Well, what do you know, I’ve been passing a gem of a restaurant most of the winter on the way to ‘downtown’ Isla and I never knew it! Most of the way to the City Deli, there is a restaurant that seems to be located in an old garage because it has a huge roll down door. It always has chicken going on the BBQ, the signs are handwritten on fluorescent-coloured stock, and the inside seems spotless and newly renovated.

I had a hankering for a burger at noon one day and knowing that this is the only place besides the beachfront restaurants that are open most days at midday, I decided it was time to check it out. I’m glad I waited that long because, DANG. I’ve only had their hamburgers and really want to go back for their Mexican food!

Like all hamburgers I’ve had on Isla, it’s not a hearty beef burger. But unlike the other burgers, it actually tastes meaty. I suspect the patty is pork since there’s fat in it, but I suppose it could be chicken. The burger comes with a really good bun (I have to say Mexicans know how to do burger buns) that is grilled and has just enough charring to give it flavour without tasting burnt. It comes topped with cheese, lettuce, tomato, onion, ketchup, mayo, and jalapeños. I ordered without mayo and they told me they subbed crema. I have no idea why, but I find that hilarious. I add mustard and sweet relish at home. It’s a super messy and very flavourful sandwich unto its own right, not a sad excuse for a hamburger.

But it’s the fries that make this place stand out. They are made from fresh potatoes, the only place I’ve seen that done since I got to Mexico, and have the skin on. They were really good the first time and that’s why I went back there tonight for dinner instead of going to Miguel’s for a shrimp burrito. But guess what? Tonight they were ‘overcooked’ by the standards of anyone born outside of Quebec who has no idea what a French fry can actually taste like (delicious beyond all imagining) and tasted like my childhood. That’s the best way I can put it.

Hamburger and fries: 40 pesos.

Beer pairing: Tecate