***We were approached by a good friend of the blog – Curly Guy, who wanted to do a Guest Post on a Montreal restaurant close to his apartment. He feels strongly about supporting restaurants who still do take-away and delivery during this period of social distancing. He also feels strongly about Al Pastor tacos. Enjoy!

Tacos Frida – 4350 Notre-Dame St W, Montreal, Quebec H4C 2W6
Country: Mexico
Must-try Dish: Tacos Al Pastor
Dinner Guest:  Mandrea Bike (virtually)

When I volunteered to write a guest blog post, I really didn’t know what I was getting myself into or what kind of food I was going to be eating. I was confident though that I could find something in my local neighbourhood. The more thought I gave to the type of restaurant I wanted to write about, the more it became evident that I needed to choose a Mexican joint. 

I’ve traveled to Mexico twice in the last year, the most recent time taking a tacos Al Pastor cooking class with my cousin Katie. For those who are new to Al Pastor tacos, they are made with pork that’s marinated, cooked and shaved off of a spit similar to a shawarma. The idea for the tacos dates back to the 1930s from Lebanese immigrants to Mexico and have since become arguably Mexico’s most famous taco. For these reasons I figured that I had a tiny bit of credibility when it came to reviewing a Mexican restaurant. 

Now for picking a place: there are a few local Mexican establishments in the area but one, in particular, caught my attention. I had been to Frida Kahlo’s Casa Azul in Mexico, so Tacos Frida seemed like a logical choice.

The restaurant itself is a very cozy, colourful little place in the Saint-Henri neighbourhood of Montreal. There’s even a great big Lucha Libre mural on the wall inside! It’s one of two locations with the other being in The Village in the Eastern end of downtown. In addition to tacos and quesadillas, the restaurant offers many other Mexican breakfast/brunch favourites such as chilaquiles, snacks such as house made guacamole and tortillas soup, desserts like churros and drinks such as horchata. For take-out, the restaurant also offers what they call Taco Kits which are meant for larger groups. They range from $40-$50 and include the tacos of your choice, 15 corn tortillas, limes and salsas (red and green).

Here’s what I ordered:

• Small Guacamole & Chips
• 2x Tinga Tacos
• 2x Beef Tacos
• 2x Chorizo Tacos
• 2x Tacos Al Pastor
• 1 Pineapple Jarritos

The service both when I called in and came to pick-up was very good. I, unfortunately, wasn’t able to have as much of a conversation as I would have liked with the staff, given it was take-out and we’re living in a time of physical and social distancing. The food, on the other hand, I was able to get very intimate with.

I began by tasting the guacamole and was impressed. It was fresh, had a great taste profile and the chips they provided were very good, similar to what you would get in Mexico. Next, I started eating the tacos one by one starting with the beef.  With both red and green salsa, these were excellent and the corn tortillas were on point. 

Note: there’s a bit of a debate over corn vs. flour tortillas, but in Mexico corn tends to be what’s preferred, whereas in the United States it’s flour. This can depend on what type of taco you are eating but Al Pastor for example is traditionally on corn whereas a heavier burrito is on flour.

Next, I went for the famous Al Pastor and wasn’t disappointed. They were crispy, had a great marinade and lots of pineapple.

The Chorizo came next. Again, I wasn’t disappointed as the meat was well-seasoned and there were potatoes and cheese mixed in which made for a nice combination.

Lastly, I tried the Tinga. I unintentionally saved my least favourite for the end. Perhaps I let these get too cold but I simply just didn’t like them as much as the other three.

Overall the restaurant was excellent. I’ll have to see over a longer period of time how Tacos Frida stacks up compared to other Mexican restaurants in Montreal, but I’ll most certainly go back. I can also assure you that they offer an experience that’s not too dissimilar to what you would get in Mexico City.

Be sure to also continue to support local restaurants that are offering take-out and delivery. It’s a tough time for them right now and it would be a shame to not have them around once things are back to normal.         

Eat with you soon (once COVID-19 fucks off), 
Curly Guy (#1 Blog Supporter)