here’s not a lot of California in Vancouver’s newest Mexican restaurant. Gone are large dollops of sour cream, shredded lettuce and grated neon orange cheddar. The orangest thing on the menu at Zocalo is the stringy, delicious Puerco Con Chile Ancho, (a combination of slow cooked pork soaked with mild chiles and oranges), the cheesiest the Queso Anejo (pan fried cheese served in a puddle of lime chipolte BBQ sauce).

Opened in mid-November 2006, Zocalo is on one of Main Street’s hottest blocks. Nestled amongst South Main stalwarts like Slickety Jim’s and Lugz, Zocalo offers contemporary Mexican cuisine tailored to Canadian tastes. Take for example the Pacific Northwest favourite: Grilled Salmon. Zocalo serves it with a honey marmalade, roasted potatoes, rice and plantains. Who knew bananas and BC’s signature fish could swim well together?

For mescal and tequila connoisseurs the list is handpicked. Most shots are accompanied by unconventional sides, at least by my gringo standards. Think lime and a chili/salt concoction that fans the flames of your gulps/sips instead of smothering them.

Owner Tanya Schklanka has loved Latin American food for a while. A prolific traveler, she has ventured throughout Mexico many times between stints cooking for Van City casual dining favourites like Tomato Café and Wazubeez. After a few years of this, the proud mom of two decided to solidify her cooking skills by completing a diploma from DuBrulle. In May 2006, she took over Zocalo’s smallish restaurant space (45 seats) on South Main, hiring an all Mexican team of cooking staff, fixing fallen walls and applying fresh coats of warm, vibey paint. The result is definitely modern Mexican: mirror panels graffitied with the tequila and mescal lists and waterfalls of tasteful retro light fixtures. Friends who’ve traveled to Mexico City and beyond have described several lounges that fit the look and feel of Zocalo.

Zocalo is more than a restaurant. As an avid Salsa dancer, Schklanka wanted to create a gathering place, a community centre of sorts, where people can drink and dine, but also dance. In the centre of many Mexican villages and towns, the ‘zocalo’ is a place where people gather for conversation, protests, parades and services. As a non-dancer, I have yet to visit the weekly Salsa Saturdays or Mambo Mondays. On both nights, for a nominal cover charge, dancers and non-dancers alike can listen to DJs spin the latest Latin grooves. Some tables stay assembled so that salsa voyeurs can sit back and sip their mescal or Sangria (highly recommended) while other patrons shimmy their stuff. Mondays, Zocalo opens at 9:00pm with a limited menu and full bar, whereas the Saturdays menu is full and offered all night; DJs and dancers start up around 9:30pm.