Amaranto serves an authentic selection of Mexican street food staples centered on high-quality corn tortillas. The kitchen focuses on traditional techniques to prepare protein-rich fillings like al pastor, carnitas, and barbacoa that prioritize depth of flavor over unnecessary complexity. Each taco arrives garnished with fresh cilantro, white onion, and house-made salsas that balance acidity with heat. The interior space reflects a functional and straightforward approach to casual dining, emphasizing speed and accessibility for those seeking genuine culinary craftsmanship. Diners encounter a menu that celebrates the versatility of regional Mexican ingredients while maintaining a focus on core preparations. Every element on the plate functions to provide a direct expression of classic culinary heritage without extraneous flair. This establishment offers a concise journey through essential flavor profiles rooted firmly in Mexican tradition.
Amaranto is widely celebrated as an authentic Mexican gem in the Monkland Village area, consistently earning praise for its high-quality, homemade dishes. The birria tacos, served with a rich and flavorful broth, are frequently highlighted as a standout menu item, while other offerings like the al pastor, suadero, and fish tacos receive significant acclaim for their fresh ingredients and traditional preparation. Guests generally enjoy the warm, welcoming atmosphere and the friendly, attentive service, which contributes to an overall positive dining experience. Although some reviewers find the portion sizes small relative to the price or occasionally note that the staff can feel overwhelmed when the restaurant is busy, the consensus remains that the food is exceptionally tasty. The establishment offers excellent cocktails, including notable margaritas, and a popular lunch special that provides a comprehensive sampling of their menu. Prospective visitors should be aware that the restaurant primarily accepts cash or electronic transfers for payment, and due to its popularity, reservations are often recommended.
Hello,
I only want to share with you that my visit to this restaurant was not good. The place has a very small open kitchen & it is located in a bassement, it means that the smell of food is everywhere & you can feel that you are into an oven. The food is not great but could be better, I would say that is normal for a reasonable cost but the service, OMG is one of the worst that I have found in Montreal; too slow & rude. I never go back, but if you want to try be sure that you like cold food & the must important, don't complain if so, the owner will schold you.
If tou don't want smell of food, then don't eat warm food and don't eat traditional meals. Yes It's a small place, but you are sure that you have only fresh, good quality and the most importan the REAL MEXICAN food, not burritos or hard corn chips that people dare to call it 'tacos'.
Run by a delightful couple from Mexico City, the food is high quality, authentic, & well proportioned - 4 tortillas & you're full! Excellent service, good price point & a nice diversity. The only good Mexican & it's not TexMex thankfully! Also do takeout but not their specialty. Reliably good & always welcoming...regularly take friends fom out of town & never had a bad experience in more the many years we've been going. Highly recommend!
Bon resto de quartier sans prétention & à l'ambiance sympathique malgré qu'il soit situé en sous-sol. La nourriture est authentique, fraîche & excellente, loin du tex-mex proposé par certains. Le service est convivial & les prix sont raisonnables. Seul bémol, pas de boissons alcoolisées & pas possible d’apportez son vin.
Je vais y retourner.
May 23, 2014
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I would definitely recommend trying this place out simply because the food was phenomenal. The tacos with sausage = pure heaven. We're talking authentic mexican food here. The service was pretty good & there's even a section where you can buy some of their ingredients like hot sauces & etc. They didn't have alcohol, but they make up for it by having amazing specialty drinks. The decor wasn't super beautiful, but do not let that fool you. It's a great place. I will definitely come back here.
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.
