El Vato is one of the better Mexican joints in Brickell. Â Good food, service, drinks and atmosphere. Â They have a full bar but it's mainly focused on Tequila and Mexican beer which is fine by me. Â After dinner they had a DJ playing music, but it's not loud where you have to yell to have a conversation with someone. Â I have many choices living in Brickell but I'll be back here for sure. Â $1 Taco Tuesdays as well.
Review Source:I had the build your own burrito ($12) and it was really good. Â They also have Dos Equis Lager, my favorite beer ($6 a bottle). Â There were about 20 tequilas on the menu, starting at $10. Â A hostess bumped a glass on our table with her back (accidentally) and didn't notice - but three other people did. Â The hostess shot over to see if we were OK while one busser blocked the area while another quickly retrieved a broom and dustpan. Â I was really impressed. Â Chips were hot and fresh
Review Source:Give me Margaritas and Mexican food and I'm happy. When we arrived it was quiet with only a few people outside and two tables inside. Loved the decor, rustic, a car in the back of dining area. Open kitchen where you see the chefs preparing your food with gloves on.
The food menu is small with all your basic Mexican dishes, Fajitas, burritos, taquitos, etc... We started with some $5 margaritas which were very good. Caution you can go on and order several as they do put a bunch of ice in them so they go down quickly. Very good Margaritas and the back of their menu has wow I have no clue how many but every Tequila you can imagine.
Started with their thin amazing tortilla chips excellent salsa and some fabulous guacamole. Definitely great guacamole. I would come back just for it.
I created my own burrito and it was good not great. The only reason it was not great is I felt they skimped on the meat a bit. Way to many black beans.
Out service was excellent. I'm looking forward to trying other dishes. Really cool vibe, reasonable prices, great happy hour, good food, fun laid back atmosphere.
I've been here a handful of times. The flautas make me come back. Although the last few times they have been inconsistent with texture. Perhaps a different cook? The service is ok. They have cute girls as servers but  some of them have no sense of urgency. Cool bar. Perhaps manager should consider a salsa night(la style) and bachata night? Perhaps he should use some of that tequila and infuse it with a giant pineapple and sell shots of it?? It's a mexican spot, I want to hear one ranchera. Huge tv outdoors!! great for soccer season! This place is open late so its good  mexican bar food at a decent price.
Review Source:Seriously, the best Mexican spot in the Downtown Miami area! I've been going to El Vato since a few months after they opened and it is always delicious and consistent! The decor is really cool. They even have a car inside the restaurant - that you can sit in to eat! The atmosphere is fun and lively without being too overbearing or "Miami clubby" ... Then the food - The chips and salsa are fresh, the guacamole is addicting and the fish tacos are to die. The carnitas tacos are just ok, but hte chicken and beef are yummy too. Not to mention the apple, strawberry empanada dessert. Sooooooooo good! The beer selection is great for a Mexican restaurant. I absolutely love el vato and will continue to choose going there when my Mexican cravings kick in!
Review Source:I've been a few times and it's usually pretty good. Â Average Americanized Mexican food. Nothing more, nothing less. If you're looking at margaritas, I'd go with the skinny margarita. The regular one just tastes like mixer. Â Â
If you're going at a busy time, good luck. It gets really crowded and the service seriously suffers.
But, they do have an extra long happy hour. I think it's from 12-8. (Don't quote me) Â
In my book, that means extra star!
El Vato - que bueno.
I was  first impressed that the place was even open at 12pm. I have found Miami to be a city where it's hard to get good cheap food (other than fast food) late at night. In the case of Vato cheap should not be confused with low quality.
Beyond being accessible I was very pleasantly surprised with the quality and taste of the food, and go figure - the service. The waiters and waitresses were some of the best I've encountered in Miami, a city notorious for poor service. Upon entering the "joint" we were instantly greeted, seated and served warm tortillas with salsa. We subsequently requested and received two additional servings of these at no charge, that's a throwback to better days.
I ordered a vegetarian burrito and a fish taco. The taco was small but only cost $2.50 I could have easily filled up on 3-4 of the tacos and been out of there for less than $15 bucks all in with tax and tip. The fish appeared fresh and well seasoned with fresh ingredients. The burrito was larger and also fresh and tasty.
All in all a positive experience
El Vato is a solid Mexican restaurant and tequila bar located in the heart of Mary Brickell village. Â The patio seating is relaxing and has ample space to sit back and sip on one of the dozens of different tequilas. Â The food is excellent and at very reasonable prices for the area. Â Whether it's a simple $2.50 steak taco or carnita fajitas, El Vato will hit the spot. Â The only things holding this restaurant back from five stars are the sparse and uncomfortable inside table setup and stingy accompaniments to the dishes. Â One one hand the price is right but on the other it wouldn't kill them to include some free lettuce on the dishes. Â Overall this is a great casual dinner place and perfect for carryout.
Review Source:Don't come here for the service.
We were served chips and salsa after we had ordered margaritas and waters, we had finished a bowl of chips by the time we received our margaritas. Â We had to order the waters 3 more times before they came. Â
One of our margaritas tasted like sewer water.
Towards the end of the meal, I ran out of water. Â They brought us 2 more bowls of chips while I was out. Â Needless to say, I never got a refill on water. Â Apparently water is a hot commodity here. Â
Highly unimpressed and disappointed.
The tip is included by the way, so I assume that's their excuse for the lack of service.
We even had to hunt the waitress down to give her our tab with payment because she never came back 10 minutes after giving it to us. Â
The restaurant was at about 30% occupancy. Â
Just plain pathetic and incredibly disappointed.
This place wins for atmosphere. Celebrating a friends birthday, five of us saddled into one of their side booths (although I really want to sit in that car!). Thankfully, I did not find the service to be too awful besides the fact they forgot someone's order. It was quick to prepare so our wait not too long.
Upon seating, We were quickly brought some hot chips and tasty salsa. Little did they know, they should have brought us a bucket of the salsa because we kept cleaning out dish after dish. We split a pitcher of sangria and while I usually love all types of sangria, I really did not enjoy this. Something about the balance of flavors created a strange taste that I do not think anyone enjoyed. Thankfully, we had an order of decent guacamole that could combat the flavor. For our meals, I got a couple tacos that were decent but nothing to write home about. As it was a birthday, we finished off the meal with a flan that was pretty good.
It's not cheap and for the forgettable food and just decent service, I am not itching to go back.
Loved this place. The ambiance is contemporary rockabilly. I met the owner, Juan, and he's a man on a mission. Juan is a restauranteur hailing from Cali, spreading a picture of unique local places that include vegan and cruelty-free options. He was very personable, and bought us shots, which paired with the awesome service, delicious bites and comfortable atmosphere, will ensure my return next time I'm in Brickell.
The place is still getting its bearings, and ironing out some aspects that didn't mar the experience much for me: The bathrooms were messy but beautiful (a norm in Miami), and when it took our waiter a minute to find a pen for me to sign the check with, I knew that there must be a little disorganization behind the scenes.
Nonetheless, the food was good (we had the tapas-style walking tacos), and the tequila bar is a great idea. What I loved about the service is that every waiter is more than willing to tend to your needs, but not in an overbearing way.
If what you're craving is the most authentic Mexican you can find, this ain't it. Think more East LA than Guadalajara.
Once seated (usually promptly), you'll be served the customary chips and salsa. While these are tasty, DO NOT forget to order the chipotle aioli. I drizzle it on everything.
To start, their guacamole is my favorite from all the restaurants I've tried. If you're a larger party, I'd also recommend the fundido. For the main course, order the nachos, taquitos, and street tacos (dressed up! i.e. with all the fixin's). And if by some miracle, you have room for dessert, do yourself the favor and order the churros. These are the churros all other churros want to be when they grow up.
Servers are attentive and friendly. The decor is in keeping with their name and  includes a spray paint 'vato' mural, skull chandeliers, and even a low rider that's been gutted so you can sit and eat inside. Not my thing but it does add to the experience.
The ambiance is casual. My only warning is that weekend nights the music or tv is turned up loud (it is a bar, after all) and the crowd is typical Brickell. I would recommend going any other time.
We had a chance to go there during their 1 year anniversary celebration and they were serving complimentary margaritas. They were incrdible. The person I was with and I got a table and ordered a couple drinks but ended up downing 2 margaritas before finishing the drinks we paid for because it was that good. If I didnt have to work the next day, I would have had 2 more. The chips and salsa they give you to munch on are made fresh. Their torilla soup was good  (as a broth) because it barely had any meat.
I really like the decor. It was unique with a lowrider being used as a private table and the candles one would normally see lining a church's alter being used to line the back of the bar. Because I only ordered a drink and a soup, I dont feel like I have enough information to give it 4stars BUT the margaritas were THAT good!
Food was very mediocre. The seasoning on the carnitas tacos and quesadillas was not there... Very bland. The service was less than average. We had to repeat our requests to the wait staff several times Â
El Vato is ok for happy hour, with the focus of the night being the drinks and the food serving as a supplement. The prices for the drinks during happy hour and their "redeye" special are very decent.
I love this place! The ambiance is fabulous. I love the tacos, FRESH guacamole they make as soon as you order it, yummy flautas and endless tequila options. And now, BREAKFAST! The chilaquales was not really authentic, but it was good for the price. I can't wait to try the jalepeno eggs benedict next time.
The service is hit-or miss-so I suggest sitting at the bar.
Cool place, good drinks, food was ok.
We had the fajitas which had nice seasoning but was a little too saucy, it lacked the sizzle and char that we were hoping for. As mentioned in other posts, the ambience and drinks are pretty good and I will be returning for those. I'll probably give the food another go and hopefully get more excited by it next time.
Btw, service has been very good every time that we've been there.
Something profound happened today. Â I didn't meet Jesus (although today is Sunday), but I did finally have a proper breakfast taco in Miami! Can I get a hallelujah??
If we're friends in real life, you know that the one complaint I have about Miami is the lack of a proper Mexican breakfast. Â By proper I don't mean fancy. Â I mean tasty, just spicy enough, filling and heart warming. Â El Vato understands. Â Today I had breakfast tacos. Â Yes, I'm still vegetarian but also have Texan blood. Â Once I saw chorizo on the tacos, I had to try it. Â It was everything I remember from growing up, except set in the funky cool decor of El Vato. Â
Also as a Texan, we have varying views of drinking on the Sabbath. Â I'm a hard working Realtor and sold a condo before 8am today so felt I deserved a bloody mary with my brunch. Â I could have handled it a bit spicier but I also go through a quart of hot salsa every week. Â The cocktail was flavorful, not too strong and its easier to add spice than to take it away. Â Try it out.
My friends had eggs benedict and huevos rancheros. Â The eggs benedict are served with verde sauce so we joked that they should add some ham and rename the plate "Green Eggs & Ham" like Dr. Seuss, but they were delicious. Â My friend who ordered the huevos rancheros is also a displaced Texan in Miami and gave them all stars. Â He also really liked the sweet & spicy jalepeno sauce with his chips, but I'm more of a traditionalist so stayed with the pico de gallo and regular salsa.
I've said it before and I'll say it again. Â This place is really cool and I'm tickled pink that they now have brunch. Â Big ups to El Vato! Â xo!
Round two:
Much better.
We got an email from El Vato and he invited us back for a covered meal with drinks. Much better than last time.
I had the chicken burrito and two different drinks. I had the cheech and chong and the El Diablo margarita. My wife had the sangria. She thought it was ok. The El Diablo was ok but really strong.
The service this time was great. Almost too great lol. They were really nice. The music wasn't too loud. Id recommend this place on a weekday and especially with Amanda. She was awesome.
Thanks again and a much better experience.
A few weeks ago I received Yelp-mail from El Vato himself inviting me and three of my friends for dinner and drinks on him due to the less than stellar review i'd posted several months ago. I took him up on his offer last week and am happy I did. Not only was the service 100% better than the last time, but the food was also much improved (and not just because it was free)!
We started with the guacamole appetizer and the queso fundido. The guacamole was deliciously fresh and served with a generous portion of chips. The queso fundido barely resembled what i'd tried a few months ago. This dish wasn't at all burnt, and the cheese was fresh and delicious. I then had a make-your-own burrito which arrived to the table slightly lukewarm, but it was so tasty I ate it anyway. The cucumber margarita was the perfect addition to my tasty meal.
I commend establishments for making an effort to improve themselves and using Yelp reviews to gain some perspective. Â All businesses should see Yelp as a way of gaining constructive criticism to ultimately improve the experience they provide to the customers. Kudos to El Vato for doing just that.
The owner of Baja Fresh, owns El Vato. Just an FYI.
I came here on a girl's night out for something light. I ordered the skinny margarita and the Mexican street tacos. As did my friend.
My skinny margarita was delicious and strong. The Mexican street tacos are just what the name says. Tortillas, steak and onions with a hint of cilantro. Very authentic tasting, almost close to the real thing.
My 2nd time around I ordered the queso appetizer and a pitcher of margarita for $26, which is actually more bang for your buck considering margaritas are $12 each. I again ordered the Mexican street tacos.
I recommend this place, but don't make a huge deal of it. They're good, they're authentic but the owner is a Cuban guy living in California. I'll definitely revisit.
The deets on El Vato:
- Cheap
- Pretty Slow
- LOUD
- Alright Service
- Cheap
- Tasty
- LOUD
- Cheap
Did I mention it's cheap? Their guacamole is great and I enjoy the salsa, too - I just wish I didn't have to constantly ask for more chips! I somehow always find myself here on Friday nights with a nice buzz after happy hour at Tobacco Road. I was thinking maybe it was just my drunkenness that was enjoying El Vato, but a couple weeks ago my fiance and I went to lunch here with his parents and it was just as tasty - and the service was just as slow!
There are many vegetarian options which always makes me happy!
On the weekends, at night this place basically turns into a nightclub. Inside, the music is so incredibly loud it's impossible to hear yourself think, let alone talk to the person next to you! Definitely try to sit outside if you are trying to enjoy someone else's company - just beware of smokers.
Overall, I'm a fan and when I'm craving pretty cheap Mex in Brickell, I'm all over El Vato!
[Visit of Thursday, March 8, 2012 from 5-630 pm] El Vato is one of the most brilliantly decorated restaurants I've ever seen. The chandelier made from bicycles, the bathroom sink and faucet made from a tire and a carburetor respectively, and the graffiti-laden hurricane shutters on the wall are good enough to copy. We sat inside an old Chevy with its red velvet upholstery and table in the middle. Quite an experience.
The food was even above average. We were only going to share an appetizer but ended up ordering seconds of Queso Fundido and the Chicken Taquitos. The chipotle cream on the taquitos was good as as the house and verde salsas. My wife testified that her pork and steak tacos were excellent [she doesn't share :-]. The cheese on the taquitos seemed to be a shredded Queso Blanco; not as flavorful as Cotija. That's my only foodie suggestion as to ingredients. The margaritas and cocktails are made from fresh juices. Our waiter was attentive and pleasant but the Puerto Rican guy was funnier; he's very good with the customers. I believe he is a busser or back waiter.
The first negative of El Vato is the menu. While the food is good, the menu is uninspiring both in appearance (old style paper in plastic rectangular sleeves, one color on white paper) and selection. The offerings of food are standard Mexican fare you can get anywhere. The tequila list is extensive but it's presented with a price next to each brand with the price the same size and font as the name. Makes you wonder if the menu was written on Notepad by cousin Felipe.
The other negative is the volume of business. We had stopped by on the previous Saturday around 6 pm but we'd already eaten. There was one table outside and a couple at the bar. On this Thursday night, only two other tables were sat during our visit with the bar of 12-15 barstools being mostly full. Once dead might be due to a bad day; twice dead is worrisome.
I hope El Vato makes up for the business with the bar crowd, but my experience in restaurants tells me that lost sales opportunities never come back. My advice to the owner is that you're never done marketing until you're on a two hour wait. Unless you received a stimulus grant to put together this awesome decor, I suspect you footed the bill. Market the place to the max. Get your money back. And then some.
The food is good and fresh and usually fast if you go before it becomes a bar. Its great for lunch because you dont have to worry about the loud music or finding a table. The bathrooms (at least the girls) is clean and fun with bright pink walls and a wheel for a sink.
the margarita pitcher is a great option for a group, 3 people can drink and be satisfied (tipsy) with one.
I don't know how I've never heard of this place before. Â I guess I just gloss over Brickell when I'm in the area because I know there's a lot there that I would prefer to avoid.
I'll be sure not to gloss over El Vato next time I'm in the area. Â It's got a very L.A. feel, keeping true to it's chicano namesake.
The decor, while at first glance; might look simple and basic, it's really just themed that way and elaborated in a very creative way.
The food was good, in my mind; and the service was solid as well.
Granted we were there in the middle of the day, so I don't know what it will be like during a busy night.
We did notice a dj deck and a solid soundsystem, so I'm curious to check it out one weekend night.
And lastly, big ups to the people behind El Vato for not opening up yet ANOTHER Irish Bar in Brickell. Â That theme is so so TIRED !
Ãndale pues !
It's really a shame when a place that looks as bad ass as El Vato ends up serving (or lack thereof) total garbage. $2.50 for Mexican street-side tacos? No. They should have been free. Yes, they were that distasteful. Oh, wait, let me rewind to the part where we were seated and weren't helped for at least 10 minutes if not longer. No one acknowledged the three of us, no one dropped of chips and salsa, and needless to say, no one took our drink orders. We were there for lunch, so there really was no excuse for this disorganization.
Fast forwarding to the food: It sucked. How can anyone mess up tacos?? I tried one of each - pork, chicken, and beef. One was over done, one tasted like nothing, and one tasted old. Yes, old. It had that nasty smell that some meats have after they've been sitting around or have been microwaved. Gross. The server asked "You didn't like your food?" and you sure bet I told him "Not at all." I asked for the menu to see if there was something else I would want. Nada. And I still had to pay for the nasty tacos.
My friend sent her first plate back because her enchiladas tasted weird. She was offered the menu as well to place another order - her steak quesadilla wasn't too bad. My other friend ordered the toquitos (which were okay) and tacos (which were "bleh" as well.)
So, then I thought "Who could possibly mess up dessert?" Thankfully, their apple burrito wasn't too shabby.
If anything, I would suggest going here for drinks. Hopefully they won't mess those up. Plus, the biker/punk look they have going on here is actually pretty awesome. Even their bathrooms!
Meh is just about right. I try hard not to have preconceived notions when I go out of my way to dine in Brickell and attempt to have a somewhat pleasant experience, but I think I should come to terms with the fact that mediocre food, loud obnoxious music and expensive beverages is not my stylo. And this is exactly what you'll find here, no more, no less.
We wanted to save room for tequila so we decided to go with the appetizer platter and their queso dip with chipotle. If I tell you we didn't order any "real" food because there was nothing that seemed worthy would you believe me? I hope you do..
The assortment consisted of:
- Taquitos: tasted just like the frozen Goya type at the grocery store
- Chimichangas: debatably the best part of the meal...but don't get too excited
- Some chips with melted cheese on them which I guess represented their "nachos"
- and last their smoked chicken wings which were good but I wouldn't pay that much money for them, you can get them at any Sports Grill for half the price, and bigger
I was rooting for the queso dip for a second there because for the first time in a while the queso dip actually tasted like queso and not just melted Velveta, but the chipotle DRIZZLE was just that, a drizzle....again, not worth it
I ordered what was supposed to be their strongest drink and I tried hard squinting my eyes to see if I felt anything....$15 down the drain, hey there's an idea! they should change the name to EL VATER!
The 5 best restaurants in the 2015 Denver Restaurant Week
3,611 Views | Category: Denver
The complete list of 2015 Denver Restaurant Week businesses
1,972 Views | Category: Denver
The tourists' guide to Portillos: 5 must have dishes
3,318 Views | Category: Chicago
Pho = Pronounced "fuh" not "foe" for pho-king sake
2,915 Views | Category: Denver
Indulgery selected to exhibit at Collision Conference
2,987 Views | Category: Press Releases
Not Logged In
BUSINESSES
Local Businesses
Near Me
My Favorites
SOCIAL
Blog & News
MY ACCOUNT
Login
Register
Contact Us
Add Your Business
