El Gato Cantina - 7 Nights Guide to Vermont Restaurants and Bars

El Gato Cantina

169 Church St., Burlington 802-540-3095 | map & directions | website | add your comment

Cuisine: Mexican/Latin
Settings: Restaurant
Region: Burlington
Schedule: Open 7 Days
Meals: Lunch; Dinner; Late Night Food
Alcohol: Full Bar
Amenities: Bar Seating; Gluten-Free Options; Good for Groups; Outdoor Seating; Table Service; Veggie-Friendly; Web Menu; Wi-Fi

7 Nights says...: Tacos and quesadillas share the menu with traditional dishes such as pozole, tamales, barbacoa and elote (Mexican grilled corn). Thirsty? Try a guava margarita with one of 80 tequilas.

Hide User Comments (48)

Don't Bother: Reviewed by Po on January 7, 2013; Our meal was bland, unappealing visually and was a true waste of our money. I will NEVER go back. Why? Because with some cilantro, lime juice, corn tortillas, cabbage slaw and some grilled pork, I can make a meal way better than they make. What's the draw to this place? My guess is there are many people who've never had delicious Mexican food. Try El Cortijo if you want great flavor, price and satisfaction. I even contacted the owner, spoke with her at length, but it soon became clear that she just wasn't listening. She's lucky that there are so many college students who think this is good food. I'll cook my own, thank you!; Report this review as inappropriate

the search continues: Reviewed by milkmaid on November 19, 2012; Four of us ventured into town recently to give El Gato a try. We made reservations with a request for a booth if they had it. We had a decent spot probably one of the brightest in the whole place as some of the other tables appeared to be quite dark. Our servers were attentive, the drinks were good, chips and salsa yummy. Unfortunately I have to stop there. while the plates were bright and colorful the food however was very bland and I'm not only talking about "heat". The refried beans are way too smooth and lacking much flavor and salt and some crumbled queso fresco and some chopped greens or onions would be a real nice touch to the enchiladas. All in all we had fun and very good service but unless popping in for some chips, salsa and drinks we wouldn't eat dinner there again.; Report this review as inappropriate

Will not be going back: Reviewed by Trisha on November 7, 2012; I went here for the second time with friends on Saturday night. I was not impressed the first time, but was willing to give it another shoot. From the moment she came to the table the waitress looked annoyed to have to deal with us, before anyone even said a word. While we were courteous and friendly she did everything short of roll her eyes at us when we asked to place a drink order. Yes, we had to ask to place a drink order because she didn't offer, even after her second stop to the table. After a 20 minute wait after our drink order she finally came back to take our food order. Our food came out all separately over the course of about 15 minutes, and even the nachos were subpar. She never checked back to see if we needed anything else or if the food was to our liking, and since we were in a corner booth it was almost impossible to catch anyone's eye. I had to ask for my second drink three times before it finally showed up, then we were ignored for another half hour. The waitress brought our checks without checking to see if we wanted anything else, and just handed them to us with the say annoyed attitude and without thanking us. TL;DR THe service was terrible and the food was uninteresting and subpar. Will not being going back.; Report this review as inappropriate

Improving with time: Reviewed by daniels on May 3, 2012; We tried El Gato during their first month open last year, and were disappointed. We tried it again May 2012 and feel the food and service improved greatly. We were there during Restaurant Week, and they had some good special dishes (red snapper) which impressed. The snapper had perfect spice levels, cooked perfectly and the black beans were a nice compliment. The amateur waitstaff from opening month seems to have learned what's on their menu now, although they did forget one appetizer during the meal. The cake tres leches was a great dessert- flavorful and moist.; Report this review as inappropriate

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