By Dessa Bayrock (The Cascade) – Email
Print Edition: June 5, 2013
7101 Vedder Rd, Chilliwack BC
604-858-8123
Hours: Monday to Saturday, 11 a.m. to 8 p.m.
Prices: $7-12 including tax, depending on drink and sides
I lovingly refer to Hugo’s Mexican Kitchen as gas station Mexican, referring to its previous location in the back of an Esso station. For a long time it was one of Chilliwack’s best kept secrets, and now it has become a better known cantina in a bright new central location on Vedder Road.
The atmosphere is unbeatable; it’s simple, homey and welcoming. A sign propped outside the front welcomes visitors to Mexico, and while I’ve never been to Mexico I hope it’s a lot like Hugo’s Mexican Kitchen.
The menu is chalked up on the wall behind the counter, and pictures of meal items are posted around the till to help customers make a decision. The photos of the food look delicious, but in a natural way rather than a fake-food-photo-shoot way. You get the idea that the food you are ordering will look a lot like these photographs, and you would be right. The heaping plates depicted in these images are the doppelgängers of the meal you are about to consume.
The meal choices are relatively simple, presenting 10 or 12 items to choose from, ranging from taquitos to enchiladas to burritos. I’ve ordered the tacos acorazados, which is a perpetual special of the restaurant. It’s a simple but unbeatable combo of tortilla, rice, cilantro and beef, pork or chicken. Personally I would opt for an addition of sour cream and maybe less cilantro (which tends to be overpowering), but the meal is delicious nonetheless. I also recommend the taquitos, and suggest ordering a side of the homemade guacamole, no matter what the main meal is.
The service is friendly, and after ordering and paying at the till, visitors get their pick of glossy wooden picnic tables and benches to sit at while the food is prepared fresh and brought to the table.
Overall, Hugo’s Mexican kitchen is cozy and low-key, inexpensive and authentic. Their meals make the perfect summer meal, both quickly-prepared and full of flavour. Hold the cilantro, and the equation is perfect.
