This place is hoppin'! Whenever Yelp asks me if a place is hip, I never know what to say -- until…read morenow! This place is definitely hip! What a vibe! So cool, fun, nice décor, super-helpful and responsive staff, lots of people eating outside and inside, and quite a selection of foods and beverages with lots of room for personalization.
We came here because they have lots of vegetarian things and are known to be accommodating of requests regarding dietary needs and preferences -- what a relief from the get-go, even before arriving!
Parking was easy but since I wanted to go to the bookstore afterwards, I parked near that, around the corner, and had a little amble along the road, looking at various shops and restaurants along the way, plus the greenery of the park ....
I got the Avocado Tacos and asked what I could get instead of rice -- one option was the El Greco salad, so I got that. I felt a bit weird about it, though, until it was explained to me by our waitress that this wasn't just a Mexican place but rather a Mexican-Greek fusion! Oh, wow! Mind got a bit blown by that -- cool! Well, with that info., my mind relaxed ... and I awaited my meal. This is a good thing, but if you're in a hurry you might want to get something ready-made or more quick such as soup or salad that needs little to no preparation. For me, I'd rather wait! (I mean, whenever possible, that is.) So ... it was delicious! I was hungry. It was filling. The avocado was all very fresh, no yucky pieces, ha ha! Plenty of flavour, texture, colours, visual and all kinds of other appeal for the tongue. My two corn tacos under each heap of goodness did fuse together -- presumably from the moisture of all that lay on top of them -- so I could not separate them as I usually do, but the truth is that it ended up being so much food, I didn't even finish my tortillas, anyway.
The tempura tacos (Aha Baja) have warm and crispy pieces that are not too big -- and that reduces the potential of a too-greasy feel. In a word, good! Or just plain 'Mmm!'
The Roasted Potatoes are absolutely delicious! The Black Beans are totally tasty! The amount of desserts is incredible -- and all are house-made, wow! I could not believe how long the list was! Oh, yeah, and the appetizer of chips and salsa was crispy and yummy. The guacamole is creamy and has a hint of spice that varies by bite ....
The food was all great, and so was the rich Lemon and Ginger tea was incredibly good! It looked and felt rich and thick -- such a surprise! I enjoyed it immensely. I was also offered honey, sugar, and milk to go with it if I wanted, and found out that the owner is a tea aficionado and that's why their teas are so good!
If you don't like noisy environments, you might want to avoid the busier times (such as weekends) or eat outside, weather permitting.
This is such a one-of-a-kind-place -- not to be missed! Yay! :-D