La Taqueria’s sixth brick-and-mortar location, at The Amazing Brentwood Mall (1210-4567 Lougheed Highway) in Burnaby, kicks off its soft opening today, with their official opening slated for a week from now (Monday, November 14th).

I would never have predicted that I could get excited about eating a meal across from a Sephora, but as I sat down to a ‘friends & family’ brunch at La Taqueria Brentwood over the weekend, some magical equation of the warmth from the overhead heaters, sunshine streaming through floor-to-ceiling windows, the pleasant chatter of friends speaking in Spanish, and the activity of the ‘town centre’ area immediately outside the doors had me feeling more like I was in Mexico than in the middle of a North American mall.

The newest location of La Taqueria is a 1,800 sqft space with a whopping 100 seats: 60 indoors plus 40 on a four-season heated patio designed to incorporate into the mall’s open plaza seamlessly. Despite the room’s enormity, a combination of modern decor, historical photographs of Mexican icons, a playful streetscape mural, and a transportive colour palette (succulent green and soft stone) create a welcoming and laid-back atmosphere.

The food also played a big part, of course. In addition to the staples that La Taqueria is known for (proper tacos and easy-to-drink margaritas), the menu at Brentwood also includes their recently launched weekend breakfast and (aforementioned) brunch menu, created by Executive Chef Maria Ponce. On this pre-opening visit, our table was loaded with plates of Pan de Elote with poblano sauce; French Toast; Huevos Divorciados (two sunny-side-up free run eggs, tomatillo sauce, guajillo sauce, refried beans, queso fresco); Chilaquiles; Barbacoa Sandwich on grilled sourdough; overnight oats; and a lavender margarita for good measure.

Though the team is still finding their feet in this new space, everything we ate was tasty and service was great. Make plans to venture to Burnaby to check it out for yourself as soon as you have the chance. Until then, have a look at the photo gallery below for a sense of what to expect…

La Taqueria Brentwood is (softly) open from Monday to Thursday, 11am-10pm; Friday, 11am-11pm; Saturday, 9am-11pm; and Sunday, 9am-10pm. Starting next week (November 14th) they will be open daily for lunch, happy hour and dinner; plus serving up breakfast and brunch on the weekends only.

La Taqueria (Burnaby)

Neighbourhood: Burnaby

1210- 4567 Lougheed Highway

(Closed)

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