This is a hidden, out of the way spot with a lot of character - not the super-currated kind of character, but instead the more organic character of a hidden campus favorite hangout from the 1970s or 80s. It's small and cozy but, for those with mobility disabilities, I'd be surprised if you'd feel at ease in this tight space with uneven floors. There is a lovely outdoor patio eating area with picnic benches on the river, there is a ramp to access it, but I didn't remeber to look for accessible picnic tables, my apologies. I ordered the one vegan item I saw on the menu, the yam tacos. These are double-layered soft corn tortillas stuffed to the gills with black beans, roasted sweet potato (not yam), a simple cabbage slaw, and fresh cilantro. There was no way to pick these up, I had to remove 1/3 to 1/2 the filling of my two tacos to be able to pick them up. You do get a lot of food, the majority of it beans, you won't leave hungry. If you like your taco filling hearty and comfort-food-ish, you may love these. I like spices and complex flavors, and found these absolutely serviceable, but bland. My vegetarian and omnivore friends seemed to enjoy their dishes a bit more. The restaurant had a little freezer with these tiny ice cream cups that fit one full scoop of ice cream in them that was locally made and in a variety of flavors. This was a fun treat for my friends who can eat dairy-based foods, it was just enough to round out their meal and there were at least half a dozen flavors to choose from. It's a one-of-a-kind-place.Vegetarian options: There are multiple vegetarian options, they are not marked, you just have to find them, but it's not a long menu. There is one vegan option on the menu.Dietary restrictions: All of their tacos are corn tortilla-based, but if you are a strict celiac they do serve wheat-based sandwiches and burritos, so there is a risk of cross contamination.Parking: There is a strip of nose-in city provided parking right by their building, there is no parking dedicated to/owned by the business. We were there at peak lunch hour on a Friday and there were still multiple spots available, despite it being hopping, but it was easy to see that it could fill up at any moment so it isn't a sure bet you'll find something on that block of it's a busy time. There is one accessible parking space right by their building, it is the parking space closest to their building.Kid-friendliness: It's small, it's loud, there's a bar in it - not a typical kid place. That said, kids are clearly perfectly welcome, it's not a snobby place in the least, and there is a small kids menu list at the back of the menu. And the outside patio eating area on a nice day would be great with kids, there's room to stretch out.Wheelchair accessibility: The door *might* be wide enough for your chair or rolator, but I kind of doubt it. The sidewalk just in front of their door is uneven and had an almost invisible small step up that is a tripping hazard. The space inside is narrow and awkward to navigate.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 4
Service: 4
JB
Vegetarian options: Any meal can be made vegitarian or gluten freeDietary restrictions: Any meal can be made vegitarian or gluten free, they can accomodate almost any allergyParking: Public parkinglot and street parking within 50 yards of building
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Smoked Chicken Burrito, Cubano Sandwich, Fish Tacos, Smoked Wings, Chicken Tacos, Carnitas Tacos w Mud Sauce, Quesadilla, Enchiladas, Beef, Fajitas, Beef Taco and Smoked Pork Belly Taco, Wet Burrito, Bid Daddy Fatty with Chili Colorado Bowl, Burrito, Chicken Burrito, Al Pastor, Slow Burn Tacos, Achiote Chicken Tacos, Colorado Burrito
Scott Fitzharris
Being from Texas, was surprised to find LEGIT tacos in Vermont but these are some of the best tacos I’ve ever had. Crazy (mad maybe) but phenomenal! Carnitas and Al Pastor are fantastic as are the sauces!
Staff was very rude and awkward. The food is WAY over priced and the music was so loud it was like being in a night club at noon. Save your money and go to Fire & Ice, Two Brothers, or Mr. ups.
Atmosphere: 1
Food: 1
Service: 1
S H (Cheecahoo)
Great Wet Burrito - good to feed a family ??
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 5
Service: 5
Alden Ewell
Amazing place to eat. Great vibes, fun staff and the food is phenomenal. High quality ingredients and the staff makes their own hot sauces which are always fun to try! Favorite place to eat in Middlebury.Andy is the best cook.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Jennifer Scarlet
I visit here every time I go to Vermont. The pork belly burrito is absolutely amazing.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Burrito
Peewee Hermus
Great place the hang out, drink a couple of beers with the boys and eat some AMAZING tacos!!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Chicken Tacos
Rune Tonsgaard Sørensen
Really great food - 5 stars for that! But it was served on take away plates and with plastic cutlery even though we wanted to eat in and that took a lot from the experience. Hopefully they will change that soon cause the food deserves better!
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 5
Service: 3
Sus Paul
The food is pricy, but decent portions. I wish you could mix and match. Salsas were below average and not hot.Vegetarian options: Has veggie and yam optionsParking: Parking on the street in front
i ordered tacos and the tortillas were cold. when i picked them up, they started crumbling in my hands as i ate them. i used to put up with it because there weren't other options in addison county, but that's changing. also, wayyyy too expensive for 2 tacos.
Brent Newton
I was hesitant given how many negative reviews were on here. But boom, absolutely delicious! Pork belly taco, chicken quesadilla, chicken burrito amazing. If you’re looking for fine dining that’s not the place, but easy to order and enjoyed lunch by the river. I’m definitely going back!
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 4
Service: 3
Recommended dishes: Quesadilla
Chrissy Pope
I had the beef taco and a mad zombie to drink. The food was really good and so was the drink. You do get a lot of food for the price. One person in my party ordered a cheese quesadilla and they said there wasn't a lot of cheese on it. However someone else in my party ordered one with meat and there was a ton of meat on it. I would definitely recommend to others and I would definately return.
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 4
Service: 5
Matt
I’ve been in here before and the man waiting on me was nice, but today they were quite rude. Women told me to grab the to go order from behind bar. I asked her if she was sure, and she said yes. I did and another women proceeded to rudely tell me to not do that and not to come behind the bar. She could’ve said this nicer and more respectfully considering how much I paid. They need to coordinate better about how you pick up food. It’s not hard to be nice. Will not be coming back.
Atmosphere: 1
Service: 1
Clint Broderick
I had the Achiote Chicken tacos. They were fairly bland. The service was mid at best as the lady taking orders was more interested in talking to the guy at the bar than helping me. The location is pretty cool, but I would go somewhere else next time I'm in the area.
This is a hidden, out of the way spot with a lot of character - not the super-currated kind of character, but instead the more organic character of a hidden campus favorite hangout from the 1970s or 80s. It's small and cozy but, for those with mobility disabilities, I'd be surprised if you'd feel at ease in this tight space with uneven floors. There is a lovely outdoor patio eating area with picnic benches on the river, there is a ramp to access it, but I didn't remeber to look for accessible picnic tables, my apologies. I ordered the one vegan item I saw on the menu, the yam tacos. These are double-layered soft corn tortillas stuffed to the gills with black beans, roasted sweet potato (not yam), a simple cabbage slaw, and fresh cilantro. There was no way to pick these up, I had to remove 1/3 to 1/2 the filling of my two tacos to be able to pick them up. You do get a lot of food, the majority of it beans, you won't leave hungry. If you like your taco filling hearty and comfort-food-ish, you may love these. I like spices and complex flavors, and found these absolutely serviceable, but bland. My vegetarian and omnivore friends seemed to enjoy their dishes a bit more. The restaurant had a little freezer with these tiny ice cream cups that fit one full scoop of ice cream in them that was locally made and in a variety of flavors. This was a fun treat for my friends who can eat dairy-based foods, it was just enough to round out their meal and there were at least half a dozen flavors to choose from. It's a one-of-a-kind-place.Vegetarian options: There are multiple vegetarian options, they are not marked, you just have to find them, but it's not a long menu. There is one vegan option on the menu.Dietary restrictions: All of their tacos are corn tortilla-based, but if you are a strict celiac they do serve wheat-based sandwiches and burritos, so there is a risk of cross contamination.Parking: There is a strip of nose-in city provided parking right by their building, there is no parking dedicated to/owned by the business. We were there at peak lunch hour on a Friday and there were still multiple spots available, despite it being hopping, but it was easy to see that it could fill up at any moment so it isn't a sure bet you'll find something on that block of it's a busy time. There is one accessible parking space right by their building, it is the parking space closest to their building.Kid-friendliness: It's small, it's loud, there's a bar in it - not a typical kid place. That said, kids are clearly perfectly welcome, it's not a snobby place in the least, and there is a small kids menu list at the back of the menu. And the outside patio eating area on a nice day would be great with kids, there's room to stretch out.Wheelchair accessibility: The door *might* be wide enough for your chair or rolator, but I kind of doubt it. The sidewalk just in front of their door is uneven and had an almost invisible small step up that is a tripping hazard. The space inside is narrow and awkward to navigate.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 4
Service: 4
Vegetarian options: Any meal can be made vegitarian or gluten freeDietary restrictions: Any meal can be made vegitarian or gluten free, they can accomodate almost any allergyParking: Public parkinglot and street parking within 50 yards of building
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Smoked Chicken Burrito, Cubano Sandwich, Fish Tacos, Smoked Wings, Chicken Tacos, Carnitas Tacos w Mud Sauce, Quesadilla, Enchiladas, Beef, Fajitas, Beef Taco and Smoked Pork Belly Taco, Wet Burrito, Bid Daddy Fatty with Chili Colorado Bowl, Burrito, Chicken Burrito, Al Pastor, Slow Burn Tacos, Achiote Chicken Tacos, Colorado Burrito
Being from Texas, was surprised to find LEGIT tacos in Vermont but these are some of the best tacos I’ve ever had. Crazy (mad maybe) but phenomenal! Carnitas and Al Pastor are fantastic as are the sauces!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Smoked Wings, Carnitas Tacos w Mud Sauce, Smoked Pork
Staff was very rude and awkward. The food is WAY over priced and the music was so loud it was like being in a night club at noon. Save your money and go to Fire & Ice, Two Brothers, or Mr. ups.
Atmosphere: 1
Food: 1
Service: 1
Great Wet Burrito - good to feed a family ??
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 5
Service: 5
Amazing place to eat. Great vibes, fun staff and the food is phenomenal. High quality ingredients and the staff makes their own hot sauces which are always fun to try! Favorite place to eat in Middlebury.Andy is the best cook.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
I visit here every time I go to Vermont. The pork belly burrito is absolutely amazing.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Burrito
Great place the hang out, drink a couple of beers with the boys and eat some AMAZING tacos!!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Chicken Tacos
Really great food - 5 stars for that! But it was served on take away plates and with plastic cutlery even though we wanted to eat in and that took a lot from the experience. Hopefully they will change that soon cause the food deserves better!
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 5
Service: 3
The food is pricy, but decent portions. I wish you could mix and match. Salsas were below average and not hot.Vegetarian options: Has veggie and yam optionsParking: Parking on the street in front
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 3
Service: 4
Restaurantji Recommends
i ordered tacos and the tortillas were cold. when i picked them up, they started crumbling in my hands as i ate them. i used to put up with it because there weren't other options in addison county, but that's changing. also, wayyyy too expensive for 2 tacos.
I was hesitant given how many negative reviews were on here. But boom, absolutely delicious! Pork belly taco, chicken quesadilla, chicken burrito amazing. If you’re looking for fine dining that’s not the place, but easy to order and enjoyed lunch by the river. I’m definitely going back!
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 4
Service: 3
Recommended dishes: Quesadilla
I had the beef taco and a mad zombie to drink. The food was really good and so was the drink. You do get a lot of food for the price. One person in my party ordered a cheese quesadilla and they said there wasn't a lot of cheese on it. However someone else in my party ordered one with meat and there was a ton of meat on it. I would definitely recommend to others and I would definately return.
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 4
Service: 5
I’ve been in here before and the man waiting on me was nice, but today they were quite rude. Women told me to grab the to go order from behind bar. I asked her if she was sure, and she said yes. I did and another women proceeded to rudely tell me to not do that and not to come behind the bar. She could’ve said this nicer and more respectfully considering how much I paid. They need to coordinate better about how you pick up food. It’s not hard to be nice. Will not be coming back.
Atmosphere: 1
Service: 1
I had the Achiote Chicken tacos. They were fairly bland. The service was mid at best as the lady taking orders was more interested in talking to the guy at the bar than helping me. The location is pretty cool, but I would go somewhere else next time I'm in the area.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 3
Service: 3