El Guapo - Mexican Restaurant Vancouver — Restaurant in Vancouver

This is a difficult review to write as I have been wanting to try El Guapo for some time. The food and drinks were average. The service, though, was appalling. Besides how it long it took for the server to take our orders and how she was not friendly, the server’s lack of understanding of the menu was the biggest issue. I told her about my gluten allergy right away, and she immediately said that everything was cross-contaminated due to the fryer and that she didn’t know if anything was gluten-free (despite the several non-fried items listed as gluten-free on the menu). She checked eventually and I thought all was well. When we were paying our bills, I noticed that the server had charged us full price for an appetizer that we ordered during happy hour. Instead of apologizing and fixing the error, the server was first certain that we ordered the food after happy hour, until we explained that we ordered it when she had come around for last call. By then, however, my friend had already paid. The server said “well it’s too late for this bill because it’s been paid already.” Honestly, what kind of response is that? She made an error and instead of promptly fixing it, she made it sound like nothing could be done to resolve the issue. When my adjusted bill came, I noticed that I was still paying more than the happy hour price and so I notified her. She told me that the dish cost $15, so we had to correct her to say that the dish actually cost $12, as per their menu. The server sounded irritated with us for voicing our concerns and she blamed it on her manager for the calculation error. I paid the corrected bill, and we got out as fast as we could. Thank goodness I did not book this restaurant for my birthday group dinner. I love tacos, but it’s not worth the risk of giving El Guapo...

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ 6/5 Stars — El Guapo: The Restaurant That Could Probably Fix Your Whole Life

If happiness had an address in Vancouver, it would be El Guapo. This place isn’t just dinner — it’s an event, a full-blown flavor explosion that’ll have you questioning every sad takeout meal you’ve ever eaten.

The vibe? Effortlessly cool. It’s got that “I could stay here all night” energy — dim lights, upbeat music, and a crowd that looks like they’re all having a slightly better time than you (until your food arrives, then you win).

And let’s talk about the food. Every dish comes out looking like it was styled for a Netflix cooking show. The tacos are small miracles — juicy, perfectly balanced, and somehow gone within seconds. The guacamole? Silky, fresh, and probably capable of solving minor emotional crises. The portions hit that beautiful balance between “wow, that’s generous” and “I could still totally justify dessert.”

Then there are the cocktails. The margaritas don’t just slap — they salsa. The bartender clearly practices mixology like a sacred art form, because every sip tastes like the first day of vacation. The spicy margarita, in particular, deserves its own national holiday.

The staff are pros — genuinely friendly, fast, and somehow always there right when you’re about to think, “Should we get another round?” They read minds, refill glasses, and make you feel like a VIP even if you’re just there for happy hour nachos.

By the end of the night, you’ll be planning your next visit, texting your friends, and quietly wondering if El Guapo is hiring because you kind of never want to leave.

Verdict: El Guapo isn’t just a restaurant — it’s a good time factory disguised as one. The food hits, the drinks dance, and for a few glorious hours, you’ll swear you’re living your best...

We have been here plenty of times pre-pandemic and during and there has never been a time when we were told about a 2 hr limit. All of a sudden, tonight is the night they decided to implement the 2 hr limit out of the blue. The waitress/host telling us this was very rude in communicating the message with us and asked us to leave even though we had just ordered another round of drinks. I get it if demand is too much and you need to shuffle as many people as possible but if you don't tell your patrons in advance, then on a whim you just ask people to leave. It's just rude and uncivilized. From here we just went to a neighbouring establishment and spent another $95 within the 1st hr so you are willing to lose $152 per table just to make $50-$80 per table per hr? Yeah! That makes a lot of sense!!! It seems that this random 2hr limit is implemented based on the owners mood and it doesn't seem to be consistent with their brand/vibe either! You never know what you'll get each time you're there!

I would be remiss, if I didn't point out that El Guapo has wonderful staff and managers. The owners on the other hand seem to have a Jekyll & Hyde and hide complex.

For example: This is a latin fusion restaurant that never plays any latin music but instead you'll hear country music and...