This is a small spot with street parking. The service was quick and friendly. The seating area was small but fit about 10-15 tables and I enjoyed looking around at the architecture. The environment and service were the best part of my experience. The food was good but not great, to be honest. However, I brought a meal home for my cousin and he really liked the food. read more

Monte Alban - Dinner combo- Beef enchilada and burrito with beans, rice, and corn cake. - Mexican Near Me - Hartford, Connecticut

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Food was delicious! Got our food very quickly from when we ordered it! We're playing Spanish music when we got there was also nice!

Great food and friendly service at great prices. They are open every night except Tuesday. (Despite what yelp says)

Delicious food, kind staff, and generous portions! The restaurant and outdoor patio are so beautiful, dining here makes for a perfect night. Tried the burritos, chile relleno, and chicken mole and they were all incredible - so fresh and with the beans, rice, chips and salsa, it's definitely worth it. read more

Great little mom & pop Mexican restaurant in west Hartford. We went there on a particularly cold weekend night and came away warm and happy from an excellent meal. We were quickly seated and the restaurant wasn't overly crowded. There are about a dozen tables of different sizes with a table for six or ten on a raised area for a large party (two tables that can be combined into one) in the front. As our party was five, we sat there, but decided to move after a few minutes because the lighting was so harsh-- a single CFC bulb made us wince from the harsh glare-- definitely not a cozy experience. On the floor of the restaurant it's a different story. Booths that hold four people line a wall and small two-person tables or chairs can be pushed together to provide for a bigger party. We chose to start with a nacho appetizer which was delicious. Our table hadn't eaten since breakfast, so the nachos didn't survive long on the table. As it was cold, we also ordered a bowl of Pozole that we liked, but my wife felt it was a bit lacking overall in the flavor. The entrees came and were absolutely terrific. I ordered the carne asada platter, which surprisingly was not skirt steak, but what seemed like a sirloin cut-- basically a steak seasoned only with salt, and a side of rice and beans. I was expecting something a bit more marinated and prepared, but the steak was cooked perfectly and the sides were delicious. A helping of small flour tortillas made for small soft tacos from the dish. My wife ordered the mole, which I thought had a terrific flavor. Rich chocolate but without an overly sweet finish, it made for a great balance. Our kids opted for chimichangas (because they were inspired by Deadpool, believe it or not), and they were excellent. Fried crisply but not soaked with grease. We finished with a plate of churros for dessert; there were a half dozen that were about 6" long, with an obligatory chocolate sauce. A nice treat, but didn't compare to the rest of the meal. We left way overstuffed but are looking to make this a new go-to for Mexican in the area. Note: this is located next to the old location for Fiddleheads Cafe, which no longer exists. Note #2 - Parking is unfortunately awful. Street parking only, and the surrounding businesses have lots which claim to tow vehicles. Street parking is extremely busy outside the location; would suggest parking across the street on Kenyon. Note #3 - Sorry for all the bright highlights on the menu! But you can see how harsh the lighting can be-- upgrading the bulbs to softer, warmly diffused lights would hugely improve the dining experience! read more

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Delicious food, great customer service would definitely get it again. Got the pork burrito and it was very good

Authentic and delicious Small setting but full of flavor. And the service? What can I say? So pleasant. 10 stars. read more

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Have the best memories of coming to this place when I would visit my grandparents. The portion sizes are huge and the food is absolutely delicious. I got the tamales which I highly recommend. Make sure to get a side of corn cake because it might just be the best part of the meal! read more

Monte Alban - Tamale - Mexican Near Me - Hartford, Connecticut

My go to for authentic tacos in the area. I like to get Al pasto, chicken and steak tacos and they're about $4 each. They're pretty filling, I usually will eat about 4 but you can add rice for extra. The staff is always so welcoming and greet everyone with a smile. The space is beautiful and adds a pop of color and life to the neighborhood with Mexican inspired decor. In nice weather, the patio serves as an excellent spot for an outdoor lunch and has a fountain. read more

A West End staple. Our favorite Mexican joint in Hartford. The owners are the kindest people ever. We started with chips and salsa, my partner also got a chicken tamale. For my main I ordered the grilled chicken taco salad and my partner ordered fajitas. We also got wine, our server recommended the red blend which was so delicious. We walked there during the snow storm and it was definitely worth it. Full bellies and warm hearts read more

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Food was not worth what they charge. $15 to $20 per plate was extremely excessive for what we ordered. I was expecting this place to be more authentic but it seems to be catered toward the "American" palate. Chips/Salsa/Nacho Cheese--all tasted like they came from a jar purchased at the grocery store. Picadillo (Ground Beef) Burrito--there was barely any ground beef in the burrito. When I did find some ground beef, there wasn't any flavor. No seasoning could be found. Other than that, I was eating lettuce, some sour cream, and tomatoes rolled in a flour tortilla. The rice and beans also didn't have any flavor. Nachos Supreme--ingredients from a jar or can. Also lacking flavor. Chicken Verde Enchiladas--small and lacking flavor. Very basic. Chicken Tacos--basic, lacking flavor. Served in flour tortillas. Horchata--too sweet & too gritty. From a bottle? Maybe. Mexican Coke--as expected. Can't mess that one up if all you have to do is open the bottle. Service--gentleman was a little aggressive in his approach. He kept trying to upsell. We wanted 1 item of something, he said 2. We wanted chips and salsa, which come with entrees, but because we wanted it before the entrees, he was trying to charge us for the chips and salsa. Otherwise we were told they would come when the entrees came out. What's the difference? It just ended up being mediocre tortilla chips and jarred salsa. Then he came out with incorrect drinks. And then incorrect tacos. It's a bit of a cluster in there. This place was recommended a few times by people we knew. The food does not live up to the hype. I did not feel great after eating here. Take your hard earned money elsewhere. read more

I've been waiting for a reason to come home to a longtime favorite Hartford Mexican restaurant - Monte Alban. That reason arrived in an e-mail from Yelp, encouraging me to nominate a Top 12 Spot for Nachos in CT for Nachovember. Oh! I've got a nomination. Monte! Freaking! Alban! Let's talk about what I look for in a classic style nacho order, and how Monte Alban delivers. First Impression I ordered Monte Alban's Nachos Supreme with a side of house salsa (extra charge). Nachos should make a strong opening statement. One consideration - are the nachos layered into an attractive shape, that pops off the plate? Monte Alban artfully layered the yellow triangles, the green strips and splashes, the red hunks, the white dollops and the sprawling browns of the nachos into a classic mound, on a shiny, dark blue oblong plate, that provided a terrific contrast to the nacho colors. A restaurant should also effectively showcase the quality of ingredients. Monte Alban's menu lists the Nachos Supreme toppings as ground beef, cheese, beans, guacamole, sour cream, lettuce, tomato and jalapeños. When Monte Alban placed the nacho plate on the table, immediately I could see two sections of scratch guacamole, a heaping dollop of sparkling sour cream, fresh shredded lettuce and chopped tomatoes, melted cheddar and jack cheese and pickled jalapeño strips. When I looked closer, I could also see ground beef and pinto beans, mixed up with the chips and melted cheese. Just as it should be. My first impression of Monte Alban's nachos? They look exactly like I hope traditional nachos will look. Whadya' Make? I give bonus points to a restaurant that makes pivotal parts of the nachos. A good place to start? Making the chips. Monte Alban makes it own crispy corn tortilla chips. It also makes the delicious guacamole, the bright and slightly spicy house salsa and the pickled jalapeños. Bonus points for Monte Alban. Everything is Everything Every part of the nachos should be at least good. Diners should leave no piles of discarded, culinary weak spots. I happily ate all parts of Monte Alban's nachos. The beef was well seasoned, though differently than many places. I didn't detect heavy doses of cumin, paprika or various chili powders. Rather, I most noticed a hint of warm spice that may have been cinnamon and/or nutmeg, but I don't have the recipe - so who knows? The vegetables all tasted fresh and provided nice jolts of juice. And let's talk about Monte Alban's decision to pickle the jalapeños, cut them into strips and lay them in a discrete area on top of the nachos. Do you know who likes cut raw jalapeños? Not everybody. Do you know who likes pickled jalapeños? Still not everybody. I love well pickled jalapeños, including Monte Alban's, because pickling removes the harshest bite, and adds sweet acidity. But if jalapeños are raw, I pile them on the side. Monte Alban at least makes that process easy for people who don't like pickled jalapeños by keeping them together. You don't have to worry about a surprise jalapeño slice under melted cheese. Is it Stretchy? I want to see strands of melty cheese when I pull apart two chips. I hate it when the cheese hardens and acts like glue. Monte Alban's nachos? Stretch for inches! The Ceiling and the Floor Good nachos have a democratic distribution of melted cheese and other toppings on the ceiling of the nachos, but also on the bottom and middle layers of chips. Monte Alban's nachos succeed on this front better than any other CT nachos I can remember. End Game You know what turns a great plate of nachos into a mere good one? When insufficient toppings remain to rescue the last otherwise bald tortilla chips. This happens far too frequently. When I dressed the last several Monte Alban chips, extra toppings were still scattered across the plate. Conclusion For these reasons, Monte Alban's nachos are my favorite in the Greater Hartford area, and Monte Alban deserves to be named one of the Top 12 Nacho Spots in CT. #Nachovember read more

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Siempre es un gusto venir aquí. La comida está rica y buen servicio. Solo he venido a desayunar. Es fácil estacionar en la calle. read more

Monte Alban - Menudo, tacos de barbacoa en harina, menudo y café negro. Acompañado con salsa de chile de árbol. - Mexican Near Me - Hartford, Connecticut

It's not fancy, but satisfying and filling. It's like homemade Mexican food (reminds me of growing up in Arleta & Pacoima, California and the flavors you'd have going to eat at the homes of friends' families). The service is fine, but there seemed to only be the female waitress and the male cook, who would also serve. We started with complimentary chips and salsa. As appetizers, we had nachos supreme, which everyone seemed to enjoy. My husband and I also had the pozole, which was definitely comfort food on a cold night. We had cups of horchata, which was not overly sweet and just right. All of our dinner platters came with refried beans topped with queso and Mexican rice topped with carrots and peas. My 10-yr-old son and his friend had beef chimichangas plates, which they thoroughly enjoyed. My 13-yr-old had the chicken burrito plate, which he enjoyed, especially because the burrito was "dry." (We seem to have difficulty finding them dry in restaurants in CT; many of the Mexican restaurants we've been to have wet burritos covered in sauce.) Both the burrito & chimichanga platters also had a small scoop of tomalito, which I haven't seen anywhere else out here. My husband had the carne asada plate, which he ordered medium-rare. It came as a grilled steak that was medium, but my husband says it was delicious. I had the mole poblano chicken plate. The mole sauce was not overly sweet (as I find at some places), and it has the rich, bittersweetness of cocoa that you'd expect. My only complaint would be the use of chicken breast meat, as I found it a tad dry; nonetheless, it tasted good. The kids had churros for dessert, and it comes piping hot with six ~4-inch long vanilla cream stuffed churros served with chocolate sauce. Yummy! read more

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From a Mexican, food is on point. "We" can always tell if a Mex spot is good by the beans and rice. Tastes like mi abuela's. The barbacoa tacos are perfect. Quest fundido, 13/10. Nachos supreme super good flavor and very generous toppings. The chili relleno and lengua was on the bland side, but some lime and salt fixed it right up. My first time here, but this is probably going to be the only Mexican spot I go to from now on. This spot would do very well back home in SoCal. read more

I mean what is there to say!!! Go here over and over. Order everything. I'm on my third visit. Chicken with pumpkin seed sauce - I had never had that and soooo glad I did. Son liked the chicken with green salsa. Flan is not too sweet so that's good. Carne asada is yummy. Corn cakes are very different tasting than other places and at first I didn't like bc they didn't taste as I was expected but now I like them! Mom had mole chicken and loved it. Oh and good tortilla soup - best around. P Chicken enchilada - huge and good. Chicken Tamale- very good. I get the appetizer to add to my lunch the next day. Husband had a tostada- he said it was good. read more

I tried their chips and guac and vegetarian burrito and classic margarita Guac was delicious and creamy. Burrito had fresh veggies like broccoli, onions and mushrooms and the beans were great. I wish they had more margs to offer but overall this is a good spot with decent prices and I would come back. read more

Monte Alban - Mexican Near Me - Hartford, Connecticut

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Monte Alban is a gem in Hartford's West End. My wife and I have dined here a couple of times when visiting the city. It's nondescript, quiet and nice but not fancy and has a family atmosphere. The food is simple but fantastic. We shared a chicken fajita and had leftovers. We'll be back. read more

Every time I'm here I comment to myself- what took you so long since the last time? Parked right on the road this time and grabbed an early dinner so it wasn't too crowded. Hubby had two enchiladas- Christmas style- one green sauce, one red sauce. I ordered beef burrito. Both came with rice and beans- rice a little boring but added some salsa, their beans are legit! Complimentary chips and salsa while you're reviewing the large menu to make a choice. Had a Sol beer since most places don't serve them - next time maybe the patio ! read more

Monte Alban - Beef burrito - Mexican Near Me - Hartford, Connecticut

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Cozy Mexican spot with a solid menu of the Mexican staples. Also have a few breakfast options as well. Food is from the Oaxaca region of Mexico so it is a little different than Tex-Mex, but delicious none the less. Both indoor and outdoor seating. 8 read more

I had the pleasure of experiencing actual traditional Mexican cuisine. Not at all like those fake many restaurants you see in New York City. The customer service was incredible. The manager himself was extremely inviting and friendly, a very old school style Mexican man himself. This man built his restaurant in remembrance of his home. Now the other restaurants around this one may look nice at an appearance point of view, but they will never have the authenticity of the food, the quality of care, and the originality of this incredibly real feeling that the Monte Alban gives you. read more

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This is one my favorite mexican restaurants. The place looks very small and low key. But the food tastes real. And it takes a while after you order for the food to be ready. On week ends alone they have a soup called pozole, and it is really good. Their flan is amazing. It is one of the best flans I had. The beef flautas was good too. Ground beef rolled in a tortilla sort of thing and deep fried. Carne asada was also really good as well. I also liked the chicken and beef combo fajita. The Quesadilla was good and cheesy as always. I like the flavor of their rice.The complimentary tortilla chips is not as good as the ones available in other restaurants. Almost every time I have been here, there was an error in bill calculation. Mostly it is because the bill is manually written and calculated. So double check the bill before you pay. read more

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When you're looking for that familiar, comforting, traditional mexican food to satisfy your urge, this is the place. Alfonzo, the owner is like a warm, welcoming family member who is more than capable of running the front and back of the house. Great food, great service. Best kept secret in Hartford. read more

Monte Alban - One Taco Lunch - Mexican Near Me - Hartford, Connecticut

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When you are looking for that familiar, comfortable, traditional mexican food to satisfy your urge, this is the place. Alfonzo, the owner is like a warm, welcoming family member who is more than capable of running the front and back of the house. Great food, great service. Best kept secret in Hartford. read more

Monte Alban - One taco lunch - Mexican Near Me - Hartford, Connecticut

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Solid Mexican. I lived in Arizona for 6 years during the 90's, and the food served at Monte Alban is on par with Southwestern Mexican. I ordered the enchiladas huertenas (one beef, one chicken and one cheese) and my wife went with flautas. I thought my meal was tasty. It has been a very long time since I've had mole sauce (the last time, at a place in Middletown, it was WAY TOO SPICY), I thought the mole served at Monte Alban was spot on, excellent. But my favorite was the verde sauce, outstanding. Was also really loving the corn cake that came with my dish. My wife's flautas were decent. Big mistake was that the lettuce on her dish was brown. Not sure how they missed that one, it was very obvious. Still, the rest of the dish was good, so this was really our only complaint. Refried beans were better than average. ***Also, THEY DO SERVE MARGARITAS AND HOUSE-MADE SANGRIA.*** Apparently they don't want anyone to know, most Mexican places push their margaritas. At Monte Alban, they don't even list them on their menus, you have to ask. Strange. My wife wants to come back just to have some of their House-made Sangria. And we do certainly plan to return in the future, the food is very good. Glad I picked a Winner for my 500th review on Yelp. Parking was not an issue today as we came on a Sunday in the early afternoon. read more

Monte Alban - Flautas, at Monte Alban Restaurant in Hartford, CT. - Mexican Near Me - Hartford, Connecticut

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Among the multitude of Tex-Mex restaurants in CT, Monte Alban is a refreshing stop in that they serve truly authentic Mexican food. Here, they have tacos that aren't inundated with the American toppings of cheese, beans, and corn. Rather, it is simply meat, sauce and cilantro - just the way it should be. It also helps that they have the more authentic protein options such as tripa (intenstine), lengua (beef tongue), and barbacoa. All of the aforementioned items were perfectly cooked, seasoned, and fell apart with hardly a touch - encased in a soft corn or flour tortilla and paired with fresh, bright green cilantro. Que Sabroso! I have yet to find a Mexican place more authentic in CT and I plan on coming here for my authentic taco fix for years to come! read more

The best Mexican food I've had in Connecticut by far! The service is great and the atmosphere of the restaurant is lovely. It's a small place on Farmington avenue in Hartford with just a chef and the owner/waiter, and the food, from the tamales to the mole to the churros are excellent. read more

Monte Alban - Cute ambience - Mexican Near Me - Hartford, Connecticut

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We stopped into this place because we were traveling with our niece and her favorite is tacos. The most important thing for us was to be served quickly because we had tickets to a show and only had about one hour to eat and go. The restaurant has both indoor and outdoor dining. We chose to eat indoor. The inside is neat and clean. The dining area is not huge but definitely had enough room to not be on top of other diners. The waitress was quick to take our drink orders and dinner order as well. For our meal I had two tacos-beef and chicken. My meal came with rice and beans. My gf had tamales and a beef empanada. Suffice to say we were pleasantly surprised with the meal. The food was delicious and definitely authentic Mexican cuisine. Everything seemed fresh. The rice and beans were cooked perfectly, usually I don't have the rice but in this case I ate it all because it was so good. The most impressive thing was that we told the waitress we were in a rush and she did everything possible to get us out without any attitude at all. Next time we are in the area I can see us coming back. I highly recommend this place. read more

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I can't believe that we have never come to Monte Alban before! We came around 6:30 PM on a Friday and were greeted warmly and seated quickly. We found reasonable prices and authentically great food with quality that belies its price point. Great value and we will definitely be back! read more

THE best Mexican food in the Hartford area! Pintoresca location with cultural significance and decor all around, nice warming atmosphere. Always so tasty and rich with flavor (drooling on the way to pick up my lunch from here) I barely write reviews on yelp but these tacos are sincerely authentic, juicy and finger licking good!!! Their rice is also delicious and so fluffy! This place deserves all the best reviews and customers for the service they provide! The owner is such a sweet person and very welcoming! We chat it up every time I'm there. Try them out for yourself your taste buds will thank you read more

We planned to go somewhere near on Friday night but it was almost a 30 minutes wait so we decided to try Monte Alban and boy Am I glad we did. Although I wasn't able to go carb crazy due to a diet restriction I enjoyed a well prepared camarones a la diabla "devilish shrimp " it was deliciously spiced. Both of my dinner companions had the grilled shrimp plate. The service was awesome. They were accommodating to my request of no rice with my order and instead replaced it with extra salad and avocado. I wasn't even aware of it but existence and now that I am you bet I will be a regular soon. read more

We made our first visit to Monte Alban tonight and left pretty impressed. As so many have stated, you'll probably whiff on scoring a parking spot on the street, but there are quite a few spots in the back of the Tangiers parking lot across the street. When you walk in, you notice that the interior is quite pretty, with painted stucco in shades of gold, orange, yellow, green and red with accents of painted bricks and Mexican tiles. The service was great- a super nice mamacita that looked us in the eyes and warmly spoke to us and asked us what we wanted, and if we needed anything else. No phony-baloney smiles here, it was all genuine. Speaking of genuine, as someone who has had more than his share of the Moe's/Q'doba/Chipotle style of Mexican food, I was very impressed with the real deal menu and my dinner. We started off with chips and guacamole- a big portion of guacamole. It cost $8 and was a pretty great value. My entrée was Camarones a la Diablo ($16) - a beauty of a plate with seven shrimp, a scoop of rice, an incredible spicy sauce and a fresh garden salad with avocado slices. I like spicy, and this dish was perfect for me, lots of flavor, lots of zip, but not too much. Honestly, this was one of the best meals I've had in a while. We also ordered a Grilled Chicken Taco Salad ($14) - a big portion that wasn't skimpy on the chicken at all. Bottom line? We had a very enjoyable time here, the food was great, and price vs. quality vs. portion size equaled a very good value. read more

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We have been coming to this amazing restaurant for over 10 years The food is fresh,delicious and unique The service is great You MUST come and take out read more

Food is great! Small but mighty place- highly recommended the pork tacos and the burritos. They might have some of the best guacamole I have ever had too. Staff is fantastic and has great energy. read more

The food is phenomenal! I look forward to bringing my friends and family from out of town to this hidden gem. The service is outstanding. Ambiance is very traditional Mexican. I was here tonight and can't wait to come back! Muchas Gracias read more

We live out of state but have eaten lunch here several times during visits to Hartford. It's a friendly, quiet, home style family restaurant not far off 84, and the food is always excellent. This visit I had crisp tortilla chips with salsa and fresh, thick guacamole, and a tamale with shredded chicken that was really delicious, plus pinto refritos that had whole beans and flavor, not just from a can. My husband said the enchiladas verdes were very good as well, and they came with a small mound of corn cake, sweet and creamy. Definitely recommended. read more

Stopped in Hartford on the way to Boston and had the most delicious lunch. We had the mole enchiladas! Perfection. And the rice and black beans were excellent as well. Chips with fresh salsa were brought to start and Jamaica to drink. Everything was freshly made and tasty. Lovely staff. Don't skip this spot. read more

This place is a hidden gem! Always friendly to greet you, and it doesn't hurt that every order comes with free chips & salsa ‍ My favorites are the enchilada grande and enchiladas verdes- I'm a sucker for a solid green salsa, clearly. The rice, beans, and corn cake they give you on the side are all tasty! One of my go-to's when I don't feel like cooking! I wish I had a picture to share but I hardly ever wait to dig in. Try them out!! read more

Always great and reliable. The enchiladas huerteñas are amazing. The owners are friendly and attentive. Don't know what we'd do without the place down the street from us! read more

I've been coming to Monte Alban for years. It's a great place for authentic Mexican food and at a reasonable price. The food is always really fresh and delicious. Parking is a little tricky but if you park across the street behind Tangiers, you'll parking. Their orchata is just ok but everything else is great. read more

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