
I thought at first maybe they were a funny bunch of Latin stoner’s («baked beans»? teehee). They have crazy ridiculous décor and weird signs both inside and out that have so many levels of wackiness it’s hard not to smile, then turn your head like a puppy trying to do math.
To this end, they have a menagerie of stereotypically tourist Mexican items thrown on the wall in a «please believe we are Mexican» kind of way. There are shiny sombreros, dia de los muertes skeletons, inflatable cactus’s, palm trees, xmas lights and large jars stuffed with chilies, and underneath the walls are desert scenes spray-​painted graffiti style in a very east LA fashion.
With some 70’s Chavela Vargas blaring in the background, I almost believed they were some neat little Mexican dive café, until I saw the owners were clearly not from there, and after I ate their franken-​spanglish food, realized they were obviously not raised there either… I’m sorry but what is a blanido or a redondo, and please don’t try and pass tater tots from a frozen bag off as «Latin». I understand that Filipino culture has a lot of commonalities with Latin and even some of the same tongue, but if you are going to riff on Mexican from a Filipino point of view, please don’t claim to be «authentic Mexican». I would never whip up sinigang or kare-​kare without massive research and sourcing of ingredients, and I would never claim to be authentic.
Another thing that itches up my panties, is there is so much glaring incongruity here. Their signs: «we are not fancy but friendly», «Sorry for the tiny airplane washroom», «everyone have a good day!» seems to suggest the owners and cooks are friendly and humble, yet their website and menu claim they make the best salsa and are the best authentic Mexican restaurant in Vancouver… Of course these claims are ridiculous when most of the food is not fresh, re-​microwaved («Chef Mic» as Gordon Ramsey says), and made from a can or jar (sorry Dona Maria).
My chicken enchilada with mole, had some good basics, in that it was stuffed to the brim with decent roasted chicken, the black beans were cooked like my abuelita does them, with stock, fat, and a little onion and the rice was not an afterthought. However, the mole sauce was jarred and poured, and everything was plopped on a plate and microwaved to complete hell. until it stuck hard to the plate. The guacamole was really just blended avocados, jalapenos and tomatoes, and while fresh, was bland. Why my hot entrée was topped with iceberg lettuce shavings and random raw cut vegetables, is still perplexing. Their lime slushy claims to be from fresh lime… sorry but anything that dark green and soilent is usually made of people.
*Just a heads up to the owners… your websites guestbook appears in need of a cleanup… its had a bit of hard trolling and spamming. I admit it caused me a few hearty chuckles.

To me, MexiCali is like a low-​budget film. It is just so bad, it’s good.
MexiCali could easily be featured on one of those Restaurant makeover shows on Food Network. The restaurant enjoys a tacky all season décor (Christmas dolls, Cinco de Mayo hats, plastic vines, palm trees wallpaper). They also cook most of their food items using a microwave…
But somehow, someway, it just works! MexiCali is one of my favourite places in Vancouver, because it is cheap, fast, and extremely delicious. I come here at least once a week, because I love it so much. For only $ 6 you can score yourself a beef redondo and a tray of mexi-​fries. Yes, it is NOT an authentic Mexican place, but should you care if real Mexicans call tater-​tots mexi-​fries when the stuff tastes like Magic?
«What’s in a name? that which we call a rose
By any other name would smell as sweet;»
MexiCali truly redefines my perspective on what 2 people and 2 microwave ovens can achieve.
When you do come to MexiCali, it’s best to order anything they suggest on the counter for the best deals. Don’t forget to ask for the house special lime slushy as well. That stuff is golden.

Great value for some really decent mexican.

Well, it was cheap, it was food and it did not make us sick.
We knew we were in trouble when we looked at the menu and saw all of these made up Spanish names for dishes — «Blanito» and «Redondo», and they referred to Mexican Rice as «converted rice colored with tomatoes and decorated with peas or corn». They even at attempt to pass off tater tots as «Mexifries». That should have been enough foreshadowing of what was to come, but forever the optimists we went ahead and ordered anyway.
In the end it is inconsequential what we actually ordered because the dishes had a few characteristics of Mexican food but could not be identified as such. The strawberry slushie I ordered was the meal highlight.
If you want something cheap, filling and tasting like something that might be served in an institutional cafeteria then this is the place for you.

Agreed… Mexicali serves up some pretty awful things and tries to pass them off as Mexican food but, for many of us, we just don’t go there for the quality of the food. The reason my review even exists, and isn’t a –5 for that matter, is that Mexicali was one of my high school staples and I still have a lot of absurdly fond memories of this place.
On another… where else can you find a chef attempting to pass of deep fried tater-​tots as Mexican food! Also, the quesadillas are 6 dollars worth of cheesy, fried goodness and will no doubt imbue you with a feeling of warmth, and happiness followed by a slight tingling in your left arm…
For food its a 1, for memories its a 3 and so I hand Mexicali a generous 2. ‘¡Olé!’

Okay. so let me start off by saying that Mexicali is NOT an authentic mexican place AT ALL. MEANING, its not the type of place you bring someone you want to impress or anything. This is a great place to take a group of friends to, for a quick and cheap bite to eat.
For the price you pay, the food is AMAZING. Its $ 6 for a chicken or beef quesdilla, «mexifries» (they are just tatter tots) and a drink. They have this lemonade type drink they serve thats reallly good (i highly recommend it). Their salsa is freshly made and is absolutely delicious. If you like hot sauce, then you’ll really like the one they serve there.
I agree with Kreag S.’ review of mexicali. If you found my review moderately helpful, then i would highly recommend reading his too because i’d say his hit the jackpot. =)

MY 100 review! WHOOT WHOOT!!!
Enter music from the macarena here…“Mexicali Mexicali Mexicali, HEY Mexicali”…you can feel free to do the dance moves as you sing! I don’t know why but this is what goes through my head when I think of Mexicali… it’s a good thing btw… it makes me so happy…
I thought I had discovered a hidden gem of a new spot to eat one day. but apparently Mexicali has been around for years and won many local awards. The restaurant is operated by one man… he greets you. takes your order. and then goes in the back and cooks it for you… how crazy is that! He does have help now every once and a while, which I was told may be his wife. The food is fairly authentic and VERY good! The salsa. ay dios mio. the salsa is so fantastic and fresh! I had the Chicken Enchilada which came with rice and a re-​fried beans. It was covered in cheese and a delicious sauce​.mmm​mmm​.so friggin’ yummy! Service was excellent and the food came in like 10 mins…
The prices are unbeatable. it was like $ 20 for 3 of us and we even had beverages. NOW. it’s good to point out these were not alcoholic beverages. why you ask, when beer is so good with Mexican food? Well you can’t order alcohol. they don’t offer it… which is kinda a downer for this booze hound. but it defiantly save us some cash on the bill!
Next time you need a some good eats for cheap. I suggest Mexicali!!! It’s apparently the hot spot for teens during the day so I suggest you for dinner!

WOOOOOOOHOOOOOOOOOOO! ariba! I luvs me some good mexican food… and trust me it’s hard to find good mexican food in Canada.
So on the recomendation of a friend I orderd the Relleno. um hey cathy is that what it’s called? anyways it’s a stuffed pepper… stuffed with mozzerlla cheeze. I KNOW… covered in egg batter and then deep fried… life does not get any better than this. sided with some refried beans and número uno salsa (according to Mexicali) and washed down with a virgin margarita.
So two final thots on this place:
1) there is no liquor licence so come prepaired that you won’t be downing a corona with your burrito.
2) are you sitting down for this… three people ate 3 huge meals and bevies… for only …23 smackers… wooooohoooooo! a bargain for sure!