Amaranto is described as an authentic and delicious Mexican spot in NDG, repeatedly praised as a gem with standout birria tacos and a broad menu that includes shrimp quesadilla, fish and chicken tacos, enchiladas, ceviche and more, with crispy homemade tortilla chips and guacamole earning high marks; the atmosphere is warm, clean and vibrant, with friendly staff and owners creating a welcoming and personalized service that many reviews feel makes you feel like the only table; margaritas are noted as effective and portions are described as generous by some and small or pricey by others, reflecting a mix of consistently tasty dishes and occasional pacing issues on busy nights when the place fills up; a move to Monkland is mentioned and fans say the food and uplifting ambiance remain strong, reinforcing Amaranto as a local gem for authentic Mexican cuisine.
ALERT: Amaranto has moved. Their new address is 5626 Monkland. The food & uplifting ambiance is better than ever! Authentic Mexican dishes (I love the tacos Al Pastor,) friendly service, & awesome guacamole with homemade tortilla chips! If you want the best Mexican food in Montreal, Ameranto's is the place to be.
Food is very normal, I wouldn't say the restaurant is bad, but food lacks a bit of flavor & the portions are very small for the cost of the dishes. Not a bad option for people who want to explore Mexican food in Montreal, but not my favorite.
Jan 11, 2025
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I cant imagine i was visiting the same restaurant as the other reviewers here.
Upon arrival, we were struck by the..ahem..barren decor? & that there was only 1 other couple there.
The waitress seemed barely able to crack a smile or greet us, & told us to sit anywhere.
We sat, received our menu, & were told there was no more of the daily special, but the guacamole was recommended, without a price mentioned (8$ for a small bowl) but we ordered it anyway. It was decent, thank goodness, otherwise we would have ended up starving, as our dishes were basically inedible. I had the chicken tacos, which were incredibly dry, flavorless & unseasoned, with some lettuce & cheesish sour cream. Thankfully we had salsa, so i dipped for some flavor. I never received a knife. My bf had the chicken enchiladas, which were soggy, unseasoned, & unpleasant. The rice was, no exaggeration, the worst i have ever tasted in my life, vomity mush. We were as you can imagine, severely disappointed. The waitress never asked us how we were doing, took away our plates without asking how they were, didn't offer us dessert, more drinks, or our bill, all while acting like we were putting her out for being there.
A fail across the board.
Ho my god... do you copy/past your comments on every websites? I was only looking around for that restaurant and I saw that same message more than once. https://plus.google.com/114190324344404533226/about?gl=ca&hl=en
If you want to try traditional meals, maybe you should be a little bit open mind, and less arrogant. For sure you don't know avocat's price, do you? And i guess you don't know anything about traditional mexican food, You can't eat 'tacos dorados de pollo' whit a knife!
First of all I must say that I almost never write reviews of any kind. But after reading some of the comments & ratings for Amaranto on this website, I felt compelled to do Amaranto some justice. I find it hard to believe that somebody would wait 2.5 to 3 hours for their meal to be served. I think those reviewers are either grossly exaggerating or they are simply not telling the whole story. My experience was that of a fair time for meals to be served, great authentic mexican dishes & a professional & friendly service. You have to take into account that this is a small family-run restaurant. Owners do most of the work & I think they do it to the best of their abilities. Do they have the fastest service in town? Probably not, but there are some ways to get around this: you can order in advance, order for take out or simply enjoy an entrée while waiting for the main course (I´ve heard that their guacamole is one of the best, in town). The place is small, 4 to 5 tables but I think it is safe to say that in this case the size of the restaurant is inversely proportional to the taste & authenticity of the dishes. I haven't really tried other mexican joints in Montreal, but as a mexican myself, I can say without any hesitation, that the dishes are as authentic & tasteful as can be, outside of Mexico. I tried the Sopa de Aguacate (Avocado soup), Tacos de Pastor, Tacos de Carnitas, Agua de Jamaica (hibiscus tea), Agua de Chía (very refreshing kind of lemonade) & they were all very well prepared, delicious & brought to our table in a timely manner. The menu is rather small, but what they offer is made at the moment (even their chips & salsas, which by the way are also excellent), which gives it even more taste & freshness (both of these elements are essential to mexican cuisine). It is true that they have an open kitchen & the smell of food might find it´s way to your clothes, but I wouldn't say this is overwhelming. Besides, many food joints in Mexico have open kitchens. We mexicans like to see what's going on with the food we're about to be served!! They also play authentic mexican folk music at Amaranto making it so much more enjoyable!!
So, in a nutshell, take the poor reviews with a grain of salt, give Amaranto a try & not only will you not regret it, I´m pretty sure you'll keep coming for more. If TASTY & AUTHENTIC mexican food is what you're looking for with a good & friendly service, then go to Amaranto.
