Tacos at Grand Electric

I went to Grand Electric on a chilly Saturday night in January before 7pm, hoping to beat the rush. No such luck.
The place was already packed, and there was a whole page of names ahead of mine. I put my name on the list, and was told they’d call in 2 hours.

Never heard of Grand Electric? This hot Parkdale restaurant does not take reservations. They dish up fresh tacos, specialize in bourbon and play gangsta rap 24/7. A direct competitor to La Carnita, I’ve been eager to check these guys out.

We hung out at the Cadillac Lounge to wait, and actually ran into a couple of guys doing the same thing! Ha.

Two hours later, we were seated at the bar at ready to eat! The place was crowded and dimly lit. The service was friendly, and although they were obviously busy, I never felt rushed. (take that, Momofuku.)

Each taco was $3.50 and that night they were: Pork Tinga, Baja Fish, Spicy Arbol Chicken, Beef Cheek, Scrapple (uhh, mush of pork scraps and trimmings),and Cactus Queso.

I ordered the Pork Tinga, Baja Fish and Spicy Arbol Chicken. The pork and chicken arrived first, and quickly.

We devoured our tacos, a small mound of meat the in the middle of a fresh tortilla. The toppings were fresh, spicy and dying to escape the tortilla. I wish they had given me a separate plate from my friend, instead of serving both of our tacos on one dish.

The best of the three that I ate was the fish taco. The breaded fish was incredibly hot and crispy. It was topped with shredded cabbage, radishes and their house taco sauce. Mmm.

Grand Electric is not a good place to take a first place. The dark lighting, loud music and messy eating options do not scream romance. However, it’s an awesome place to hang out with a bunch of friends…or maybe for that third date. It’s also cheap! Eat away, friends.

Grand Electric is at 1330 Queen Street West, Toronto, Ontario.