Family run restaurant that always delivers delicious vegan food. I can't say enough good things…read moreabout how well they treat their customers. I constantly recommend this place to people that are not just vegetarian. Probably eat here once a week

SCW and I stopped into El Cantato while staying in Monterey Bay. This place was a priority for me…read moreas it's all plant based and Mexican. Parking is sparse in front of the restaurant but paid parking is nearby. We entered and wow, the place was busy. Not overwhelming but lots of people in the indoor dining area enjoying their food. The menu is overheard and we decided what we wanted and ordered. The employees were kind and helpful, we probably were the only people that didn't speak Spanish well in the restaurant but that wasn't an issue, SCW got the number 2 combo, I got the mole. Also ordered an appetizer. Seated and waited about 10 minutes and our order came out. Everything was freaking amazing. Such great flavors and so fresh. Even SCW who doesn't necessarily gravitate towards Mexican food made nom nom nom sounds the whole time. The mole was incredible, the best I've ever had. The whole time we were here it was an endless stream of customers, even late lunch hour. SCW was impressed by the contrast stream of people coming in. We even walked around the wharf nearby for a while and drove past again and it was still packed with people. Do yourself a favor and visit El Cantato. I know I will.

Good quality food easily available while drinking great beer. They handle rush hours admirably.read more

The fish taco was delicious. Best fish taco I had while in California. The guy running the food…read moretruck was a little grumpy, however great taco. Everything complimented every well, typical baja style. The rockfish was fried well. They had other non seafood options but the fish taco is where it's at. A little expensive but everywhere in California is.

Great service, very clean, a little busy depending on time but for good reason. Food was a little…read moremore expensive than other taquerias but the quality was way better than anything i had. SOME OF THE BEST MEXICAN FOOD IVE HAD (saying that as a mexican that's regularly in mexico ) I recommend the adobado, I wish i got more pictures but it was so good i dug in right away

$17 for a burrito. Just beans, rice, a little chicken. Nothing else. Bland, tasteless…read more Nothing else, no cheese, no sauce, no onions, sour cream, no salsa. Pathetic ripoff. Never again. NEVER.

We were in the area to check out the aquarium and had a craving for fish tacos…read more We parked a block or two away. Staff was very friendly, we sat in the window and I had the al pastor taco and fish taco. Soooo good, I need to come back. Salsas were tasty too.

Traveling and saw this spot as a recommended Mexican food location. We ordered chips and guac,…read moreenchiladas, and a burrito. For drinks, we ordered the strawberry lemonade and pineapple. Chips and guac were good but tiny portion for what you pay. The enchiladas and burrito were way too salty. And a Mexican place that only does one type of aguas frescas per day? And no horchata? That was a bit disappointing. The pineapple drink tasted like canned pineapple juice. The strawberry lemonade was decent. All in all, would be a good spot with some minor improvements.

Very good food. Great service…read more Reasonable wait time and they have a parking lot which we didn't know about so we parked a few blocks away. Very happy with our choice of lunch.

They absolutely live up to their name! This is definitely the house of season. We ordered a wet…read morechimichanga with red and green sauce, and an agua de horchata. The food was seasoned to perfection, shout out to the chefs cause WOW! Absolutely incredible. 15/10, the horchata is also 15/10.. Good music, friendly service, clean environment, and delicious food. We came from Sacramento and will definitely be back next time we're in Monterey.

Don't go to this place . There are 3 things you need to be aware …read more Went there with my kids to eat and ordered the regular burrito and the hella sized beed bizzness nachos . 1- we asked if the nachos were spicy , they advised to put jalapeños on the side . The cheese sauce is spicy . My kids mouth were on fire . If they say it's mild .. it's spicy.. even the free cup of Mac and cheese they offered . Spicy. 2-The burrito had no flavor and the rice was old ( you can tell was used from Previous days ). 3- cleanliness was awful .. the chairs were not stable , floors were dirty and that bathroom has seen better days for sure. That was my observation . Owners need to pay more attention of how fresh the food and the cleanliness of the place .

If you're a fan of liquid cheese nachos (as opposed to oven baked nachos) this place is great. My…read morepartner and I got a plate each from this place and it was delightful. The cheese and spice were well balanced in flavor and the chips held up to the sauces for a good time. They had 3 different large displays showing different sports like baseball, basketball and football so it a nice place to watch part of the games. The one downside, as is the game with most nachos of this type is that it is not a food you really want to be grazing on. While the chips held up for me (a quick eater) my partners who eats more deliberately had a few chips that were texturally challenging at the end. But if that isn't a problem for you then I would definitely recommend.

We were too late for breakfast burritos so we got asada burritos. The burritos were really good…read more The asada was tender. The in-house made tortillas were delicious. I think this place is a good value for Monterey, CA at $18.54 for two asada burritos with cheese. We would spot by here again.

Sending my husband today to get breakfast burritos because when I go, they don't put as much as…read morewhen he does. I buy for him and my son and they'd always get skinny burritos that doesn't fill them. So today was a success as far as burrito size is concerned. Service is on and off- sometimes you get more food sometimes not. Sometimes you get a friendly, helpful staff and other times they're grumpy. This is strictly a to-go place and open for breakfast and lunch. No seating so most people would pick up their food and eat in the parking lot, or drive away someplace else.

Last stop of our vacation and the wife wanted more seafood. You can get it here!! Very fresh…read more Very friendly server and chef. Nice seating inside and out. Started with raw oysters, so fresh. The wife got shrimp and octopus cocktail. So much seafood in there. I had Baja fish taco. One was enough for me. We also shared a guacamole salad. We got chips and salsa when we sat down. Multi colored and crisp and tasty. Good meal before we leave.

Dropped a star :-(…read more We had our usual trio of tacos, out for the 6 there were 5 that hit the spot and one (my wife's) deep fired fish taco was comfortably on the overcooked side and the fish didn't taste fresh apparently ... To be clear, this is the first thing we have had at BA that hasn't been at least 10 stars so am really hoping its a glitch not a trend... We'll be back to make sure we were correct, its our goto Mexican in the area and that's against stiff competition so fingers crossed

It's not beautiful, but it is SO good. The grandma who works weekends makes the best burrito…read more Definitely my favorite taco shop

If I could give 0 reviews I would! Definitely don't recommend for one there very RUDE AND RACIST…read more And the food is NOT good. Doesn't taste like authentic Mexican food at all. DONT RECOMMEND. They asked us our race and rolled there eyes the entire time we were ordering. 0/10 DONT RECOMMEND

Aquino's Birrieria & Brunch: Highly recommended by a life-long local, I arrived and placed a…read moretakeout order for a Quesabirria Taco & a Birria Super Burrito. It was 4pm on a TUE & I was the sole customer. During my short wait, I was amused by the old Chinese decor. Back at my hotel I opened the neatly packed heavy duty containers (see pic). Wow! The food was as delicious as it looked. Every ingredient was tastable! I had to slow down to make my enjoyment last. Aquino's is no average Mexican restaurant. It's now in my top 5 - and I'm from Los Angeles! Can't wait to go back.

simply the most insane burrito sizes I have ever seen in my entire life. we have no choice but to…read morestan