We had the pupusa's. I'm not sure why they insist on a limit of 3?? If there were other fillings…read morelike chicken or beef that would be nice. But it's only cheese or pork! The place was empty only one others occupied table. The chef was hilarious! Had quite some smug comments! He made the fajitas a little spicy like we asked him & they turned out magical!

Excellent food and service. Prices are reasonable. Easy park…read morein front of the restaurant

This might just be the best Mexican and El Salvadorian food I've had in Canada. Wow. This might be…read morethe epitome of a hidden gem. Tucked away behind a small restaurant plaza, El Padrino is not shiny or flashy, but boy do they make their food dazzle. We tried the fried plantain, bean and cheese pupusa, and the chicken pozole verde. The pupusas were amazing, filled with gooey and hearty goodness, and the curtido was crunchy and refreshing. The pozole... perfect for warming up on a cold winter's day. The flavors were spot on as well. Other pozoles I've tried have been too watery or too acidic without much hominy, but this one was generous with the hominy while carrying the perfect amount of spice. The homemade tortilla chips also made a splendid accompaniment. The guy running the place was friendly and clearly cared about our food experience. When we ordered the plantain, he brought us out the plantains to check if we were okay with the ripeness. One thing to note is that sometimes they're out of specific items. I wanted to try the horchata, but they were out the day we went. The tamarind agua fresca was a solid replacement, however. Prices are also quite reasonable; I think the bill came out to about $40 for two people who left feeling absolutely stuffed. I cannot wait to go back to try their horchata and chilaquiles (and to get pictures instead of eating everything immediately)!

A delicious hidden gem located in the International Ave area. This place is slightly tucked away…read moreand not exactly on 17th Ave. When you turn on 50th it's right there. It's a small restaurant serving different Salvadorian and other Latin cuisines. They do have alot of options to choose from. I ordered combo 14 which had a bit of everything for you to try. A taco, pupusa, Taquito and 1 more item. There are different variations in their tacos and pupusa. They even have a special stew that is served only on Sunday that we need to try someday. BTW, there are tons of places in Calgary that make pupusa but I think this restaurant is the best. Great service and very welcoming. The only complaint I would have is this place does not have air condition. So can be very hot especially in the summer. Overall, delicious food and reasonably prices. Will come back and order other things next time.

best shop to pick up salsa, chips, tortillas, only wish it was 7 days.read more

Happy to find a Mexican option close to home. Tried their tamales (ordered from take out), cilantro…read moredressing and salsa. While the salsa was fresh and I liked the avocado which appeared to be more authentic, it lacked the spices that I'm used to when we enjoy Mexican food in our travels. The tamale was okay but seemed to be smaller portions and for around $10, was expecting something to wow me. It's not a full restaurant but more of a warm up frozen items and go. Maybe 6 or 7 tables. Sorry I can't rave like the others, maybe I'll give this one another chance next time we need something different from the norm at home. Always grateful to have new dining options.

Excellent taco with a great amount of protein to validate the price. Tastes just like if not better…read morethan the tacos in Southern California. Very cool find in Calgary. Located towards the back of the First Street Market, you don't want to miss this hidden gem.

Hidden food hall that had a green/leafy theme Loved loved…read moreloved the birria beef tacos!! Don't get anything else but this, trust me! The churros were also really great in texture and tasted like cinnamon hearts though.

For years I have been searching for tacos that are great and not just good. Tacos Mexico provides…read moreexactly that. I went to Tacos Mexico for the first time last week with my friend who is from Mexico. We ordered an assortment of dishes, including 3 types of tacos (asada, cochinita pibil, and gobernador) and chorizo sopes. Everything tasted amazing. My friend said this was the closest thing to home he's had in Calgary. The gobernador especially somehow takes a notch above just "shrimp and cheese" tacos. The grill flavor was prominent on the appropriate dishes. I did find the food overall to be just a touch undersalted, but I added my own salt which is no problem. All that food which left us absolutely stuffed only cost $40-something including tax and tip. My friend has gone back 3 more times since, which really is a testament to just how delicious and authentic this spot is.

This was such a fun spot. The service here is absolutely amazing! Great team!…read more We ordered and enjoyed some of their delicious margaritas. These could have been trouble, sooooo good! The food was pretty tasty too. I had the Chile Rellenos. It was breaded well, and the sauces were good. The only thing wrong was the cheese inside was still cold. They just weren't cooked long enough. I would happily eat here again. Great service, good food, great drinks!

If you look at my fish taco you will know why I gave this place a low rating. It is also a…read morerestaurant where you pay at the counter, pick up your food and put away your own dishes. Which means you get zero service. In general, I did not like my food. The filling in my taco was cheap and flavorless. My husband had their stew special and thought it was ok but nothing to be blown away about especially with the price they charged. There are better Mexican restaurants in the city. I would head there instead.

This was my first time here, and if you have ever been to Mexico, you know this place tastes…read moreauthentic and full of flavour! We had the Carne Asada burrito, husband had the Birria pizza which you must have with the Consommé sauce....MUST!! Delicious and we will be back!

One of the coolest restaurants I've been in for awhile, back lit arches give it a unique retro…read morevibe. We unfortunately got seated in the side room, not as good for people and kitchen watching but a nice room nonetheless. It was a busy Friday evening but service was a bit slow to start. We got water and our candle lit long before a cocktail menu. We'd ordered about five items, some shareable and two intended as mains, however they came in series with a bit of wait between them. I was with my wife so we shared everything but otherwise it may have been awkward. Drink menu is good, including several margaritas. My standard version was delicious and the second one was just as good! The food was really good. We had scallops, tuna, and prawns; all really good but the Tuna Tostada always amazing. Caesar salad was good but somewhat untraditional with pickled onion. The menu marks gluten free and dairy free, lots of gf options. Lots of menu items I'd like to try, will definitely be back.

Had a great experience here ! We had a reservation and got…read moresat straight away. Cool interior , slightly loud music playing. Our server was really friendly and knowledgeable about the menu. Happy hour was a great deal with $6 margaritas and discount on single tacos. The chicken tacos were amazing as well as the pork belly chicharron. We had the el trip dip taster and found the guacamole to be amazing but the other two to be slightly plain but still good. The ceviche was fresh and played really well. I loved how you can choose two flavours + spicy for the soda or margaritas. Overall an incredible deal for the quality and quantity of food.

This restaurant has a lot to offer but doesn't quite rise above due to subpar staffing…read more We stopped in for HH on our arrival night and had an awkward and slow experience. The wait staff eventually just stopped coming and we had to go ask for service and then the bill We tried breakfast on our last morning before going to the airport. Same situation. Seated quickly and then promptly forgotten. When the food came, it was good. I wouldn't recommend this restaurant unless they staff up or figure out how to serve customers better.

What an unexpected pleasure. We turned up without a reservation and had a lovely, lovely…read moreexperience. Good service. Great food. Thoroughly enjoyable. Fonda Fora is not just generic Mexican, it is Oaxacan. They have a large selection of tequila and mezcal. We started with fried Oaxacan white cheese. It may have been the star of the evening. White cheese is coated in panko and red pepper flakes and lightly sautéed. Fabulous. Our second appetizer -- they were out of ceviche! -- was thinly sliced scallops in a ceviche like sauce. Finally we split an order of two tacos filled with fried octopus. The tacos were htg home-made corn tacos. It came accompanied by yummy salsa macha, a peppery sauce made on site. What an unexpected find in Calgary. This is authentic Mexican food made by Mexicans, not the Canadian-American version of what Mexican food ought to be. We loved it. Make your reservation now.