Welcome to the Vancouver Foodster Taco Challenge. Restaurants from all over the city were invited to enter their taco creations into this challenge, most have created a special taco creation just for this challenge. Each restaurant will be featuring their tacos on their menu from May 11 – June 4, 2017.

How Does this all Work? For the public challenge, you are invited to go out and order any or all of the tacos in this challenge, then you decide who you think has the best taco creation for the People’s Choice award winners. 

Share your experiences: Tweet (and don’t forget to tweet or instagram your photos) throughout the challenge, our twitter and instagram address is @vanfoodster and the hashtag is #TacoChallengeYVR please include this hashtag in all your tweets during the challenge.

Voting criteria –  some things to help you judge your favourite taco creations – keep these things in mind: originality, creativity, uniqueness, traditional, non-traditional, price, value and most importantly taste.

Get some friends together and make a day or night of it, visit 2 places or more to share and taste the different taco creations or go solo or with a friend– just remember to VOTE for your favourites

Here are the 8 Taco dishes in this challenge, listed in no particular order other than when they were received by us.

The Pawn Shop YVR

El Cubano Tacos

Price: $9.95

Description: caramelized cheese tortilla, shredded lettuce, house made carnitas, grainy dijon aioli, cucumber salsa, crispy fried onions, topped with a dill pickle

Created by: Nico Riekert & Joe Lauriente

Offered:  7 days a week, 11am – 1am

The Pawn Shop YVR

1117 Granville Street, Vancouver

Web: http://thepawnshopyvr.com

Twitter: @PawnShopYVR

Instagram: ThePawnShop YVR

 

Mandalay Burmese Kitchen

Burmese Fish Taco

Price: $6 or 3 for $16

Description: We have taken a west coast staple and incorporated traditional Burmese flavours to bring the taste of Myanmar to the streets of Vancouver through its most beloved handheld, the TACO! Our spin on a classic west coast favourite!

Ingredients: Tempura line caught BC cod, tamarind – lime mayo, shredded cabbage, fresh tomato salsa, signature house made crispy shrimp relish ( Burmese Balachaung ) ,pea shoot, cilantro, lime.

Created by Andrew Ibberson, Executive Chef, Mandalay Burmese Kitchen

Offered: all the time

Mandalay Burmese Kitchen

Location to be advised

Web: https://www.mandalayburmesekitchen.com/

Twitter: @mandalaykitchen

Instagram: @mandalayburmesekitchen

 

Little Mexico Cantina

Taco Tikin Xic

Price: $10

Description: Grilled Halibut marinated in adobo de achiote, topped with orange dressed slaw, Black Beans, Salsa Xni Pec  (pickled habanero and red onions) finished with Plátano Macho Frito (fried green plantain) served to you on a hand made Huitlacoche tortilla. Taco from the “Yucatan Peninsula”.

Created by: Chef Roberto Lopez Lara

Offered: Available for Dinner only.

Little Mexico Cantina

3131 Chatham St #150, Richmond

Tel: (604) 272-5123

Web: http://www.littlemexicocantina.com/

Twitter: @LMCSteveston

Instagram: lmcsteveston

 

Patron Tacos & Cantina

Passion Taco

Price: $9.85

Description: Tender rib eye steak, freshly cut strawberries sautéed with caramelized onions and thin slices of jalapeño. A truly delicious mix of flavours.

Created by:Chef: Elena Sanchez

Offered: Lunch and dinner daily

Patron Tacos & Cantina

265 Robson Street, Vancouver

Tel: 604-558-3368

Web: http://www.patrontc.com/

Twitter: @patrontc

Instagram: @patrontc

 

Holi Masala Food Truck

Fish Pakora Tacos

Price: $11

Description: We use cod, toss it in our masalas, top it with chutneys, mango aioli, masala coleslaw and cilantro. Dairy-free.

Created by: Rajan and Navraj

Offered: all the time

Holi Masala Food Truck

Seymour & Georgia

Web: http://www.holimasala.com/

Twitter: @HoliMasala

Instagram: @holimasala

 

 

Saj & Co.

Mediterranean Waves

Price: $15

Created by: Chef Malek Anouti

Description: 3 kinds of hand-made taco, freshly baked on the saj. lots of mediterranean colors and flavours including halloumi cheese, zaatar, orange, mollasses and much more

Offered: 12pm-3pm and 6.30pm-8.30pm daily

Saj & Co.

813 Davie Street, Vancouver

Web: http://sajandco.ca/

Twitter: @Sajnco

Instagram: @sajandco

 

Hugo’s Tacos & Churros

Taco Vegano de Nopales con Crema

Price: $5.50

Description: Our taco features all vegan ingredients: Grilled nopales (cactus) with vegan chorizo, cashew crema, lemon-pickled onions and cilantro.

Created by: Dan Garcia

Offered: All the time

Hugo’s Tacos & Churros

7899 Templeton Station Rd, Richmond

Web: http://hugoschurros.com/

Twitter: @Hugoschurros

Instagram: hugoschurros

 

 

Make sure you pick up one of the Taco Challenge postcards available at each of the participating restaurants. Remember to Vote for your favourites daily, all the voting details are here.

Our Media judges for this challenge are:

 

Mary Sheridan

Food Blogger for her own Vancouver Bits and Bites Blog

Twitter: @MaryinVancity

Instagram @MaryinVancity

 

Hanson Do

Blogger for his own Nosh and Nibble blog

Twitter: @hansondee

Instagram @noshandnibble

 

Zahra Alani

Co-host of CKNW.com Food Glorious Food

Twitter: @ZahraAlani

Instagram @zahra.alani