Mad Taco

It was a cute concept. Probably for the area it is outstanding. But, if you live in a major city in another state or have eaten at other Mexican type places it is just ok. I will say that the size of burrito was huge and I really liked the sauce choices, and the prices were outstanding.

Great good (fish or Saitan burrito), great beer (Lawson’s, hill farmstead, alchemist), great service. Hole-​in-​the wall ambiance. Perfect.

Very good inexpensive food. The whole family highly enjoyed our experience. I was disappointed however that when we went over MLK weekend the hot sauces everyone raves about were mostly empty and the containers were grossly dirty. Also the dining area wasn’t clean and there were overflowing dishes and trash where you place your used items. While I enjoyed the food and my husband loved it, I would have enjoyed myself more if it had been cleaner. My husband also loved the cokes in the glass bottles! LOL!

Randomly stopped in during a road trip, sadly they where out of steak so I had to order something other than what I really wanted but I must say they place is awesome! Who would have thought you could get real awesome mexican food in vermont!
They even make there own hot sauce! I just had to try all of them, even if I looked silly bringing 9 different ramekins back to the table with me.
Extremely laid back and absolutely awesome food.
If your in the area or even anywhere close you need to stop here. We stopped in for lunch and the building is split; one side had a bar and DJ the other side general seating. I expect this place is a happening spot in the evenings!

Simply the best! Tacos and a marg always hit the spot after a day on the slopes. Love the myriad of hot sauces and rating system!

My wife and I recently stopped by for lunch. The pork belly torta (with pickled red onions added) was crazy good, especially with some of their house hot sauces. Chips and guac were as fresh as you can get, and beers available were unbelievable. This place is a must is you’re anywhere within a 45 – 60 min drive (I’m looking at you, folks staying in the Waterbury/​Stowe area!).

Stopped in for lunch. Fish tacos. Grassroots «Song of Joy». Excellent. Really hit the spot. We will be back!

A gem of delicious Mexican flavors in the middle of Vermont. Great, friendly staff, amazing food. Great for a quick, casual lunch or dinner. Kid menu too.

Very good tacos. I had 2 El Pastor tacos, which is pork carnitas with onions and cilantro. I would definitely return to this taco shop when in the area again. I also had a Alchemist Heady Topper, which was a perfect compliment to the delicious tacos. I am looking forward to trying their other tacos and the burritos. Great place, will return!

Staying in the Waitsfield area, I found myself living here practically most evenings.
No nonsense food, just the way it should be. Fresh ingredients, simple preparation but also done with care and attention. The beer list on tap here is a flat out 5 stars across the board alone.
The place gets busy, but your items are provided without much waiting once you order.
Chicken Avo Verde tacos are ok, soupy and flavorful at least, but the real winner here I am discovering in Vermont is the pork.
The Cubano sandwich is a winner, rich and warm over classic flattened press bread. Has a bit too much big pickle for my tastes but the shoulder is rich and warm and juiced.
The real winner… the pork belly tacos. These are decadant, have a fantastic crackle to them, and paired with just some simple cilantro and pico, you will devour them instantly.
Tortillas are not home made, but no big deal. There are also lots of neat homemade salsas to try in the restaurant which are a big added plus.
There’s other places to eat in town but this place offers such good quality food, a phenomenal beer tap list, and it is HUGE VALUE, very inexpensive. It’s hard to go somewhere else. just… why bother? unless you need a salad or a burger.

Probably five stars for «Mexican» in New England, but way below the bar for anyone who lives near brown people. I gave it three stars for being generally inoffensive and bland. At least they use corn tortillas. I’m sorry if this review offends any locals, but Mad Taco is mad boring.

What can you say about a taco place? Excellent is what I have to say about this place. Not super friendly but they tell you what you need to know. Outdoor seating at picnic tables. Get your own water from a cooler and squeeze one of 8 salsas out of bottles at the counter. Every one I tried was great. Meat smoking out front the whole time. Excellent carnitas burrito and a full on bar.

Nice enough people
Burrito filled my stomach
Not blown away though

Came here with a group of 6 on a Friday night and this place was PACKED. The food took over an hour to come but I don’t fault the place because it seemed like we came during a big rush. We were happy to sit and have drinks while we waited. The margaritas were strong and enjoyable. Others in my group enjoyed the heady toppers. For food I got the pork belly tacos and the carolina tacos. Pork belly was a bit overcooked but still very good. Carolina tacos were excellent. I loved the huge variety of hot sauces/​salsas, although it was kind of hard to get more than 2 and the board explaining what each was, wasn’t clear. Others in my group got the chicken quesadilla and said it may have been the best one they’ve had. Would definitely come back and try some of the other tacos if we are in the area!

Huge fan of this place. It is literally as authentic Mexican tasting as you can get this far north in the US. I am very into their large burritos and super casual ambiance.

Taco’s. Good ones! And beer. Good beer!
In-​house smoked meats!
Unassuming little taco joint with simple, excellent, and delicious taco creations. Also, in a stroke of blatant happenstance, this was the only place able to provide Heady Topper on New Year’s Eve (after a two hour stint of googling /​calling /​being disheartened by the whole state of Vermont’s collective Heady Topper inventory), so my brief visit here made me doubly happy.
+ Beyond friendly staff.
Menu bits of suggestion:
Fish taco
Smoked pork belly taco
Roasted squash taco [veg]
In summation: The phrase «the bomb-​diggity» seems perfectly appropriate.

Since I’ve been here about 15 times now, I just checked my original review and I must update it. Not just because I should have awarded it five stars before, but because they have just expanded their space and have added a bar. I went in 3 times in 10 days, and saw the progress, and it was soooo fun. From the walk-​in decorated in tiki style to the stuff they have started putting on the walls, to the soon-​to-​be 16 beers on tap, this promises to be a great addition to the Mad Taco.
Their beers on tap are always topnotch, featuring some of the very best Vermont local stuff like Lawsons and Hill Farmstead, and also out-​of-​state beers.
And here’s even bigger news, they have bought a large farm nearby and intend to grow their own food to serve their customers! Wow.
And don’t just order the tacos, the Cubano and the pork shoulder sandwich are fantastic too!

THIS IS REALLY GOOD FOOD. hard to find authentic Mexican outside Mexico. This is as close as you get

The pork, beer chicken and chorizo tacos were all fantastic. The pork belly takes a little longer, but is TOTALLY worth the wait.
Lamarky and moondust were pretty darn good hot sauces.

Great food, great beer, great people — what more can you ask for?
I’ve actually had Mad Taco at the Blackback Pub (back when they still had it there), at Montpelier and at the Waitsfield location, but I’m going to consolidate my experiences to this one review, because one of the locals told me that a lion’s share of the food is cooked at Waitsfield and then delivered to Montpelier (and Blackback Pub, in days of yore)
My favorite is the Smoked Pork Kimchi Cilantro Taco, with the Smoked Pork Belly, Smoked Jalapeño, and Cilantro being a close second. I also love their «???» sauce (hotness rating «???») which is purportedly a cocktail mix of all their different hot sauce offerings, which is pretty much like playing Russian Roulette with your taste buds.
I’m starting to think that the establishment’s proximity to the Mad River is driving the guys that work here mad, because they’re stark raving mad! They’re always mad happy, mad funny, mad enthusiastic. I really dig their vibe and energy, it really puts a pep in my step every time I hear them randomly yelling in the kitchen or making very «persuasive» recommendations.
Oh, and did I mention they almost always have Lawson’s on tap?
The only downfall is that Mad Taco seems to be pretty inconsistent — I’ve had a different variety of experiences here from having a perfectly cooked taco, to a breakfast plate where the sausage was still half-​cooked and the potatoes were still somewhat hard (or are they meant to be that way?)
Either way, Mad Taco does tacos and beer, and does tacos and beer right.