Date Night | Cocina Economica

We stumbled upon Cocina Economica on one of those rare nights when we happened to enjoy an unplanned Date Night. My brother and his girlfriend were watching the kids and the hubs and I hit the Craft Beer Experience and were on our way home when I realized I was hungry and that the night was still young. Our plan was to walk up towards the financial district from Corktown but I spotted what looked like a hole in the wall and was immediately drawn towards it. I’m glad I ignored the ‘what? No that’s not a restaurant’ and crossed the street to inspect the place.

The moment I peeked inside I spotted happy people, heard some lively tunes and was able to smell a couple margaritas that made me smack my lips together. I hadn’t heard about this new opening at the time so I was thrilled to learn that Cocina Economica had JUST opened that week and  that we could get a table in fifteen minutes. Sign me up! I was too busy ogling at the rustic decor (fun mix of wood and brightly coloured tiles) that I didn’t notice the minutes slip by and we were soon seated. This is definitely a spot where young kids would not do well at as there’s many high tops and the space is quite cramped. Perhaps a lunch time visit might work with young ones but for now I’d say this is an awesome date night spot.

Cocina Economica is one of those spots where everyone quickly becomes friends at. This probably happens because you’re seated so closely to each other but also because you’re curious about what the table next door ordered! We were seated for two minutes before our neighbours were happily giving us recommendations ( this was their third visit!!) on what to order. What they failed to tell us was how huge the portions were! The hubs and I have VERY healthy appetites and so we thought we’d be fine with a shared appetizer and a dish each. Well… we were quite stuffed by the time we got done!

The menu is definitely curated to be shared but don’t let the price of the tapas fool you…those are some large portions! Deliciously large so that you can enjoy a doggy bag! You can expect traditional home cooked meals served in a restaurant atmosphere here. I won’t lie… Playa Cabana never hit the spot for me but Cocina Economica punches me right where I want it to! This is Chef and Owner, Dave Sidhu’s, sixth in a line of Mexican restaurants and I think he has done things extremely well here. Everything about Cocina Economica has been inspired by Dave’s visit to Mexico’s Oaxaca region.

We started with their ceviche which was quite good and my favourite was the lamb barbacoa which was accompanied by beans, rice and consomme AND multiple tortillas.  The half pound dish would have been sufficient for us but we also ordered  pork tostadas which was also just as delicious. I need to head back to explore more of their menu because there was quite a few dishes I had my eyes on, especially when it came to desserts.

There’s a stellar list of sangrias and margaritas on offer here but what you should check out is their long list of Mezcals. The guys here seem quite knowledgeable and ready to educate on this range of beverages, so definitely ask questions! Our food came out quite fast and our servers were rushing around but made it a point too keep checking in on us. I know a couple friends have encountered a few service issues on their visits but we had a lovely time and I’d go back in heartbeat!

The patio wasn’t licensed during our visit but I heard it would happen soon and that there’s plans for expansions towards the back and perhaps even up! Hopefully this means shorter wait times now that the word has gotten out about this authentically Mexican hot spot!