I love Mexican food. I've enjoyed it in all of its various sub-genres for decades. I've eaten…read moreOaxacan in San Antonio, off the backs of taco trucks in San Diego, and in straw thatched huts all across Mexico. There's no way I'm finding decent Mexican in northern Vermont, right? Well, ok, there's one for sure: Trail Break in White River Junction. But it's a Wednesday, and they're closed. Besides, we were just in Burlington, and the nearest city on our route is Montpelier. Ok, what's what around here? Cute little city. Cool buildings. And hey, there's a place called Mad Taco. Let's give that a try. The logo is John Tenniel's timeless portrait of the Mad Hatter, with added tacos on his plates. Nice touch, and I almost missed it. And now I have Grace Potter's cover of White Rabbit stuck in my brain... "Feed your head!!" Grace Potter is from around here, no? I bet she eats here when she isn't basking in Rock Stardomness. Wife and I ordered burritos, hers was carnitas, mine al pastor. We also put in for chips with guacamole. A simple dinner fare to be eaten in the front seat of our car before we start putting on more miles on our way back to Western Mass. The guy behind the counter was super cool, and helpful too. Food only took about 10 minutes or so. He set us up with everything we needed to eat take out, and I snagged a little to go cup of mild cilantro sauce (#3 on the spicy scale, not super hot) The burritos were both enormous and delicious. (Interruption from the future, I've been eating the leftovers for 2 days. Still good, nom nom nom.) My only hint of "c'mon Vermont, you can do better" was the guacamole. While the chips were astounding (lightly salted, hand fried tortilla rounds you break apart yourself, crispy perfection.) Their guacamole was just, "meh." It was mostly just squished avocado. I don't think it had any salt, lime, garlic, or anything else in it. There was a lot of it for the price we paid, but very plain. I'm not sure if that's to cater to local tastes? Like are the regulars afraid of a little jalapeno? Hard to know. If it's me, I'm punching it up with a touch of adobo, just a little hot sauce, maybe a squeeze of lime, some salsa? Your mileage may vary. That said, I don't feel the guacamole is more than a half star drop, and I always round up. Have I gone mad? Completely bonkers. But I'll tell you a secret. All the best taco joints are... Mad Taco, I give you a mercurial 5 stars! Well done.

Great food, we had the smoked chicken burrito bowl. Love it. Really nice people. The smoked chicken…read morein my burrito bowl was so tender and had great flavor!

Great Mexican joint! Got tacos samples 5 pieces with different filling - almost like in Mexico…read moreCity, MX Got an order of churros and they were awesome - if you would add for extra cost hot chocolate for dipping - they would be outstanding ( but cannot complain Highly Recommend this place. After a long absence in Vermont - it makes no me even happier

Great spot for takeout! The birria tacos are phenomenal, and the refried beans are excellent as…read morewell. The other menu items are just okay, but the tacos alone are worth the visit.

Extremely expensive. The black beans were basically out of a can. And there was nothing special…read moreabout any of the other orders. I did not find it at all authentic Mexican food. I was very disappointed.

Food is ok, expensive for the quantity and quality you get…read more I ordered chimichangas which come with a side of refried beans, and I also ordered a side of rice, which is $5 extra (keep this in mind). I got no refried beans, and a small portion of rice. Salsa is great which is the saving grace for this review. It's a quiet gas station with a counter to sit at, the cashier seemed slightly annoyed when I ordered, and was a little snappy, but that's not a huge deal.

Being from Central Texas, we weren't sure what to expect from a Mexican food restaurant in New…read moreEngland. But we love Mexican food (specifically Tex-Mex), so we decided to try Julio's. And what a great choice it was, too. We were greeted by a host as we entered the restaurant, and we were offered seating indoors or outside on the sidewalk patio. The air outside was cool, so we opted for the patio. After looking over the menu, I chose two street tacos filled with braised pork, bbq sauce, and pickled jalapeños. While we waited, we snacked on the chips and salsa appetizer. The chips tasted as if they were the last of the day's batch, but to be fair, we arrived late in the evening. However, the salsa was delicious and seemed as if it was made in-house. Enough heat to make your tongue dance, but not so hot to have you gasping for water. And it was just so flavorful, too. When my tacos arrived, each one came with two corn tortillas, which was good because the tacos were a bit juicy. And they were oh-so good. The bbq sauce was not too sweet and very flavorful. The pork was well-cooked and tender. It was one of the top 3 tacos I've eaten, and I've eaten many. I wish I could say the rice was special, but it's your garden-variety Spanish rice, not unlike the box mix from the grocery store. And the black beans, while good tasting, seemed no different than the canned variety. Had the tacos not been so dang good, I might not have been so forgiving of the sides. But it looks (and tasted) like whatever money they might have saved on beans and rice was more than made up for in the tacos. (My wife chose the traditional tacos, and she loved those, as well.) If I had to pinpoint it, I would say it seems like Cali-Mex instead of Tex-Mex, as we're used to, but others might see it as more like actual Mexican fare. (I'll admit to not being too familiar with that style of food.) As for the restaurant itself, I didn't see much of it except for when I went to wash up (as I said, the tacos were juicy!), but there was a full bar and plenty of tables (it was quite full at the time). As for the staff, Hannah did a great job of taking care of us. She was friendly and attentive without being overly so. We're visiting Vermont for about 6 more weeks, and I think Julio's will be a weekly visit while we're here.

If you never get to this place, you would not be missing much…read more Overpriced food that is lacking real character and taste. Chile Relleno: the batter was crispy, and that is where the good stops; pepper was practically still raw - not at all tender and flavorful. The salad is hardly worth mentioning- so ... Bottle of beer - can get that most anywhere, and was the best thing about the meal. Everything was edible. Nothing prepared on site was particularly good.

tasty bbq onsite solid brewery and nice little porch spot for lunch. Perfect for an otw somewhere…read morelunch stop off

They have a limited selection of beers however they are really good. The nachos were great and the…read morestaff was friendly and fun. Surprisingly it was not crowded at all.

Charming, welcoming pup experience with really creative dishes like delicious Japanese potato salad…read moreand date Brussels sprouts. Appetizers are better than entrees, which are burger-heavy and a little charred, but a rustic spot that's a great hang, especially if you're a beer drinker. So many great beers.

Great menu! Food was delicious. Excellent service. I can see why this place gets such a high…read morerating! I ordered The Stuff salad- very creative! And my partner ordered the Dragon Noodle special. Both were extremely tasty. We also had the scallion pancake which was bursting with flavor. The atmosphere is very warm and convivial. Not to be missed!

Found a nice restaurant in town that was still open! They have several beers on draft! The pumpkin…read morecider was amazing! The staff was super quick. The fried cauliflower with Thai chili was great for an app. I have the steak special. Medium! So good! Perfection! The sides could've been a little bigger but I think they were thinking about plating instead of my stomach which was famished from hiking. Would definitely go again! They also have several TVs to catch the game! My friends got the stuffed baked haddock. It needs a bit of seasoning! Something! Anything! It was a little dry too. :/ but my food was great!

We went here on a Saturday afternoon for a late lunch. I was…read moresuper hungry and opted for the VT burger. It was absolutely delicious. My only complaint is that it was not cooked medium rare as I asked, definitely full on medium. My husband got the straight up burger, and his was good too. The fries were delicious too. I would definitely come back here, particularly when I'm in the mood for a burger! The environment was cozy and perfect for a Vermont winter day. The staff was helpful and pleasant, attentive without being intrusive.

Fun atmosphere and friendly service. The food was very good, and a reasonable price! The pitcher…read moreof marg's could use a little more kick, yet was still fun to share. This place makes our list of places to visit again.

Food was good , however, we ordered take out. Be sure to check your order before you leave. We…read moretraveled home 25 minutes, just to realize the Chicken Fajita came with no fajita. Paid $18.95 for a bucket of meat. Called the restaurant and they were only willing to compensate the price of the fajita! Disappointed. Will NOT return.

The Skinny Pancake legacy lives on! I stopped by while I was in Montpelier - it was my first time…read morevisiting this location. I haven't been to a Skinny Pancake since I received the devastating no-more-gluten-for-me news, so I was glad to see that they have a buckwheat crepe option for us gluten-free dweebs. I ordered the apple & brie crepe. I was informed that the hash purples go into a shared fryer, so they're not totally gluten-free. I accepted my future stomachache & ordered them anyways, because they've always been my favorite item on the menu. Service was friendly & prompt. Find a table, order at the counter, & they'll bring your food to you. The hash purples were totally delightful, as expected. 5 star color, too. The crepe was unfortunately very underwhelming. It was super thick & the texture was kinda ominous. I didn't end up finishing it. They might just need to tweak their gluten-free batter slightly to get the balance right. I believe in them (: Overall a fun lunch spot in the marvelous capital of Vermont.

Super cute spot In the heart of Montpelier! We had a late breakfast on a late Sat AM and were…read moreseated right away when we arrived. We had crepes, sandwich's, fries and hot cocoa. Everything was simply delightful! Would be cool in spring/summer months to sit and dine outside but we were perfect my quaint indoors by the window on a very chilly day.