Jaime’s Restaurant & Taqueria — Restaurant in Vancouver

Well ya gotta love the menus, both the one on the wall and the one at the front desk! Either prices are going up so fast that they can't keep up or it's actually a game show and I was supposed to guess the prices. Both menus had the prices covered in tape. I suppose I could have asked, but the server also could have offered. It's just a little weird, as if they are trying to be like one one them fancy french places where they they don't print the prices, because if you have to ask, you can't afford it.

Well I had the Diabla de Camarones, because if a place has that, I'm going to try it. I just can't get the image out of my head of lots of little shrimpy devils dancing around and stabbing people with their little pitchforks. And the burning brimstone, I love the idea of burning brimstone.

There was a tiny bit of confusion, I thought I ordered both tortillas and chips, but evidently I only ordered chips, although I would never know since they don't list prices. Anyway I dug my chip into the refried beans like a gold miner scooping into a sandy river looking for gold and got exactly what most gold miners get... blah. The beans seemed to have no particular taste. I have never understood why places like this don't bother to season the beans. Maybe they are a garnish and are not really meant to be eaten.

Then I venture into the Camarones which are just fine and save this review from residing in the low numbers. Good solid bite, not too hot, but enough that my nose ran like a leaky shower at the YMCA. If it don't run, then they ain't done. This also saved the flavorless beans because I could mix the two and still find a happy place once the devilish little crustaceans were gone. Here I will add that it is always a sad moment when those bottom feeding bundles of delight are down to the last one and you are confronted with the red sea of sauce.

The place feels spacious. More open than any other Mexican place I've been to in years. That's nice, particularly nowadays when eating and sitting too close to other guests feels like my Covid habits are being violated. It's like my personal bubble has expanded like a puffer fish and all my spikes are sticking out, so having a little space is great, plus people can't hear me snarfling my food down. Besides all that, it's a nice environment and they seem to be making an effort, which I appreciate. There are other Mexican places where I like the food better, even without the ambiance, but it's not bad and I'll give it another shot at some point and see if I can bump the rating up a notch. Maybe by that time they will have changed the menu so I can see the prices before...

Bathrooms had no soap or paper towels which indicates that people are not washing their hands when they use the facilities...

Front of house tried to explain that it was because she is a woman that she did not know there were no paper towels or soap in the bathroom... also said that someone had gone to the store... hrmmm but you did not know there was a problem prior to this conversation so how do you know someone is going to the store to solve it? She then told someone in Spanish they needed soap and paper towels in the bathroom... nice move.

My shrimp was translucent (undercooked) and I was given a refund... but I was not offered a refund after telling them about the problem... they also seemed confused what the problem was... telling me that the shrimp are raw before they are cooked... I expressed concern over them being raw on my plate... usually an indication the shrimp is cooked from frozen and not long enough... just long enough to change their color on the outside...

My food came out a few minutes after my son's quesadilla ... I was fine waiting... I would have waited longer for properly cooked food. It was cooked and served with mushrooms which made it difficult to tell they were undercooked by texture. They were also smothered in a very tasty red sauce... further obscuring the raw nature of the shellfish... after I had an obviously problematic bite I cut open the rest of the shrimp and they were raw inside... I got nauseous and asked for a bunch of water... didn't help and I had to go to the restroom where I discovered the soap and paper towel problem...

I wasn't going to ask for a refund until that point...

I wasn't going to leave a review until the front of house tried to convince me that it wasn't a problem or that she couldn't possibly have been aware of it because she...

" A surprisingly charming dining experience"

After entering you arrive in the center of the dining room with the counter right in front of you. Above the counter you'll find the menu hanging from the ceiling with a wide variety of items. One thing about the menu that jumped out at me is - where are the prices??!

The two women at the counter greeted me promptly, with big smiles and I could feel the genuine warmth. Also at the counter is a tortilla making station. It's behind plexiglass and the elder of the two women was skillfully making them fresh right there! I found this very charming.

After placing my order (carne asada nachos) I was instructed to find a seat and that they'd bring the food to me. I took my number and found a booth.

After about 10 minutes or so the nachos arrived. The presentation was top notch as the entree looked great and my hot sauces even arrived on a plank of wood, which added a bit of novelty.

The meat was perfectly seasoned, the refried beans were awesome and the variety of cheeses really made it come to life. The meat could've been more tender but I enjoyed it nonetheless.

Only demerits are the lack of pricing on the menu. Although I found it confusing and frustrating, others might find it out and out insulting or view it as an attempt to deceive their customers. Additionally I would've preferred the music volume to be much lower. This was approaching night club levels instead of something in the back ground.

All in all I look forward to returning to explore other menu items and hopefully some of the items mentioned above will...