El Sillero

the donuts? amazing. they also have peanut butter cookies and granola bar... things.
The seitan is good. Definitely different than what ive had before, but very flavorful. the burrito was a good size, weighing just under 2 lbs.
Service was awesome as well! Super friendly and helpful.
They are new, and the empty display cases are weird... but everything else seems to be devloping well!

__Summary:__ El Sillero has a basic menu of burritos, street tacos, and quesadillas with some variations on each. They use good ingredients and are masters of preparing the food well. They have a variety of sauces (vegan) which can be added to any dish. The food is affordable (~$6) and will fill you up.

They collaborate with the gardens on the U of U campus so in the Summer you can expect fresh produce!


__Ok vegan/veg run-down:__ I usually get the Sillero Special burrito with their homemade seitan (tofu is good too). It'll come in foil unless you ask for in on a plate. I add a few of their sauces and a marinated jalapeno to make a great lunch!

Their street tacos are good, similar to the burrito but slightly less filling.

They have street fries which are actually a dish in-and-of their own. Ask for them vegan (so no sour cream or meat) and they'll come with fries (cooked vegan), black beans, avo, green onion, etc.

They recently got vegan cheese (daiya) and are experimenting. I'm planning to talk to them about making their own vegan cheese (they probably will).

Finally, they also make some baked goods which vary depending on how they are feeling. They'll have a few vegan ones (if they have vegan donuts, just say YES!)

__Vegetarian:__ I haven't eaten any of their quesadillas but they look amazing and my vegetarian friends who have agree. Also, breakfast burritos all day every day.

__Non-vegetarian:__ All of their menu items can have meat included.

__History-lesson:__ This used to be called Fiana Bistro and switched owners (Fall 2014) to become El Sillero. They now have less vegan options (also less-options overall) but still make really good and affordable food.

Let me start off with some positive points about this place. They offer tofu and seitan on their menu (awesome!), and the restaurant is clean, bright, and has room for growth. I know they haven't been open long - and so I see a lot of room for growth and improvement. I hope that they can be successful.

I went here a half-hour after they opened for lunch, and was disappointed that the seitan (which I made the trip to try) was not ready. They informed me they could do tofu or extra veggies instead. No vegan cheese or sour cream available. I tried the tofu tacos. The salsa bar did not have spoons or anything to get the salsa - but after being there a few minutes someone brought out some serving spoons. The placement of the salsa bar is difficult to reach, as if it was made to look at for the consumer, but not access. The salsa I tried was warm in temperature, although I think it was supposed to be chilled. There were empty display cases and shelving in the restaurant that could be filled with food or something to sell. It gave the impression that this was an abandoned restaurant taken over by a taco cart. The staff was inattentive and not that helpful or friendly.

The tacos were street tacos (2 for $5) and were visually appealing, but the tofu was very bland. Not much flavor. It was as if it was taken straight from the package and grilled, with no marinade or seasonings. It was served in a paper container, but they had real utensils out (and chopsticks?) - but no place to put the utensils after throwing away the paper products. I had to hand my used fork to the cashier. Strange.

Overall, I was disappointed with the experience, but like I said - they are new and there is a lot of room for growth and improvement. I hope they can make it and it turns into a great place for vegan tacos.