The Mad Taco — Restaurant in Essex

I've eaten at plenty of places, but this was amazing. From the moment we entered, we were treated far better than I've ever experienced. Even meals where we've booked the private room and have meals catered by a restaurant haven't been this nice.

The beer list is exceptional. 11 beers on tap and they're' not the usual. If you're looking for craft brews, you're in the right spot. In cans, you'll find Focal and Heady, there's also plenty from BBCO, Citizen Cider, etc. On tap, you're going to get Vermont and other New England breweries like Cousins, Connecticut Valley, Hill Farmstead, Oxbow, etc.

We were given plenty of samples, which was unexpected. First, I highly recommend the spicy house margarita. The spice isn't too fiery (per my tastes anyway). On a day when you have a stuffy nose and sore throat, this tequila would be exactly what I'd want to cure it.

Tacos you can mix and match. They'll actually customize anything you want. Kimchi was another sample I was offered. I adore kimchi. Theirs is the best I've had. There are several proteins available - different types of carnitas, beef, fish, shrimp, chicken, seitan, and yams. We were offered a few recommendations all were fantastic. They were so good we never headed to the sauce table. The carnitas I had was flavorful on its own. The carnitas cooked in salsa verde was a sample and even better than the plain one. The one in homemade mole is also fantastic.

We've overlooked the Essex Mad Taco. It won't happen again. It's inexpensive, friendly, and...

The food was delicious but resulted in probably the worst indigestion my wife and I have had in a LONG time.

I don't drink very often, but used to party hard back in the day, and felt like a margarita with our food would be a great choice.

The drink I got tasted like pure lime juice, except it was also quite bitter. I opted to not send it back because I know restaurants are having a hard time right now.

I'm also a spicy food person so I tried a bunch of their sauces. They are not what I remember. They reminded me of what putting the leftovers into a vitamix might be like.

Overall, this was nothing like the experience I remember pre-pandemic and I was up late even after taking some tums because my stomach just couldn't take it.

I am an avid cook at home and make tex-mex/mexican inspired food much like mad taco, and never get this kind of indigestion.

No refrigeration at all on the sauces might be part of it, they just sit near the door. Now I know they must have some vinegar in them, but that doesn't make them inherently shelf-stable if there isn't enough vinegar in them.

Anyways, my family will not be returning until we hear from a source we trust that the food did not ruin their night...

The food has been great every time I've been there, the option to buy the meat by the pound is great, and the people who work there have always been fantastic.

BUT

Maybe at some point, the owners will realize that if they pay people enough to live, they won't have staffing shortages that prevent them from being open consistently. Every day is a mystery. Will they be open? Will online ordering work? Will there be anyone to answer the phones? Who knows. Of all of the restaurants in the Essex Experience, Mad Taco is the only one that isn't open consistently, and it seems as if it's just a matter of time before they finally decide that paying their workers is less important than staying open at all, and they'll close up shop.

It's a shame, because the food is actually good.

EDIT: I'm keeping the review because $15 an hour isn't even close to enough for someone to live within driving distance from Essex, VT. Tips don't make up for it. They just shift responsibility for a livable wage from the owners to customers. Don't make...