Bodega Mexican Restaurant

These gotta be fake reviews… 4.6 average?? One of the worst Mexican places I have been to in a while. Service is understaffed. Food is almost an insult to Mexican cuisine. Their “authentic” Guacamole is approximately 2% authentic. It had almost no avocado in it and tasted like a sour salad. The corn salsa was just a salad with half-raw corn. The tortilla chips were brittle and stale. The street taco meat too dry. And cherry on the cake were the “salsa sauces” which have absolutely nothing to do with Mexican salsa. It tasted and looked more vinegar-y and creamy for some reason. Like a spicy sauce you would get from a fast food spot. Can not recommend at all

It’s our second time trying Mexican food and we had such a nice food experience in this restaurant. We ordered tamales, enchiladas, flautas, and horchata and we can’t wait to explore many more Mexican dishes! My personal favorite was the enchilada, a rolled tortilla with filling in which we chose chicken as the protein. The service was welcoming and attentive, and the decor was fun and festive. Overall, it’s a solid choice for Mexican food in Calgary.

Came here for dinner. Place wasn’t too busy so it was nice to find a seat as space is limited. We were served by a friendly waitress who explained some menu items for us in detail. I had the enchiladas and my husband had the flautas. They were decent sized portions and both were filled with chicken 🤤

It was my first time visiting this resturant as my friend suggested me to try. We chose the table outside as it was a nice sunny day. We both had Birria Tacos with Consomme and we love spicy food. I love that not only the food tasted good but also the portion! My friend said he's been a regular customer as he lives around the area. The service was great and friendly attentive. Happy with this visit!

Our first time at this amazing Mexican restaurant was awesome! The food was fantastic, and the service was great. We celebrated our friend's birthday, and the staff made it special by playing a Spanish happy birthday song. We went back again for Taco Tuesday, and it was surprisingly delicious. I highly recommend this place if you want to enjoy good food and good service at reasonable prices. We'll definitely be coming back!

Overall, considering the price of the menu items that we ordered, I found this restaurant to be disappointing. We started with the Plato Botanero, which was pretty solid. The refried beans where good with the chips and the guacamole wasn't bad either. However, the chunky salsa wasn't great and for $22, there weren't many chips. I ordered two tacos, the Chicken Tinga and the Birria. I was disappointed in both. They where quite oily and the meat was dry and not flavoured very well. For $5 a taco, I would expect more.

I got the birria platter and Im writing my review based on that. While the portion was fair for what I paid, I do have to agree with some of the other reviews here that it lacked flavour and the meat felt dry. Instead of the melt-in-your-mouth and burt of flavour experience, the birria platter was lackluster. I was disappointed to find little to no heat in my guacamole, and felt like I was tasting a lot of green bell pepper where there should've been jalapeños. The service was good and attentive.

The food was so flavourful and bold! We finished every bit of it. The owner/server were so sweet and welcoming. They made us try some off the menu side items and made adjustments to our vegetarian needs. Would highly recommend for anyone who likes bold flavours.

We came here for Taco Tuesday We order the 3 tacos with pop and a bag of chips for $15, 2 sides of corn salsa, tortilla chips, guacamole, pico de gallo The food was good I like more onion and cilatro in my salsas and guacamole Service was good

Just tried this place out, and I was very impressed! Tasty food, good portions, fair prices, and quick, polite service. Definitely a place I will be retuning to and recommending to others!

We were wanting tacos and ended up here during our trip to Calgary. Great menu, lots and lots of options. The prices were average. The tacos were fantastic! Fresh and delicious - I tried both the chicken and pork tacos, he had a burrito and said it was very filling! Staff were super friendly and the restaurant itself was clean and fun!

Homie, authentic and warm little place! The owner came out to introduce himself. He was very friendly and kind to my parents, who are both elders. He made sure the food was good and came by to check out on us a few times. The decor is very cool. There was an Aztec headdress with a jaguar mask. Very true to the Mexican culture. I had the birria tacos that did not disappoint with an horchata that tasted amazing! Coming back for sure ! Best of luck to Jesus and his family !

What a great place to enjoy some fantastic Mexican food at a very reasonable price. In the heart of Kensington so lots of competition so may be overlooked as a good choice. But everyone should give it a try as the owner/host is super nice and the food that we had tasted great. We had the trio carne plate with consommé. That was terrific. Then we had the burrito bowl which was great value for the price paid. All really tasty. We topped it off with some jarrito sodas. We plan to go back and try some more dishes.

If you want an authentic Mexican restaurant this is the exact place to come! I was craving real Mexican food and this place delivered far and beyond! I had the sopes and oh my word! They were fantastic!! 10/10! Exactly like my mom makes them at home. Family of mine had the tacos asados, birria tacos, chillaquilles, and the enchiladas and they were all 10/10! If I ever go through Calgary again, I will def be coming here again and again!

Really not sure how reviews are so good for this place. I would likely not return unless starving for Mexican within a one block radius. Additionally their "taco Tuesday" wasn't even a deal. It was $2.50 more for a soda and chips. Pretty sure every taco Tuesday I have ever been to includes heavily discounted TACOS not just an add on of a value meal which isn't even a value... anyway, moving on. The good: awesome spicy salsa. The ok: the chicken street taco wasn't bad (it was the only thing I had that didn't come from a meat grinder which was a welcome addition). The tortillas although store bought were cooked well and decent enough. The bad: assortment of meat was mediocre... no carne asada?! The al pastor was unlike anything I had ever had. I'm not even certain it was pork? It was such a weird color (see photo) and like ground "pork" at that. The beef which I got solely bc AB loves their cow products was over cooked and mushy. I really just drenched all 3 in the ridiculously hot salsa mentioned above and called it a day.

One of the best authentic Mexican places to get food- the service is amazing and the food is outstanding the consome is amazing and the spice is actually levelled amazingly

I had high hopes for this place since Calgary doesn't have that many good Mexican restaurants and I was sadly disappointed. First of all, the place was cold. I had to put my jacket back on and eat which is not convenient. We got chips and guacamole, vegetarian torta and bodega tacos and I honestly wasn't impressed with any dish. The Guacamole was cold. My torta was cold too and I couldn't taste any flavors really. Just bread. The tacos were the best of all but the flavor was sweet and didn't really work for me. Wouldn't go back for sure.

Went here yesterday and the food was so good! Huge servings and beautiful presentation! Can't wait to try more off the menu. Staff was extremely sweet! Located on a very cool looking street too, lots of ethnic food options, outdoor patios, and nice sight seeing for strolling through the block. Photos include sopes, tacos, and jerk chicken Mac and cheese.

Looking for a great taco place with friendly service? Found it in Kensington! The four of us shared the shared an appie of chips, guacamole, refried beans, and salsa. The salsa was chunky with chopped green peppers, jalapeños, cilantro and onion. Very refreshing and not like other tomato purée type salsas. The Guacamole was my fave!!! We ordered more chips to go with the appie since it's such a large portion. Three of us had tacos and -chicken and ground beef. Both were deelish but I preferred the chicken. Shredded, medium spicy and easy on the onion. Too many restos cover their tacos in onions and it over powers the meat. Definitely not the case here! One of us had the Mac n cheese with jerk chicken which he devoured. I had a taste of the chicken and it had a great spice to it. I really want to try the other taco meats like the pork and shredded beef next time. The flautas also sound yummy. One thing that caught my eye; I've never tried non alcoholic sangria that came in a glass bottle. I loved it and cannot wait to have another especially on a hot summer day! In fact, I want to buy it tomorrow and add vodka to make an adult slurpee haha!!! The only downfall is parking but this applies to Kensington in general. Also the decor is clean, simple and not as upscale as you'd find on 17 Ave. If you're looking for a relaxed atmosphere and great food, this is it. Not at all pretentious... Our waiter was funny, friendly and attentive. We noticed many people ordered through Skip the Dishes so there is definitely a brisk take-out service happening here. I can't wait to bring more friends here!

Ambiance: 8 tables in the restaurant playing salsa music. We booked ahead for reservations. We were greeted and seated right away. Food: Simple menu where they stress fresh ingredients within 100 km radius. Appetizers: Mexican guacamole with homemade corn chips. Great way to start the meal and it was simply delicious! Main: chicken roti with rice. $16. Roti is rich with spices. Chicken is boneless and served with a generous amount of gravy. Caribbean rice is mixed with red beans. I just loved this dish and the roti passed the muster with my Caribbean-born wife. Dessert: ordered the coconut cream cake. Not too sweet. Serve with a scoop of vanilla ice cream. Mmmmm. That's all I can say...mmmmm. Will definitely be back to try the ox tail. I just love this place.

Hands down best Mexican food in Calgary. Extremely kind and helpful staff, delicious food, and the takeout is really good eaten at home as it transports really well. Highly recdomend this place!

#152 Jim, the owner is awesome (God, I hope I got his name right). Soft opening, 15% off, walking down 10th St NW in the snow, and hungry. The stars have aligned. Grand opening, Tuesday, 26 January! Hours: Closed Mondays Tuesday - Friday: 1130am to 2pm Tuesday - Thursday: 430pm to 10pm Friday: 430pm to 1am Saturday: 1130am to 1am (open all day) Sunday: 1130am to 9pm For $8 and some change, get the pictured Mac and Cheese. Soft and slightly spice jerked chicken lightly crumbed. Cooked to a perfect temperature with just the right amount of mac and cheese as related to the amount of jerked chicken. No over-powering of flavours here. Talk about comfort in a bowl. I did not lick the bowl since there were other customers. Good portion size; excellent delivery! Also, try the jerked chicken with coconut rice as well (also pictured). Soft moist chicken over a bed of soft coconut rice. This was my friends dish and I only nibbled on it! Newly opened but old school flavours! Friendly atmosphere and great service to boot! Coming back here for sure!

Yes they put romaine on the enchiladas despite the ecoli health canada warning so I agree with that review. The beans I liked refried and the feta but otherwise a bit bland, the chicken was ok the flour tortillas a bit soggy and small side, not enough verde sauce and was good spice level. Would not hurry to reorder and check out 3 amigos or casa latina instead next time.

Great taste, great service with great deal! I've been here twice, never disappointed with their tacos. First time visit was with my vegetarian friend, she highly recommend their veggie burrito. Second time was with my boyfriend, he loves Mexican food. We love their ground beef tacos. Chicken taco was good but not as tasty as others. They do Taco Tuesday all day long: 3 tacos + pop for $10. Beef taco is the best! Flavourful ~

We found this place by accident and we thought it was a hidden treasure. It's hard to notice this restaurant along 10th Ave. in Kensington. The entrance is not very eye catching especially with other restaurants in the area. It's a quaint little place which we liked. Our server talked to us in Espanol translating himself to English after! My Spanish is very limited but I thought that was fun! The food was awesome. Very delicious and tasted authentic ! We thought it was good for the price as well. We liked the friendly service and the cute ambiance. We will come back here again to try their other dish!

It would be nice if the restaurant was licensed so you could enjoy a drink with your meal, but that wasn't the issue we had with this establishment. The service was awful. Beware when splitting bills and make sure to ask for receipts. We were accused of shorting our bill and asked to pay extra so I handed over another $10 as we all felt apologetic of what we believed to be our mistake. The manager/owner added everything up with a calculator 3 times and then approved us to leave. Outside we added up our receipts and realized that we actually fully paid and had tipped generously (25% before the extra $10). When I went back in and brought this up to the owner he dismissed my concerns and asked that I leave. Finally he came outside with his calculator and realized he was incorrect and offered my extra $10 back. (He was only adding the before tip amounts on the debit/credit receipts). The whole scenario was incredibly humiliating and the experience was rather demeaning. Although he has lost my business, I hope that the owner has learned a valuable lesson on appropriate customer service from this so that no other patron ever has to feel this way.

These guys will screw up your order!!! Two of my $3 sides were missing, as well as a costly $17 burrito that I never got to have, as it wasn't even prepped and delivered. So I have to lose money money because this restaurant's staff have a combined IQ of what I'm owed. These guys don't send you everything you've ordered, and pocket your money for themselves.

I saw that Bodega had removed the horrid West Indian items from its menu so I decided to give it another chance. Owner is from Guadalajara and knows his Mexican! I got the chicken enchiladas plate with rice and beans and it was all delicious, very reminiscent of similar plates made from immigrants from Michoacan, the state near Guadalajara, in my hometown south of Chicago. I'm taking one star off because they don't make their own tortillas and it shows, but still it's great to have these guys in the inner city.

Every time I am here I receive the best service along with amazing food for an affordable price! Highly recommend this hole in the wall to satisfy your taco cravings!

WOW. This place is absolutely amazing. My boyfriend and I wanted jerk chicken and burritos so we decided to look on door dash and get from here for the first time. It arrived in a timely manner and was very well put together and great positions too. I ordered the jerk chicken tacos and they tasted so amazing with the sauce and rice and cole slaw, and mind you I have travelled to a lot of places where Mexican food is common and I LOVED IT. My Boyfriends banado burrito or whatever tasted great. The verde sauce had a nice portion of cilantro in it and was the perfect spice. We ordered to horchata drinks too and they are perfect creaminess. Very impressed at how well they followed directions and prepared the food. Best Mexican restaurant in Calgary.

The goat curry is perfect. Just the right amount of spice and the goat is perfectly tender. The fish tacos are the best I have seen in Calgary. The breakfast is also excellent and very reasonably priced. My bacon and eggs were good and the pancakes were amaxing--easily up to my mother's standards. It was all so well cooked that I will dare to try the omelette next time. The staff are very friendly and helpful. It's my new favourite place 8n Kensington.

Love this place.. Been here many times. Dave did an amazing job with the menu selections. My fav by far are the fish tacos. They are amazing and I crave them every time. I love the gluten free selections and that everything is made to order and fresh. Out of town friends who I bring in are impressed with the flavors and the friendliness off the staff.

I have been going to Bodega since 2017 and have nothing bad to say about it. I've been with my husband and with friends many times and have had fantastic meals every single time. I love their Burrito Banado, their Tortilla Soup, their Enchiladas Verde, and my husband who adores hot sauce found their homemade sauce almost hot enough. Jesus is a darling, as well. Clean, roomy, great vibe, and huge portions beautifully presented. I have been to Mexico many, many times (not touristy areas) and this is the real deal. I just wish they'd make Chile Rellenos (too much work - I've made them). I think you get great value for your money, especially when you take a doggy bag home - lunch and dinner for one price! Also, when I started going to Bodega, they had kept the Caribbean menu from the previous owners. Thank goodness they are now serve only Mexican.

Great jerk tacos and big portions! The mango salsa was ripe and sweet, fabulous with the creamy coleslaw and a little added hot sauce. The jerk chicken tasted great but a little extra jerk sauce and citrus would've been nice. Maybe a little less rice as well. Well priced and good service. All my friends liked their food as well... we all had jerk chicken items. Recommended if you're looking for a well priced casual tasty dinner. I should note that they do not serve alcohol. Also, if atmosphere is what you're going for then this might not be the place for you... not exactly a romantic or trendy environment.

So I actually pass this restaurant, like, everyday, but it looked scary from the outside. Don't let that fool you! This place is the perfect hole-in-the-wall that sells authentic Mexican food. We had the nachos, and everything was perfecto: the refried bean dip, guacamole and salsa tasted like it was made five minutes ago. The nachos that that authentic, thick crunch that didn't taste store bought, but made on site. We've been to Mexico many times, and it tasted like the small, humble, but delicious roadside restaurants that are so memorable. Hands down the best Mexican in YYC. A refreshing place where it's cheap, delicious, and you're not paying for decor and hot waitors/waitresses.

Great food! It's a mix of Mexican and Caribbean dishes. The food was well prepared and came out in pretty good time. I had the macaroni & chicken dish and quite enjoyed the perfect amount of spice. We had chips and the guacamole was fresh and on point. They treated us to a new dessert they were testing out. It reminded me of a sweet cornbread. I really hope they put it on the menu because it was very good. We'll definitely come back!

We are glad our friends brought us here. From the outside we would never had gone to eat here. Boy were we wrong. The service is great and the food is good. The pico da gallo is out standing. We ordered the 3 dip starter. It has pico, refried beans and guacamole. All were good, but the pico was outstanding. For the main course we had Tacos Dorados, Mexican Mac N' Cheese, Enchiladas Verdes and Quesadilla. Everyone enjoyed their dinner. We will be going back. They do not have a liquor license, so no beer. They do have s number of Mexican soft drinks.

Went to this place as I live in Sunnyside and purchased a Groupon for it. My husband and I went for our date night and ordered three tacos to start, which were pretty great. My entrée was the jerk chicken and his was the curried beef roti. Service was very personable, however slightly forgetful as my entrée came out after I had to remind her that I had ordered it. The menu isn't huge, but the server did mention that it is going to expand. Overall, I think this place has good potential and would go back again.

Jerk chicken - nice people. It's Caribbean food joint that doesn't stick to tradition, but doesn't get too crazy with the fusion either. It's a delicious equator mix that doesn't exist anywhere else in Calgary (as far as I know.) - all at a very approachable price point. Of course you're going to want to wash that tasty food down with a beer, and they've got a small selection of Village brews. It's a good place to go for a casual dinner and they've got table service. I don't think the feel of the place really suits the food. But I also think there's a certain authenticity that comes with having a space that hasn't been decorated to the 9's around some sort of a theme. I see myself ordering a huge amount of takeout coming from here in the future.

Great food for a first try. The staff were very helpful and friendly. They are working out a few bumps like my hot water and lemon had to be served in a glass as they are needing cups. That didn't stop the food from being very tasty and affordable. I had the jerked fish tacos.. so tasty! I found it flavourful without being over powering. My friend had the burger with sweet potato fries. He enjoyed it thought the flat bread used as a bun would have been better toasted. Minor points as the flavor was great! Definitely coming back!

My BF and I ordered trough Skip The Dishes, and we absolutely loved it! I have to say these are one of the best tacos that I have tried. "Plato Botanero" is also amazing. We request some more tortillas chips and they sent a full bag of them. I cannot wait to try the other dishes. This is authentic Latin food. 5 starts for sure!!

Best burrito I've found so far in Calgary. Always friendly service here and never a long wait. Definitely one of my favorite spots for a satisfying lunch in the downtown/Kensington area.

This restaurant is still using romaine lettuce despite romaine lettuce being taken off the shelves across the country due to E.coli outbreaks. I ordered delivery from La Bodega through SkipTheDishes tonight and found the entire meal (enchiladas) covered with a topping of romaine. I contacted SkipTheDishes through their chat support to let them know and to request a refund as I wouldn't be eating the food. SkipTheDishes called La Bodega and this was they response they came back to me with, "...they said enchiladas verdes always comes with romaine lettuce. Therefore if you did not want it, you should have put some special instructions." I asked if La Bodega was aware of the E.coli outbreaks, and was told "yes, they are aware." La Bodega would not issue refund. I find their stance on romaine unappealing and not safe.

Finally, finally have found a great roti here in Calgary. My taste buds are singing in joy! Wonderful dinner at Bodega! Can't say enough great things about this restaurant! I'm in heaven and will definitely be back to enjoy everything on the menu.

Authentic Mexican flavours and delightful presentation. This is the best Mexican food we've had since moving from Los Angeles, where Mexican food is plentiful. We highly recommend the crispy tacos, which seem to be made with homemade tortilla shells. Their burritos were perfect too. They definitely earned their five stars.

Authentic Mexican food in Calgary? Fantastic. The quality of the food here is top notch, the drink selection is vast and the service is very welcoming and friendly. Even the clientèle that were in the restaurant were welcoming, making recommendations when going over the menu. Highly recommended.

I love this place. Food is very authentic Mexican, food is always fresh and delicious and the owner is so friendly!!! If he could get licensed you would have to beat people off with a stick to get in. Keep up the awesome work! Kensington + Mexican = Bodega

This place was delightful!! It wasn't busy when we arrived tonight, and we had great service. The food was authentic and very flavorful. I enjoyed beef roti with the salad and coleslaw for sides and it was the perfect amount of spice! So good! The salad was amazing and balanced out the dish. We were treated with a new dessert the chef was trying - the corn cake. I am hopeful he will keep it! Not too sweet, great texture, and perfect for finishing up the meal. All in all I highly recommend them and will definitely be back!!

This place is amazing! The people are so friendly!! I ordered the tacos dorados to go and was so impressed. I couldn't even take a photo because I was so excited. This food was so fresh. Taco shells frying as I waited. It was delicious! I cannot wait to come back.

Went here on a whim for dinner to support local business. Holy sh*t is this place good! Had the enchiladas verde and some chicken and beef tacos. Genuinely one of the best Mexican food restaurants I've ever been to. If you're craving Mexican you NEED to go here. You will not be disappointed.

Goat curry was great. My friend had the jerk chicken mac and cheese. Expected less diner-type atmosphere more funky upscale. I guess I was mislead by the advertising.

We were in here a few days ago and the food is amazing. The chicken burritos are so good and filling. The service is really friendly and the food came out so fast. The whole restaurant and all the tables were very clean. We will definitely be back soon.

Authentic tasting Mexican food. Nicely done salsa and chips. Beef consommé was awesome.

My coworker and I decided to order pick up from Bodega for lunch, I had the ceser salad with chicken and she had the chicken tacos. We both were pretty underwhelmed and disappointed in the food. My salad was soggy because of how much dressing they put in it. My coworker couldn't bring herself to finish the tacos as it had so much rice and a little chicken in it.

My partner and I came here to use a Groupon sometime last week. It may be that we came on a bad night, but our experience was certainly not good. When we came in, the restaurant smelled absolutely terrible - perhaps a toilet had overflowed prior to our arrival. I ordered the jerk chicken macaroni and cheese and my partner ordered the burger with sweet potato fries. The burger was pretty good aside from a soggy bun and undercooked bacon, but I'm not sure what exactly happened with the macaroni and cheese. I didn't taste any cheese at all - it seemed to be just noodles with chicken and panko on top - and the chicken was quite bland. Our server was inattentive, which didn't bother us much, but one of the other servers was acting quite strangely and we felt slightly intimidated. We had very high hopes based on the other reviews, but I don't think we will be back due to our own experience.

Bodega now doing breakfast! Again with the generous proportions, good variety of items and (I feel like I'm stealing) low prices. I've enjoyed breakfast here twice, and I've been back for lunch or dinmer 4 or 5 times already. Bodega is fast becoming one of my staple frequent flyer destinations. As I say, why risk food poisoning by staying home and cooking for myself, when I can dine out?! And at Bodega it's that much better--value is there, and the friendly host provides better company than staying home, alone. Just me and my whiny dog.

If you're looking for authentic Mexican food this is the place to go. The food is inexpensive but fantastically flavourful and delicious. This place is a small hidden joint with tons of character. The service is great and the chef is friendly and talented. If you're on the lookout for a quick meal and great eats this is a must!