Casa Colima — Restaurant in Vancouver

Walking into Casa Comal, I wasn’t sure if I’d stumbled into a fever dream or a United Nations recruitment office. A Ukrainian hostess greeted us at the door, smiling politely, and for a split second I wondered if we’d made a tragic culinary error. But then bam! Our Oaxacan waiter appeared, grinning like an old friend, and suddenly we were in the hands of a man who knew exactly what he was doing. When he rolled up with the avocados and crushed them tableside into guacamole so fresh it practically vibrated, I knew this wasn’t dinner, it was salvation.

Strip mall Mexican food should be a portal. You walk past the nail salon, the vape shop, and suddenly you’re sucked into a wormhole that spits you out somewhere south of Oaxaca, mezcal in hand, mariachi echoing in your skull. Casa Comal nails that trick. The walls are ablaze with brilliant decorations and intricate wood carvings, half shrine, half travel vision and the food arrives on sizzling hot plates like artillery fire, portions massive enough to stun a small horse.

And the taste? Authentic, unapologetic, dangerous. The kind of food that reminds you life’s too short for bland burritos and microwaved queso. This is border hopping, time warping cuisine, delivered with zeal and a wink.

Camas doesn’t know how lucky it is. Casa Comal isn’t just a restaurant it’s a shrine lined with lime wedges and jalapeños, a culinary rift in the strip mall space time continuum....

Extremely disappointed. I ordered a deluxe burrito at 7 pm today through door dash. the restaurant closes at 8:30 pm according to their website. within a couple minutes of placing order i received a text confirming that casa colima received my order. i have eaten here weekly since they opened. 8:25 pm rolls around, still no word when or if my food was picked up to be delivered. about 8:28 rolls around and i receive a text saying the dasher won't be able to make it to the restaurant to pick up my food until 8:50+... they close at 8:30. I'm diabetic and by this time my blood sugar is starting to crash. I tried to call the restaurant (before 8:30) to see what was going on. no answer, went to voicemail. tried calling and going to chat with door dash, and nothing either... my blood sugar crashed out and the only sugar i had available was from a soda. this adversely affected my health and it could have been much worse. if you cannot fulfill an order in a reasonable amount of time then you need to say so. i would give 0 stars, but cannot post this without selecting at least 1. if you're diabetic or other health issues, i would recommend passing on door dash and casa colima..... also, since using door dash, casa colima always leaves something out of the order. ...

Solid neighborhood Mexican restaurant in a strip mall. Food is very good. The steak fajitas are great. During happy hour you can order three tacos for $10. They're very small but it's a decent value. The staff are super helpful.

Drinks: The only sweet vermouth is Lejon and even worse it is not refrigerated. Stick to margaritas, but they're pricey...and sour. I like them at Los Portillos much better and for a lot less $$. Having said that, the chow at Casa Colima is better.

PRO TIP: They use a mix brand called "Old Recipe" which is vert tart. Quality control your margarita to not be as sour. by ordering a Cadillac. A proper Cadillac has a shot of Grand Mariner added. But being made in France, a 750 ml bottle retail is currently $38. Casa Colima uses a cheap substitute. The mix is so sour that a shot of the orange liqueur is too small to compensate. So have the bartender give you a shot of triple sec as well. This will make it more balanced.

There's no mention of it on their website and I wasn't able to find any photos of the happy hour menu. So I photographed the elusive, mythological menu and added it here. PRO TIP: If you like spicy ask for their habanero sauce. Ample parking in the strip mall. -VanPort...