El Gordo is a friendly and welcoming neighbourhood taqueria where simplicity rhymes with savoury. Come try one of our delicious tacos, offered at a very affordable price. There is something for everyone; meat, fish or vegetables. Our Mexican-inspired cuisine is bursting with flavour and goes well with one of our exotic cocktails such as margaritas or mojitos! In addition to tacos, you will also find Latin cuisine classics such as quesadillas, burritos and fajitas plates to share. If you want to bring the Mexican Fiesta home, our catering service will delight you!
Overall, diners describe El Gordo as a warm, welcoming Mexican spot with a relaxed vibe, where attentive service, a friendly staff and solid value set the tone. The menu is praised for variety and notes of vegetarian options, with many praising generous portions and flavors on staples like tacos, burritos, fajitas and quesadillas, plus standout desserts such as churros. The atmosphere, including a cozy interior and a pleasant terrace, earns consistent compliments, and live music or jazz nights are often described as a bonus, though some guests find the volume a bit high on busy evenings. While the food is repeatedly highlighted for freshness and quality, a few visits mention occasional delays, uneven timing between courses, or items arriving cooler than expected, and there are occasional comments about seasoning being too salty by some diners. Overall, El Gordo emerges as a reliable favorite for gatherings with friends or family, good value for money, and a welcoming environment that many say they would return to again and again.
We drive more than an hour to come eat at this place. My wife is vegetarian & she has a ton of options. & the Mexican food is actually better here than some of the meals we had in actual Mexico. Strongly recommend it
Mar 3, 2026
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I was very disappointed with the Food, flavor & service.
Over priced for so little quantity. The soup which I was informed was big came cold & hardly filled with anything for 10$. I WOULDNT RECOMMEND it.
I had the Birria Taco than came 3 tiny ones with corn for 22$ not worth it, it lacked depth & flavor I had to drown it with hot sauce to get anything. I would say 2/10
I've had better Mexican food for cheaper elsewhere.
The Shrimp Ceviche was alright nothing special from a what I can only assume was precooked & pre packaged pre frozen shrimp you can buy at any grocery store.
The Service was subpar which wouldn't have mattered if the food was good. The Atmosphere was nice but not good enough for a good review. Definitely disappointed & wouldn't recommend or come back.
Great nonchalant atmosphere, it's close to the theater so, it's a must with friends before the show. They did have some vegetarian options.
The resto is Mexican themed so you have to like tacos, burritos, quesadillas, mescal drinks, with some hot sauce & so on. You can always ask for changes & they will kindly do so. Good service.
We stopped by this place on a last minute reservation & loved it ! Really gorgeous decor on the walls 😍 It was super crowded but the staff was super nice & friendly with excellent service ☺? We had the Barbacoa / Lamb tacos & the Barbacoa / Lamb burrito & it was really delicious ❤? Cannot wait to go back to this awesome 11/10 Mexican restaurant & try other items on the menu ! UPDATE: Went for brunch & had coffee, mimosas, nachos, quesadillas, avocado toast, Huevosrancheros & it was super delicious !
Jul 5, 2025
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Very good burritos & friendly staff & service but I was really turned off by a 16 dollar beet & goat cheese salad that was so small & stingy, it was absurd for the price. It's a shame, as the place has decent Mexican fare & a nice terrace.
Nice place with tasty mexican food. Love their terrace with the street view on Notre-Dame. & if you love really sour lemonade, they make a very refreshing one😄
I have had mexican food for over two years now & I have never seen a restaurant serving two tacos per plate. The cheese in the nachos wasn't melted & had a very weird taste to it. I ordered a chicken burrito bowl & I was surprised to find that the rice was not very good. Overall, I wouldn't say this is one of the best mexican joints to have food. The servers forgot giving us water although multiple requests were made. However, the atmosphere is very nice.
Jul 7, 2024
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Nice, cozy Mexican restaurant blocks away from the Atwater market. I had the avocado tempura 🥑 🌮 tacos which were delicious. The marinated onions were just perfect, not too spicy. The guacamole & salsa with nachos was good too, salsa has a smoky flavour. Can get a little loud with the trucks on Notre-Dame, but overall nice vibe & was satisfied with the service.
I visit this restaurant every time I'm in Montreal (30 times so far?) Simply put, the food is great but the service isn't good, especially this time. We waited 20 minutes for the waitress to take our order, she didn't check to see if the food was fine or if we needed anything (didn't have napkins so I had to take them from another table because she wouldn't even look at us when she walked by at the other end of the bar), didn't ask to refill our drinks... basically didn't see her until we stood up to pay because we wanted to leave (waiting 15 minutes with not even a glance to see that we were completely done our food). Whoever owns this place knows exactly how to make Mexican food... delicious, great music & location. Just don't expect the service to be great. It might be because I go during the day (12-4)/not prime time, but I shouldn't see the waitress only at ordering & paying time.
May 12, 2024
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El Gordo is a great Mexican restaurant to grab taco. Went there for dinner on weekday. Wasn't crowded & had plenty of seats. We ordered nachos, drinks & tacos. The food was delicious & good portion size too. However just a point to note, all the dishes has plenty of vinegar soaked onion making the dish tangy which we enjoyed a lot but might not be for everyone.
Incredibly overpriced for the amount of food we received. We went to another restaurant nearby after to get a proper meal. There are way, way better places to go to really, Mexican or otherwise.
A great little restaurant with a laid back atmosphere & happy vibe!!! The staff is attentive & very nice!
The cocktails are really, really good & the mexican food amazing!
Would definitely go back & highly recommend!
