Discover the hearty, cheese-laden Tex-Mex experience at MexiGo in Saanich, where vibrant flavours and generous portions define the local dining landscape.
The takeout waiting area sits just inside the entrance to MexiGo Fresh Mexican Grill.. It features benches for sitting, beyond which is a narrow, dimly lit dining area of several small tables for two with colourful chairs and Day-of-the-Dead themed plastic tablecloths.. But don’t sit down yet.. Turn right to stand in line to place your order.. This short line is sandwiched between the food prep area, which takes up most of the restaurant space,
and a fronting wall of floor-to-ceiling windows.. TV screen menus are located at either end, where a second dining area awaits.. This somewhat larger dining area is much brighter than the first, having more of those large light-giving windows on two sides.. Still, space is tight.. I imagine, with some ingenuity and consideration, a couple of two-person tables could be moved together without impeding traffic too much, but it would be a challenge.. On a
warm, sunny day, one might choose to sit on the patio, but that is closed today.. I have come at the insistence of my aunt, Donna, who can’t remember the last time she ate Mexican.. She orders the rice and bean burrito ($12) on the recommendation of our order taker/server/busser, who promises that it will not be spicy.. Donna opts for refried pinto beans rather than black beans, guacamole, and sour cream.. Her burrito is
a mouth-stretching handful.. Fried rice, cheese, and spicy salsa, along with everything already mentioned above, are all wrapped up inside a large soft tortilla, and then helpfully wrapped again in that foil paper that is notoriously difficult to peel back and control while eating, without taking a bite of paper.. As for the promised lack of spice, my aunt begs to differ, but manages to tolerate it.. So, for spice lovers, I would consider it
mild.. I order the chicken and bean enchilada ($17.50) with refried black beans and guacamole.. This is the dish from which our server steered Donna away, noting the spiciness of the “enchilada sauce.” I’m not a spice demon looking for the hottest burn I can find, but I do enjoy a good spice-sweat.. Donna’s burrito is much larger than my single enchilada: a taco-sized soft tortilla wrapped around shredded chicken, a few loose black beans,
and corn kernels topped with melted cheddar and jack cheeses, green onion, and that enchilada sauce.. Rice flavoured with tomato, dry refried black beans, and guacamole are served as sides.. The enchilada sauce is not like anything I’ve been served in Mexico.. It is a thin red sauce that is not at all sweat-inducing, though it does have a spicy kick.. Both our meals include a cluster of twisty, fried tortilla ribbons.. Despite MexiGo’s name,
this is Tex-Mex, not Mexican cuisine.. The difference deserves noting.. Neither is superior to the other; they simply originate in different places.. Tex-Mex, which is often advertised simply as “Mexican,” is notable for its heavy use of molten cheeses such as cheddar, jack, and manchego, and for its use of sour cream as a condiment.. In contrast, Mexican cuisine, as I’ve experienced it in Mexico, is much lighter.. Mexican chicken enchiladas, for example, are usually
served in threes or fours with no other accompaniment other than a generous topping of salsa freshly prepared in-house, or sometimes a rich, chocolatey molé sauce.. If cheese is used, it is usually a light dusting of finely grated Cotija.. The flavour profile of Mexican cuisine favours freshness and zest, whereas Tex-Mex aims to be rich, belly-busting fare.. MexiGo’s cuisine is definitely the latter.. MexiGo Fresh Mexican Grill | Broadmead Centre, 465-777 Royal Oak Drive
(250) 881-7674 | cafemexigo@gmail.com | mexigo.ca
Tex-Mex, MexiGo Saanich, Mexican food, restaurant review, dining in Saanich, burrito, enchilada