This location of 3 Mariachis is the first one downtown (the other two are in Vaughan and Richmond Hill). The interior has a dark-ish atmosphere with paintings depicting Mexico (such as the Mayan temple and jungle) adorning the walls. It has a casual ambiance with a bit of a sports bar vibe. It has music playing in the background, and TV screens playing sports (it was rugby at the time we were there). They have seatings both inside and outside at the covered patio.
Menu is quite extensive compared to other Mexican restaurants out there. It serves everything from ceviche, nachos, chips and guacamole, elote, various tacos and salads, to tortilla soup, burrito, chimichanga (fried burrito), enchilada, and fajitas. They also have dishes not commonly found in other Mexican restaurants in the area. Portions are big, so they're great for sharing.
One of their most popular dishes is the Moljacate (translates to: "mortar and pestle"), which comes in a big piping hot mortar / volcanic bowl containing various proteins and veggies (options: mixed grill, seafood, or veggie), and served with flour tortillas, pico de gallo, and shredded lettuce. Each moljacate contains green onions, nopal (cactus), and Oaxacan cheese. You can ask them to omit the cheese, or have it on the side, if you wish.
We ordered the Seafood Moljacate and it included 80% calamari (squid rings) with a few morita garlic shrimps, mussels, and 2 pieces of octopus legs. The salsa blend / sauce it came with was delicious.
We also got the Fatijas with Mixed Grilled Vegetables. It came on a sizzling hot plate, and served with rice, refried black beans, tortillas, shredded cheese, pico de gallo, and lettuce. I liked that the grilled vegetables came in a wide variety (zucchini, carrot, eggplant, bell peppers, onion), but thought that they were too saucy. You can make this dish keto-friendly or low-carb by substituting the flour tortillas with lettuce wraps.
In terms of tacos, 3 Mariachis offers a wide variety of "classic" and "premium" tacos (all come in 3 soft-shell tacos). We tried the Octopus Tacos and they were delicious! The octopus legs were very soft, making it easy to bite or cut. Not chewy at all. The tacos contained coleslaw / lettuce, and then topped with cilantro and pickled onion. The "Mariachi aioli sauce" in the tacos was quite spicy. All tacos come with rice and refried beans, making it a hefty meal.
This restaurant is family-friendly as they have a Kids Menu offering kid-sized tacos and cheese quesadillas.
Service was great, friendly, and on point. I appreciated that they were able to accommodate substitutions and add-ons (e.g. ordering the moljacate without cheese or putting the cheese on the side, having extra lettuce, etc.). read more