Baby Salsa Mexican Restaurant — Restaurant in Nanaimo

Friday, who feels like cooking on a Friday? Nobody! Thus, Mexican.

Having tried and enjoyed the other Mexican restaurant in town, we decided to hit up Baby Salsa.

It's not a big place, and there was only a few empty tables when we arrived mid evening. They also have a pet friendly patio, but it was a little cool for that kind of thing.

You're started off with house made chips and salsa, and it's a great kickoff. The chips are freakin huge (a testament to them being made in house) and the salsa ranchera has a great, deep smoky flavour. I'd eat my way out of a room full of it for sure. (Note: if you're cilantro sensitive, my partner did notice heavy overtones.)

We also got a side of guacamole to go with the chips, and it was pretty average guac, all told, and I did find a big chunk of underripe avocado. It's a decent size order at 4 oz, though.

I had the pork enchiladas with salsa Verde, rice, and refried beans, and all of it was terrific. The helping is substantial and I didn't leave the table hungry. The pork is super moist and tender, and the enchiladas themselves are smothered in the salsa Verde, sour cream and queso fresco. The salsa has some good heat but it's not obnoxious. It definitely creeps up on you over time.

The refried beans are fantastic and I wish I had more of them.

The rice is pretty average rice, but has a bit of spice, and wasnt dry at all.

My partner had a Diablo shrimp taco, and a chicken paseo taco with black beans and rice on the side.

The chicken taco was good and had a milder salsa on it. The chicken was moist and tasty.

The Diablo makes itself known. It's a very basic hot sauce with not a lot of distraction from the heat, but you can still enjoy the shrimp (or protein of your choice.)

Both tacos had a few too many raw onions, but they fall off easy.

The black beans manage to be almost as tasty as the refried (but not quite.)

Near defeated, in the interest of a full experience, we ordered the dessert sampler of Churros, sopapillas, and the lime tart (ignoring the flan and the rice pudding, because clearly they're inferior.)

Boy howdy, they were all fantastic. The Churros are to die for and I might come back just for some of those. So sugary and great. The sopapillas are nice and crispy and combine well with the ice cream (a standard vanilla). The lime tart is a great mix up from the sugar of the first two, but stands well on its own merits.

Full near bursting, I can unequivocally say we'll be back to Baby Salsa before long. If you see a big guy eating what appears to be his body weight in churros, say hi, it's probably me.

Two entrees, two sodas (fountain, free refills) and dessert came to...

Baby Salsa is the real deal for authentic Mexican cuisine on Vancouver Island and my go to place in Nanaimo. They start you off with taco chips and salsa. They make their own salsa prior to serving, which is evident by the bright flavours and fresh cilantro throughout the delectable mix. The taco chips are large, thick, warm and are downright fun to break apart for scooping up their yummy salsa. Their fish tacos are wonderful, as are their sizable burritos. I finally tried their Carne Asada. It was by far the best I've ever enjoyed. The skirt steak was marinated and cooked to perfection, and was incredibly tender. Add the Chipotle sauce and cheese. It is so worth it. Baby Salsa's Carne Asada is a very large meal that comes with a bright, tangy Ceasar salad, several hot tortillas, Mexican rice and refried beans served on a a crispy taco shell. It was a thoroughly amazing combo that proved to be enough for two meals and their side dishes are really tasty as well. If you enjoy more heat, ask for their homemade habanero sauce. It is yummy and packs a considerable punch. Their salsa and habanaro sauces are also available for purchasing to take home as well. They also have beer on tap and a wide selection of bottled sodas... Guava is so yummy and refreshing. To wrap it up, their service is friendly and prompt. It was insanely busy our last time there, yet all our drinks and meals arrived quickly. Five huge stars, very deservedly won by this wonderful restaurant and staff.

Update: We came here again on the Sunday before Thanksgiving Monday in October 2016. They were taking the next couple of days off for Thanksgiving holidays and were subsequently short of a few items. The only reason I bring this fact up is to illustrate the formidable talents of their chef, who upgraded several items in our meals, much to our delight. I pre-ordered Carne Asada, which I highly recommend doing, as it requires significant marinating to give it it's rich smoky flavour. They had run out of romaine lettuce, so the chef whipped up an alternative salad with spring greens, cherry tomatoes, avocado, black beans and an agave aioli dressing which was particularly delicious. So much so, I hope it becomes a regular menu item. We had excellent Mexican and Tex-Mex places back in Ottawa, but I have found Baby Salsa to be one of the finest and authentic Mexican restaurants I've ever been to. The owner, staff and chefs are all wonderful people too! This is one of the few Nanaimo restaurants I need to get my regular fix at....

My husband went in and received a dirty look when he picked up the order and didn't leave a tip. A few weeks order I went in and got the same dirty look when I did not tip on a takeout order. I also informed them that I was no greeted when I walked through the door. - And that one of the items I ordered that night was not good. This was the reply I got

Hi Kendra, I spoke to the staff who worked yesterday and they immediately remembered your to-go order. The waitress who served you even remembered your name just buy the items that were included in your to-go order and remembered saying hello and asking you if you had a to-go order for Kendra ( before I had a chance to say your name). Maybe as you walked in the door you didn't hear the greeting but generally these girls are very much committed to good service which includes greeting everybody who comes in the door. As far as the dirty look that you perceived upon not giving a tip on a to-go order believe me when I say that the front staff is far more professional than that ... we receive many takeout orders in a day and there is no expectation in terms of tipping. Ronda is the server who took care of you and she does admit to feeling frustrated with the kitchen yesterday as we were training a new member of the cooking team. She feels that possibly her expression was less than cheerful and apologizes if you took it as something directed towards you. As far as the deconstructed oyster tacos go, we have had them on the menu for going on 8 years and I have no plans of removing them. They might not be the best choice in terms of a takeout item so in the future if you wanted to give them another try probably would be best eaten in house. As always I appreciate feedback and it is really the only way that we can have a chance to respond to and improve on our service and our product. Sincerely, Dianne Babyak

So, If you have an issue with the store or how they treat you there is no reason to contact the person who responds to these issues. - You'll be told your nothing more than a liar. The burritos are amazing. I won't be back due to 2x the treatment. And the...