El Mariachi

My friends and I stumbled upon this place when we were volunteering close by. Having traveled to Latin America, they were happy to see many products that they were familiar with and couldn’t find anywhere else in the city. The snack section has some chips in different flavours including some HOT ones! If you are looking for salsas, lots can be found here, and cool candy too. The gentleman working there gave us a sample of drink mix that you could buy there.
In the back, there was a gathering of people enjoying a meal together. It seemed like they were enjoying good food and company with friends and family. My friend asked about buying hot fresh food and you can order food to go. We went back after our volunteer shift and she ordered food for dinner.
This is a great place for those who might be missing a taste of home or from their travels. Prices seem a bit high for some products but I can understand as they aren’t locally made.

I was excited to give this place a try, but I was so disappointed. Good selection of many hispanic foods, including a lot of processed Mexican ingredients. But why is this place so expensive? Seriously — most Edmontonians have been to Mexico and know that that bottle of salsa is not worth $ 7. Come on! At least put your prices in line with the regular stores. There is a reason why Mexican food is cheaper — it is made in Mexico! Also, many things on the shelves are not labelled and that is just plain laziness. When I pick something up and can’t find a price, I am more likely to just put it down than to ask. Sorry that is the way it is. I figure if you can’t bother to price your product in a visible place, then you don’t want to sell it very badly.

Last week, El Mariachi opened its doors alongside the shops of 124 St. Yesterday was their grand opening, a celebration of Latin foods and free tacos for all who came between 4pm and 8pm! I was merely doing my usual scan of #yegfood on social media when I came across a tweet promoting the event. Perfect timing too, I had a dinner with my friend Alex in two hours time in the downtown area. A taco can’t hurt right? Now who to drag with me… who likes free food… Joshua! So we drove down to the area to make it to the 5pm crowd.
The shop is small, lined with three rows of various Latin products and two coolers in the back. Ohhh, sopes! Looks exactly like the ones Joe and I got at Hawkers Market.
I arrived earlier than Josh to quickly scope out the place. When I hit the chips section, I nearly jumped for joy. My last trip in January was to Cancun and I frequented plenty gas stations to stock up on Crujitos, a spicy, cheesy spiral, similar to our cheese puffs here. I have a slight addiction to chips, so when I saw their selection of spicy, lime-​y flavours, ahhhh swoon. I will be back to try all of you!
The shelves were filled with various sauces and spices. A whole section for salsas, re-​fried beans, and the most interesting of all, mole! Perhaps I don’t delve into the ethnic foods section of the grocery stores enough, but I have never seen mole in a can or jar before. I can ease my way into cooking Mexican food now but using these sauces!
I thought the chips section was impressive… then I saw dried chili. Bags and bags of various kinds of dried chili. Oh, this is a dangerous section for me. I suspect that if I ever want to make sauces from scratch for Mexican night, I will be using these bad boys.
There was a taco station set up, seven (!) different kinds. A plate was for two tacos, although I’m sure if I asked we could have tried them all. I knew I was only able to take a bite of each taco for fear of being too full for dinner in an hour, which is where my friend Josh comes in. He’s a big guy and he will eat anything I can’t finish. What we ended up with: pork carnitas (braised pork shoulder), rajas con crème (roasted poblano peppers with creamed corn), chorizo (spicy pork sausage), and pork (I think?) in a mole sauce. A separate table showcased all types of salsa, hot sauces, and guacamole to add to your liking.
They were amazing. Definitely no Tres Carnales, but felt like more like home cooked, comfort food. My favourite was the rajas con crème, something entirely new to me. Creamy, sweet from the corn, heat from the peppers, whoa! Their tortillas were thicker than what I’m use to, although preferable than two layered thin tortillas that some restaurants serve.
Which brings me to my last question. Who made these tacos? El Mariacha is a Latin product shop, rather than a restaurant. Asking the lady who served our tacos, she replied that they made it themselves. She pointed to a back room and told us that eventually it will become a small eat in/​take out restaurant serving up exactly what we were eating. Hot tamale, I’m excited! The restaurant portion is expected to open next month, but judging from the completely empty back room, I think it could take longer. Can’t wait to try more tacos!
Great addition to 124 St and not too far from the main hub of restaurants and shops closer to Duchess. Until my next visit, I’ve got Crujitos chips to slowly ration out and savour (can’t feed the addiction too quickly!), and picked up a churro kit. Churros! Complete with a bag to pipe out the mixture into your frying pan. Can’t wait to try! For more photos of what they have available in the shop, visit their website or Facebook page!