Food just isn’t that good. Service is meh as well, unless you like your ordering experience with a dash of attitude. Have tried to eat at this place three times now. The first time was OK. I asked my wife why she thought it was so good, and she mentioned that it used to be better (apparently there is an “original” one). The second time was worse. The third time I took one bite and walked out. There are better taco spots around Burlington that are waaaaayyyy better. Parkside Cafe in Hinesburg serves Carnitas and Chicken, El Cortijo in Burlington serves a wider selection (+ Beef, Veggie, etc), and Casa Real serves an even wider selection (including Tripe and Chorizo). Seriously, save yourself the letdown from El Gato, and start with one of the other three suggestions first.
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 1
Service: 3
M JS
A nice, local restaurant serving typical Mexican food. Service is very good. Complimentary chips and fresh salsa is a plus.Parking: Short walk from parking to the restaurant.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Chips and Salsa, Beef and Chicken Taquitos
Ron Pouliot
I had a birthday party for my lovely wife for her 5oth and everyone at El Gato were so gracious. From the organizer of the party Amy, to the GM Courtney to the owner Tree. The bartender's Emily and Melissa were awesome as always, to all the waitstaff and cooks. The food was great and there was a huge spread. Thank you very
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Debby Mercer
Went for lunch on Thursday Feb 29 and loved it! The food, service and atmosphere were great. Our son who lives in Burlington and has been several times recommended it to us and we will definitely return next time we're in VT!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Chimichanga, Chips and Salsa, Beef Taquitos
OfficialPinkPanda
Belly no no feel good after that?
Atmosphere: 2
Food: 2
Service: 3
Recommended dishes: Chips and Salsa
Nadia Noonan
One of my all-time favorite places to go for food and drink. The prickly pear margarita is absolutely amazing!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Carnitas Platter, Chips and Salsa, Burrito, Nachos
Becky Temple
Excellent chicken enchiladas with green sauce and blood orange margarita.
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 5
Service: 5
Michelle Piche
We were seated and right off we were served with homemade chips and salsa. Both so good! Our waitress was wonderful. She gave us suggestions and her choices were excellent. Amazing tacos!
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 5
Service: 4
Mary Cain
The original El Gato was far better, more authentic and charming.This location is small. Smack dab next to On Tap pub and dance club, it really lacks the originals intent. A teeny tiny bar, 6 seats maybe cramped with bottles of drinks, is a popular hangout for all the staff to share the latest gossip.I made a reservation for my birthday ? I told them it was for my birthday and not a single staff member said happy birthday. Not the bartender, not the server, not the host. It was embarrassing actually.It was not at all crowded when I arrived or when I left at 8:00pm and the staff wonders why?The prices were outrageous. I got a single spinach and shrimp quesadilla for $18 00! There is no rice, no beans, no garnish, nothing else on the plate. I was shocked!The host just wanted to see me right next to family with children. I said I'm not interested in this. I'm here to celebrate my birthday not to listen to children.I was reseated in a place next to a family of older children and they all didn't eat their dinner and had six takeout boxes so that says volumes.The server never suggested dessert ? and it was my birthday and I love desserts.You don't get another chance at making a good impression.Parking: Shared parking lot with On Tap club
Jeanie Kaeding
The last two times that we went to El Gato, downtown Burlington, they were terrible! Glad that they closed, if that’s how the food was going to be.In Essex, they were much better, but they went to the cheap tortillas too.
Went here Wednesday after work for an app. I had the quaso dip which was good. The service was good. Was seated and had chips and water quickly. I will be here again with some friends for
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Stephen Jablonski
I feel so bad for the staff at El Gato in Essex. We stopped in for lunch on a Sunday expecting it to be busy, but there weren't many tables seated so we figured we lucked out. Our hostess was polite and got us seated right away. She returned 15 minutes later to take our drink order and noted our server would be with us shortly. 10 minutes after that, our server finally arrived to take our order. Turns out she is also the bartender and was pulling double duty. How management allows this to happen on a weekend during lunch rush is absolutely mind boggling for me. The icing on the cake was when our server noted they were short a cook as well so the food would take a little longer than usual. When I finally got my food, the rice was cold, the tortillas were stale, and the chicken was flavorless. It was like they expected the mole to do literally all the heavy lifting to hide how subpar everything is. Fortunately the server (who was very clearly exhausted and overworked) noticed I wasn't pleased and took it off the bill without my asking. Management - if you don't have the staff don't seat the tables otherwise you burnout your staff and serve substandard food as a result. Take care of your employees. The server and hostess are the only reason you got 2 stars at all and probably deserve a raise for all the hard work they put in.
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 1
Service: 4
Judith
Was really looking forward to trying this place out. Showed up with two hungry young kids only to be turned away because their computer systems were down and restarting it didn’t work. Seriously? Can’t you write it on paper to enter it later instead of losing an entire Saturday morning of customers? The world operated quite well before computers but apparently no one can think beyond a screen anymore. Utterly ridiculous. Especially when you’ve been in the service industry for years and know how it functions. So apparently they “couldn’t serve anyone” including couples and families who were already seated. And we’re off to find somewhere else that’s actually functioning — with even hungrier kiddos. A total disappointment.
Atmosphere: 1
Food: 1
Service: 1
Allison Martin
I have been here a few times and enjoyed the experience every time! I highly recommend it!Dietary restrictions: They have corn tortillas available for most dishes!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Kate Castonguay
Had the fish tacos, crispy style, and they were great. Lovely and fun restaurant set up with great decor for the theme. Service was very fast and they have an interesting array of margaritas from house to very expensive and everything in between. Chips and salsa that come for the table are also delicious.
Food just isn’t that good. Service is meh as well, unless you like your ordering experience with a dash of attitude. Have tried to eat at this place three times now. The first time was OK. I asked my wife why she thought it was so good, and she mentioned that it used to be better (apparently there is an “original” one). The second time was worse. The third time I took one bite and walked out. There are better taco spots around Burlington that are waaaaayyyy better. Parkside Cafe in Hinesburg serves Carnitas and Chicken, El Cortijo in Burlington serves a wider selection (+ Beef, Veggie, etc), and Casa Real serves an even wider selection (including Tripe and Chorizo). Seriously, save yourself the letdown from El Gato, and start with one of the other three suggestions first.
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 1
Service: 3
A nice, local restaurant serving typical Mexican food. Service is very good. Complimentary chips and fresh salsa is a plus.Parking: Short walk from parking to the restaurant.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Chips and Salsa, Beef and Chicken Taquitos
I had a birthday party for my lovely wife for her 5oth and everyone at El Gato were so gracious. From the organizer of the party Amy, to the GM Courtney to the owner Tree. The bartender's Emily and Melissa were awesome as always, to all the waitstaff and cooks. The food was great and there was a huge spread. Thank you very
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Went for lunch on Thursday Feb 29 and loved it! The food, service and atmosphere were great. Our son who lives in Burlington and has been several times recommended it to us and we will definitely return next time we're in VT!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Chimichanga, Chips and Salsa, Beef Taquitos
Belly no no feel good after that?
Atmosphere: 2
Food: 2
Service: 3
Recommended dishes: Chips and Salsa
One of my all-time favorite places to go for food and drink. The prickly pear margarita is absolutely amazing!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Carnitas Platter, Chips and Salsa, Burrito, Nachos
Excellent chicken enchiladas with green sauce and blood orange margarita.
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 5
Service: 5
We were seated and right off we were served with homemade chips and salsa. Both so good! Our waitress was wonderful. She gave us suggestions and her choices were excellent. Amazing tacos!
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 5
Service: 4
The original El Gato was far better, more authentic and charming.This location is small. Smack dab next to On Tap pub and dance club, it really lacks the originals intent. A teeny tiny bar, 6 seats maybe cramped with bottles of drinks, is a popular hangout for all the staff to share the latest gossip.I made a reservation for my birthday ? I told them it was for my birthday and not a single staff member said happy birthday. Not the bartender, not the server, not the host. It was embarrassing actually.It was not at all crowded when I arrived or when I left at 8:00pm and the staff wonders why?The prices were outrageous. I got a single spinach and shrimp quesadilla for $18 00! There is no rice, no beans, no garnish, nothing else on the plate. I was shocked!The host just wanted to see me right next to family with children. I said I'm not interested in this. I'm here to celebrate my birthday not to listen to children.I was reseated in a place next to a family of older children and they all didn't eat their dinner and had six takeout boxes so that says volumes.The server never suggested dessert ? and it was my birthday and I love desserts.You don't get another chance at making a good impression.Parking: Shared parking lot with On Tap club
The last two times that we went to El Gato, downtown Burlington, they were terrible! Glad that they closed, if that’s how the food was going to be.In Essex, they were much better, but they went to the cheap tortillas too.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 2
Service: 2
Restaurantji Recommends
Went here Wednesday after work for an app. I had the quaso dip which was good. The service was good. Was seated and had chips and water quickly. I will be here again with some friends for
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
I feel so bad for the staff at El Gato in Essex. We stopped in for lunch on a Sunday expecting it to be busy, but there weren't many tables seated so we figured we lucked out. Our hostess was polite and got us seated right away. She returned 15 minutes later to take our drink order and noted our server would be with us shortly. 10 minutes after that, our server finally arrived to take our order. Turns out she is also the bartender and was pulling double duty. How management allows this to happen on a weekend during lunch rush is absolutely mind boggling for me. The icing on the cake was when our server noted they were short a cook as well so the food would take a little longer than usual. When I finally got my food, the rice was cold, the tortillas were stale, and the chicken was flavorless. It was like they expected the mole to do literally all the heavy lifting to hide how subpar everything is. Fortunately the server (who was very clearly exhausted and overworked) noticed I wasn't pleased and took it off the bill without my asking. Management - if you don't have the staff don't seat the tables otherwise you burnout your staff and serve substandard food as a result. Take care of your employees. The server and hostess are the only reason you got 2 stars at all and probably deserve a raise for all the hard work they put in.
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 1
Service: 4
Was really looking forward to trying this place out. Showed up with two hungry young kids only to be turned away because their computer systems were down and restarting it didn’t work. Seriously? Can’t you write it on paper to enter it later instead of losing an entire Saturday morning of customers? The world operated quite well before computers but apparently no one can think beyond a screen anymore. Utterly ridiculous. Especially when you’ve been in the service industry for years and know how it functions. So apparently they “couldn’t serve anyone” including couples and families who were already seated. And we’re off to find somewhere else that’s actually functioning — with even hungrier kiddos. A total disappointment.
Atmosphere: 1
Food: 1
Service: 1
I have been here a few times and enjoyed the experience every time! I highly recommend it!Dietary restrictions: They have corn tortillas available for most dishes!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Had the fish tacos, crispy style, and they were great. Lovely and fun restaurant set up with great decor for the theme. Service was very fast and they have an interesting array of margaritas from house to very expensive and everything in between. Chips and salsa that come for the table are also delicious.