Miguel's Mexican Food — Restaurant in Vancouver

Like the mysterious ghost ship this place has haunted NE Saint Johns Rd for 13 years. Always on the verge of opening, sitting there by the roadside, tempting passersby with tacos and mystery! As if frozen in time! Always in the middle of renovation, but never open! And then suddenly! I drive by and my very universe shifts! Reality moves! I almost drove off the road! Miguel’s is finally open!!! And the community has been waiting 13 years like a finger on a hair trigger and they are ready! Like the prodigal son returning to open arms. The place is slammed! The waitress tells me she worked here when she was 15. She’s 30 now! And she’s happy to be back, it’s that kind of place. It’s the kind of place that plugs right back into the community like it never left.

And the food’s fine, nothing fancy, plenty of it. Not too expensive, the kitchen is clean. The staff is nice. I can stop on the way home. It’s unpretentious. It’s the neighborhood place. You recognize the faces, even if you’ve...

Okay… a few ‘Karen’s” out with their mom working at Taco Bell… don’t pay any attention to them… yes, this is a casual, freshly remodeled, icon in Vancouver… this amazing restaurant is run by the original family that has run it for years… REALLY, REALLY, REALLY nice people… yes, they just reopened and they are getting settled in but… if you like honest, real Mexican food, friendly people and if you want to be part of history and share in this legacy go there… AND… if you have never had their encha-aya… you gotta go there… they are the only ones that make it, the recipe goes back 70 years… if you are tired of the sameo sameo… order this! To all you haters out there don’t go here go to Jorge’s or Who Songs or Taco Bell… to the rest you give ‘em a try, order the “encha” and enjoy… tell ‘em...

Back in the day, before the fire closed them for decades, Miguel's was a local institution. We'd sneak off campus at lunch for the glorious tacos, burritos and tostada's. I'll chalk up my memories to an unsophisticated palate. Their service has always been top notch and the staff is inviting. Unfortunately, the food itself no longer holds up to the taste test of my youth. I found the sauces and beans to be bland. The ground beef was mildly seasoned with very few onions included. The enchilada's didn't have much filling. For the $16+ I spent on the enchilada plate, I could have gotten almost twice the food with triple the flavor from any taco truck in town. I wish Miguel's a fruitful future as they are wonderful people keeping their family tradition alive, it just won't be due to...