Mexican food restaurant est. 2013 in the New Monterey area. Casual, colorful decor. Order at the counter, and food is served in to-go style (disposable ware). Menu is all-vegan and uses some faux meats. Dishes offered include crispy potato tacos, fajitas with side of rice and beans, tortilla chips, taquitos, tamales, and combination platters. Horchata and cake available. Open Mon-Thu 11:00am-8:30pm, Fri 11:00am-3:30pm, Sun 11:00am-8:30pm.
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791 Foam St, Monterey, California, USA, 93940
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- Wheelchair accessible
- Accepts credit cards
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Last update on 17 Jun 2024 by Guest
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360 Reviews
First Review by magickbaby
erbavore9
Points +246
Good, but not Great - Edit
I met my life long dream to eat a Chile Renello as this one was vegan. I was so pleased.
Read moreAlso, the portions are quite large. I couldn't finish everything that came with it. Not even close. For most people, the food was enough for 2 or even 3 people as it had a side of a rice, beans, 3 tortillas and a large portion of chips and salsa.
On the downside, for some of the ingredients, the quality was not up to par. The tortillas were from the brand name Mission and is questionably vegan, the chips were a bit stale.
Pros: Price, Large Portions, Many Choices
Cons: Qualify of Some Ingredients, It didn't taste great
Guest
KaylenPowers
Points +35
PHENOMENAL! - Edit
I loved every bite! I got combination #3. So much food for a reasonable price. Fast service and exactly the kind of “mom and pop Mexican” food you’d expect! I wish I lived closer, but id be broke! Give them a try. Even if you aren’t vegan it won’t disappoint! ♥️🌮
Read moreUpdated from previous review on 2026-02-20
Pros: Portion size, Allllll vegan so I could pick anything! , Quality of food
Cons: I live too far away from them, I can’t go back in time and eat it all over again
Guest
santiagoeb94
Points +274
Must visit - Edit
Every time I come to Monterey I stop here. The staff is friendly, the flavors are authentic, and the portions are generous. My partner and I shared the nachos and ate a taco each one (the nachos were so big that we could actually could have shared only the nachos!).
Read moreUpdated from previous review on 2026-02-16
Pros: Authentic, Savory, Generous
Guest
AllyLo
Points +16
Fantastic meal - Edit
Have had the pleasure of eating at both there Sacramento & Monterey locations. Great food, lovely people, happy times. Can’t go wrong with any combo plate and their pozole is delicious. 10’s all around 💚🍀
Read moreUpdated from previous review on 2026-01-26
KaylenPowers
They are in Sacramento!?!?! This is the best news. We are relocating to the area!
Read moreGuest
afootman
Points +22
Awesome affordable Mexican - Edit
Nice fast service with big menu, all of it vegan.
Read moreUpdated from previous review on 2026-01-09
Pros: Burrito, Enchilada, Taco
Guest
CaleyBear
Points +132
Won't be back - Edit
Food was decent, staff was friendly, but I really don't want to listen to religious evangelism at a restaurant
Read moreUpdated from previous review on 2025-11-21
juneau_andrea
Were they preaching or something? Or something on the tv? I know it’s run by seventh day adventists but I’ve never heard them speak about it.
Read moreTheSecondAmigo
I agree with @juneau_andrea. I've been to this restaurant several times and I've never noticed any religious promotion. Was this on their TV monitor? (If it was on their TV, I would've found it easy to ignore it since the sound is usually muted).
Read moreGuest
dynam!te
Points +683
Best mexican food ever - Edit
It‘s simply the best mexican food I ever had. The lady took her time to explain everything, location was clean with about 30 inside seats. 10/10, would go back! Everything seems to be organic, non gmo etc.
Read moreDessert was also nice!
Pros: Very tasty, Organic, non gmo
Guest
mightymonica
Points +365
Great Mexican food - Edit
We door dashed this twice and tried a lot of the menu. Standouts as excellent: mole, tortilla soup, potato tacos and empanadas.
Read morePros: High quality ingredients , Fresh even door dashed, Lots of options
Guest
jake96
Points +34
Amazing mexican food! - Edit
Amazing mexican food! I will be back next time im in town.
Read moreGuest
Cchurko
Points +165
Yummm!! - Edit
I had the BBQ chickn burrito and added the wet option...so good!
Read moreGuest
mountain_vegan
Points +188
Muy delicioso! - Edit
Fast friendly service. Had Ranchero taco and Crispy Potato taco. Both excellent!
Read morePros: All vegan!, Tons of choices , Delicious
Cons: Hard to find parking
Guest
HaikuReview
Points +1202
Haiku Review - Edit
Nopales yes please
Read moreHard to choose from huge menu
No spicy salsa
Pros: Huge menu many types of options , Nice textures
Cons: Nothing spicy even when asked for
Guest
Zurv
Points +2325
Best Mexican in Monterey - Edit
Amazing food. All the tacos were good but the ranchero and the potato are my favorite. The beans and rice were flavored great.
Read moreI really liked the Mexican hot chocolate and the plantain ice cream with strawberry and chocolate sauce. Service could be nicer but overall great food at a decent price.
Guest
mallgoth_mallgrab
Points +98
Bomb ass Mexican - Edit
2023-08-21
Read moreI’ve had the steak tacos, carne asada tacos and spinach enchiladas. They are all so good.
Was very happy to see they had chiles en nogada which I have never seen vegan or even on a menu since my childhood in Mexico
8/13/25
I am in Monterey about once a year for a job and always make time to hit El Cantaro. Delicious. Today tried the fish and ranchero tacos and were also good.
They were playing some weird Christian radio station but I had headphones so problem solved. Other than that the vibes were good
Updated from previous review on 2025-08-13
Pros: Authentic Mexican food , Delicious , Lots of options
Cons: Closed Saturday , Closes early Friday , Lots of options ;)
Guest
DavidKWinslow
Points +188
Excellent - Edit
The flavor is fantastic! Ordered the Carne Asada tacos and horchata. Price is great and food is even better. Not disappointed.
Read morePros: Flavor , Price , Friendly
Cons: No cons
Guest
FartGang
Points +100
Vegan Mexican food < 3 - Edit
Came around 4:30pm and avoided the dinner rush around 5:30pm!
Read moreOverall, I am thankful Monterey had a nearby vegan restaurant (with so many options too) but the flavors could be improved.
Nachos 3/5 nothing special.
Fish tacos 2/5 not that flavorful even with the mango topping
Chicken taco 3/5 ok
Potato taco 5/5 best taco imo! The outer crispy layer was done nicely and the potato was nice and warm inside :)
Spinach salad 5/5 simple yet so delicious! Strawberries, jicama?, and pumpkin seeds were a nice touch. Great contrast to the rest of the meal (light feeling). Special shoutout to the salad dressing (a sweet, applesauce like taste 😋)
Guest
MonicaJane
Points +489
Must visit! - Edit
This place was incredible and I loved it so much. I had the baja fish taco, crispy potato taco and soy meat taco and they were all delicious. Crispy potato was my favourite
Read moreHorchata is also yummy
Guest
Vegemarija
Points +33
Delicious! - Edit
I ordered plate #1 that consists of tamale, enchilada, rice, beans and salad. It was really good and filling. I also had flan for dessert, super yummy.
Read moreGuest
JackVegan20
Points +58
Highly recommended - Edit
Absolutely loved El Cantaro in Monterey! 🌮✨ Everything I tried was bursting with flavour and totally satisfying. The mushroom taco was juicy and full of umami goodness, while the “chicken” and “steak” tostadas were perfectly crisp, hearty, and so well-seasoned I had to double-check they were vegan (they are!). Great portions, lovely staff, and a 100% plant-based menu that made choosing hard in the best way. Can’t wait to go back — this place is a must-visit for any vegan or veg-curious foodie in town! 💚
Read morePros: The staff, The food
Cons: Nothing
Guest
pjh13
Points +208
Delicious Beans and tortillas - Edit
Simple bean and cheese burrito was exactly what I was looking for. The steak tacos were also really good but I think it might have just been beyond steak
Read moreGuest
sidneylbanks
Points +284
Great vegan Mexican - Edit
So many options, all vegan!! Delicious food & horchata.
Read moreGuest
mtwdmn
Points +67
Great food with lots of options - Edit
Huge selection of fully vegan Mexican food. We had the vegetable enchiladas, tacos, - kids burrito (with side of fries?), nachos, and the flan. They were out of chocolate cake. Everything was amazing. The red sauce on the enchiladas was pretty spicy but not painfully so (they also offer a mild green sauce as an option). The nachos were really good too: no fake meat but a solid cream and cheese alternative that worked well.
Read moreThe food was served on to-go style dishes with plastic cutlery, likely to save on dishwashing/water? There’s some outdoor seating but only two-tops. Food came out relatively quickly, but it’s also a very small kitchen so it looked like folks behind us had to wait.
Went here around 5pm on Monday and it was empty, with 6 parking spaces in their “lot” free. By the time we left, about 40 minutes later, it was packed. They have two high chairs. Bus your own tables.
Pros: Selection, Quality, Price
Cons: Dishware, Parking, Possibly speed
Guest
oszum
Points +768
Goooood - Edit
I’m not very familiar with Mexican cuisine, so I went with a random pick (the menu is huge!) and I was pleasantly surprised. The portion was big, the food was super tasty and well-seasoned. And the dessert! Wow! Fried plantains with ice cream was insanely good!
Read moreGuest
MilesVeganEats
Points +564
Combo 2 and a pozole soup - Edit
Great combo that offers two soft tacos with choice of plant proteins, one spinach enchilada with choice of red (spicy) or green (mild) sauce, pinto or black beans.
Read moreThe combo was delicious and I finished the whole dish.
The pozole soup was a disappointment. Super salty, tons of onion, very little cabbage and very little hominy. Due to how salty and the proportions of ingredients were so off, I only had a few sip. Please think twice before ordering pozole soup. Taking one star off, this should be served to customers.
Pros: 100% vegan, Location for tourists, Traditional Mexican food veganized
Cons: Carelessly prepared pozole soup
Guest
Angelzrkute
Points +137
Curious - Edit
I was just disappointed that the empanada made fried
Read morePros: Guacamole, Service , Cleanliness
Cons: Empanada fried
Guest
richwich
Points +11
Favorite spot for aquarium visits - Edit
We always come here with our family when visiting this area. They have great food that’s a welcome break from all the fried foods in the touristy spots nearby. My favorites are the tortilla soup and tofu burrito!
Read moreGuest
MicheleLucas
Points +82
Great Food (lots of choices) - Edit
I loved the food here. There were so many options to choose from. They let us try one of the sauces before we ordered. My sister, who loves and makes her own molé sauce, loved the molé here on the enchiladas. You can't go wrong.
Read morePros: Great food, People nice
Guest
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