Rating / 3 out of 5 stars :

Lately, I’ve been craving for Mexican food so when Tre had mentioned Dona Cata located on Victoria Drive, we thought we would check it out. At first, I was a little hesitant stepping into this place. The exterior looked suspicious to me… but then again, everything looks suspicious to me. It wasn’t exactly located in the most savoury neighborhood. As we passed by an apartment on the way to the restaurant, a crushed pop can flew out of an anonymous window and landed on the sidewalk beside us.

The inside is nothing like the outside. It’s simple and homey and the walls are draped with blankets with bright colours. In the the corner hangs a piñata. It’s a bit cramped and the seating is very limited. Initially, we felt a little strange, the staff peered at us with curious eyes as if they’ve never seen Asian faces before… but they were friendly. The owner tried to stick us in a corner right next to the salsa bar and amplifier, but we requested a different seat, we didn’t feel like getting electrocuted if any salsa happened to splash our way.

As we we looked over the menus, we noticed how reasonable the prices were. The menu was short and simple, just the way we like it. Tre ordered two tacos, one with beef and the other with chicken. I ordered their Longazina (a marinated pork) and a side of rice. As we we waited, a small paper plate of tortilla chips landed on our table. You can choose your salsa up at the salsa bar where they have an assortment of salsas and dips. The salsa was very fresh and tasted homemade; not your typical salsa that they serve at other mexican restaurants. My taco came first. I’m not sure why they didn’t serve ours at the same time, but by the time we both got around to it, our tacos were soggy. Despite the sogginess, the flavours and the marinated meat was good. Tre’s chicken taco was slightly dry but the flavours were there. The rice was delicious; the texture and flavour was on the spot.

Overall, the food is good. Everything is prepared fresh, just like how it should be. It wasn’t the most comfortable dining experience entirely, but we’ll definitely hit this spot and try again.

The Details

5076 Victoria Drive, Vancouver
604.236.2232