Reviews of El Cortijo (Restaurant)

Brandon Israel

I've never been to this restaurant before. Went to the new Winooski location. Had a carne burrito, my wife had a bowl. I'll get to the point: it's overpriced Chipotle. I'm sure their margaritas are good. Still pricey though.

Samie Miles

Food is great, atmosphere is great, the people are great, I was swept up by the excitement of tacos and forgot that I’m vegetarian and ordered the chorizo burrito. After the first bite , delicious, I let the waitress know and asked to get …

Francis Roland

Authentic and delicious. Recommend their cocktails with any dish.

Ruth Kuzmanic

Small place, actually a train car I think. That was cool. So a long wait for a table. We had the shrimp taco plate and chicken enchilada. The rice and beans were so so-a bit dry, but the taco and enchilada were quite good. Certainly not the best mexican I have had, but I am from Chicago. Overall, it was very good.

Sam Brady

Ordered for take out and they hadn’t even started making the food 20 min later when I came to pick it up.

Silas Miller

Always great! Super friendly staff.

Bob Madigan

The breakfast tacos are very good

Carly Benjamin

Super delicious and great atmosphere. Worth the wait. Colin the bartender was awesome.

Edward Oechslie

Amazing fish tacos! Friendly service and fun atmosphere.

Anna Marchio

Every time I am in Burlington, I have to stop. Great beer selection, authentic food. Small place, but awesome ambiance and vibe, never disappoints. A gem in the city!

Lewis Ward

Delicious tacos and friendly staff

sean Jay

Absolutely amazing brunch, this is definitely going to become tradition every time I'm back in Burlington!

Nathan Perkins

Above average Mexican food for a reasonable price is a great addition to the Winooski circle.

Dreaconus Silvershade

I have been to ACTUAL Mexican restaurants. I work with 3. This was a sad attempt. I dont know what I had to choke down but it wasn't a burrito. $15 for a meal and I'm still hungry. Taco Bell has better Mexican food than this place. It was over crowded and had POOR customer service. AVOID THIS PLACE.

Roy Minton

Great food and friendly service

Kyle Williams

Pricey, but delicious. Their beef shoulder is out of this world.

Donald Gordon

Carne wet burrito keeps me coming back! Awsome food, fresh always!

Emil Skvorc

Believe it or not, I absolutely adore their noodles. I'd go every week if I could. The setup is adorable. Service was good.

Matthew Eglin

Great burritos, fantastic margaritas

Ben Trentman

The chips were great, potentially homemade (we didn't ask) and the salsa was fantastic. Some of the best I've ever had. The carne burrito was good, but would have been better drenched in cheese or a semi-spicy sauce. It wasn't dry at all, but more is usually better. The atmosphere is cool, but didn't match the food...it was like an old diner. I like the contrast it created.

Masumibot Red

Friendly staff, food arrived with lightning speed and was delicious. I had the Diablo bowl and it was seasoned well and very filling. Would visit here again for brunch.

Titan Dragon9009

Amazing food friendly staff pure deliciousness

Cole Phelps

Great food! Little pricey, but you know they gotta pay that Burlington rent

Chris Stewart

Awesome food and drinks. Great staff and quick service, even during busy Friday night

Don Holly

Yeah, its that good. As former Southern Californians that grew up on Mexican food, we are hard to please with almost all taco offerings in New England, and I think we always come out of El Cortijo with big smiles on our face. Certainly, …

Richard Stock

Make sure you either make a reservation or get their at a down time. Not many tables open

Brian Steenburgh

Outstanding Mexican restaurant! Best salsa ever. All the meals excellent quality and taste. Love this place.

Ian J. Treu

I've been here several times and will continue to go back. I recommend the carne asada paired with a mezcal.

DJ InYourFace

Very good tacos, decor and beer selection. The service was slow. The air conditioning was also a bit intense.

Rahul Kushwaha

Excellent, gourmet entries. Mexican cuisine. Vegetarian selections are available.

Jeffrey Savarino

Great service, especially with a gluten allergy. Food was delicious, will definitely be going back.

Adam Roeder

Love that it was a diner and they kept the vibe. The tacos were really good and we enjoyed the margaritas even more. Get there before 6 and you are good to go. After that you will wait. Can't seat more than 5 so best for small groups. So good we are going back again before heading out of town.

Riley Farabaugh

This place is super good. Delicious food, fun and friendly atmosphere. And their margheritas are the best you'll find anywhere.

Andy Pearson

Awesome food!! The whole place is super clean. Tacos and sides were amazing. Margaritas are well made.

Aidan Marshall

Service was not the best, our server treated us in a passive aggressive way. However the food was very good while a bit pricey. It was not super flavorful but still tasted good.

Patrick Harvey

Great food and atmosphere! It can get crowded and have a long wait, run next door to the bookstore if you have to wait for your table.

Lissette Cruz

Amazing food/ drinks and impeccable service!

Corinne Peck

Shrimp tacos were amazing. They were also super helpful attending to a food allergy in our party.

Dan Swain

Friendly, welcoming and relaxed. Good menu also!

Betty Collins

Best place for Mexican in Burlington, VT. I come to visit from Maryland or Delaware and the first dinner or lunch I want from here. Shrimp, beef or fish tacos and you can't go wrong. What really brings me here is the Blood Orange Margarita. So flavorful. Makes you want more.

David Rowland

Great food, friendly staff. We loved it!

Cydney Alexis

I got an inspired margarita, a mix of two of their standards, using both coconut and jalapeño. It was amazing. My tacos were good. The standout was the (fried) fish taco. Counter service is great, too.

Dague Clark

Great Mexican food.

Patty Crichton

There's almost always a wait here but the food service and atmosphere were good.this time was over an hour wait but I was with good friends so we walked around a lot. It's sometimes hard to pick a restaurant that everyone will like but in this case all agreed that local sourced food, and Mexican, were a winning combo. We are older,66, and it was mostly younger people on dates but that was fine. I live 2 blocks away so I'll be back. Oh, I'm on a keto diet but the carnes bowl/ salad worked out great.

Clara Sarantopoulos

Fantastic food and fun decorations

Katie A

Delicious! I had a basic margarita and burrito. I enjoyed it immensely and the atmosphere was excellent. My friend and I sat at the bar and the wait time was not long for our food.

Chelsey Jo

Really nice staff. Strong margaritas and great tacos. The taco plates are over priced, just get single tacos .

Russell Feathers

Enjoyed great salsa and a burrito. Its definitely better tasting, and higher quality than the average mexican place, and that is reflected in the price. Service was great and love that its in an old diner!

Thomas Bremer

The foods really good, service is great and friendly. Margaritas are a really tart, good, but tart. I got the small carne burrito enchilada style and it was delicious.

Justin Z. Morris

Really good, fresh ingredients, housemates everything

Rachel Manning

Your website is very annoying. I'm trying to decide if I want to check out this restaurant, but there is a pop up window that tells me to order online and I can't get rid of it. I can't view any sort of menu because of this banner thing. You should fix that.

Kyle Dalton

First time here: Empanadas were big, full, and flavorful. Tacos were uniquely designed and incredible tasting. Service was great, drinks were good and the atmosphere was nice and relaxed. Easily one of my favorite Mexican restaurants anywhere

Cyndy Andrews

5 stars for this queso alone! Had brunch and it was great! Waitstaff was excellent, food was fast and delish. A little pricey but it's Burlington soooo..... Super vegetarian friendly!

Bibi Ali

I ordered the fish tacos. The fish was good albeit small. I found their refried beans to be very bland. The service was great.

Lucky Th13teen

Great tacos. Not the most authentic but I don't think that is what they are going for. Drinks are interesting and will made. Food is not as spicy as I would have expected but sauces at table allow you to bring the heat up marginally. Overall enjoyed it and would return.

eric testroet

I would give 5 stars because the food is great, but tacos shouldn't cost so much!

Judi Harris

Favorite taco stop in Vermont! Cute diner, although it can be loud. Love the outdoor seating and a great wait staff. Everything is yummy!

Scott Vogel

Fast food that is amazing to.

Shawn Jutras

Cool restaurant across from the parking garage we used for the day. It is in an old box car like you see used a lot with 1950's style diners. Clean, good food, drinks, nice staff. We ended up eating breakfast and dinner (with Margaritas) there the same day. Highly recommend.

Sheila Beaulieu

Absolutely amazing food, friendly professional staff and welcoming atmosphere!!!

Marshs Barber

Nouveau Mexican food at its finest.

SW

Great food and service!

Meghan D

Worst hostess. We got in line waiting for a table after checking with the hostess about the wait time. We waited 25 minutes, saw the next table going to another group arriving later than we did. Checked with the hostess again, she said she thought we were doing takeout....when there was no indication of it?! (Nobody mentioned takeout, and we waited at the same spot the whole time, and her coworker thought we were in line as well??) She wasn’t even a little bit apologetic either, we had to wait another 20 minutes to get a table. Nobody directed us to the waiting area the entire 45 minutes. It seems like you have to be a snobby white person to be served at this restaurant. Expensive for their small portion. Very limited menu. Very disappointed to find out this is NOT an independently owned local restaurant, it is owned by a restaurant group.

Nathan Bales

Great Tacos!

Sara K

Super fun atmosphere and delicious food! We went on a Tuesday night, pretty late (probably around 9:00 pm) and had a wonderful time. Great margaritas, great tacos, great service!

Ryan Peacock

Very busy and very crowded, but great, fresh, authentic food that's worth the wait!

Pete Bruhn

Great tacos for Burlington. Service is top notch too.

Matt Luongo

Pretty good nachos!

Andrew Fitch

The food wasn't bad but it wasn't special either. The prices seemed high for what you're getting. Can't say I'd go back.

Tristan Anderson

Good hole in the wall place on the side of Burlington. Great nachos and pretty good tacos!

Paco DeFrancis

Small tacos and OVERPRICED which seems to be a theme among all Farmhouse Group restaurants.

Fh P

Quaint little place. Food is pretty good and the service is great. The Nachos here is a must try.

Stephanie Nickles

the corn appetizer is a must get, delicious one of a kind treat. tacos are fresh and have lots of authentic flavors. cheesy fries were alright - fries had a good seasoning on them but If you're not starving, not worth filling up on them

Mary Liesenberg

Really good but also really pricey!! Crazy margarita costs! And 5 bucks a taco?! In Cali you’d be out of business next week... even the fancy restaurants don’t gouge like that back home.

Steve Welgoss

Super long wait, but also super good food. I mean, REALLY good food. It also has an excellent list of VT beer. Totally worth putting your name in, walking around the shops for a bit, then heading in for some good eats.

Chuck Backus

This place has the best nachos on Earth. Get a large and share. Chuckie

John Fagan

Love this place for lunch while I'm in town. Well thought out Mexican food with great beer and cocktail selections housed in an original diner car downtown.

Steve Fisk

Fun little place, good food

Susan Follensbee

Coconut margaritas were terrible could and the guacamole not the best

Darren Sparks

Halley was an awesome server. the food was filling and tastefully prepared and presented. Overall just a fun lunch stop and one I will remember for quite a while and I will reccomend it to my friends.

mikutas

Good food but too expensive given the portions and compared to other good Mexican food. We used to get food as good or better in Seattle at the farmers market for half the cost. I'd go more often if it didn't feel so wrong paying that much.

Jeremy Escott

Tacos were tasty and the atmosphere is nice. Thanks for the great service!

Shannon Marie

Tried the new location in Winooski last evening, and have to say was very underwhelmed. I think they have a lot of kinks to work out before they will be as successful as the Burlington location. Food was just meh, margaritas were not the same, very sweet and bitter. Hopefully just growing pains.

kevin muldoon

I had a carne burrito and it was bomb. Super tender beef shoulder, Fresh wrap, black beans and rice. Combined with dank beers made for a great visit. I had a heady topper and hill farmstead Edward.

Brian Wheel

The food is great, the service is always good and they have the best margaritas. I'd give it 5 stars but it's really pricey.

Starr St James

One of the best lunch spots in town. Easy to pop in for a QUICK meal at the bar, service is always friendly and the food is always delicious. If you want to go all out you easily can, but if you order right you can have a totally affordable and tasty meal. Cheap beer selection is on point and you can't go wrong with the range of margaritas from the half basic to the full sized extravagant choices. Love. It. Get the lengua!

Russell Womer

Despite there being many great restaurants in Burlington, I find that I end up at El Cortijo for lunch almost constantly! Their tacos are awesome and the value of their burritos (especially the wet burrito) is excellent. Cap that with a constant supple of Hill Farmstead's Edward and you have the recipe for a great meal.

Eli Goodman

OVERVIEW LISTEN LYRICS SIMILAR SONGS 2 of 4 3 of 4 Oh, say can you see by the dawn's early light What so proudly we hailed at the twilight's last gleaming? Whose broad stripes and bright stars through the perilous fight, O'er the ramparts we watched were so gallantly streaming? And the rocket's red glare, the bombs bursting in air, Gave proof through the night that our flag was still there. Oh, say does that star-spangled banner yet wave O'er the land of the free and the home of the brave? On the shore, dimly seen through the mists of the deep, Where the foe's haughty host in dread silence reposes, What is that which the breeze, o'er the towering steep, As it fitfully blows, half conceals, half discloses? Now it catches the gleam of the morning's first beam, In full glory reflected now shines in the stream: 'Tis the star-spangled banner! Oh long may it wave O'er the land of the free and the home of the brave! And where is that band who so vauntingly swore That the havoc of war and the battle's confusion, A home and a country should leave us no more! Their blood has washed out their foul footsteps' pollution. No refuge could save the hireling and slave From the terror of flight, or the gloom of the grave: And the star-spangled banner in triumph doth wave O'er the land of the free and the home of the brave! Oh! thus be it ever, when freemen shall stand Between their loved home and the war's desolation! Blest with victory and peace, may the heav'n rescued land Praise the Power that hath made and preserved us a nation. Then conquer we must, when our cause it is just, And this be our motto: "In God is our trust." And the star-spangled banner in triumph shall wave O'er the land of the free and the home of the brave!

John Quinlan

Food was ok , the server was good to me but the moment another person left he started picking on the person to another customer

Ann Ely

Just off Church Street in Burlington, El Cortijo is in what used to be a dining car. I always get the fish tacos which are great. Good margaritas. Accomadating to those of use use don't like cilantro. I don't think they take reservations and it can sometimes be a wait for a table. Worth the wait.

cynthia toombs

Yummy fish taco!

Michael Lavoie

Off the main drag in downtown Burlington. Great food, drinks, and atmosphere.

Wade Cupkie

Worth every penny! Food was fantastic and they had a heckuva beer lineup too. Served in a retro diner setup, they’re cranking out excellent fish tacos and burritos. Stop in, fill up, enjoy!

Aaron Dykes

Really really good cheese quesadillas!

N C

Very good food and service, would stop there again!

Matt Takas

Excellent tacos and very tasty, spicy margarita. I sat at the bar for dinner and was served immediately. I tried three different tacos and was really impressed! Very flavorful and the special one with bacon jam was amazing. Check this place out if you are hungry for tacos!

Brian Yarwood

First visit, and I was pleased. I'm old enough to remember this place as the Oasis Diner, and I resisted going because I loved that place. But I was really pleased with the food, the price was fair, and the service was good. I will certainly go back again!

Michel SansCartier

WOW! Discovered this place over the weekend..Super place to go and have a delicious mexican meal. Drinks are awesome and food is excellent. Staff is friendly and very attentive. The decor is also very nice...we will for sure be back!!

Cody Regan

Vermont's idea of Mexican..not south western..by a corporate group of restaurant investors. High price for beans! Just nit real South Wester food if that's what you seek...

Neil Marriott

This place is amazing! The food is so good I could not say enough good things about it! It's a historic Vermont diner that now serves some of the best Mexican food that you could ask for in a northeast corner of Vermont..

DY S

Surprisingly higher end food for an old school diner. Muy deliciosa. Very gluten and dairy free.

Greg Pappas

Great spot, friendly atmosphere, dynamite breakfast.

Alex Boyer

Was alright, more of a diner experience than i was expecting and a bit of the expensive side. They got the good Alchemist beers though!

Heineken500

Excellent carne burrito. Yes, it's large. Fresh ingredients, great rice. Nothing too spicy.

Ian Provencher

Was great for a group of us grabbing a la carte tacos to take on the move. Everyone's tacos were great!

Angela Noelle

Loved it here. Small, cute space with big crowds. Loved the vibe. Had dinner and a margarita here and loved it. Would definitely return.

Laura Napolitano

Great food & space! Finally was able to get a place to sit after only a 15 minute wait. There's always at least a 15-20 minute every time I go, sometimes it's been almost an hour and that is a good sign to me. For a small restaurant with great food, the wait is understandable. The drinks are a bit pricey but taste amazing! I'll definitely keep going back. It's one of my favorite places near Church Street.

John Beob

Awesome Mexican food! The best nachos I have ever had, tried the chicken and carnitas tacos, delicious. I wish I could eat there every day. Nice selection of beer and tequila. The people who work there were fantastic, really nice. I was …

Maxwell Reitkopf

Probably best Mexican in Burlington but still not great.

Komal

Not so great experience! Ordered cheese fries and tacos with side of fried beans and greens. Fish taco had a bit strange smell and fried beans had burnt/spoiled taste.

Bruce Young

Hmmmmm. Went there on a Thursday night in the early Fall of 2018, and the place was full. Now, I know that one visit doesn't always tell the story, but .... Bottom line, good luck getting to sit. I got my order to go, went around the block a few times, then paid and scooted. It, a burrito, was delicious, but I'd rather have sat and savored the whole experience. All in all, yeah, it's all the good stuff others have noted. The staff was swamped but smiling. Food, one item, good, and served as soon as possible. Don't ask me about the drinks. I dunno about such things.

dorkette dipster

We have been here twice. Very nice, very flavorful. I wish they had a more varied menu but I’m very happy with everything I’ve ordered here.

Matt Guay

Some of the best mexican food I've ever eaten

Puneeth Rangaswamy

We went to the restaurant with a infant in a stroller. So it got a little congested moving around. But the food made up for everything. The tacos and bowls were very tasty. Even my father in law who has a reserved taste liked the pulled …

1-Love cafe

Cute revamp of an old diner! Farm to table goodness. Super tasty tacos.

Caroline M

Fast service and great food! I would definitely go back!

Don Dresser

Excellent tacos and salsas, very good beer selection, and well made margaritas. Our server was quite friendly and helpful, and the quality in general was excellent. It can be a bit crowded, but is worth the wait.

NV Spades

I had a big pee