La Cocina De Mama Oli
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Walk in to the Victoria Public Market in the Hudson and you cannot fail to notice a cheerful kiosk festooned with Mexican bric a brac and colourful paintings. This is where you’ll find the friendly folks at La Cocina De Mama Oli. We couldn’t resist stopping by for a taco fix. La Cocina has several to choose from, beef, bean, pork, chicken or fish. We are partial to the fish taco (which is bursting with fresh bright flavors of cumin spiced fish, diced plum tomatoes and cilantro) and the pork taco, which is made irresistible with the addition of a piquant salsa verde (a green salsa made from tomatillos). We have sampled the guacamole and, while it IS wonderful, we must insist intrepid eaters try the refried beans which are the best we have ever inhaled (the owner jazzes them up with smoked cheese and chorizo, yowza!).
La Cocina is one of Pete’s Picks for a tasty, affordable lunch for well under 10 bucks
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La Cocina is a veritable bargain. Many menu items are under $5.00. A plain cheese quesadilla is $2.50 (a good choice for feeding little ones). Individual tacos aren’t huge but they really hit the spot on those days where you need a snack to tide you over until dinner time, but can’t manage a full on lunch. This eatery is our go to when we are precisely in that predicament (keep in mind though, that if you are starving they have full menu plates with rice and beans to satisfy heartier appetites). We have noticed that on Sundays, Pozole is available. We’ve not yet had the pleasure of sampling this rib-sticking dish, but it is on our to do list! (Pozole is a hearty broth filled with pork, cabbage, cilantro, red chile and hominy).
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La Cocina is one of Pete’s Picks for a tasty, affordable lunch for well under 10 bucks. If you haven’t had the pleasure of sampling authentic Latin American food, give La Cocina a try. The bright décor and fresh flavors will give you a burst of Mexican sunshine on a drizzly west coast day.
PETE’S PICKS: fish taco, pork taco, guacamole, refried beans
LOCATION: 1701 Douglas Street, in the Victoria Public Market. View in Google Maps. To visit La Cocina De Mama Oli’s facebook page click here.
