El Caracol Central American Cafe

Around Vancouver in 52 Restaurants > Americas > Central America

When I posted about El Rinconcito, Kim had a couple more places for me to try, so as soon as the Olympics were over, I headed over to Victoria Drive to check out El Caracol. Admittedly, this one has been on my list for a while (since I first drove past it on my way to Doña Cata) and now that I finally made it in, I’ll be back for sure. Specialties from across Central America dot the menu, from Mexico, El Salvador, and Honduras.

I started off with an avocado milkshake, creamy and rich without being sweet. I don’t have much of a sweet tooth, so I’ll definitely have this again (although next time I might check out what the “oat” flavour is all about). The photos on the menu are deceiving – or at least they were to my tired, end of week eyes – because I ordered the Honduran tacos AND the sopa de mariscos (seafood soup) and it turns out they’re both huge. You’re set for a great, cheap dinner here if you’re starving, but if you’re not a big eater you might want to scale back a bit. The tacos – ground beef, tomato and red onion on a hard corn tortilla – were flavourful and tasty but the soup was a marvel. It had mussels, fish, prawns and a crab leg in a fragrant broth with Mexican rice on the side, as well as a stack of tortillas (although how you’re supposed to wrap soup in a tortilla is beyond me). I was so full I could hardly move, but I was still able to have a last look at the menu and plan for my next visit.

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El Caracol
5190 Victoria Drive, Vancouver