Grand Electric

love their tacos! got their pork belly, chorizo, baja fish and octopus el diablo.
everything had a great taste of flavour. i’m not a fan of onions and cilantro which they put too much of it in but that’s just my personal taste. their taco wrap was a little too small, i wished it was bigger so i can wrap all the toppings. my favourite was the chorizo and octopus.
luckily i didn’t have to wait for a seat as i arrived relatively early. they have very limited seating, i had to sit at the bar.

I have allergies, and always call a restaurant before dragging my friends there. I’d heard so much about how great the food is here and was eager to try it. I tried calling them at different times for 3 days to no avail-​nobody answers the phone-​so my friend actually stopped by and gave the manager a list of my allergies and they said «Sure! No problem! We can feed her!»
We were told 45 minutes for a table which turned into an hour and a half. The first 2 to arrive were given 2 seats at the bar to have a drink while waiting but when we arrived, we were simply told to not stand by them. Tables were empty while they were waiting for patrons to return so we’d sit there in the meantime. We got moved around 3 times. Already annoyed. As others have said, the music is so loud you can barely hear your friends talk. We had to lean in like we would at a bar.
After we were finally seated at a tiny table (4 people at a table for 2), I told the waitress about my allergies and she said she remembered my friend from the day before. She went to check in the kitchen to see what I could have and came back with the list: 2 options. And not one taco. Thankfully the ceviche was tasty as was the guacamole. But I don’t think they were as careful as they said as I still had a reaction and was quite ill later on. My friends said the tacos were good but have had better tacos elsewhere in the city with less attitude and arrogance.
I would not recommend for anyone with allergies. And my friends weren’t that thrilled either.

Hipster tacos place. It’s small and sometimes it’d get too crowded. You may have to wait in line for a long time. It’s LOUD. Haven’t had a taco that I didn’t like there though.

Small resto with loud hip hop! Although it’s a great atmosphere, the wait is usually long for a table but luckily you can give them your # and they will text when a table is free.
I tried the beef cheek taco which was very tasty. Soft shredded beef with excellent flavour. I really liked the baja fish taco as well, really well done. The tuna ceviche was subpar I’ve had better and the guac was really good but what a small portion with so many chips. More guac, less chips, hellllllo!!!
I had the coconut cream pie in a jar for dessert which was actually amazing!

Grabbed lunch here with some friends on their recommendation.
As others have mentioned, this place is LOUD from open to close. Make sure to charge your phones before stopping in so that you’re able to text the rest of your party.
Example texts from our visit:
— «can u pass the salt?»
— «want another drink? i think he’s coming back???»
The atmosphere is relaxed and casual overall. There’s a slight pretentious vibe from the staff and décor, but it’s a hipster paradise so it’s more or less to be expected. I can get behind that when you back it up with good food.
We were lucky to grab the last table before the wait started, but had to squeeze ourselves into the table next to the bar. We ordered tacos (duh) and ended up trying the spicy chicken ($ 3.95), spicy yam ($ 3.50), crispy cauliflower ($ 3.50), and chorizo and queso ($ 3.75). Everyone in the group was eager to try the pork belly ($ 3.95), but they were sold out so I guess we weren’t alone.
Since we were near the bar, the bartender ended up being our waiter. I’m not sure how normal this practice is, but it made our overall service a little on the «meh» side, since he was busy presenting an astonishing one-​man mixology show to the group seated at the bar.
Also, if you’ve got any picky eaters in your party, be warned: they won’t make modifications to your order. One of my friends wanted to leave an ingredient off one of the tacos and you’d think we were asking the bartender to walk across a bed of hot coals.
The tacos themselves didn’t disappoint, despite the fact that we had a few more toppings on them than we’d have liked. The prices do add up, so keep that in mind if you’ve got an especially hungry crowd.
We’ll be back to check this place out again though — hopefully with more pork belly and less attitude.

Maybe if I didn’t feel like I had hearing loss from the weirdly loud music BLASTING at noon, or the server who slammed our food down and sauntered off, or maybe if the tacos hadn’t been so teeny tiny for the price I would’ve given it three or more because the fish tacos and guac were both pretty yummy.
I won’t be patronizing a restaurant that is known for blasting music so loud people can’t talk to their dining companions. Ooohhhh it’s *so* hip to have a headache and ringing ears for the rest of the day. Pass.

When you figure out which door opens to this place, you’re welcomed by a small venue blasting good Olé hip-​hop in the background. Expecting to be told the wait was rediculously long, we were actually able to be seated at the bar in 5 mins. The menu is small (which is how it should be really) and focuses on Mexican fare. The atmosphere is alive, and the cost of food and drink is pretty reasonable. I mean at 3.75 a taco, you can’t go wrong.
I got the fish and chicken tacos and my friend got the yam and fried cauliflower tacos. They were perfect. Soft shell, well seasoned meat, crispy and sour slaw, made for an amazing taste bud dance in the mouth. By the time we were done, we spent 10minutes contemplating whether to get more or stay so satisfied as is — we got more drinks instead.
Service was great (kind of had to be since we were right at the bar), dessert was fantastic and all in all this was a time well worth the money spent.
Only downside was we would’ve liked some back support with the seating and would’ve stayed well into the night if that was the case. We are definitely going to be visiting and probably trying to taste all items off the menu

Good food
Fairly priced
Service is not the friendliest
Long wait times to get a table and no reservation but the food and charming space is worth it.

I don’t live close by but this place is worth the trek as long as you’re prepared to splurge! The food gets 5 stars in my books but all other things taken into account I’m only giving three stars.
To be completely honest the food is a redeeming factor at this place that has a lot to make up for. It’s an extremely crowded and loud environment. Don’t go here on a first date where you hope to actually converse with your company. Unless of course you’re going in the summer, their back patio is adorable and a way better atmosphere than inside. Also the drink menu could be more accessible. They don’t have physical menus except for their bourbon and everything is written on a chalkboard with dim lighting. We had no idea they even had beer on tap and other things the first few times we went.
The plates the tacos come on are a little ridiculous. For something so messy you’d think we’d be given our own plate but you have to share your messy taco over a silver tin. In my experience don’t bother with some of the apps especially the chicken wings. Overpriced and small portions.
BEST TACO IS BAJA FISH… That taco alone keeps me coming back. They are to die for. Pretty much any of the tacos won’t disappoint you.
I also don’t dig that you can’t split bills… What? This is downtown Toronto. Not everyone is a couple that can figure out the bill splitting later, they have no sympathy for how annoying it is to stop the evening’s events because now someone has to find their bank or atm to pay you back. And it’s really NOT that hard to divy it up on the till with the right software. Seems like a really outdated way to process transactions.

Really good freaking tacos. There’s a Unilocal truth here. When hundreds of people say a place has really good freaking tacos, you don’t really need to be reading this review to confirm or deny that. If i said there WEREN’T good tacos, I clearly have some way overblown standard for tacos, or burned my tongue in an accident and don’t taste the same way as most of society. If you’re reading this just to confirm one last time where the best tacos are, there are really good freaking tacos here. Tacos. Here. Eat them. They’re so good. Yum.

Hip hop and mexican food. I’m in heaven.
Came here on a saturday night thinking it would be pretty hard to get in. Was told it would be an hour and 15 minutes wait, so we gave our number and headed out to another bar in the area to kill time. Just as we got our drinks at the other bar we got a text saying our table was ready so we chugged our beers and headed over. We started with drinks and some nachos with guac and salsa. The salsa was especially good! I had the chicken and baja fish taco. The fish was definitely my favourite. melt in your mouth good. The chicken was surprisingly spicy too! Only downside was the very small wine selection. Will definitely be back.

Got takeout for this place because I’ve read about all the raving reviews. Let me tell you I was no impressed at all! The food was ok wasn’t the best taco I’ve had… I don’t know what all the hype is about! Even their guac was «ok» accompanied by their over salted chips. Wont be wasting my money here again

I live in the area and popped in here on a whim with my boyfriend on a Friday night. We only had to wait 15 minutes so we had a quick beer at a bar close by, came back, and were seated right away.
We ordered some Electric Lagers to sip on as we took a peep at the taco selection. We started with two orders each of the baja fish, spicy arbol chicken, beef cheek, and shrimp. We loved all of them and you could really taste the freshness of the ingredients. My boyfriend even enjoyed the beef cheek and he’s a guy who is iffy about these sort of things. The spicy arbol chicken was delightfully spicy and the shrimp tacos were great, but the standout for me was the baja fish. The fish was perfectly crispy and the sauce was very tasty.
I don’t know if it was because I had just gotten over the flu or if the tacos were exceptional, but I could not stop eating. We ordered two more orders of the baja fish and shrimp and then decided to cut ourselves off.
We sat at the bar and the bartender taking care of us was absolutely lovely, but I was made uncomfortable by the hostess when we first showed up… like I was not worthy. I’m from New York so I’m used to that sort of constant abuse by strangers, but for such a cool spot with great food, that sort of attitude just seems out of place.

Have you ever eaten a fish taco in the mosh pit of a raging hip hop concert? What? NO???
Well it’s your lucky day, because Grand Electric has thoughtfully simulated that experience for you at their Parkdale location.
All joking aside, the staff of this restaurant are likely deaf. Which explains why they continuously blast music a few decibels louder than a fog horn throughout the evening. Hey, I like loud music as much as the next person, but this is downright insane. I’m not exaggerating, there have been times (with different groups) we’ve had to ask for our food to go because we:
a) can’t hear one another
and b) are concerned for our ear-​health (?)
I’ve asked countless times if they could turn it down a notch, and more than once the server has explained that they’d like it turned down too, that they can’t hear their patrons, but the owners have made this a «rule.»
Well this is a weird freaking rule.
Their fish tacos are f***ing unbelievable, but just not worth breaking an eardrum over.

I had the pork belly and fish tacos and one of the slushies from the bar menu. The slushi was EXCELLENT– it had st germain and grand marnier in it but somehow tasted like pear. The tacos were good, but they were akin to eating fire– and I didn’t even get the spiciest ones. I understand people like spicy food and if you’re reading this and that person is you, COME HERE. But this was a little overwhelming for me. My fiancé, on the other hand, who likes spicy food, said that the chicken was crazy. They have a tiiiiiny little ‘very’ spicy next to the menu item that he joked didn’t reflect the degree if spiciness.
The star of the show was the key lime. Good god in heaven, that was delicious.

Grand Electric is one of those places that I want to love, but can’t due to the pretentious hipster service that seems all to common in Toronto.
Food
This is the reason I would go back. The food is consistent and usually on point when it comes to flavours. My personal favourites have been the baja fish and beef cheek tacos, although the crispy cauliflower looked quite good last time I went. I would say 3 tacos is a good portion for a typical meal, 2 if you aren’t super hungry (or saving room for dessert). Granted, since these are tacos you can easily keep ordering more without much hassle or inconvenience to your fellow diners. I did try the key lime pie on one occasion, and yes it is adorable in it’s mason jar vessel, but it wasn’t anything special and a tad too sweet for my liking.
Drinks
I’d stick to brewskis as the cocktails here seem so-​so. If I had to describe the Paloma it’d say it tasted like diluted tequila water. My friends mojitos and margaritas faired better but again lacked balance. This isn’t a big deal in my opinion since beers go better with tacos anyways.
Service
This is the part I can’t seem to understand about Grand Electric… it seems like they hire the most aloof, uninterested people to be servers. I understand it’s a taco joint, not a Ritz-​Carlton, but would it kill to show a little enthusiasm? On both occasions I’ve gone the service seemed slow and you’d have to wave down your server if you needed anything.
Atmosphere
Depending on what time of day you go, you are in for a very different experience. During the day and early evening, the space is quite airy and the backyard patio (which is covered) is a great spot to catch up with a group of friends. Once night time comes, this place seems to turn down the lights and blast heavy hip hop music. If you were planning to stare romantically into your partners eyes or engage in deep conversation, it’d suggest going elsewhere. Regardless though the menu is much easier to read on the patio — inside it’s virtually impossible as it’s on chalkboards (the worst!)

They make really bomb diggity tacos! I tried their shrimp, fish, beef cheek, roast pork, pork belly, and their mission wings on the special side of the menu and boy was it amazing!
The price for a taco is fair, not cheap but fair. you would get the same price in any hipster taco place like this. The ambience is chill and relaxed. They have a back door patio. It was super hot that day so buy some beers or try any of their cold drinks.
The tacos were all A. Nothing was over cooked, everything was topped with fresh ingredients, and they were all flavoured amazingly! The wings were big! and sooooooo freakin tasty! But I couldn’t justify paying 9 dollars for three pieces of wings, so that’s why they lost a star.
I recommend this place. They accept cash, credit, debit, but no splitting bills. You can tell them waht you’ve ordered and pay your own seperately. I have to say the service was pretty fast on a saturday night!

I don’t know what took me so long to come here considering the raving reviews and general enthusiasm peeps have for this place. Perhaps it was the projected line-​ups but I must have accumulated some good cosmic karma since we went on a Friday night and were able to snag two spots with no wait!
The expectations were high and my hunger was raging. It could only be satisfied with six tacos and guacamole. And tuna ceviche. And key lime pie. I would say that the baja fish tacos were my favorite as they were somehow so light yet a perfect balance of flavors.
I found the chorizo and cheese tacos to be way too salty. The pulled pork taco was slightly underseasoned. The guacamole was great – nice touch of radishes on top – with a hefty amount of chips on the side. The tuna ceviche was cloaked in spicy jalapenos which masked the flavor of the fish altogether. The key lime «pie» was a deconstructed pie and decent overall, nothing extraordinary. Good drinks.
I’d come back to Grad Electric, order 6 baja fish tacos and call it a night.

Maybe it’s all the hype, but I felt completely underwhelmed when I went to Grand Electric the other night.
We had the baja fish tacos which everyone raves about. Personally I found them just okay. After that it was all down hill. The mission wings looked great but were bland and tough. Even the guac and chips were so-​so. The guacamole was flavourless and the chips, although they had a nice lively lime zing to them, were way too greasy. I love Mexican cuisine and Grand Electric just did not do it for me.
The food is cheap for a very good reason. We won’t be back.

Randomly decided to grab a quick lunch here while I was in the area on a Sunday afternoon. I know this place is quite popular, but luckily I came at one of their slower periods (around 2−3pm?).
On the recommendation of a server, I ordered the Cochinta pibil (roast pork) and then tried the Fish taco and Pork Belly.
The Cochinta was definitely my favourite. the roast pork was tender and soft. The Fish Taco had a yummy crispy fish piece but if ordered I would recommend you eating it first as shell will get soggy from the sauces on it. The Pork Belly taco was not really my favourite… a bit too sweet for me with their pineapple toppings.
I would come here again though, good to dine with friends and family. More for groups of 4 or less if you don’t have reservations. Though they have a picnic table in front by the windows that can fit 6.