Excellent food. It is 4 star not five because my burrito was soggy when it arrived. But both the tortilla and the fillings were quite tasty. Wish they offer the tortilla on the side. The hot sauce is great. My son ordered potato tacos which were also very good. Would come back here. read more

Very tasty food. I got the burrito with chickin'. A bit of heat, but not super spicy. Also get the fried plantains for dessert!

Doesn't look much place to eat but too vegan people it's great Mexican food - Vegan style

Found this place on Yelp while searching for Vegan restaurants on a visit to Monterey. I was intrigued because I had not been to a Mexican themed vegan place. The food was excellent. I got tacos, tired both the "steak" and the "chicken". Both were excellent. A little messy, but wonderful. Would definitely recommend this place if you are looking for awesome vegan food. read more

El Cantaro - Tacos - Mexican Near Me - Monterey, California

AMAZING VEGAN MEXICAN FOOD! Who would Have thought even our picky non-vegan daughter and her kiddos and my other granddaughter would love vegan food?! Can you bring this to Tucson, AZ?? read more

El Cantaro, during the pandemic, is best planned on as take out only. The available tables are in the parking lot, near the front door, and are only for "have-to" convenience. After all, we're in spectacular Monterey!! I was driven to writes this review because...Wow what an unexpected surprise! The Enmoladas was exceptionally flavorful! The coloradito mole was one of the best I've had... the best in the US is found, of all places, Salt Lake City at The Red Iguana! This is the best mole I've had in California! Spicy, layered flavors and not too rich...very good! The Chickin is vegan and tasty. If you like spicy, flavorful, vegan Mexican Cuisine this is well worth the trip! read more

I love everything I have gotten here! My favorite spot to eat In Monterey! Red enchilada sauce is . I usually get the #3 which comes with a crispy potato taco, chicken taquito and enchilada with side of beans and rice. Other faves are pasole and horchata. read more

The plate far out is a Veggie wet burrito half salsa verde and mole, the mole taste amazing. The plate in the center is chicken nachos with jalapeños, the chicken was lacking flavor but the rest of the ingredients made up for it. On the side we got an horchata that taste so YUMMY! I do which that they had spicier salsas. read more

El Cantaro - Veggie Burrito and chicken Nachos - Mexican Near Me - Monterey, California

So far this is my favorite Vegan restaurant in Monterey Bay, CA! I had the POZOLE with "chickin", 1 CRISPY POTATO TACO, chips, salsa & guacamole! Yum! Everything was delicious and absolutely satisfying! I plan on returning for more vegan deliciousness! read more

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My fiancé and I gave this place a shot on our way to Morro Bay one weekend and we absolutely loved it! I enjoyed that I could get so many of my Mexican favorites, such as pozole and tortilla soup vegan! We came back with my brother and sister in law (who aren't vegan) a few weeks later and they also expressed how good the food was. Definitely a vegan gem in the area and I would highly recommend it to anyone looking to satisfy their cravings for some authentic Mexican food. read more

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This place is so good, I wish we have this in the Bay Area. This is the first time we've come across a Mexican vegan restaurant. We discovered El Cantaro by accident and was pleasantly surprised. Gf was trying to order from La Bahia (another amazing place) but since we've only been there once so she got confused and ordered from El Cantaro instead. Initially, we were wondering why salad was on the menu but we didn't care and ordered it anyways. Turns out it was one of the best mistakes we've ever made. The food is very flavorful and we couldn't tell that it was vegan until we saw the vegan listing on yelp. Ever since discovering this place we've been coming back to El Cantaro every chance we get, easily a 5 stars place. Even if you're a meat eater I strongly urge you to give this place a try, you will not be able to tell the difference. My only complaint is that the "parking lot" can fit 5 cars max. read more

El Cantaro - Fajitas Plate Nachos Kale 's Salad - Mexican Near Me - Monterey, California

A great find by my husband during a day visit to Monterey! I ordered a combo so I could try more than one thing. I think it had a potato taco, taquitos, an enchilada and beans and rice. It was all incredible. My husband got a taco with ground 'meat' in it. He's a carnivore who prides himself in his vegan cooking skills and the food here exceeded his expectations. I wish we would have gone back to try more! I guess we need another trip to CA! read more

El Cantaro - Combo #3 - yum! - Mexican Near Me - Monterey, California

The food was good but we went on a Sunday evening, right before they closed. Unfortunately they were out of horchata and torta buns so we had to dig further down the menu. A little disappointed but the food was still impressive. read more

I love the mole. This place is frequently very busy. The decore is very basic but the food is good even if you're not a vegan. It's small with just a few tables. I get take out food and eat it at home. read more

Amazing food! We got the steak torta, burrito and Chile rellano. The steak torta is a must try for sure!

This is the most authentic vegan Mexican food I've had. It definitely made me enjoy the cultural foods I've missed out on since being vegan. I ordered a tamal and a plate of green chicken enchiladas with sides of beans and rice read more

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THE FOOD IS AMAZING. THAT IS NOT WHY IT GETS A ONE STAR. READ ON IF YOU WANT TO KNOW MORE The service here is appalling. Stood there for 5 minutes without anyone acknowledging our presence. They would glance at us, walk right by us, cut fruit in front of us. 5 minutes later, we finally just asked "are you open?" She finally acknowledged us. Food is amazing. Service is trash. read more

Wow wow wow! I don't even know where to start. I was told about this place from my massage lady earlier in the day. I visited for lunch and ordered the steak tacos. By far one of the best vegan tacos I ever had. Full of flavor and loved the handmade corn tortilla my husband and I loved it so much. The vegan flan is so delicious. I definitely would recommend this place to anyone in town and is looking for some vegan food. read more

El Cantaro - Mexican Near Me - Monterey, California

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Ate here while I was on vacation. Best burrito I've ever had. I've only been vegan for a couple of years and so I compare it to non vegan Mexican food and this is the best. I just wish they had a place like this back home. read more

Not traditional Mexican fare but absolutely delicious! Had the Nopales burrito and Crispy Potato taco and my gf had the BBQ Chickin' burrito. Best Mexican cuisine I've had in months. Service was tops. read more

Don't miss this gem! Wonderful outdoor dinning or indoor dinning and full bar. We went on the recommendation of a friend who goes often and knowing we are vegans, recommended their plant based selections. Mario was our server extraordinaire! We started with the mushroom pazole. It was soup-like to which we added shredded cabbage and chopped onions. Different and delicious. Our main course was tres tacos vegan style. Two plantain and one veggie street taco with cashew crema. Fantastic flavors. Desert was oat milk flan with berries with piloncillo syrup. Unbelievably good. And to top it off, Mario brought us Mexican hot cocoa!! Be sure to make a reservation and whether you're vegan or not, Cultera is a must while in Carmel. read more

Vegan. Mexican food. Need I say more? So glad we gave this one a try! This fast-casual restaurant is conveniently located just up the street from the Aquarium with a nice view of the bay and a decent atmosphere. Staff is friendly and helpful. There are so many great options on the menu, we had a hard time choosing. Finally settled on pozole, an enchilada and tamale combo, and a taco plate. Chips were included. Everything was delicious, but the tamale stole the show with thick, fluffy, tasty masa and not-too-spicy vegetable filling with jalapeños. The flour tortillas for the soft tacos were really good too. Everything is made fresh, even the chips. Only con is the odd hours--not open on Saturday night?! Can't wait for an excuse to go back to Monterey. read more

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A little pricey, but I come here about twice a week and never had a problem with the food or service! Love having vegan options locally and will continue to support this restaurant! read more

The burrito was delicious: 5/5 stars. Tacos were good but not great: 4/5 stars. Service needs improvement: 2/5 stars. They were really swamped and seemed low on staff....so service was slow. They did seem like they were working pretty hard. However, there is no excuse to not smile and be nice and/or apologetic. I don't mind waiting, especially when I see what's going on. But I appreciate it when people are honest and just simply apologize for taking longer and forgetting our chips and sweet potatoes. Willing to try this place again, though not during peak hours. read more

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We always love to support vegan business and this place is one of the best. The potato tacos were a smashing success!!

The best Mexican vegan food by far. Place does get busy for a reason. Staff are great and food comes fast! read more

El Cantaro - Wet chicken burrito. - Mexican Near Me - Monterey, California

My cousin's wife take us to her favorite vegan restaurant in Monterey. I'm always willing to try different things. My wife got the Tlayudas Oaxaquenas Plate and a nopales taco. She absolutely loved the taco and the plate was decent. She said that next time she would order the nopales burrito with pineapple salsa. I on the other hand got the chile relleno combo with a fish taco. I had no idea vegan cheese was so bad. And the fish taco was pretty rubbery. The mango salsa was the only thing I enjoyed about my meal. Even though my wife had a good experience, I will have to pass. read more

El Cantaro - The nopales and fish tacos. - Mexican Near Me - Monterey, California

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Incredibly rude service after driving an hour to try this restaurant. They could not find our order which we placed thru their website on Yelp, we were questioned and treated like we were lying about placing an order. The woman/owner who was dishing out a rude attitude finally located our order, never apologized and acted as if they didn't need the business. The food was maybe 3 stars... Sadly, won't return! read more

GO HERE !!! Easily the best mexican restaurant I've been to. Customer service was good, short wait time and wasn't too packed (surprisingly). The food is all fresh, not greasy and sooooooo delicious!!! If you come to monterey you have to stop by, vegan or not. The only hard part was figuring out what to order read more

El Cantaro - combo #2 no cheese and no Sour Cream - Mexican Near Me - Monterey, California

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I wish this place was properly listed so we knew it was vegan before driving all the way there. But even though it was vegan we still have it a try, I expected way more flavor, but it just seemed bland. Prices are a tad high in my opinion, I paid over $3 for a small can of soda...the food was disappointing. Colorful, but not flavorful. :( read more

El Cantaro - Tostada - Mexican Near Me - Monterey, California

Such a good spot for vegans!! I got a cantaro burrito with their vegan steak and it was super yummy and juicy!! read more

El Cantaro - Mexican Near Me - Monterey, California

Two words: Consistently good! Been coming here for the last five years and will continue to do so! Keep up the good work. Go-to favorites are the El Cantaro burrito with steak, black beans on a spinach tortilla, the potato taco and the chicken taquitos appetizer. read more

My husband and I are not vegan -- but like vegan food! I had the nachos with the tofu "chicken". I would recommend this dish. I got a side of their chipotle which was very tasty. The mole negro on the other hand was disappointing. There were only a few very tiny lumps of tofu "chicken" in the mole, it was just mole sauce. Poor value for your money on this dish. We got our food to go so the mole was in its own section of the container so, it was obvious. It came with rice and beans. We recommend trying another dish. read more

Extremely overpriced, extremely long wait time Andy daughter said the chicken taste like cardboard, I got the pasole and had the worst stomachache all night . read more

This was the bomb...best vegan quesadilla I've ever had, I wish I lived closer so this could be a regular spot for me! The enchilada plate was super good too. I will visit this place every time I'm in Montery! read more

El Cantaro - Enchilada plate... super bomb! - Mexican Near Me - Monterey, California

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I just LOVE El Cantero Restaurant! Whenever we are visiting Monterey, at least one visit is a must. First, the staff are friendly, efficient & attentive. Next, the modest sized restaurant is very sanitary & well-maintained. Finally, the cuisine is DEEELICIOUSLY AUTHENTIC‼ Everything our group of four consumed was AAAAAMAZING. The long lines speaks volumes about the customer satisfaction. We can't wait for the Grand Opening in Sacramento. read more

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Delicious food. I definitely recommend the potato tacos. My mom and I shared the 4 taco plate with beans and it was more then enough. Everything here is vegan. And it tastes amazing; and gives a ton of options for those who are vegan or just want to try something different. I have to say; the gal at the front was super rude. She gave push back when I asked her if she'd open a bottle and just seemed snippy with everyone who came to order. read more

We ate there now twice and both times we weren't disappointed. The Burritos, Tacos and the soup we had, were very good. Definitely recommend that little vegan taqueria. My favorite was the Tortillas Soup, very tasty. read more

I do love the fact that the only true vegan restaurant in the Monterey county is a little Mexican joint. Their menu ranges to every single Mexican delicacy that you can think of, but with a twist! It's all plant based! If you've never had a vegan meal, the menu may confuse you because it does say things like chicken and steak, so you may wonder if you're really in a vegan restaurant! Rest assured, it's all vegan! Now you may wonder the legitimacy of a fully vegan Mexican restaurant! It's true, you can really do it! Now go over there and check it out yourself! You won't regret it. Heck, if you bring someone there or you're that person that is hesitant to try vegan cuisine, you probably won't know the difference when you take your first bite. read more

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Amazing vegan Mexican grub!! We checked out El Cantaro for lunch after exploring the Monterey Bay Aquarium. It was about a 5-10 min walk and easy to find. We ordered the enmoladas and combo plate #3 without cheese. The gentleman working misheared my order and instead it came without sour cream, but it wasn't a big deal and the cheese was easy to remove. They provided us with waters, tortilla chips and salsa. The salsa was smooth, spicy and really tasty! Our dishes came a short while later and were huge! My bf loved his enmoladas with rice and pinto beans. The mole sauce was so delicious. The combo plate I had was fantastic. It came with one crispy potato taco, one chikn taquito, one chikn enchilada with green sauce, salsa fresca, guacamole, rice and black beans. I almost ordered just the potato tacos, but I was really glad I chose the combo. It was so filling and gave me the chance to try a few options instead of just one. The chikn in our dishes had great texture and taste. You wouldn't have even known it wasn't actually meat if no one told you (or if the word vegan wasn't in the restaurant's name). The taco and taquito were deep fried and a tad too greasy for me, but I still ate almost every bite and loved it. For the amount of food we received, the prices were very reasonable. We both felt comfortably full for hours after our meal. The service was courteous and quick and he restaurant was clean and spacious. I would absolutely come back to try more amazing dishes. This place is the perfect spot for anyone looking to try and enjoy awesome vegan food! read more