Love this place! We visit 2-3 times a year when we go to Monterey from Fresno. The food has soooo much flavor and the restaurant is always very clean. Food is also done super fast! 10/10!! read more

El Cantaro - Chicken taquitos-appetizer - Mexican Near Me - Monterey, California

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Delicious Vegan options, I love this place, Everything I have tried I have enjoyed. My favorite is the Enchiladas, a must try is the churro ice cream. read more

This place is delicious. I was in the area for work and was a little worried I wouldn't be able to find vegan options and stumbled across this place. I was here for three days and came twice lol. The first day I had the veggie enchilada plate with salsa verde and it was so good - the veggies were nice and caramelized. The second time I had combo number three with a crispy potato taco, a chick'n taquito and an enchilada. Everything was great and service was fast and friendly. Would definitely come back! read more

Great vegan Mexican food. Lots of options to choose from. Servings are a good size and everything was delicious. Inside dining area with a few tables outside. Located close to the aquarium and tourist area. read more

Food is really good never had a problem with it. But the staff always looks like they have a stick up their ass, never have they been nice, they give you a face. I've gone about 10 times for about 2 years now and each time, even asking them for water or anything they just look at you like you interrupted them and sigh or roll their eyes. I get having bad days or not being in the mood happens but every single time? For the price, a simple smile would be nice. read more

Outstanding food and excellent customer experience, definitely plan to return ~ every thing vegan. A must try

I was a little skeptical about eating vegan Mexican food, but man this place is doing wonders. I ordered the Combo #3 which includes a crispy potato taco, a chickin' rolled taquito, and one enchilada with rice and beans. I also ordered 2 fish tacos, and I had to do a double take to make sure it wasn't actually fish. The food is so colorful and flavorful, and I wish I could've ordered the entire menu just to try everything. The staff is kind and knowledgeable, and if I could give this place 10 stars I would. PLEASE PLEASE TRY THIS RESTAURANT WHENEVER YOU'RE MONTEREY. You will not regret it! read more

El Cantaro - Fish Baja Style Taco - Mexican Near Me - Monterey, California

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Absolute must try Mexican food in the Monterey Bay area! Great food, though vegan - the food doesn't lack any bit of flavor. Full Review: I generally tend to avoid vegan restaurants as I often find them lacking in flavor. However El Canataro is definitely an exception. Recently visited them for lunch with my fam while vacationing in the Monterey Bay. The pricing and ambience were great and service was decent. There may be some waiting involved during lunch hours and limited parking is available at the restaurant. Food here was very flavoursome and simple, the portion sizes were great too. We loved the vegetable enchilada with green tomatilo sauce, the dish was great, packed awesome flavor and didn't feel too heavy which enchiladas tend to be with all the cheese and beans. The crispy potato taco was just fab with great taste and multitude of textures - this dish is a must try at this place. We also tried the vegetable burrito and found it pretty decent, it was just a simple good veggie burrito. The salsa and chips served when you get seated were great too. The salsa was nice and packed some punch. There were a lot of dishes in the menu with imitation/faux-meat which might be worth trying. If you are a vegetarian like me who doesn't like imitation/faux-meat - I believe you still have a lot of options. Recommendations: Vegetable enchilada with green tomatilo sauce Crispy Potato taco read more

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So so good! I got the veggie burrito, wet style with red enchilada sauce. 10/10 recommend. Sauce was plenty and a bit spicy which was perfect for me. I devoured it. read more

El Cantaro - Wet Veggie Burrito - Mexican Near Me - Monterey, California

It was a surprise on our trip to Monterey. Delicious vegan Mexican food. Their pineapple salsa was delicious. The have a lot of Jain (no onions, no garlic) options. Their guacamole does not have onions or garlic. We replaced tomato salsa with pineapple salsa which is Jain friendly. We had nachos, tostada and supreme veggie burrito. It's a must try vegan place in Monterey. read more

Super delicious Mexican food. We got chicken fajita, veggie burrito and fish tacos. The fish in the tacos are not the battered kind but thinner slices, the mango salsa was great. Kids finished the burrito to my surprise. Big portion and priced well. Highly recommend. read more

It's my fault that I didn't catch that this is a 100% vegan place. You order and pay, then they bring your food on disposable plates. No fuss. I got a little bit of that "vegan attitude" when I confirmed that they don't serve meat... sorry. But we decided to stay and try it out. Service and Ambience: weight: 3, 3/5 We ordered the Enmolada (mole enchiladas) and Pozole. The sauce and flavorings hid the fact that there was no meat, so that was a plus. I didn't even mind the texture difference, though I don't see the point of applying chickin' or steak labels to faux meats... why not just serve tofu (which I love)? I was surprised at how good it tasted though. Food: weight: 1, 4/5 Portions are modest but prices are right. Value: weight: 5/5 read more

I can't believe I live so close to such a great restaurant. Delicious and vegan to boot! I love that I can get great Mexican food without it being drowning in cheese. The veggie and 'steak' burrito have been our favorites. Large portions, tasty and it leaves you feeling great! read more

My wife, my son and I regularly eat here. I'm not a vegan, she is, but we all love the food here. I love the laidback vibe and the delicious food. My personal favorite is the pisole, chile relleno, and carne asada tacos. We're from LA and we're accustomed to eating at solid vegan spots, and this place is no exception. However she just told me about a recent experience she had where a server (a young lady) told her she couldn't eat inside after my wife ordered take-out but my kid had changed his mind and wanted to eat inside. There was even other staff eating at the tables but apparently it was still too busy at the time. They had to eat outside at a park--and when they got there, the utensils weren't even included. It breaks my heart to write this review because my wife always raves about El Cantaro. But now she's torn because of how off-putting the service was that day. From my personal experience the staff has always been professional, so it was an absolute shock to hear this. This is simply unacceptable. I'm hoping that the service will be more cordial if we visit again, but without a doubt it will be a good while until we do so. read more

Mole negro & black beans with homemade corn tortillas was awesome!! The textured soy protein was seasoned perfectly, I am not vegan, but could convert if I could cook like this read more

After visiting the Monterey Aquarium, we ate lunch here. I had the veggie burrito and my husband had the Authentic Mole plate with chik'n. Both tasty. For me the Mole had a smoky taste, I would not order it for myself but my husband enjoyed. The drinks, Tamarind and hHrchata were good. The place was clean and service was good. Enjoy! read more

Kiddo is anaphylactic to dairy - no issues here! Loved it, delicious! Great vegan restaurant

Poor attitude, inadequate COVID precautions, incompetence We ordered a few dishes for a small family gathering here, based on pleasant memories from a few years ago. We placed the order online. When we arrived, the pickup window with prominent signage had no one serving...and the people at the desk just ignored us when we tried to get their attention. We went in to the small space, trusting our masks. We then found they'd mixed up the order, plus they'd "run out" of two items. It was apparently a great imposition to list the things they did have in stock so we could substitute, the lady at the counter seemed very annoyed that I'd asked what was available. We asked them to bring the order just outside when completed, to avoid exposing young children to COVID--there were people seated outdoors, so this was a perfectly reasonable request. They seemed to agree and then completely ignored this, repeatedly calling out our name instead until we went back in. All in all, a very unpleasant experience. Also did not refund price difference for the unavailable items. read more

This is a vegan taqueria. I don't know what I expected, but I was a little surprised to see that the menu is simply vegan versions of tacos, burritos, and quesadillas. Still, any restaurant that serves organic, non-GMO foods stands out in Monterey and deserves praise. I ordered the mushroom torta. At $10.95, it was very expensive. Mine came out quickly, and I was really impressed with how fresh and delicious the ingredients tasted. It was definitely lacking something though. Maybe jalapeños, but mine didn't have any. Definitely ask for them if you order a torta! The bare bones atmosphere and simplistic menu didn't square with the high prices for me, but the freshness and quality of the ingredients in my torta gave me hope that some of the other items would be worth the price. To that end, I'll definitely be coming back again. I want to try the pozole and the crispy potato tacos, and the veggie burrito sounds interesting too. read more

El Cantaro - Mushroom Torta. Really fresh and delicious! - Mexican Near Me - Monterey, California

I was so excited when I saw there was a VEGAN Mexican restaurant near me so I knew I had to check it out. I got the Combo #3 meal which came with one "chicken" taquito, one potato taco, and one "chicken" enchilada. The food was absolutely delicious and came with all the classic favorites on the side-rice, beans, guacamole, sour cream, etc. Loved this place...go check it out! (this has been in my drafts for years and I just logged back into yelp and realized I somehow never posted this?!) ANYWAYS, GO CHECK THEM OUT! Always love to support any vegan businesses read more

As a Mexican restaurant the food is super bland. We're meat eaters and hoped to make up for the lack of meat protein they would up the flavors on their dishes. This was not the case. Nopal burrito - they filled this up with just rice and beans. The equivalent of a 'regular' and not a 'super' at most taquerias. Nopal doesn't have much flavor itself and I was hoping they would have some spices to bring out the flavor. Nope. The 'fish' taco had some sort of super dry fake protein barely connected to some sauce and greens in the taco. Not tasty. The Chile rellano plate was at least a somewhat decent approximation of the real deal. The fake cheese was pudding like and probably better than the real cheese. Rice and beans were surprisingly decent. Horchata was the best purchase we made, every bit as tasty as normal horchata. Overall, I wouldn't come here again unless I was entertaining vegetarians, and even then I would probably take them to Julia's for truly tasty vegetarian food read more

Me encanto el tamal de rajas! Solo a eso fui el 2 de febrero. Si regreso al lugar cuando visite otra vez.

El Cantaro isn't just the best vegan Mexican food, it's the best Mexican food! I am 49, and I am a Los Angeles native. I've been addicted to Mexican food since I was a little kid, and being in Southern California gave me a lot of opportunities for really good food. Unfortunately, there's not many excellent places these days. They're used to be a place in Pasadena California called Ernie Junior's, and they had the best beans ever, but they closed in 1998. There's been other places that have been pretty good since then, but most of them closed down. I've been searching for a burrito as good as Ernie Juniors for 24 years, and I've finally found it at EL CANTARO! I've been vegan for about 14 years now, so I usually just don't eat cheese unless they have the vegan kind, which El Cantaro does! My in-laws live in Pacific Grove, so we went to El Cantaro on a whim one time we were visiting, and I was blown away! So now, when we visit my in-laws, I go get several El Cantaro burritos to go home with me! THEY ARE THE BEST! I LOVE EL CANTARO!! read more

It's super special to find a vegan Mexican restaurant and of the few I've been privileged to go to, this one is my favorite! The place is bright, airy, and colorful, the service is friendly and helpful, and the food is outstanding with a great many choices. We shared the combo plate #3 (with enchilada, taco, taquito, rice and beans, with cheese and creme), a cactus taco, and a hibiscus/jamaica drink. All of it was excellent and I look forward to trying various other things on the menu, including vegan chile relleno. read more

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The food here was very good. My sister is a molé snob and she said that this is the best she's had. The hot salsa was very flavorful. Person who took our order was very friendly and patient with our questions. Eat here. read more

El Cantaro - Chickin molé enchilada, potato taco, chickin taquito. - Mexican Near Me - Monterey, California

The service was excellent and the vibes of the restaurant were really welcoming! Our food was amazing and the prices are definitely worth the servings! read more

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We really enjoyed having lunch at this place. This was a perfect stop while driving through Monterey. It's pretty a small restaurant and exactly to our liking because it we've always preferred small local businesses. We like the cozy ambiance and the feel of it all. The service was straightforward but it's not waiting. Order at the counter, they'll bring your food at the table, eat up, when done put your plates by the door as you leave, and thanks for coming. We actually saw the plate stuff afterwards so it worth having instructions or ensure the waiter explain the drill. Let's talk food, what a delish!!! I can have this every day and I'll be happy. The food was very flavorful and you can really taste everything separately as they come together so beautifully in your mouth. It truly felt like an experience. My partner didn't even realize it was chikin until afterwards when we were talking about the goodness of it all. My only complaint was portion size was fairly small I needed more of all of it especially the rice and beans but my corn tortillas made me happy and close to full. Overall great food and I only wish I felt more welcomed when I walked in. It was strange as soon as I entered the door and It was hoping to have a much better experience if whoever brought our food at least talked to us. Anyways, I'd eat here again if in the area perhaps takeout instead and definitely recommending this place because the food is top notch!!! read more

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Best place to go if you're vegan or meat eater! Everything has so much flavor and there menu has many options! From tacos, fajitas, enchiladas, even chile relleno, will definitely be coming back! The staff is so nice as well, and it's a family owned place read more

Great food, great prices, and great service-- very close to the Aquarium---highly recommend

I had the hard tacos OMG they were awesome!!! I will be returning to this place for sure!!! Definitely recommend!!!

Never tried an all vegan Mexican restaurant but glad I stopped by. The potato taco was great and will probably order this again. The enchiladas were good also and a ton of food. I believe the cheese is vegan so it did not taste like when I'm used to, but it was not bad at all. Definitely worth checking out if you're in the area. They have a few free parking spots, which can be tight parking but there is a ton of paid street parking. The restaurant is on a one way street so I tried to loop around but ending up driving a few extra miles just to get back on the correct street due to many intersections not allowing left turns. Do not make the same mistake I did here unless you're looking for the 'scenic' route. read more

El Cantaro - Potato taco - Mexican Near Me - Monterey, California

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I was excited to visit this restaurant on my short trip to Monterey, unfortunately, things did not go as planned. The restaurant is supposed to open at 11:00AM, I arrived around 11:15AM and was told that the chef had not arrived yet, so they could not open. When I asked when the chef would be coming in, the hostess told me that he would probably take about thirty minutes to get there and left it at that, how unprofessional! This was extremely inconvenient because my itinerary for this two-day trip was jam-packed; I had an excursion booked to start at 12:00PM so I had to quickly find another vegan restaurant to eat at before then. Hopefully I can try their food in the future. read more

Delicious food options - all completely vegan. Definitely the best tortilla soup I've had in a *very* long time! Yummy cactus and potato tacos, fantastic fresh squeezed juice options... whether you're vegan or not, I highly recommend El Cantaro for your regular restaraunt rotation :-) read more

El Cantaro - Tortilla Soup - Mexican Near Me - Monterey, California

One of my all time favorite vegan restaurants and I've been doing this thing for well over a decade. Their whole menu is amazing and they're very quick and reasonably priced for the area! Definitely recommended. read more

OMG A place that makes their own Molé!! I am in Heaven. Do you have a picky eater, they will have something for them. Are you a vegan? They are for you. My kids have enjoyed this place for years, they have no idea the cheese is vegan. I love this place and the people are super friendly. Prepared to park up to a block away if they are busy however what a beautiful walk it is near the cannery row area of Monterey. Get it to go and walk down to the beach. read more

I've been to many vegan spots in LA, as well as excellent Mexican food restaurants when I lived in East LA. This spot is a true gem for the Monterey Peninsula, I highly recommend their potato tacos. I've also had their wet El Cantaro Burrito with vegan steak, tacos de nopales, and vegan horchata. It has always been delicious and flavorful. For whatever reason the Monterey peninsula doesn't have great Mexican options, but this one is fantastic and tastes like home. My only tip is to double check their hours, they open between 11/11:30 and close around 5, be patient with restaurants a lot of them have had to change their hours due to the pandemic. read more

This was fire, very good food, non vegan eater approved. And great service and vibes. read more

El Cantaro - Combo 3 - Mexican Near Me - Monterey, California

Mind you, I am a meat eater trying this vegan thing so don't come for me! It's a cool little place on a corner. Great service. Tip: They charge a dollar + more for charges, so it may behoove you to bring cash. The place has a following so you might want to call in/online your order. If you drive down it's tight parking on the premises, best to park on the street. The food is ultra fresh. I don't remember seeing any food lamps. Now, the food: 1. The Sautéed Veggie taco. It was favorable, It just didn't "land on the tongue". It was a pureed taco with beans. 2.5 2. Special Veggie Burger plate. I will DEFINATELY come back for this one. It was a solid burger, Don't know if they make their own patties but it was delicious. Fresh as he!!, nicely stacked, nothing fell over. And the fries?! Long thick fries, no sharp shards at all. It was a good amount, not Five Guys crazy with it. 4.6 3. The Jamaica. Palatable, to not scare the kids. 3.6 (The spot to get the tart perfection, that hits the gland right under the ear, is at Mundo's on Webster, not on Fremont. They don't sell it.) read more

Wow, "vegan" and "Mexican restaurant" are words I'd never thought I'd hear in the same sentence! They're pretty creative with the food and overall it was good. I love the vegan options, but I think the execution wasn't fully there. (5/5) Crispy "Chicken" Taco - Okay this was amazing, all of the ingredients were fresh and tasty! I kind of like their fake chicken over real chicken, it was delicious! You've gotta eat this quick cause the pico and guac get the taco a bit soggy, but the crunch is the best part. (3/5) Baja "Fish" Taco - I was expecting more white-fish-like fake meat, but this was more akin to a tuna steak. The meat was a bit rubbery and tough, and while the taste was there, the texture was a bit strange. The pineapple salsa was not bad, but I'd stick with the "chicken" over this one. (3/5) Beans - A bit flavorless, if not overly mushy. (2/5) Rice - Not sure what happened with this, it tasted like rubber tires. Maybe the oil was old? read more

We went here for dinner following a visit to the Monterey Bay Aquarium. We got it to go, and the food sat in travel boxes for a good 20-30 minutes before we even had a chance to eat it. If we'd been able to stay and eat, I'm sure the food would have been even better. Even so, this was a solid 4.5/5 meal. And it was vegan. No one in our group was vegan, but we all really enjoyed it. It feels unfair to write a review with so many caveats. Yes, this is a vegan restaurant. Yes, we abused the food by ordering to-go and waiting a half hour to eat it. It was still phenomenal. If I was a local, I'd be returning often. Unfortunately, I'm not. I will eat here again the next time I'm in Monterey, though. read more