Topanga Cafe- "You Gotta Eat Here!" Show Told Me I Gotta Eat Here. So I Did.

I’ve been loving the show “You Gotta Eat Here!” on the Food Network lately and I took particular notice to this local restaurant that was featured on the show (Click here to watch the clip). It’s called Topanga Cafe and it’s a Mexican restaurant located in Kits.

B-Boy and I came here quite late (probably 2ish) and it looked so empty we thought they were closed!

We were the only customers in the restaurant so it was a bit quiet and lacked the bustling, fun atmosphere. However, we did go during an awkward time so it couldn’t be helped.

Looking at their prices, I realized most of them were pretty up there. It can go from $11 if you are ordering a la carte (so just burrito or taco with nothing else) to $25 for two items plus sides.

If you have trouble with their jargon (like I did), you can refer to their handy definition sheet!

While we waited for our entrees to arrive, we had some chips and salsa to keep us busy. The tortilla chips tasted like they were freshly fried (props!) and the salsa was deliciously spicy and fresh.

We liked the salsa so much we asked for another one! B-boy even wanted to buy a jar of the salsa home but decided against it at the end.  I think the price of the salsa were a bit too steep for him.

B-boy ordered the Prawn Nortena ($17.95) and it came with sautéed prawns grilled with green pepper, tomato, onion, then covered with salsa and a dab of sour cream. Rice, beans, and a flour tortilla were served on the side.

Quite a bit of food, eh? We were happy with the portion size because it made up for the price.

B-boy used the flour tortilla to make himself a burrito and there was still ¾ of the dish left! I don’t know how it tasted but from his polished plate I think he enjoyed it.

I went with something I saw on the show, the Prawn Burrito ($17.95). It was essentially a prawn burrito covered with guacamole , sour cream, an olive, and rice, beans, and some greens on the side.

The refried beans were sinfully heavy underneath all the cheese. X.X But at least there were a few strands of lettuce and some tomatoes to lighten it up. Haha... Oh who am I kidding, the puny ‘salad’ did almost nothing to counteract the artery clogging pile of goodness. :P

They melted the cheese under the broiler so the top layer of the rice got nice and toasty. I personally enjoyed the semi-crunchy rice A LOT.

They marinated the plump prawns nicely and they weren’t stingy with the quantity too. I highly recommend getting this dish! If these pictures do not persuade you to do so, you should watch them make it (behind the scenes) on the ‘You Gotta Eat Here!’ episode and it’ll change your mind.

Look at that....! Shrimp rejoice!... *drools*.

I was only able to get through half so one entree can technically be split into two meals. However, if you have a bigger appetite (like B-boy), you can probably finish this no problem.

All in all, the food is not cheap (25 bucks for a lunch!! X.X) so I probably can’t afford to come often to satisfy my Mexican food cravings. However, with that being said, the food is undeniably delicious and it will certainly fill you up even if you just went on the Grouse Grind. 

Service Rating: 3/5

Food Rating: 4/5

Price: $$$-$$$$

Overall Rating: 3.5/5

Happy Eating!

courtesy of http://animalcapshunz.icanhascheezburger.com/tag/im-so-hungry/