Sometimes, thinking about places to eat requires some planning. What are your plans for the day, which neighbourhood are you going to be in, do you have any time constraints? All this must be considered and then some research has to be done, be it on Urbanspoon, Yelp, Dinehere or other bloggers.

Then on the other hand, sometimes you don’t plan it and just happen upon a restaurant. That’s kind of the case for my visit to Salsa & Agave. I was actually heading home from a haircut at Stratosphere Salon (Kevin’s protip #28, check Craigslist for free haircuts!) and was going to board the Canada Line at the Yaletown-Roundhouse station, but was getting hungry and needed some food. I was also walking around taking pictures of all the different country flags on the ground, a creative initiative called the FlagWalk in anticipation for the many countries that will be in town for the Vancouver-Whistler 2010 Winter Olympics.

That was a lot of fun, trying to figure out each of the different countries. I didn’t get to all of them (80), cause it extends from Yaletown onto South Granville.

I’ve been itching to try the tacos at Salsa & Agave for a long time now, so I could compare them to Dona Cata or La Taqueria (2 & 3). First off, complimentary chips & salsa. The salsa was very liquidy, almost like a soupy texture, but had a slight kick to it.  Also, I was dining alone again, the first time being @ Fuel. I think I’m getting more used to eating alone, as sometimes I can’t always drag a friend along with me.

Salsa & Agave is a very tiny place, with seating inside for about 16 people inside. There are tables outdoor, but it was cold so I didn’t think about it at all, even though it would have been good for natural lighting for taking pictures. When my tacos came, there was a line up. I sat right beside the door, and I got trapped by the line up. They get busy! Some were there to pick up, and the rest were waiting for seats to clear up.

Similar to their competition in town, the tacos are priced at $2.25 each, or you can get 4 for $8. I ordered, from left to right.

Carne Asada (grilled beef)
Pastor (pork in red spice sauce)
? I forgot.. can’t remember if it’s Chorizo or Carnitas.
Rajas Con Crema (poblano peppers, sour cream, cheese & corn)

A close up of the Rajas con crema. I fucking love this! Sorry for the language, but I have to emphasis how good these were (well to me, they were). Gooey melty cheese (hopefully it’s Oaxaca) with strips of poblano peppers, these were melt in your mouth tacos.

As you can see, the tacos come with the filling only. The Pastor was great, I wonder how they prepared it. Should inquire about that the next time I visit.

I like how they put the chopped cilantro and onions on the side for those who may not want vegetables due to their meatatarian diet. The salsa below tasted like Chipotle Salsa, as it definitely had a nice spice level to it. It gave a satisfying feel good spicy, not the painful tongue-numbing spicy.

So how do the tacos compare to the other well known taco places in Vancouver, Dona Cata or La Taqueria? I don’t know.. I think they all have their perks.

Dona Cata because of their salsa bar. The selection they have there is so impressive!
La Taqueria because of their small operation & attention to quality & organic ingredients.
Salsa & Agave for the huge servings. They really fill up your tacos…(pun definitely not intended).

In closing, I can’t pick a clear winner between the three. The fact that they are all in different areas in Vancouver just means that we, as consumers, are lucky, as we have a good variety & choice no matter where we go.