El Cantaro Vegan Mexican Restaurant Opens in New Monterey

This week, in a brand new restaurant in New Monterey, at least several will gush, "Finally."

Rarely does an tiny mom-and-pop eatery from unknown restaurateurs—let alone one in an under trafficked former Subway sandwich shop—capture so much anticipation.

El Cantaro Vegan Mexican Restaurant (646-5465) does because it represents a breakthrough for local vegetarian eaters starved for a spot devoted to meat free entrees—the Meetup group Monterey VegHeads already has a trip planned for this weekend—and because it feels revolutionary (or just loco) to attempt Mexican without real cheese.

As of Tuesday afternoon, El Cantaro is plating bean-vegetable-jalapeño-mole sweet tamales ($2.75), quinoa-flour-based chicken in peanut-mole sauce ($10.25) and a "mega" mushroom quesadilla ($7.25) with soy-based “cheese.” (At least I think it's soy based.)

Five salads include kale-beet ($8.95), tortilla-jalapeño ($7.95) and quinoa-cucumber (7.75) numbers.

The stuffed poblano pepper in a creamy walnut sauce (or chile ahogada, $10.75) is called nothing less than “famous”; the most alluring burrito is a grilled pineapple missile with black beans, Spanish rice and red sauce ($6.50).

The menu also presents a reminder that once you solve the cheese challenge, there are plenty of great Mexican dishes that thrive with zero meat—including items that Cantaro does like chilaquiles ($7.25), chile rellenos ($7.75) and bean and cheese burritos ($4.75). The most conspicuous absence for my eyes would be more avocado.

I’m all too familiar with Monterey County’s dearth of vegetarian and vegan spots, so I was one of those eager to try it. On opening night I went by their place, perched at Foam and Irving between Lighthouse Avenue and Cannery Row, to bring back a sample for the production night crew.

The decor matches the food and the vibe from the young mom-and-pop owners Luvia Cruz and Ivan Sandin: colorful, clean, straightforward and warm.

The crispy potatoes tacos—with “smash” potatoes, non-dairy sour cream, salsa fresco and lettuce with beans (four for $7.75)—were surprisingly creamy, cheesy and full of texture, with a crunchy richness that rose from shells stitched together and deep-fried with the potatoes in the belly.

Or as Weekly Editor Mary Duan put it, “This shouldn't be good, right? But it is.” All four testers dug the tacos.

From the list of “Favorites of Mexico City”—which also includes handmade sopes ($2.99), the tacos, taquitos ($7.75) and quesadilla—I targeted a hurache with mushrooms and cactus ($8.25). The big, sandal-shaped, homemade corn tortilla (thinner than most huarache bases) enjoys a layer of beans, the sweet cactus and savory shrooms plus a nicely salted tomatillo salsa and sauteed onions. Tasty, with plenty of this cheese I need to learn more about.

A carrot juice ($5.50) juiced from 10 carrots on the spot also charmed. They also serve aguas frescas ($2-$3.25) and soy-milk smoothies ($5.50-$5.75).

The “chicken torta” ($7.25-$8) was the most intriguing, and found the most mixed results, with a nice zesty white sauce, flavorful mushrooms and cheese, spongy quinoa/tofu-like “chicken” and bread that was too chewy—but that small shortcoming among a flood of successes furnishes a convenient reminder that they’ve been open just a few hours, and deserve plenty of patience and as much quiet as possible as they get everything wired.

In other words, despite my enthusiasm and plenty of general pent-up anticipation, don’t smother them at the start.

We need places like this to survive.