Taco Fresco — Restaurant in Rutland City

I really wanted to like this place and was very excited to go try it, but was ultimately left disappointed. The atmosphere was great. It was a bit awkward to walk in and have 3 staff members just look at you. I waited to be seated as the sign said, but they just continued their conversation so I seated myself. The service did get better… my actual server was knowledgeable about the menu and attentive.

Everything on the menu is pretty pricey. I wouldn’t mind paying the higher prices if the food was worth it, but it was not. The $9 queso came out luke warm. It tasted like tostitos queso from the jar. I’d be surprised if they make the queso in house. I got a quesadilla and added beef for a total of $12 ($9 base + $3 for meat). There was a lot of meat on it, but only one side had cheese, so the top tortilla was sliding off while I was trying to eat it. The quesadilla is just meat and cheese. That means they are charging $9 for a tortilla with melted cheese on it 🤯. The overall taste was just okay and was probably diluted by the amount of grease dripping off the meat. The quesadilla is only served with small side of salsa and some very watery sour cream. There should be some lettuce and pico de gallo served with it.

I got a house margarita which is not even listed on the menu. It was $11 and tasted alright. The sour mix used is okay, but it didn’t taste house made like the menu suggested. Halfway through my drink I realized the glass was dirty. Overall, I felt it overpriced for a drink with 1 shot of a $27 bottle of tequila.

TLDR: Nice atmosphere, but they charging way too much for mediocre...

We ordered a 16 dollar guac appetizer, it had 8 chips hiding a giant pile of tiny chip fragments and crumbs, like some trick was being played and they don't give you salsa. Not being happy about having to fish tiny bits of guac at a time out of the bowl with tiny chip crumbs we eventually gave up.

But hell the main plates come with a bunch of fresh chips with no crumbs so no worries once they take the appetizer away and give you those and still no salsa.

Then on to the 24 dollar steak burrito, terrible presentation, looked like cafeteria food or worse, and it's side was the chips we should have had with the appetizer. All food incredibly bland, zero salt, obviously Vermex, surprised they don't offer maple syrup on the burritos to give them at least some flavor.

It's all less than par for "mexican" or for the pricepoint. Then to top it off they will stick you with a bill that has the items marked up several dollars more than the expensive items on the menu.

Since they don't give you knives to eat with I while waiting what seemed like an eternity pulled open the sad little burrito and it had less than 4 oz of steak - in a 24 (charged 26, 24 on menu) dollar burrito, sided with stale chips.

Those terrible chips, this is my speculation but I'm guessing they were stale and re-heated in an oven to make them seem palatable. They are not, good grief they are like rocks.

Go to Williston if you want Mexican, you can get drinks and meals for 4 and still have plenty cash left over for what it would cost for two people having terrible food and terrible drinks at this place. ...

With a limited selection of Rutland restaurants that are open on Sundays to choose from (and an even more limited selection of Whole Food Plant Based No Oil options), we decided to try out Taco Fresco. After easily finding parking on the street opposite the restaurant, we walked the several intervening meters through January’s blizzardy bite and filed into a toasty interior colorfully decorated with knickknacks and pieces of art all emitting a friendly Mexican vibe. The menu had plenty to choose from without being overwhelming, and the waitstaff and chef went above and beyond in accommodating my request for Plant Based, No Oil options. We started with soda water with lime and an appetizer of house-made guacamole. Instead of chips, the waitperson brought me a plate of warmed corn tortillas (no oil), which went well with the guac. My wife and daughter had the Tacos de Camarones: three soft shells stuffed with fried shrimp blanketed with corn, citrus mayo, cotija cheese, lettuce, and pico de Gallo. I ordered a Build-Your-Own Burrito Bowl: black beans, pickled onions, guacamole, cumin roasted carrots, and an appropriately spicy salsa verde. Ingredients were fresh, colorful, and attractively presented; servings were generous; and price was more than reasonable. I look forward...