Amaranto – Fresh Mexican Food on Monkland

Amaranto is a small Mexican restaurant offering a variety of fresh, tasty food on Monkland Avenue in NDG.  Located in a basement, this casual restaurant also has a small selection of groceries and is easy to miss.  However, if you are in the area it’s worth a visit!

Excellent

Amaranto is an excellent fresh casual Mexican restaurant located in the basement of a series of commercial buildings on the quiet end of Monkland.  Unfortunately, it’s all too easy to walk past and miss which is a shame because this family run joint is serving up some excellent fresh food.

The restaurant itself is very casual, and I wouldn’t be intimidated to bring toddlers here.  There is a rather steep set of stairs leading down so a stroller may be a bit more tricky.  As you walk, in to your left are a few tables casually placed.  On the right is a selection of Mexican grocery products such as chiles and beverages.

The star of the show is the food which is not your typical tex-mex heavy affair.  There are usually 3 daily specials, and one of them is typically always mole which I have yet to try.  We usually have the carnitas tacos which are lovely pork in a taco with cut up onions and cilantro.  We have also had the excellent tostados, beef tacos, sopes, quesadillas and I am sure a few which I am missing.  Tacos are served with a green and more fiery red salsa which are fantastic.  Their guacamole is also excellent.  Prices are fair for something that is made to order fresh.  For the two of us we often order two mains, split an order of quesadillas, an order of guacamole and a side salad of radishes and cucumber (which is not on the menu) and this typically comes to around $40.  Tacos (you get four) are between $7.74 and $9.75 and the quesadillas (you get two) are between $4.50 and $5.75.  We tend to eat out less these days, so when we do we are happy to pay for a quality meal.  We call ahead and they are happy to have it to go for us if we want.

At first glance, NDG does not appear to offer up that many truly memorable eating experiences but dig a little deeper and there are a few hidden gems not to be missed.  Amaranto is definitely one of them.

ps As you can see, I am getting into the graphics a bit more!  Hope you enjoy!

Decor: Very very casual.  Picture a couple Ikea tables scattered in a room.
Service: Good, but all food is made to order so you may wait a bit.
Prices: It is not dirt cheap, but I feel the price is commensurate with the quality.
Food: Fresh and tasty.
Good For: Dinner to go (call ahead and you can pick it up), or a casual meal.

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