Our experience started as we hopped in an Uber on a rainy Saturday afternoon on our way to Casa Mexico, a restaurant located about 20 minutes out of downtown nestled in, of course, a strip mall.

As we got into the Uber, the driver commented, “Casa Mexico? I was there just last night!” He proceeded to give some recommendations of his favourites on the menu. By the time we arrived at Casa Mexico our expectations were high, and our mouths were watering.

As we walked in, we were greeted by a bright, cheery, and bustling restaurant with an open kitchen where you could see cooks busy preparing dished for the sizeable crowd that had gathered. The walls were painted with bold and colourful murals, the tables covered with patterned table clothes and brightly coloured flags hanging from the ceiling. A little cantina was in the corner pumping out margaritas and other delicious looking drinks.

The staff were cheerful and eager to offer suggestions: the quesabirrias and their taco bowl were their most popular dishes. (Quesabirrias also happenened to the be the Uber driver’s recommendation.)

For those with dietary restrictions—vegans, vegetarians, or gluten free—you will find lots of clearly marked options to choose from.

We started off with fresh chips and guacamole. We then moved onto quesebirrias, tacos dorados, mole tamales, two small tacos, and vegan entomatadas. We ordered one margarita and two micheladas—both delicious.

Highlights included the broth that came with the quesabirrias. What’s not to love about cheesy, crispy, meat stuffed tacos dipped in a mouth-watering broth? It was salty, flavourful, and quite literally good enough to eat with a spoon, which we did. The mole tamales received rave reviews. The tacos dorados, while not as flavourful, had a delicious crunchy texture and tasted quite good when mixed with the beans and rice. The vegan entomatadas were not so much of a hit.

The meals could have benefited from a little bit more flavour and a little bit less salt.

Overall, our order came to just shy of $200 for four people – quite steep compared to some of the other strip mall gems we’ve discovered.

All considered, Casa Mexico receives 3/5 stars.