A Gem in Irwin! Gato Taco is one of those places we always enjoy coming back to. From the atmosphere to the service to, most importantly, the food, they have created something truly unique in Irwin. The tacos are wonderfully flavorful and anything but ordinary. Even the names make ordering fun--The Bob Dylan, The Yinzer, Hollywood, and my personal favorite, The Willie Nelson. With choices including chicken, fish, shrimp, pulled pork, beef, and short ribs, there really is something for everyone. The Willie Nelson is my favorite for good reason: tender short ribs topped with a vinegar slaw and their "Secret Weapon" sauce--a spicy, teriyaki-style sauce that brings everything together beautifully. It is an outstanding combination of sweet, tangy, spicy, and savory. We usually start with the chips and queso, and they certainly don't skimp on the portions. From there, it's on to the tacos--and we have never been disappointed. Our waitress was attentive, friendly, and made sure our glasses never went empty. Great food is important, but good service makes the whole experience better, and Gato Taco delivers on both. The atmosphere deserves a mention too. It has the character of a 1930s speakeasy, with exposed brick walls and original hardwood floors, yet it remains bright, welcoming, and comfortable. It feels historic without feeling dark or stuffy. We love finding local businesses that put personality, creativity, and care into what they do, and Gato Taco is truly a gem in Irwin. If you haven't tried it yet, give them a visit--and if you're wondering where to start, I'd recommend the Willie Nelson! Great food, great atmosphere, great service, and a local business worth supporting. We'll definitely be back! read more

Gato Taco & Tequila - This is "The Willie Nelson" you get three tacos and you can see the bowl of chips and queso behind! - Mexican Near Me - Irwin, Pennsylvania

First time there. Not a bad atmosphere but the food and drinks were horrible. Watermelon Tajin margarita was bad so exchanged it for a typical margarita...still not good. The two salsas, verde and traditional red were not good at all. They were overly thick and strange tasting. We didn't even eat a quarter of it and the tortilla chips seemed cheap. The grilled shrimp tacos hardly had any shrimp (or any filling for that matter) in them and the shrimp were very tiny with an overly sweet and gooey chili sauce on them. I only ate one of the tacos because the taste didn't leave you wanting more. At least I saved calories, I guess. We went there because we were going to a concert across the street. If I'm ever in the area again, I definitely won't eat here, sorry to say. read more

We love their margaritas, but the food and service are mediocre. I had a margarita flight with a few of their signature flavors, and they were each delicious, very unique combinations that worked together and weren't overwhelming. We had the three amigos dips, which were great (loved the queso)! Our drinks didn't take long to arrive, but our food took almost 2 hours. We ended up just getting everything boxed up to-go. I got the El Pollo tacos and usually I'm a fan of spicy, but they were uncomfortably hot. read more

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We went for lunch on a Saturday. It's a nice space with a bar that looks like fun. We had the three amigos which was salsa, guacamole, and queso with chips. It was a great start to the meal and we enjoyed it very much. My husband and I both had tacos, and customize them. I like that you can do that. The pomegranate margarita was good but almost too sweet and the alcohol seemed very weak. I loved the Paloma cocktail, which was much better. Our server was friendly and helpful. Overall, a solid experience. We will be back and will probably sit at the bar. read more

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There is a lot going on with this street in Irwin, there is a distillery tasting room, a brewery, a concert venue, and this Mexican restaurant. Stopped in on a snowy Saturday before Christmas to fortify for holiday shopping. I was pleasantly surprised stopping in here, somewhat dark brick establishment. The 3 Amigos appetizer was outstanding, anchored by some really good guacamole. Followed up by shrimp tacos with a sweet chili Asian twist, and a far more traditional beef barbacoa street style tacos. Just sat at the bar to grab a quick bite and a beer, but was pleasantly surprised. I would definitely stop again when in the area, pretty decent Mexican fare, and far better than quite a few other places in this corner of Southwest PA. read more

Gato Taco & Tequila - Bob Dylan - Mexican Near Me - Irwin, Pennsylvania

My wife and I stopped into Gato with a couple other folks on a Saturday for a late lunch. The place is cute and pretty clean, but our meal was kind of meh. We started with chips and salsa, and neither were anything special. We then all ordered tacos. I ordered the lunch special with rice and two tacos - chicken with onions, lime, cilantro, and salsa verde. They arrived without the salsa, and I had to struggle to flag down our waitress to fix it. My friend ordered the same thing except with beef, and his salsa was missing too. The taco itself was basic, with a store-bought flour tortilla and somewhat dry roasted chicken. Not bad, but not great. The rice was also a bit of a let down - very small portion, sticky, and boring. My other friend ordered one of the signature tacos with multiple toppings, and she liked them. I will probably give this place another try, but this experience could have been better. read more

Gone Fishin'' tacos were good but Pops famous was not so great. Street corn was excellent. We needed to be done in time to catch a show at The Lamp across the street. Service was so slow. I'd like to try it again to see if service has improved. read more

We were there for the first time last night. Very cool, trendy vibe. Ryan was our server and he was outstanding! He took time to explain the drink menu and the food menu which we appreciated. The food was delish and the choices were many! The beverage selection was outstanding especially for the tequila drinkers put there! My margarita was great! I had the mahi grilled taco and my guy had the yinzer taco steak with fries! Three to an order which was a lot! Oh also has spicy mozzarella sticks app. It was hopping pre concert and Saturday night and food came in good time which mattered on way to a concert. Price point is excellent but Ryan (with the long hair lol) made it such a fun experience. Can't wait to go back. Parking on street or nearby lot too. Thank you. read more

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I've been in the business for 36 years. Not trying to be mean so please take this criticism as constructive. It's a little pricey for the amounts of food you get. The house made tortilla chips need to be served warm. The food was prepared ok BUT it was kind of bland. Nothing popped. In Irwin especially on main Street there is a lot of competition so your food should be special, it was not. It was just ok you didn't give me a reason to come back. Maybe I'll come back in a year if you survive, I hope you do. read more

Willie Nelson tacos taste like chewing on rubber. Bartender was cool. But I won't return.

Gato is a cute little tex mex restaurant located in downtown irwin. I came here with my friend for a little girls night last week and we had the best time! We ordered El Pollo Loco Tacs, Street Corn Nachos with Chicken, Blueberry Violet Margarita, and a Margarita flight feat: Habanero Lime, Jalapeno Watermelon, and White Peach Tajin.All of the food and drinks were spectacular and so flavorful. The nachos were probably the biggest plate of nachos I have ever seen!! I loved the marg flight. My fav flavor was probably the White Peach Tajin. If I lived closer to here I would probably be here every week haha! The service was great as well. Our waitress was super attentive. read more

I am a sucker for a good Mexican restaurant and Gato hit the spot. The vibes were great and the service was quick. Our waiter was very in top of it! For a drink, I got a House Lime Margarita. It was very sour which made it difficult to drink. For food, we ordered the Three Amigos appetizer, El Pollo Loco signature tacos, and a side of the Street Corn. The guacamole, salsa, and queso were absolutely fantastic. The salsa was extremely fresh and flavorful. It may have been one of my favorite salsas ever! I did add some extra lime and hot sauce to our guacamole to enhance the flavor. Our tacos were very spicy, but tasty nonetheless. The side of Street Corn had so much flavor I could eat it everyday. The whole restaurant was clean and the food was delicious. If I am ever in the area again, I will be back! read more

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I had an incredible experience at Gato! The tacos were phenomenal - bursting with fresh flavors and perfectly seasoned. Each bite was a delight. The service was equally impressive, with the staff being attentive, friendly, and quick. Tacos are around $15 each set, but you receive 3 decent size tacos. I think they were the best local tacos I've had ever or in a long time. They were bursting with flavor. For example it's maybe the equivalent of a Primanti bros sandwich (marinated steak topped with French fries, cabbage slaw, fancy sauce and queso fresco. My wife had the Hollywood which I thought was equally delicious with Roadted chicken topped with guacamole, pico de gallo, queso Fresno, and Conita cheese. Our waitress was a young lady with dark hair. She was very nice, attentive, also one of the better waiters we had in a while. I can't wait to go back! Highly recommend! read more

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I would have loved to try the food, but a 50 minute wait for food forced us to cancel our order to avoid being late for a show. When we cancelled the order I would have expected a manager to speak with us. Overall disappointing to wait a ridiculous amount of time for our food with little to no updates from the management. read more

Great happy hour and tacos are made to your liking the nachos are great with the best bartenders in Irwin

Loved the street corn nachos. Very cool vibey atmosphere. Service was a little slow for number of people in restaurant but I feel like it's like that everywhere now with staffing shortages - would still definitely come back for more! read more

The drink was amazing and I could have had unlimited amounts of it. The tacos were also good but I wish I had the option to get 3 different ones. Cause I wanted to try multiple tacos on the menu. And I personally don't like getting multiple of the same taco. read more

Gato Taco & Tequila - Mexican Near Me - Irwin, Pennsylvania

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This is a nice little taco joint in a place you might not expect to find one. It is surprisingly large inside, and if you like tequila,.they have a great selection of tequila as well. I tried the Ma-HEHe tacos. They were well made and had a great sauce on them. I highly recommend! read more

Gato Taco & Tequila - Mexican Near Me - Irwin, Pennsylvania

Bartender was excellent but our food came out cold. And it wasn't that busy. And by the stars above something has to improve. I used to love this place. read more

Average food and average service combined gives this place an average-rated review from me. The presentation of the tacos is top-notch, I'll give them that, but the chips and salsa were disappointing, and the tacos, while solid, weren't something I'd be dying to come back for again. Our server was friendly, but no one checked in with us during the meal. And while I didn't order any, some of the drinks looked interesting/tasty, so that might be worth giving Gato's a try for. read more

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This was one of the most disappointing places I've been to. We ordered the guac, salsa, queso app. The quac was kind of brown and did not taste fresh. It may have even come out of a can, similar to the guac they serve at Chilis. We also tried the carnitas tacos, which didn't taste Mexican at all. The worst part though, was the margarita. It tasted like overly sweet cleaning fluid. The proper way to make a margarita is tequila, triple sec, and fresh lime. We told the bartender we couldn't drink the margarita, she took it away and gave us couple of beers instead and then charged us for the margarita we sent back and didn't drink. read more

Worst service ever! The waitresses have no idea what they are doing. People who sat down after me & my family sat down received their food before us. It 25 minutes to get chips & salsa - which by the way - you have to pay $6 for the chips & salsa - that should been red flag #1 for us. The food is ok. But I can't recommend this place at all. I'm surprised this restaurant is still in business. If I could give this place ZERO STARS, I would. read more

Great taco and tequila place. The workers are all friendly and extremely attentive! The food is delicious read more

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This place, checked every box! Front to back, top to bottom. I've been in sales my entire career so naturally customer service means the world to me. They made me feel like the most important person in the restaurant. Even though I couldn't resist ordering far more than just their suggestions. I could not find a single thing that I wouldn't crawl across broken glass to eat again. The food was simply incredible! And when you're in the mood where some good ol' authentic tacos, and as you close your eyes and picture what that place might be. These folks have nailed the ambience impeccably. Seriously, every box checked. Bravo! read more

Gato Taco & Tequila - So good that Louie didn't even get one Frankly, all the patty Frenchie protesting my actions. If it means incredible tacos. - Mexican Near Me - Irwin, Pennsylvania

Went tonight with a friend and the food was good but the service was horrible. They were very busy when we arrived and so when we initially ordered drinks and nachos we expected the food to take awhile. However, after about 30 minutes no nachos came out and we were hungry so we ordered tacos and moved on. We then later got nachos after we reminded a different server. I also ordered a tequila flight and they initially brought a margarita flight which we sent back, after about another 30 minutes our server said they ran out of one of the tequilas and were waiting on that, we said not to bother and asked for 2 coronas instead. Another waiter said that our waiter (who was training) forgot what we ordered and so we re-ordered the coronas with her but we still never got them. At this point the restaurant had cleared out and our servers weren't even that busy. When the bill came it had the Coronas on it so i asked that the coronas be removed. They very generously gave us a 50% discount on our food for the mistakes and initially i thought i would leave happy despite the bad service. However, our waiter charged me a different tables bill that was only slightly less than my non discounted bill. Literally brought me one itemized bill for $25 and a bill that my card had been charged for $42. I went and spoke to another worker to get that corrected and was told i would have to wait 2-3 days for that refund and I also paid my original discounted bill of $25. So i left tonight having paid more than my original non discounted bill and have to monitor my card to make sure I'm refunded. They mentioned they were short staffed and that our waiter was being trained and we tried to be accommodating to the various issues we had with our service and the various things we ordered but didn't get, but training or not, charging me for the wrong bill is where i draw the line. I won't be back. read more

Well the food was good we were there for Mother's Day today. We were there for mother's day brunch and the food was tasty but pricy. Everything you order even the salsa is an extra. You can get chips but have to purchase salsa for 4 bucks. None of our meals were served with a side or was it even offered. The young lady singing live was good only thing is we couldn't even talk to each other. There was definitely not any value for what we got and the meal was served on a metal tray like from a toaster oven when your having a special function I believe you should have at least plates and napkins and not trays and a roll of paper towels. For the price it wasn't worth the experience. read more

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In my experience, fish tacos are either really good or they suck. The fish tacos at Gato don't suck. I've had both their crispy fish and blackened mahi. Both were excellent. Good beer selection...they do a nice job of rotating their drafts and include some good local stuff. Friendly helpful staff, our waitress new the menu well and made good recommendations. (She even helped me understand what "hipster" means.) They had a live band playing tonight that was pretty good. Only knock on the place is that it's pretty loud. Not obnoxious, but really had to work to hear the others in our group. If you're looking for a quiet evening, this isn't the place for you on a Saturday, but the great food and solid beer selection will bring me back for sure. read more

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Staff is amazing and great drinks, but they get a low rating because outside of a rice bowl or a salad option they do not have any corn shells or tortillas. Mexican restaurants are typically an easy go-to for those with gluten allergies, it was disappointing that there were not many options here. read more

Dave's favorite is now my favorite. Fantastic food and a really cool atmosphere with sweet service, they make a mean margarita too :)

Great atmosphere and vive. The drinks are excellent and the food is pretty good. Taco Tuesdays provides a great opportunity for an affordable midweek night out. I really like this place... read more

Everything is SO fresh and the portions are huge as you can see. We also ordered the spicy cheese sticks they are bomb. Will definitely be back. The house margarita was also very delicious!! read more

Gato Taco & Tequila - Chips and three amigos. - Mexican Near Me - Irwin, Pennsylvania

Little on the pricy side for tacos but you get what you pay for. Friendly staff, never had bad service. The Willie Nelson tacos are my go to. read more

This is a nice little spot in downtown Irwin. The food and drinks were great! Some of the sauces were a little spicy so if you don't like spice you should ask for less spicy or mild sauces. The parking isn't too bad in the area. The service was fast and the food didn't take long to come out. read more

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The tacos are amazing! I had the Fish Tacos "Ma-HeHe. Stellar! Delicious. Service was beyond excellent and super friendly! read more

Gato Taco & Tequila - The menu - Mexican Near Me - Irwin, Pennsylvania

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I live in the area so I've been here a number of times. I haven't had a bad experience with the food yet, but last time we were here they stuck us way back all by ourselves in the upper section even though there were tables open on the main floor and they kept forgetting about us up there. The service was slow and it was also pretty dirty up there, the floors and the benches had crumbs and spills all over them. Aside from that one off experience, this is a solid taco place and the drinks are pretty good too. One of my favorite things here is the mini tacos that they put on some of the nacho dishes, they are so good. Honestly, the nachos are probably my favorite things here, my husband and I have come just for the nachos and split them for our meal. read more

Used Gato to cater my wife's birthday this weekend. Communication was very timely and portions were large. I had ordered for 14 just in case that 10 would not be enough. We had so much left over and was sending food home with guests. My wife and everyone at the party loved the food and the ability to make their own gourmet taco's. The 3 Amigos add on was perfect size to. The small fed all of us with left overs as well. Your Guacamole and Queso dips are outstanding. Thank you so much for helping me with my wife's special day. I will continue to throw Gato in the mix of restaurants for my gathering in the future and would recommend to all my friends and family. read more

We enjoy stopping here for tacos. Always good food. Had the "Bob Dylan" tonight, and they were packed with meat and delicious! The one thing I don't get is the added $2 service charge put on every bill. It's not just for credit card payments either. No explanation about it given. read more

Gato Taco & Tequila - The Bob Dylan - Mexican Near Me - Irwin, Pennsylvania

Delicious fresh ingredients make these tacos so delicious! I had the Hollywood tacos and my husband had the yinzer. The chips and queso are a must-have, too. Definitely stop in this restaurant the next time you're cravings tacos! read more

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Food was phenomenal! Everything was cooked well and seasoned to perfection! Margaritas were great! Service was wonderful! Our waitress was attentive and kind! Ambiance was on point! The music had something for everyone! We had such a great time and will definitely be returning! read more

Gato Taco & Tequila - Spicy Blood Orange Margarita - Mexican Near Me - Irwin, Pennsylvania

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During the era of Covid I truly try to give the best reviews I can, and luckily I have zero guilt in my review of the location. I highly recommend going! Lots of variety in selections, so my review is simply based on this one visit. We went in on a Saturday, around 11:30 or so-- and sadly the place wasn't very busy. I ordered the Bob Dylan tacos which were $10. And the Queso and Chips which was $6. I was pleasantly surprised at the detail they made in assembling the taco, and the attentiveness of the waiting staff. All in all, I would have liked to see corn tortillas as an option, but the owner admitted he wanted to add them to the menu, but was waiting to come across the right kind. The tacos were adequate and were properly balanced, however the beef to me requires a little more flavor, but the cheese and toppings helped full other original flavor. Using the cilantro dip made it pop. The Chips and Queso was adequate, but for the price point felt we should have gotten more chips. That being said the chips are fresh and seasoned with a chili lime seasoning which make it easier to pay. Bob Dylan Taco: 7.5/10 Queso: 5/10 read more

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