Tacos Tin Tan specializes in authentic Mexican street food, focusing primarily on traditional tacos served with handmade tortillas and diverse fillings. The menu highlights a variety of seasoned proteins, ranging from marinated pork to slow-cooked beef, all prepared to emphasize the distinct aromatic profiles of authentic Mexican culinary traditions. Diners experience a menu centered on fresh, high-quality ingredients, including vibrant house-made salsas, cilantro, onion, and lime. The environment maintains a focused, casual atmosphere, prioritizing the efficient service of freshly assembled tacos for patrons seeking genuine flavors. Each serving reflects classic preparation techniques that remain true to the core identity of the Mexican taco shop. The establishment provides a straightforward and consistent experience for those interested in exploring the depth of regional Mexican flavor profiles through standard street-style menu offerings.
Tacos Tin Tan is frequently recognized as a go-to spot in Montreal for authentic Mexican cuisine, with many diners praising the flavorful birria, al pastor, and fish tacos, alongside exceptional guacamole and high-quality margaritas. The restaurant offers a warm, lively atmosphere with inviting terrace seating that captures a classic summer vibe. While many visitors commend the friendly and welcoming staff, there are recurring mentions of inconsistent service, including long wait times for orders and occasional inattentiveness. Although opinions on portion sizes and pricing vary, the general consensus highlights a satisfying dining experience that keeps many customers coming back despite occasional lapses in service pace.
I was really looking forward to trying Tacos Tin Tan after hearing so many good things, so it was disappointing to leave feeling so upset by the customer service.
I'm a big foodie who loves discovering & supporting local, independent restaurants. I also worked in the restaurant industry for many years, so I have the utmost respect for service staff & understand that busy shifts & honest mistakes happen. Because of that, I always try to be patient & kind. Unfortunately, this was one of the worst customer service experiences I've had in a restaurant in Montreal.
The waitress who served our drinks was warm, welcoming, & kind. Unfortunately, our experience with the waitress serving our food was the complete opposite.
We ordered a ceviche to share & what we thought was one order of three tacos: one al pastor, one fish, & one birria. Since it was our first visit, we didn't know that tacos couldn't be mixed within the same order. This was never explained to us when we placed the order.
When the ceviche arrived, we politely asked for a spoon & two sharing plates. The requests seemed to annoy our server, & the spoon only arrived much later. Then all the food came at once, including three chicken tacos, a quesadilla we never ordered, & a full order of birria tacos. We were surprised by the amount of food & respectfully explained that we thought we had ordered only three tacos in total. Instead of helping clarify the misunderstanding, the server responded impatiently & made us feel embarrassed for not knowing how the menu worked. As first-time customers, a simple explanation would have gone a long way.
She then took the plates away, returned with the correct al pastor tacos instead of the chicken tacos that had been brought by mistake, but never acknowledged the error or apologized for the confusion. Throughout the interaction, her attitude remained passive-aggressive & dismissive.
The final interaction was what really confirmed the poor experience. Out of curiosity, we asked what was in the ceviche because we had enjoyed it. Instead of answering, she responded in an arrogant tone that we should'come back another time if we wanted to know.' It was such an unnecessary & rude response to a simple question.
What surprised us even more was that another table approached us afterward to say they had witnessed the interaction & agreed that the service we received was unacceptable. That made us realize we weren't simply overreacting.
It's unfortunate because the food itself was good, although I've had better tacos elsewhere. What I won't forget is how unwelcome & uncomfortable the service made us feel. Good food cannot make up for customer service that leaves customers feeling embarrassed & disrespected.
Sadly, this experience was enough that I won't be returning.
Honestly some of the best fish tacos I've ever had in Montreal. The tortillas were perfectly crispy, fish was battered perfectly & the hot sauce given on the side was super flavourful. My partner got the Birria tacos & was equally as impressed. Terrace is also dog friendly which is a huge plus! Highly recommend 😁
I went with a very high expectation because of the good reviews it has, sadly the fish tacos are bland, they only taste like grease :(
On the other hand, the quesabirria is very nice & Aguas frescas are good for someone with sweet tooth
Love their decor's displayed & atmosphere....not big shop but very comfy place. Ordered their guacamole, taco birria, al pastor & fish ....taste really good & the generous filling making four of us adults felt so full. The best Mexican tacos in Saint Denis Street.
The place had a really nice vibe to it... The server was very nice as well... We had fish , shrimp, al pastor & carnitas.... All of them tasted really nice... The server gave us extra onions as well... I would say it was a little costly on pricing...
