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    Caifan Tacos Bar

    4.6 (22 reviews)
    ModerateMexican
    Closed 6:00 pm - 2:00 am (Next day)

    Caifan Tacos Bar Photos

    CAIFAN TACOS BAR ATMOSPHERE

    What's the vibe?
    Casual
    Quiet
    Good for groups
    Good for kids

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    Justine S.

    I really really liked it here. The food was great and the staff was beyond friendly. I got the special of the day: Quesadillas de pastor and it was so good. All the flavours (guacamole, meat, and cheese) paired so well together. It was heaven in my mouth. The waitress was also kind enough to explain everything to me. The menu has a lot of delicacies I was not accustomed to. I always feel like I'm bothering the waitress when I ask too many questions about the menu but she didn't mind at all and made sure I was satisfied with my decision. I would definitely come back. It was great! Thanks to Aron for taking me there!

    Risa D.

    New biz alert! Sweet, super friendly new spot on Beaubien, right next to Cafe Odessa, opened two nights ago. We went down to check it out last night and it was already bumping but they grabbed us the last table for 4 in this tiny spot. Drinks: Paloma and Margarita were delicious and strong, loved the rim on the Paloma. The water of the day was a hibiscus infusion and my friend who hadn't liked hibiscus in the past was totally won over by it. The daily waters are super flavourful and refreshing and less sugary than a pop or juice - a big glass at $2, awesome idea. Eats: I loved the jalapeno pepper app stuffed with bacon and sausage and deep fried. It was too spicy for some at the table, but super delicious for meeee, like what a jalapeno popper dreams of being when it grows up. I also loved the cactus salad, bright and fresh with salty Mexican cheese and tomatoes, super good. Our mains all were well received - I had the tortas of the day which were piled with chicken, cheese and sour cream and a red sauce. The service is wonderful, so warm and funny and friendly and excited to share authentic Mexican food and culture. When they found out we were neighbours they brought us shots of tequila, a kindly gesture for sure, and effective in putting the goofy grins over the top. The room is already warm, tasteful, cool fun vibes, and I think it will continue to get better - I think the lighting could be a little less harsh and that would go a long way. All in all, so happy to have these sweet folks in the hood and I can't wait to eat there all the time!

    The outside
    Aron G.

    I went to Caifan last night after reading Risa's review, and I had a wonderful time! Owner Leonardo explained that "Caifan" is a Spanglish term that originated from the phrase "me cae bien" turning into "me cae fine", and eventually becoming "me caifan", this meaning "I like him" (or similar). It now has a variety of meanings. Here's a tweet showing the progression, ""Caifanes" proviene del spanglish "cae fine" (él me cae bien=me cae fine=me caifán) #MeCaeQue no sabía! #FelizMartes" (https://twitter.com/alfredoestrella/status/600644157044985857). Caifan doesn't have a large variety of vegetarian offerings, but luckily I was able to find a few menu items that really hit the spot. I started my meal in reverse, to a degree, opening with a main - Mexican Mushroom Tacos, with a cup of mild hot sauce. I love mushrooms, so I enjoyed this dish. The tacos were tasty, and accurate, for lack of a better descriptor. I also tried the "eau du jour", a hibiscus flower and mint drink in a very tall glass (:D), which I found to be very tasty, and a nice blend of flavours. I was still hungry after the tacos, so I looked over the menu with Leonardo, and decided to try the Sope entrée - oh my god, it was delicious!!!!! I recently had a sope plate at another establishment, which unfortunately was very disappointing, so I was apprehensive about trying this here, but boy am I glad I did! The sope is a thick tortilla covered in black bean purée, queso blanco, sour cream, lettuce, coriander, a fried egg sunny side up, and chltepe pepper sauce. Wow! The first thing I noticed was that the dish was beautiful, I tried a few different photo angles to best capture it. Traditionally eaten by hand, I opted instead to use cutlery (because I'm just a mess otherwise). I was delighted to find that as well as visually pleasing, the dish was just amazingly delicious! The black bean purée was rich and creamy and tasty, the sour cream was just the right amount of sour, the chltepe pepper sauce gave a slight spicy tinge that enhanced the taste without masking it, the egg fried to perfection with a delicious runny yoke, and CHEESE!? It's like they entered my brain and came up with all kinds of things I love, then put together the disparate pieces in a way I had never thought of before! I know I'm gushing a bit here, but you really need to try this! It was so good I ordered a second one, and was tempted to get a third! I was invited to try the Mexican drink Mezcal, which I had never had before. Mezcal is Tequila's older brother, also made from agave, but NOT the blue agave which is exclusively for tequila. According to Wikipedia, "The word mezcal comes from Nahuatl "mexcalli", "metl", and "ixcalli", which means "oven-cooked agave"". Mezcal is made by oven cooking the heart of the agave plant, called the piña, which gives it a smoky flavour. Mezcal bottles often have a Mezcal worm inside, and the drink is traditionally sipped ("kissed"), after which one takes a bite of an orange slice dusted "with a mixture of ground fried larvae, ground chili peppers, and salt called "sal de gusano", which literally translates as "worm salt"." (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mezcal#Drinking) You know dessert is the most important part of my meal, so here it is: I started with the cheesecake, which was very fine in itself, but the standout aspect was the sauce. Made of blackberries and Chile de árbol (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chile_de_%C3%A1rbol), it was sweet and not tart like I would expect a blackberry to be, and had hints of nutmeg and cloves - excellent! One is never enough, so I asked if there were any other dessert options. Leonardo offered up the Mexican flan, which he described as more subtle than regular flan, and with a vanlla taste. Flan is not usually my favourite thing, but this one really hit the spot. It reminded me of pudding, but still had a characteristic flan feel, with a smooth vanilla taste and hints of cinnamon and caramel. Not overstated at all, and just a really well made offering. Bonus points for a great selection of music, I got to hear a lot of Cypress Hill's "Los grandes éxitos en español", and for the kitchen staying open until midnight (and sometime past) on weeknights!!!! If you can't tell already, I really enjoyed my evening at Caifan, and I can't wait to go back, it's that good, and you should definitely try it!

    Lengua and Barbacoa Beef Tacos

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    2 years ago

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    7 years ago

    By far the best Taco place in the city everything was to die for. Great service and nice ambiance...

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    Le Petit Mexico - Bar interior

    Le Petit Mexico

    4.0(1 review)
    1.7 kmVille-Marie

    Very vibey place if you're looking for a night out with your friends. The house dj is great and…read moreplays tons of different music from r&b to hip-hop to reggaeton to reggae and afrobeat. The music has something for everyone. The inside is a little small so it gets packed fast but there is also outdoor seating. Their speciality seems to be the margarita but i've had better (mine was too limey which i hate so it made them okay) My friend really enjoyed her flavored one so it's prob best to opt for one with a flavor. The margs are prices at $15 a class and then you can get liters/pitchers if you're in that kind of mood. They have a huuuge mezcal and tequila selection & wide range of beers on tap to choose from. Happy i found a decent bar for the next time i'm in Montréal!

    From the owner: Le Petit Mexico est un bar à thématique mexicaine avec comme cocktail phare la margarita classique…read moreou frappée déclinée en 6 saveurs différentes. Le bar offre également une selection de Tequila importée à découvrir ainsi que du Mezcal. Il fait parti du regroupement des Petits MTL, qui inclus le Petit Cuba et le Petit Moscou. Le Petit Mexico is a mexican themed bar with a star cocktail : Margaritas. It is served either shacked or slushed and in 6 different flavor. It is part of the group of bar les Petits MTL and its sister bars are Le Petit Cuba and Le Petit Moscou.

    Photos
    Le Petit Mexico - Tequila shots

    Tequila shots

    Le Petit Mexico - Pitcher of classic margarita

    Pitcher of classic margarita

    Le Petit Mexico - Margaritas

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    Margaritas

    Tacos Victor - Nachos. Pork topping was half hot, half cold and absolutely awful.

    Tacos Victor

    3.8(5 reviews)
    1.9 kmVille-Marie

    We ordered the taco box and while they were not the best tacos we've ever had, you can't beat 12…read moretacos for $35. We got the steak, chicken, and pastor tacos. The steak tacos were pretty good but some of the steak was pretty tough. The chicken tacos were great and probably the best seasoned of the three. The pork tacos were good and the pineapple offered a good contrast. They gave a large bowl of guacamole on the side which was really good and made all the tacos a lot better. They also put fries on top of the tacos, which was a fun addition but ultimately made all the tacos taste too similar. Usually different taco flavours have red onion or cabbage or diced tomatoes as a garnish, but in this case they were just topped with fries so there wasn't enough flavour distinction and all the tacos taste the same after a while. Despite that, you really can't beat the value offered by the taco box so we would certainly be tempted to buy it again when we're craving tacos.

    Some of the worst nachos I have ever had. Pork topping was deep fried and half were hot and the…read moreother very cold. The server saw we didn't eat them and did not even bother to ask why or show any concern when she took the uneaten plate away and brought the bill. Sangria was equally bad. Way too sweet, probably from soda being added. This review really deserves one star, but the salsa selection was good, so I'll throw a star in for that. This meal was so bad we actually went to another Mexican restaurant to try and erase the experience. See my review of Lakalaka located on the other end of St Denis. It is worth the trip compared to what you will get here.

    Photos
    Tacos Victor - Pina Colada (virgin) - so yummy!

    Pina Colada (virgin) - so yummy!

    Tacos Victor - Mojito (virgin)

    Mojito (virgin)

    Tacos Victor - Menu

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    Menu

    La Toxica

    La Toxica

    3.8(5 reviews)
    2.5 kmVille-Marie

    The second location to the popular Villeray restaurant. It's still fairly under the radar so no…read moreproblem to get a table which is great on their $25 all you can eat tacos on Tuesdays and Wednesdays. You have a choice of 5 different tacos for the AYCE menu ( carnitas, steak, pastor, chorizo, and veggie). My favourites were the steak, carnitas, and pastor. You get two sauces on the side and every taco is garnished with onions and coriander with a lime wedge for each taco you order. They are so good and bite sized, my friends and I had 13-15 tacos each and we were so full by the end but so content. For all you can eat it is a great deal. The service is also very fast which is good because they keep the tacos coming. I've also been during non AYCE days and have tried the burrito (huge and flavourful and filling), and the chips and guac (good!), and the steak quesadilla (one of my favourites! so gooey and cheesy). I recommend also getting the hojicha drink! It's milky and refreshing. You can't go wrong with this place. Everything on the menu is good and staff is really friendly. The space is also very big and there's a good variety of tables and booths. Has lots of decorations on the walls and theme music playing.

    Joile resto festif et tres colorée. Idéal pour fêter. La déco est super !…read moreLes Tacos s'achète a coup de 2 ou 4 et ils sont execellent. J'ai eu la chznce de goûter au Birria poulet et au carnitas, ils sont très savoureux et il sont venu avec un bouillon dans un bol et si ont veux. Accompagné de lime et 2 sortes de salsa. J'ai aussi gouté su El Pastor ils ont leur style. Le menu offrent beaucoup d'autres plats je vais revenir cest sûre. Cest une place tres grande il y a beaucoup d'espace idéal pour des groupes.

    Photos
    La Toxica - Pretty authentic

    Pretty authentic

    La Toxica
    La Toxica - Le bar

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    Le bar

    Escondite

    Escondite

    4.1(273 reviews)
    2.7 kmVille-Marie
    $$

    This review is a bit tough to rate. I would give 4 stars for the food, but 3 or less for service…read moreand the restaurant feels a bit rundown. We were in Montreal for several days and decided to go casual on our anniversary and we were craving Mexican food. We made a reservation as the place is crazy busy. We arrived, had to wait a few minutes before we were seated. The hostess looked up our reservation and seated us without saying anything to us. We took our seats and looked at drinks before looking at the menu. Our server took awhile to come to our table, took our drink order and an appetizer order and left. The drinks finally came out along with the chips and guacamole and we decided to make our decision on dinner. We waited, and waited, and waited about 40 minutes for our server to come back to take our dinner order. She was fairly nice, but rushed. Again, we waited and waited and waited for our dinners. We were enjoyed the food, it was flavorful, seasoned well, and really filled our craving for Mexican food. After we finished our dinner, again we waited, waited, and waited for our server to come back to our table. She never checked on us as to how we were enjoying our food. She brought the check, we paid, stood to leave and she said thank you as my husband handed the check back to her. He quickly mentioned it was our anniversary, she stopped and asked if we would want to sit back down and she would bring us a dessert. It was nice to offer, but she could have learned this if she would have taken a moment to talk to us. We didn't need a long conversation, just to feel welcome, and we felt in the way as they were busy. We thanked her, but we didn't want to spend an hour waiting for a dessert, so we graciously declined and left. It really is a shame. If the service was better, and the food came out quickly, they could turn tables quicker. I don't know if they are short staffed, but it really was disappointing.

    We stopped in for a light lunch and margaritas while exploring Old Montreal and were really glad we…read morechose Escondite. The atmosphere was fun and relaxed, and the bartender took great care of us. The drinks were excellent, and the service made it even better. Perfect little break in the middle of the day.

    Photos
    Escondite
    Escondite
    Escondite - Dans les toilettes des femmes

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    Dans les toilettes des femmes

    Arriba Burrito

    Arriba Burrito

    3.9(20 reviews)
    2.0 kmVille-Marie

    Very cute Mexican spot! I went on a Thursday night, and even though it was busy, they did their…read morebest to get us a table. The staff was friendly and super kind. I had the birria tacos with a strawberry margaritaeverything was very fresh and really good. Service can be a bit slow, but the quality of the food makes up for it. For dessert, we shared churros with ice cream. The churros were to die for so fresh,but I'd probably skip the ice cream next time since it was a bit too much. Overall, I really enjoyed this place. Just come with a bit of patience, as service may take longer than expectedbut the food is definitely worth it!

    PROS: - Delicious and beautiful food with a wide variety of…read morecolourful toppings. - Every cocktail that we had was very inventive and tasted great, with a balanced flavour profile CONS: - the food and drinks are quite expensive ($17 for a cocktail, over $30 for fajitas) - the service is slow and inattentive, food gets brought out at different times, getting the cheque took forever - one of the guests at my table ordered a tequila soda (what should be a basic order) - the waiter was brought them a can of Montpellier alongside a shot of tequila. There was an empty glass given but there wasn't even ice or a slice of lime or anything served with it. Asking for some ice for her drink took incredibly long too with how slow the service was. - the AC inside was WAY too cold, so cold that it hardened the cheese on some of the dishes as we waited for everyone's food to come out Overall this restaurant's food and drinks are great, with our experience marred by poor service. There seemed to be a ton of staff available the day we dined so there wasn't an excuse for how long it took to be served and to pay our bills.

    Photos
    Arriba Burrito
    Arriba Burrito - Churros and ice cream

    Churros and ice cream

    Arriba Burrito

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    Caifan Tacos Bar - mexican - Updated May 2026

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