El Gato Cantina
4 Park St, Essex, VT, 05452
El Gato Cantina Menu
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Visit below restaurant in Essex for healthy meals suggestion.
Visit below restaurant in Essex for healthy meals suggestion.
Visit below restaurant in Essex for healthy meals suggestion.
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Address :
4 Park St
Essex, VT, 05452 - Phone (802) 662-4334
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Opening Hours
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Specialities
- Takes Reservations : Yes
Delivery : No
Take-out : Yes
Accepts Credit Cards : Yes
Bike Parking : Yes
Good for Kids : Yes
Good for Groups : Yes
Attire : Casual
Ambience : Casual
Noise Level : Average
Alcohol : Full Bar
Outdoor Seating : No
Has TV : Yes
Waiter Service : Yes
Categories
Mexican Cuisine
If you enjoy Taco Tuesday, then you have officially fallen in love with the Mexican Food. The main grain of Mexican cuisine is maize. Also known as corn, maize is grown for the past 9000 years after the crop was discovered by the people in Mayan civilization. Mexican empire flourished when they started growing beans, tomatoes, chili pepper, sweet potato and cactus. Till this date these ingredients are used in cooking authentic Mexican dishes and drinks.
Great use of spices, fresh chili pepper dishes like fajitas, tortilla chips, corn chips, salsa, chimichangas, burritos, nachos and quesadillas are invented in America. But when you are looking for authentic Mexican food then you must find a restaurant in the city that serves Rajas con Queso, Garbanzo in a Guajillo Chile Sauce, Pork Filled Chiles Rellenos, Chiles en Nogada, Molcajete Salsa, Pico de Gallo and Frijoles de la Olla. An eye-opening fact – Mexican don't like their food hot. They use fresh chili and other spices to create a flavor that lingers in your mouth.
Mexican food is great for those who are Gluten Intolerant as they use Corn instead of wheat in most of their dishes. Also, you can easily find many beans based Mexican dishes. Another dish which didn't get similar glory as tacos or nachos is the Mexican hot chocolate. If you love something hot on a chilly day, then go for Mexican Hot Chocolate. On merry days, you can enjoy the authentic Mexican Drinks like Tequila, Mezcal, Tecuí, Sotol, Bacanora, Charanda, Posh O Pox, Puebla and Pulque. Mexican Cuisine is for people who enjoy strong drinks and hearty meals.
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Derick W.
Service was slow. The food was good, basic Vermont Mexican. I had the taco platter (choice of 2 taco's with rice and beans). My wife had an enchilada and burrito plate. LOTS of food. We should have simply ordered two taco's for me and her the enchilada plate and shared the rice and beans. The real test is the Margarita's and, unfortunately, El Gato failed. We started with a Horni Toad's as it had no mix. Hornitos, Cointrois, lemon and lime (I think). Nine bucks for a small glass. Something tasted off, and we think it was adding the lemon versus just lime. We switched to the house margarita for our second. Probably a bit better. The 16oz glass helped!! The sweet and sour mix was not the best, but not bad. The chips, salsa and the queso dip were excellent.
(3)Brian H.
This is NOT the El Gato I visited in Burlington! Yes, the menu is basically the same but the food quality, the space and the service was so much better! It's almost a different restaurant! I did order myself a fantastic margarita from their extensive drink menu, I highly recommend giving the special margaritas a try. I think I went with the "Dirty Old Man" and absolutely loved it. I like my 'ritas a bit on the sour side and this was just right. We ordered the combo plates and all of the food fit the bill. It's a lot more on the authentic mexican side than most local spots. The chile rellanos were amazing and I almost wanted to order another. I like the shredded chicken they use as it really takes on all of the flavors used in their burritos and enchiladas. Salsa is perfectly balanced and they bring the chips out right away. I never had to hunt down a server as they were always very attentive. The place still matches the look and feel of the old Lincoln Inn but I do like the use of the space here far more than the Burlington spot. It feels a lot less crowded and it includes a lot of nice window seating. If like me you didn't like the one in Burlington, at least give the Essex Junction location a try.
(4)C E.
First time here and all I can say is, no. Never going back. I'm a fan of real Mexican - especially having been raised in a Latin environment for a majority of my youth. I have a high standard, and even make my own Latin dishes when I'm in the mood. According to friends, this place was good. So here I go. Decor was cute, generic, but cute. The waitress was mousey and very irritating throughout the night. The drink was subpar, and tasted only of tequila, even though I ordered a mixed drink. The meat was dry, and the salsa roja tasted like marinara sauce from a can mixed in with some ketchup - just no. Don't even get me started on the rice...I mean what was that? Proper rice is not that hard to make people! Basically, if you're cool with this food, good for us. But if you've had legit Mexican, let alone Latin food - don't bother.
(2)Meagan B.
I've been to this new location twice now. It was a challenge to make reservations because they picked up and left me on hold for over 3 minutes and then I tried to call back and continued to get their voicemail that was out dated Parking was awful, they have a very large lot however it was beyond full with those going to OnTap next door. If I didn't have plans to meet others there I probably would not have spent the time and would have gone elsewhere. Or maybe designate some spots for El Gato customers would be a good idea. Drinks are always great, tried the Sweet Tart wow loved it. Was disappointed that the drink special advertised wasn't available after we tried ordering. Plating was nice, tacos and chiles were great as usual. Ordered dessert for the first time because I was excited for the flan but it was really over cooked. Service was pretty good, decor was fine. We had a great time. I'd go back but stick to my usual basics and maybe not a Friday night.
(4)Kimberlee M.
Great addition to the five corner area. Still not a place I'd go frequently as the prices are too high for tacos.
(3)Chris M.
Went to the Gato with mixed feelings; I love Mexican and live nearby but the reviews on the food and service have been mediocre at best. I have to say I was impressed! The food was very well prepared, good spice, hot and nice sized portions. My wife and I each enjoyed a margarita, and they were reasonably priced and I could actually taste some tequila! I slammed mine down like I hadn't had a drink in years, unfortunately the marg glasses are a little bit on the small side, but hey, it was good. Waiter was on point and took good care of us, even though the place was full. About the only reason the place isn't getting 5 stars is because the decor is non existent and the room we ate in has the ambiance of eating in an office cafeteria. The high tops in the other room looked wayyyyyy better. Next time, I feast at the high table!
(4)Tracy F.
I love the food at El Gato in Essex Junction, but boy does that place get crowded. We arrived and were told there was a 20 to 30 minute wait. We were okay with that. 40 minutes later, other parties had been sat before us. One of them, a woman we know, even came over and apologized saying she cannot understand why she got a table before us, when she hadn't called ahead and arrived after we did. We did get a table shortly after that, so I was okay with it. I understand that people linger, with no regard to the line waiting for a table, and the staff don't seem to like to push the lingering diners. The bigger issue is that we were sat next to what has to be the worst set of parents I've come across in ages. I give kudos to the waiter (I think his name was Lucien - Lucius, something like that.) I couldn't have been as nice to them as he was. The baby was about 9 months, maybe a year. The entire meal the baby was throwing plates on the ground, cutlery, glasses, food. Every time it happened, the mother started yelling at the kid for deliberately being a brat. At 9-ish months, that child is doing nothing deliberately, she's simply amusing herself with gravity. Take items away from her and she can't drop them on the ground. Simple enough. Unfortunately, listening to the mother scream at her baby, the baby scream and cry because she doesn't know why mom is screaming, it ruined what would have otherwise been a lovely meal. I know it's hard for a restaurant to step in, but in my opinion, as soon as the first plate hit the ground and the yelling began, something should have been said. Thanks to Lucien/Lucius for getting our meal and bill to us in record speed so that we could get out of there.
(3)Morgan L.
First the positives... the salsa was delicious and the drink I had was strong and quite good. But that's where it ended. The service was scattered and the young staff felt quite "absent" the whole time. And they weren't busy (7:45pm on a Wednesday)! I sat and waited for my hubby to arrive and was promptly given salsa, chips, water and menus. When he arrived, we waited ten plus minutes for the waitress to show. Somehow we were forgotten even though we were seated right in front of the hostess. I can forgive that but moving on, the service from there dove. We ordered and the food was shortly after brought to our table. A few minutes into eating, the waitress stopped by and asked us how it was. The food was fine, at that moment, nothing noteworthy but fine. When she left, hubby started his rolleno and noticed the oil it was fried in tasted rather "old". It was also overly breaded and not a light breading and egg wash as the menu suggested. The flavor of it wasn't great overall. I had gotten one too but I have a head cold so didn't notice the problem he'd mention. It wasn't great tasting but it was edible. A young girl came by to fill water and she asked him how it was. He's not usually one to say anything but he told her that the oil it was fried in seemed old. She said she'd let them know. Between then and until we left no one acknowledged that he'd said anything. The gentleman who appeared to be managing the restaurant that night never came by, not sure if he ever got the message but it was poor overall if he wasn't told. We weren't expecting a freebie - that's not us at ALL - but just having someone higher up the chain acknowledge that we'd had a problem would have been nice. The general attitude of the staff and lack of visible management and process was quite apparent. The rice and beans were no doubt pre-made mostly which left the taco and the chili rolleno I was eating... and both were boring. The taco I could have easily have made at home and the chili rolleno was "eh". The plate as a whole was lukewarm. Unless something changes, we probably won't be back. The lack of "care" was quite evident.
(2)Kevin B.
Great night at El Gato. The restaurant was busy, and yet all of the employees that were involved with us were friendly, happy, helpful, and professional. The drinks came quickly and had a great flavor. It was 1/2 price veggie nacho night, so we started with them. Delightful and full of cheese and black beans, they were just the way we liked them. I had the chile rellenos and a quesidilla. Both were delicious. I would recommend El Gato to anyone. With the service and food, it is totally worth the trip.
(4)T R.
Finally great Mexican food in Essex Junction. I've always enjoyed the downtown el Gato and was looking forward to the opening of the second location. This is the real deal. I love the ambience here. I started my evening with a jalapeño/mango margarita that was perfect. Spicy and sweet! I had an awesome chile relleno and tamale platter. There's nothing better than a roasted poblano pepper oozing melted cheese on a cold March evening. For dessert we split a tres leches cake. I'm so happy to have a place to go for authentic Mexican food in Vermont.
(5)Heather S.
Very delish chile rellenos! Hubs liked his tamales. The beans & rice were cold, but swiftly remedied by an excellent server, Kat! She was the bomb. We WILL be back! Ps the house margarita was great.
(4)Megan B.
I've been here twice and both times I experienced okay service and okay food. I definitely prefer the one downtown more as far as atmosphere, service, and overall the food. I highly suggest getting more servers on weekends.
(2)Jennifer C.
Love El Gato on Church St. Sadly, we've been to the Essex location twice and, though the place was dead both times, we had terrible, slow service and won't go back. On each trip, the waiter took ages to bring our drinks and chips (which weren't great). On our second trip, I ordered more chips and salsa (and side plates) right when he delivered the first round, but he never brought any of that. He was serving just ONE other table. The restaurant was drafty and cold - granted it's VT in the winter. The tacos were great, as usual, so I'll give them 3 stars - otherwise I would rate the Essex El Gato a 2 star restaurant.
(3)Katrina M.
Delicious food and drinks, abysmal service. I'd give it five stars if if even had average service. I've been there twice in a week and while they don't appear to be understaffed, it took me getting out of my seat to find someone to both get my first drink and pay my bill. Even when I was solo, it took over 15 minutes to even get someone to take my first drink order. In a group, the waitress brought the drinks to the people who had been there first, dropped them off and didn't even ask the new people what they wanted to drink. We waited over 15 minutes to pay our bill, including waving the bill folder at the waitress as she walked in another direction. The solo trip, the restaurant was only half full. The group trip, it was nearly full. The salsa and tacos I had were delicious. The Sweet and Hot margarita with jalapeno tequila was fantastic. I hope they get the service together, this is the best Mexican food in Burlington!
(2)Adam R.
A fledgling Mexican haven in Essex. Salsas are fantastic and flavors mingle together pleasantly. What isn't so pleasant is the often ever-growing waitlist to get a seat. Time estimates are often inconsistent, so be prepared to wait. A twenty to twenty-five minute wait may slip to upwards of 30 or more. If time is an issue, Mexicali in Williston provides fulfilling Mexican fare with much speedier seating.
(3)Paul M.
Top notch Mexican food in Essex Junction. Very helpful staff. Great atmosphere. Highly recommended.
(5)Kara C.
Hostess said 30-45 minute wait, it took 1 hour and 15, and she wasn't the lightest bit concerned or apologetic. The place was LOUD. Don't expect to have a pleasant dinner where you can talk to the people you are with. The menu is the same as the Burlington location which we love, but it didn't taste the same. Soggy enchilada, watered down margarita, blah race and beans. It was nothing special, and the service was not great. There were tons of empty tables, but tons of people waiting. We won't go back.
(1)Lynn Z.
Well I'm not sure where to start. This was quite a strange dinning experience. My daughter is a student at St Mikes and we try to eat at different places on every trip. I have gone to El Gato on church st a couple of times and on this particular trip we were staying at the Fairfield in Williston. Being that we had brunch on Church street we wanted to have a close dinner and my daughter was craving Mexican. We researched Yelp and the closer Mexican place had not such favorably reviews. We decided to drive by and there were no customers inside so we chose differently. I called El Gato in Essex to see what time they were open to at 730 and they said about 9 tonight. We arrived before 8 and all of the chairs were up on the tables in the front 2 rooms and they looked somewhat closed. We almost went to the tap house next door but ventured in anyway. We waited about 6 or 7 minutes and no one came out of the kitchen. There were 2 table filled, eating, and definitely open. I walked almost into the kitchen to see if they were still serving and we were a hungry table of 5. Mitch pleasantly welcomed us and seated us on a big high top next to a dirty rolling floor cleaning bucket! Were they in the middle of cleaning up and left it there? not sure. Mitch was the only waiter and very thorough. He recommended amazing margaritas that were not crazy priced with house infused tequila and were everything he promised. Guacamole was amazing, queso was spicy and great, our food was really good and explained well by Mitch. It was great that it wasn't as crowded as their original establishment and food and service was good BUT it was hard to get around the chairs up on the tables an hour before closing and the dirty bucket of water. On our drive back to the hotel my younger daughter said the woman, maybe the manager, seemed mad when we arrived like she wanted to close and a big party of 6 came in after us. I'm not sure if theyreally want to grow this business or close. Food was great, service was good, but not sure of the total experience.
(2)M K.
We went on Friday night. We're told by hostess it would be a 40 minute wait. It actually took 1:45 and hostess was less than apologetic or concerned. When we got our food three separate servers asked to take our orders and they appeared disorganized. Food quality was not as good as the downtown burlington location. It arrived quickly but was barely warm, not hot. Hopefully it is growing pains but we won't go back until we hear that their service level has improved.
(2)Nora W.
Wow! We picked a great night to eat at El Gato. Great service from the very tall cool guy and food was awesome. Can you belive soft shell crab tacos? They were to die for an so was the green chili enchilada. We had a large group and everything was on time, hot and delicious.
(5)Buck C.
Tried the chicken burrito, beans and rice but all of it was as bland as something served in a nursing home. Also had the chipotle chicken wings which had barely any sauce on them and were also as tasteless and dull as the rest of the meal. I thought Mexican dishes were supposed to be hot and spicy? The warm chips that came as an appetizer were ok but the one salsa that came with them was also, well...bland. My recommendation? "Welcome to Mooooes!!!"
(2)Bill G.
I have been four times in the last six weeks and it's been great every time. The free warm chips & salsa are a good start while you check out the menu. I love the roja sauce it's sooo good. Try it and you'll want it every time you go. Good prices, good service, and great food.
(5)Maya P.
To be fair I get the same thing every time: the soft shell tacos on corn tortillas. I love them! Free bowl of chips and salsa plus 2 tacos is a perfect meal for me. Well, and 2-3 margaritas! I really enjoy the amazing drink menu, the tacos are tasty and quick and the waiters have always been polite and prompt.
(4)Garry M.
First visit. The wait was over an hour! Good thing the On Tap bar next door was open! We almost stayed and ate dinner there, but we wanted Mexican. Very loud!! Waitress was prompt, made great suggestions and did an awesome job with service. Food was very good- we had tacos, burritos and fajitas. Everyone enjoyed their meal. Will definitely go back .... but be warned - it's gonna be a super long wait and it's very loud.
(4)