Eat This Week: Authentic Mexican at Alimentaria Mexicana

We’re showcasing Vancouver’s best restaurants and special menu items—and why they should be your next meal

Restaurant: Alimentaria Mexicana

Location: 1596 Johnston Street, Vancouver

The Dish: An authentic Mexican cultural and culinary experience

The Details: Ernesto Gomez, Mexican-Canadian chef and entrepreneur, and his team of creative collaborators behind the beloved Chancho Tortilleria, Nuba and (formerly) Fayuca opened Alimentaria Mexicana in the heart of Vancouver’s Granville Island with a soft launch in June, offering the city an authentic Mexican cultural and culinary experience unlike any other. With an ongoing social mission to showcase, support and celebrate farmers and suppliers from Canada and small south-of-the-border communities across Mexico, Alimentaria Mexicana offers an expansive, multifaceted concept featuring a licensed dine-in cantina and patio, take-out window, tortilleria and educational space, as well as a retail shop with quality, locally- and internationally-sourced artisanal products and provisions.

Highlighting Gomez’s skills honed in the kitchens of Michelin-starred European restaurants, he is joined by partners Darragh McFeely (Nuba, Chancho Tortilleria, Fayuca), and executive chef Martin Vargas—former head chef at Fayuca—to create delicious dishes like grilled halloumi, grilled cactus paddle, charred salsa verde and pickled red onion, fresh Albacore tuna ceviche, fried Cauliflower tacos and more.