Mexican food, delivered by a family of El Salvadorian descent in a New West location that failed for the last three restaurants it housed.
It hardly sounds like a recipe for success, but owner José Escobar has managed to cook up a place that is becoming a favourite for those who love the zesty flavours of Mexico.
Escobar runs Taqueria Playa Tropical on Sixth Street, next to River's Reach Pub and across from Uptown Market, with his daughter, Anna, a 25-year old former dental-assistant-turned-restaurant manager. Escobar, previously a painter and roofer, opened the business in 2011. The restaurant has been so popular since, they have expanded, taking over a business next door in March of this year. The renovations allowed them to expand the kitchen - the heart of the busy business, which is an anomaly in this Uptown location.
Anna says it wasn't until after they opened shop that they learned there had been several unsuccessful attempts by other restaurateurs to operate out of the nondescript space.
But Taqueria Playa Tropical doesn't seem plagued by the same dilemma of taking a no-man's land location and turning it into a hot spot.
The menu features Mexican favourites, including many types of tacos, hearty enchiladas, robust stuffed burritos and juicy margaritas. There is live Latin music on Fridays and Saturdays.
Escobar came to love Mexican cuisine when he was living with family in Texas, where he worked in a family restaurant.
He brought his daughter on board when he opened the restaurant in New West - a city she had never set foot in.
"I'd never gone past Metrotown," Anna laughs.
But now that they have ingratiated themselves into the neighbourhood, Anna says she loves it. She especially likes the customers that keep coming back to enjoy her dad's food and the business they managed to build in the once-dead spot that is now busting with life, culture and flavour.
