The Mad Taco

Buried in a shopping center, it's quite the hangout for locals. Boisterous and noisy . Heavy metal soundtrack, Kung Fu movies. Rag tag interior. Hill Farmstead on tap. Not for everyone. Good tacos!

Don't get the love for this place. Located in a strip mall, very cramped dark space. Extremely long wait for food, which was not well communicated. Didn't love the food. Beer list was excellent. Not kid friendly.

It has a taco vibe, quality was real good, service was good, selection was real good, food was good. Went there with a couple friends at noon on a Monday for a couple taco platters to go and it took 35 minutes from ordering to checkout. Why? There was only one person eating outside and two others inside.

 

The thing is Waitsfield is the connection point from Warren to Waterbury, and this place is a must stop to eat, drink and be merry. And as a Texan, I can proudly say that I approve this taco.

 

 

Insane food!
Insane Beer!

Pork belly tacos!

 

After one visit, this place has become a must-stop on any future VT trips. The tap list is incredible and rivals what can be found at the best beer bars in Waterbury. The tacos are absolutely amazing, as is the service.

 

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. You're basically having either Lawson's, Alchemist, Hill Farmstead as choices... it's a rough life I know..

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

 

I have stopped here a good dozen times or so, when heading up to VT from PA. Always a great tap list, typically heavy on the Lawson's Finest/Hill Farmstead. Food is top notch as well. If you are out on the Heady/Lawson's hunt during the week, this is the place to hit for that noon burrito/beer while you are waiting for the next delivery. Always a pleasant experience, and I visit every time I am in the area.

 

Authentic Mexican food is way better.

The best of what Vermont has to offer in this category, I suppose, but still very bland and lacking in spices/flavor.

When Lawson's is on tap, this place become the go-to spot in the area.

Waitsfield is small, but an easy ride from Montpellier. There's a centralized downtown surrounded by quaint New Englandy houses and then, umm, that's it. That's all there is.

Mad Taco is downtown, in a freestanding building adjacent to a strip mall and grocery store. There's ample parking, a large patio, a to-go window, a traditional bar, and then a full-sized dining area. It's very sectioned off, is what I'm getting at. That was nice, because it allowed me to slink away from the asburdly loud Rasta music being played by a white, b'dreadlocked DJ at 3 PM on a Saturday. But it also made ordering a bit of a chore, because you had to catch staff when they were in the right spot.

The staff was friendly. So were the patrons. I do not remember a single thing about the decor, so I guess that wasn't really impressive.

And the beer list is, of course, awesome. They regularly have Lawson's selections on tap above and beyond SoS, along with Hill Farmstead, other locals, and Alchemist cans.

The food was super delicious, too. This is a bugaboo of mine, but good gracious am I tired of people ruining tacos with "fusion" bullshit. It's a fucking taco. Don't put soy sauce or potato salad on it.

Mad Taco is straight-up Mexican American fare only made from high quality meats and seasoned expertly. How's that for a gimmick: good food that's well-prepared.

Anyhow, if you're in the area this is a must-visit. Well worth swinging buy after you've gone to the Warren Store.

 

 

How can you not love this place? The beer is great, the tacos are amazing, especially the Pork Bellies, and the service is great! My favorite place in the Valley!

 

Beer selection is out of this world. Lawson's, Alchemist, Hill Farmstead. The place is a bit of a hole in the wall that seems popular with locals. It's a order from the big board type of place. Taco's were very unique combinations - sweet potatoes and such. They were pretty bland but there was a good selection of sauces. The "enchilada" sauce on my wife's enchilada was more BBQ sauce than anything else. Overall, food was so-so but beer was awesome.

 

 

 

 

 

 

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 Jalapeno, 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.

 

The best taco beer combo place I have ever visited. Only 5 taps but all the choices were solid hard to find beers. The service was super friendly. Park Belly taco was my favorite . Many homemade hot sauces available on site . Spice ratings for hot sauce not always accurate.