Cafe Mexico

Best tortilla chips in town. Happy hour slaps and the food is top notch. Gracious portions.

Tacos are light and delicious.
Atmosphere is comfy and intimate.
Margheritas was blessed.
Servers were gracious hosts.
Take your friends, have fun, stop reading reviews already, jeez.

I like Cafe Mexico a lot. It’s unpretentious and has a fun and relaxed atmosphere. They have a good selection of reasonably well made Mexican staples and a fun cocktail menu including a range of margaritas. The only complaint I have is that it’s very expensive for what you actually get quality-wise vs what you could get elsewhere for the same price but of a higher quality overall dining experience.

This place is amazing, beautiful decor and lively atmosphere. I visited it on Friday night and it was packed so we had to wait for a table. That have plenty of vegetarian options. Food arrived quickly and it was delicious. They have a lovely patio that overlooks the Market Square and plenty more tables inside. Service was attentive and fast. Highly recommended.

The manager is from Chile so even though the menu sounds a lot Mexican, the truth is that there are other better and most affordable places to eat real Mexican food in Victoria. Besides the bad service, the waitress had a bad attitude and the manager even worst! He went to our table complaining about why we didn’t leave a tip and when we explained the reason instead of considering our opinion a feedback to improve upon it, he just said “well you know now this is how we work so if you want to come back we are going to treat you the same” definitively WE’RE NOT COMING BACK! I strongly suggest locals and tourist to go and enjoy a lovely dinner elsewhere.

Very rude service and still got asked to give a tip. Manager was rude.

I went in a group of 3 people. The service was bad, the waitress was taking too long and having an attitude. She would stare at us. When the bill came (it was quite a bit since we ordered drinks and food), we decided to not leave a tip since the service was bad. She came back with an attitude asking why we didn’t leave a tip. Minutes after, the manager comes along and tells us off for not leaving her a tip. The manager told us that if we disagreed with the service and didn’t like it and weren’t gonna leave a tip next time, we shouldn’t come back again. Now you know, don’t spend your money in this restaurant. There’s better Mexican places in Victoria

We were a family of 5 and we all loved everything, food service and the design was inviting

This was my first visit to Cafe Mexico. The location and space itself are absolutely amazing and lots of fun. The bar is gorgeous, looking, and looks very well stocked. The menu is a very nice size, and the food that we did order was excellent and well portioned. Everything tasted very good and was also very well seasoned. Wait, staff was very helpful and attentive. We really didn't have to wait for anything.also the restaurant was very clean. Amazing, and thank you.

The best cochinita tacos in Victoria, authentic dishes, beautiful decoration and a great atmosphere!

A favourite date night haunt. Good vibe, great food - especially the Rajas. Never disappoints!

The food is pretty good, I'm happy they still have the chips and salsa at least but sheesh it used to be free and then a couple dollars now it's $6
Why did they get rid of the chimichanga? Food has changed over the years. I miss the way it used to be. Also, the hours are all over the place. Every time we come by they are closed. How are they still in business?

Very good! The food was excellent, the chips were hot, and the salsa was tasty.
The service was okay, but they were trying so I won’t fault them for that.
I would come back again.

Great place to chill and hang out. We got the churros, Mexican rice, and classic margarita. Everything was good!

Good food, good service and good times. We don't live in Victoria but we have been here twice now a year apart and the food was excellent both times. Great to see that its a reliable place to get a good meal, very few restaurants manage manitain consistency year after year.

Previously I would’ve given 4 or 5 stars, it’s just too bad the male bartender on a Saturday night is childish and lacks any diplomacy, tact or even the most basic customer service skills when it comes to dealing with their own mistakes, I’ll be giving this place a wide berth for a while, and while I won’t actively steer people away I won’t be recommending it either.

It was my first ever visit to Victoria, and so to this restaurant. Excellent food and service. Thanks to Arie and our server (sorry to forget your name) you guys were amazing. Complements to the chefs as well!

Margaritas were really good, tacos were probably better than I remember but was very hungover, definitely hit the mark.

Each in our party of 6 ordered something different and we all enjoyed our dishes. So, it’s all good. And they even serve Jarritos!

Really solid food! I grabbed the Barbacoa Burrito and my husband had the Carne Asada Quesadilla- we both tried a bit of each others and had a hard time deciding who had the better meal! Servers were awesome, food was quick, and the atmosphere was buzzing. Definitely coming back!

Enjoyed the colourful decorations, but this restaurant is over-priced. And back in the day, they didn't put enough cheese on their dishes, and would charge you extra for what amounted to an adequate amount of cheese. Sounds like they're still ripping off customers. Not surprised they burnt down.

Such a great Mexican restaurant and happy hour made it even better and our server who looks Spanish but is Filipino was so kind and friendly. We'll be back for sure

Dellllicous drinks if you love tequila and the food is off the hook!

Prices are pretty decent for downtown Victoria!

They have a good range of tequila options which seems to be rare in the city. But expected from a authentic menu from cafe Mexico. Recommend ordering the gluten free shells shrimp tacos.

Great food, great service, great atmosphere. The owner Brad is AWESOME hands on! Highly recommend.

I can not speak about the quality of the food because I never got to taste any. However the rudeness of the bartender and the embarrassment my family was put through endures that I will never taste the food.

Great food and atmosphere. Very nice employees. Great with kids and the food again was very clean and flavorful. Enjoyed the decor and Bar. Great location, a definite visit in Victoria.

Very poor service, and it is SO pricey for Mexican food.
Also we had to deal with the restaurant manager at the end of our dinner to discuss pricing as we were told "A" and we got charged "B".
We said we are happy to pay but would like to understand what has been said to us. (two families)
She answered with a lot of attitude and left

I do not recommend this restaurant AT ALL

Got takeout and it was hot and ready in 20 min, how can you beat that? It was a special dinner for myself and my family and it was delicious. Café Mexico is always good and consistent. Keep up the good work:) I do miss the enchiladas though lol

Everything I've ordered here has been absolutely delicious! The service is always great, super friendly. And the drink specials are pretty sweet too. One of my fave places to go.

Great tequila selection, great service and food is good. Food prices are quite high for what your get and drink prices are very high.

We had a wonderful experience at Cafe Mexico. We lined up at 3 pm when it opened. Shared street corn and and taquitos for two, the fresh tastes were incredible, and washed it down with the best margueritas on the Island. Oh and churros just because it was close to breakfast. The place has good service, and a wonderful atmosphere.

Very impressive Mexican restaurant.

Delicious cocktails, margaritas of course, and very tasty food.

Thankfully the chef allowed me to try three tacos; beef, chicken and pork. All very tasty though an extra tortilla would have great to finish off the decent portions.

Churros were fresh and cooked perfectly.

Highly recommend for an authentic Mexican meal in Victoria.

Enjoyed the vibe and great cocktails. The food was very good. I think the average rating is lower than what this restaurant deserves.

I frequented this restaurant 20 years ago as a student. I loved it. I would get the chicken tacos. They were large, tasty and came with Mexican rice, refried beans and salsa. I even continued to go there after getting food poisoning. It was that awesome.

Fast forward 12 years I was in town for a visit. Of course I went right there. Prices had gone way up. 17$ for the chicken tacos. I asked the waitress if it came with rice and beans no, that’s 5.50$ extra. Salsa? 3.75$ extra.

But I was here I got the tacos. Out come three little tiny tacos. It must have been one chicken leg shredded between them. The corn tortillas were a bit larger then a toonie. The beans had the flavour and consistency of play-do. The rice was hard, crunchy and old. And again, gave me food poisoning.

The waitress in the end didn’t ask if we wanted to split our bill. She just put it in front of me and looked at me expectantly while my two female companions overlooked their lacklustre experience of watery, dissapointing guacamole reveling in the fact that the waitress single handedly revived chivalry or sexism.

Speaking to a local foodie he said “why didn’t you ask me, it’s a tourist trap that has been coasting on former fame. If you want good Mexican go to the one on Quadra street. Authentic”

I also had Mexican at fisherwharf. Really nice and fresh. Much better value. Or if you just want a gem restaurant Ferris Oyster bar which hasn’t increased its prices or lost quality since I left here.

Ok so I will try not to ramble on but I've been to cafe mexico many times and after the fire things had changed. I had a couple/few meals there that were not what I was used to and then after that some of the favs were off the menu. I went for the last time a year or more ago on a 4 people date night and I realized that it wasn't going to be my go to place. I was sad about it. Last night my husband suggested we try again and thank god I did! Not 100% sure what happened but it was the best meal I had ever had there, and my 3 other date night people felt the same way. The chef even came out to check on things. It was somehow new and improved! A new chef in the last 15 months? Anyway please try it for the first time if u have never been or try again if u havent been for a while! Service was fantastic and food was amazing! Same thing I always get but so much better and richer. Great job!

Came here for drinks - such good margaritas and palomas. We had a couple appies which were really tasty as well. Will definitely be back!

The food was well prepared and presentation was OK. We had chips & Pico de gallo, HH tacos, Queso Fundido. The tacos and QF were bland, boring without a hint of spice. Service was good.

Host was super welcoming from the start! Our server was so kind! Amazing food and tasty drinks! Service was so fast and server was always checking in on us! Definitely will come back! I was there February 19th!

The food was great and the atmosphere is just as good. We got there during happy hour and split four tacos and an order of "poutine". Everything was super tasty. I especially like the taco barbacoa!

Hit and miss with the hosts as they are not that welcoming. Food is good but drinks are extremely expensive. Range from $14-$22 for a Margarita. Parking can be scarce too.

This place is great, they have stellar cocktails, awesome tacos and the tunes on the weekend hit the spot. I especially enjoy the mezcal flights!

The Michelada was great, so was the horchata with tequila. Every meal was simply exquisite! We live in Langford, but it was worth the drive for sure.

Came here after a terrible experience at the pizza place next door. Service was great, food was great (I've never eaten Mexican!) And the server was nice enough to help me with the menu to find not spicy things (a lot of it is spicy) the boyfriend and kid were very happy with their spicy things too!

"I could eat this all day every day" - kid, chicken taquitos

Love this place! Great atmosphere, great food and even better Tequila. Staff is WONDERFUL, Ryan and Andrea are the greatest EVER

Happy hour specials. Had one of the best margaritas (on the rocks, not the frozen frothy stuff) that I’ve had outside of Mexico. The barbacoa tacos were delicious.

Good food and drink but expensive, especially the drinks! I had a tequila pina colada. A small glass really. 14 bucks! Even at the happy hour price of 11.21 for a burrito would be ok with rice and beans but it was a ok sized burrito with warm nacho chips.really too bad as the order was tasty but 43 with a tip was crazy

We quite enjoyed our lunch here, food was delicious, atmosphere is authentic and pleasant. Great customer service!

I find it hard to find a good restaurant in Victoria, so I rarely leave full. At Cafe Mexico I stuffed my face because it was so good! I actually was in pain when I left. I had to go for a long walk, to walk it off. It's the best food, dining out, that I've had in such a long time!

Really good food and drinks with fresh and good quality ingredients. Fun and casual atmosphere. No reservations, but are pretty quick on a Saturday night to take your details when queueing and actually got us seated in 20 minutes, which I gather is fairly standard there.
Definitely will be back to try some more things from the menu.

The prawn tacos are to die for! Also try their añejo margaritas and for dessert, the churros with a carajillo agitado. Amazing.

We went here last night for dinner. The food and drinks were amazing. The margaritas and Palomas aren't too sweet, so they are perfect! The salsa and guacamole I got with my burrito bowl was unique and so delicious that I brought the left over salsa home. Others at the table ordered the tacos and we will definitely be going back. Now that we visited Cafe Mexico, we definitely want to try the breakfast place, owned by the same establishment.

I gave 4 stars due to the drink service was kind of slow. Which is to be expected due to reopening from covid, but they were so delicious you enjoy every sip.