Alimentaria Mexicana — Restaurant in Vancouver

On July 1st, Alimentaria Mexicana opened at Granville Island with a very interesting concept that we will see evolving over time. Right now, the soft opening of their restaurant section includes a few dishes, essentially appetizers, designed to be shared. Is this "traditional" Mexican food? No, but the flavours and textures will bring you close to it. Ordered a round of Negra Modelo beers, with a few other options available, and then we started with cucumbers marinated in key lime juice and sprinkled with Tajin (look for it wherever they sell Mexican food products), fresh, tart, spicy, so good! Followed this with 3 of the menu items, the first, Halloumi & Grilled Cactus. The green nopal leaves cooked in a green salsa and topped with semi-melted halloumi cheese, chunky and rich. Alongside, came the Sopes with Bone Marrow, a rich delicacy! Scoop the bone marrow out and spread it over the bed of beans topping the sope, add a little gremolata, and you are in a high place... Lastly, a Mushroom Birria, not the Mexican version that involves lamb or goat in a spicy soup base, but a mix of 3 different mushrooms spiced up and in a salsa made with several kinds of chiles, flavourful not hot. Corn tortillas come, so make your own tacos with them! (Corn, please. Not flour!). For dessert, Churros con Cajeta, the sweet that ends a great meal. Very tasty food, a table in their open area right across from the market, a sunny day in Vancouver... perfect combination, bring good friends and enjoy the end of the pandemic (sigh!)... Service was super friendly and diligent, making sure we felt welcome! As mentioned, this is their soft opening, looking forward to visit again, specially when their full menu is introduced. On a side note, eventually Alimentaria Mexicana will include a store where you'll be able to buy Mexican ingredients, and freshly made corn tortillas! Worth the trip to Granville Island, definitively...

This Mexican Cantina is so dope! We visited whilst in Granville Island when celebrating the Dia de los Muertos festival and spontaneously stumbled across this absolute gem of a grubbery. The most special and exciting place going on in Granville Island for sure. All the food is crazy fresh tasting, mega flavorsome and bursting with exciting spices and aromas whilst also under super speedy and efficient service which is very impressive. A true home cooking style kitchen offering delicious home-eats style Mexican sharing dishes that are incredibly yummy. We were also extremely lucky that most of the dishes are in fact vegetarian and a perfect coincidence. Meat eaters must try this place also. They have the ability to turn simple concepts and ideas into extremely bold and exciting flavors with great tasting food that is cooked to perfection. From the tortilla chips to the churros, all tastes and looks completely homemade and therefore natural wholesome ingredients. The presentation was also on point and really elevates the entire visit. I also loved the huge helping of Guacamole which was super good! We got three dishes to share between two people which was enough. No kidding, we went back later on in the evening to tackle the mouthwatering homemade churros and legit ordered a second portion after our initial first bite! SUPER YUM!!! I'm also a big spice and hot sauce head so totally digged their homemade relishes and dips which were a perfect refreshing combo with all the food. We cannot wait to visit again and bring our friends. The place itself is super cute, very authentic and a great vibe. We sat outside on a crisp evening under night lights and patio heaters which was a beautiful and cosy experience. Support...

This restaurant recently opened back in July 2021. In fact, as of this review, they are still in soft opening mode. This means their menu is still in flux and their food selection limited. The vibe of the place is lively and inviting with upbeat music and simple but tastefully decorated surroundings. They have a good table reservation system where they can call or text you when your table is ready. That was handy for me as there was a 30 minute wait when I got there. It allowed me to walk around the nearby shops while waiting.

Food-wise, this is where Alimentaria tries to set themselves apart from other Mexican restaurants in Vancouver. A word of warning: if you are looking for typical traditional Mexican food, this is not the place for you. Also, if you are expecting typical generous-sized portions such as when you get at many Mexican restaurants in the U.S., you will be disappointed.

AM is more about the finer side of Mexican food. They craft specialty modern dishes up that you don't find at other places. Like many restaurants that serve fancier foods, the portions are small compared to what one might expect (think tapas or appy-sized but entree priced). You might not expect that given the casual look and feel of the place. With that in mind, I was pleasantly surprised by the quality of the food. I tried the bone marrow and the mushroom dishes. Both were layered with flavors and done up well. The presentation of the food was simple but well executed.

Pros: Nice casual atmosphere, tasty food that you can't really find elsewhere

Cons: Don't expect to get full if you're hungry or have a big appetite unless you are prepared to order more than one entree and spend a lot. Entrees run...