My wife and I stopped by this restaurant on our last night in Monterey. We wanted a place that was quick, tasty, and suitable for our 16 month old son. It was perfect. The food was great! It came out quickly and the staff was friendly. The owner came to our table and asked us how our food was and engaged with our son. She was very considerate and genuine. Glad to see her business doing well. The menu had many great selections and we enjoyed everything we ordered. This food would be great for anyone, you don’t have to be vegan to enjoy this place. Give it a try!
This place is my weekend treat! I drive on sundays from salinas just to try something new each time. They have a lot of great choices, and everything I have tried its so good!
My #1 place to treat myself and my kids
#elcantaro
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El Cantaro is fantastic Mexican food—vegan or not.
It tastes great—plus it leaves me feeling lighter and less stuffed than meaty greasy burritos.
I lived in the neighborhood and had my eye on El Cantaro while they were building it out. I went there maybe 3 days after they opened. It was so yummy and friendly that I went there often.
It’s been a while since I lived there. Then I recently went back. Looks like they got a little fancier with the digital menu screens and some different art on the walls, but the menu looks mostly the same.
I’m not sure I’ve ever had anything else besides the El Cantaro Burrito—it’s that good.
I think this might be the first place I’ve ever had Mexican hot chocolate. I’m kinda particular about hot chocolate, so I got it to-go because I wasn’t sure what it was all about; I didn’t want them to be offended if I dumped it. I LOVED IT! and I bought it again and again. I’ve also started making hot chocolate at home with cinnamon almost every time.
Jamaica (Hibiscus “tea” [hibiscus punch]) is also great!
Clean bathrooms. Just a couple free parking spots, but more metered parking on the street.
If you choose to give a thumbs-up 👍🏽 or not, I hope you found my review helpful!
Hearty portion and delicious food.
We came here after a backpacking trip. Everyone was very content.
The group shared combo 1&2, supreme veggie burritos, nachos, and the first blue dish under traditional plate. Everything was very tasty and we couldn’t finish all of it despite being super hungry.
My first vegan Mexican restaurant! I was pleasantly surprised. I got black mole with vegan chicken, rice, beans and corn tortillas were made by the chef right in front of me! The service was quick and the woman at the register was very kind and helpful. RECOMMENDED
Wow! If you want your vegan/mexican food this is the place!!
We ordered enmoladas and tacos asada. I couldn’t believe that was vegan!!!
The following night we got the chile en hogada.
Even though I do love meat - El Cantaro was a nice alternative.
I almost didn't miss some nice pork or beef ;)
It was very tasty and I enjoyed our stay even though we had to wait quite some time for our food.
Fully vegan Mexican joint & it's amazing!! My non-vegan boyfriend was astonished. We had smoothies, horchata, chile relleno & "steak" enchiladas. We wanted to go back the next day to try more but they were closed :(
Probably one of the best burritos I ever had! I am not vegetarian, but the family I'm traveling with is, and we were all blown away by how good all of our food selections were. The service is super nice 👍 everything was packed for the road with utensils and tons of napkins, which was super appreciated!
Felt like a traditional taco shop, but it's vegan! 🤯 So good! Prices are a bit steep, but you can sit outside and enjoy views of the ocean. The Crispy Potato Taco was delish, the Enchilada red sauce was spicier than I thought (in a good way) and the green sauce was good, black beans (refried) were tasty, the El Cantaro Burrito was pretty big (heads up, it didn't have chunks of "steak" - my husband was expecting like beyond steak tips), the"chik'n" taquito was crunchy, but the "chik'n" was more like tofu, and the rice was the most surprising! Fluffy and tasted like my friend's grandmother's recipe. Overall, a great find!
The best Mexican vegan I’ve had! Wanted to return for dinner and the next day while in town. Instead had to settle for a take out meal. That was after my son and I enjoyed two meals for lunch. Everything on the menu sounded delicious! Being from Arizona I’m a Mexican food addict. We could have eaten our way through the entire menu! Definitely will return when we’re in Monterey!
I got the vegan steak taco, it was delicious and a little spicy. Update: so good we went back again today. I got the enchiladas with the green sauce. Very tasty. My friend got the red sauce with her chilaquiles. The sauce was a bit too spicy for us. Just a heads up for anyone who is sensitive to spice.
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