Cartel Street Food Bar

Very cool place! Came here for $ 2 taco Tuesday’s. Was a little disappointed that they only have a selection of 4 tacos for the special price, but they were all still declines. Splurged and also bought the plantain and avocado taco for full price. It was DELICIOUS. I was hesitant because it seems like a strange combo, but it was arguably the best thing I’ve ever tasted. We also got the guacamole and chips, which was good. The only reason I would give this place 5 stars is because of the drinks. We ordered a pitcher of red sangria, which our waitress said was the best one. It tasted more like watery juice than sangria. It did not have that delicious red wine taste one would normally hope for in a sangria. We ordered a few more drinks after the pitcher because it truly did nothing for us! I got the mango margarita. It came with a spicy pepper rim on the glass, it was quite good!

I have been few times to their Taco Tuesday. Hands down best fish tacos in town. They are 2 $ each, you have to get a mandatory drink with your order but it is so worth it. The cocktails you get are well priced and delicious

Food was fantastic. Drinks were also very good, perhaps on the sweeter side.

Les meilleurs tacos de poisson en ville! Le mardi ils sont à 2 $!!! Les drinks sont très créatifs et très bons! Souvent du nouveau sur le menu, très cool ;-)
Le lobster roll est fou! Le chow mein aussi! Tout est bon. L’ambiance est le fun! La musique vraiment pas trop forte, on s’entend parler!

Had a dozen oysters, tortillas with guac, beef short rib tacos and Home fries. Everything was delectable, great cool place to wind down after a long week. Would definitely go back.

Whenever I’m in the Mile End and I’m wondering where I could eat, I usually end up at Cartel. Everything on the menu is great but really, the fish taco is the reason I go there again and again.
Only criticism would be their beer selection, I’m a beer drinker and it’s not great. Better have a drink or some sangria.
Best way to get acquainted with the place: 2 $ tacos on Tuesday.
Best way to become addicted to this place: 2 $ tacos on Tuesday.

We came here for the famous taco Tuesday. The tacos were fantastic and the margaritas were stiff and delicious. We sat at the bar and watched the restaurant fill up while bartender worked her magic. She was multi tasked and took care of us with style.
The tacos were delicious. Montréal and Mexican. Who knew!
The crowd of as hope, multilingual, and fun. The energy of the place was loud and fun. Would go back for sure.

I was taken aback when our server (perhaps the owner?) scoffed at my order of the vegetarian tacos.
«Have you had our fish tacos?»
«No.»
“They’re really good.”
«O…kay.»
But you know what? He was right. They were fantastic, and I’ve been back.

Love seafood. Their Peruvian Asian mix is unreal. Tacos were good but go for the scallop ceviche, BBQ octopus, and squid sausage dish. Was so tasty. We got lucky and walked by it.

Great mixture of food. Staff is extremely friendly. Atmosphere is very cosy. Their cuisine is definitely something new to try

TL;DR, go on Tuesday, get plantain tacos.
This place has somehow become my first genuine «regular» in the city — I hit up Taco Tuesday at least once a month.
I had always planned to visit the previous tenant, Bond, and never quite managed it. Since the change, Cartel has done well to make the spot more «people-​friendly», with an ambiance somewhere between laid-​back comfort food joint, occasional sports bar (when the Habs are playing) and borderline supperclub. As a result, there will be times when you’ll need to wait a few minutes before a spot opens up.
While they have a rather robust menu (their ceviche offerings are rather good), and all sorts of varying nightly specials, I’ll focus on the taco experience, as that’s what I know best.
In keeping with the «trendier» taco joints in Montréal, these are not what you might consider to be «authentic Mexican» tacos – at least not the kind I enjoyed while living in Mexico – nor do they claim to be. Their staples – especially the Baja Fish and Plantain tacos – hit the spot. Thankfully, these are on the half-​price ($ 2 per taco) special menu every Tuesday, along with a beef and chicken (one of which has since been replaced by a pork taco, I think). They also have a number of seasonal specials, which I’ve found to be a bit hit-​or-​miss.
Cartel keeps a well-​stocked bar, and while some of the cocktails on the menu (especially the nightly specials) aren’t overwhelmingly good, the bartenders can whip up almost anything, including a virgin Caesar that holds its own. They’ve got the bases covered for beer (tap/​bottle, local/​import) and wine (all your usual regions).
The service is very friendly, especially if you’re seated at the bar, where you can expect to find yourself interacting with your neighbours, maybe even over a shot. The music here tends to be the sort of stuff you’d find on Soundcloud – remixes, mashups and interesting takes on familiar classics, and is never too loud to talk over.
Thanks to the location, this is a rather stellar spot to grab a quick bite before heading out to your mile-​end watering hole of choice.

Nous sommes entré pour boire un verre. Mais il faut manger, dans ce cas c’était une surprise incroyable. Nous avons pris un lobster rol’ pour deux. Il était incroyable. La salade d’accompagnement avait une vinaigrette très goûteuse. Nous attendons présentement un deuxième plat parce que notre appétit s’est ouvert très grand parce que c’était tellement bon (ma copine m’a fait rajouter ce détail qui s’avère vrai). Le Margarita est aussi excellent. Ma copine est ravie de son choix de vin rouge.

I keep coming back here. It’s not a southern restaurant, but the fried chicken is probably the best thing on the menu. It’s not a mexican restaurant, but the fish tacos are a close second. If you’re less than three people, sit at the bar; the bartenders are friendly and make great drinks.

Rien de spécial. Tacos de poisson très ordinaires, ça manquait même de saveurs. Rouleux de canard un peu mieux. Sélection de vin vraiment ordinaire et les cocktails étaient presque manqués. Le service était bien toutefois. Je l’ai essayé l’été, spécialement pour la terrasse, mais il y a de biens meilleures options en ville, et surtout de bien meilleurs tacos, dans le même quartier, pour le même range de prix, voire moins cher.

J’y été hier soir-​mercredi — en double date, on a profité des spéciaux 1 $ l’huître pour commencer avec des verres de cava (champagne catalan). C’était très bon, les deux ceviches que ce soit pétoncles ou saumon sont très bons aussi. La lumière est tamisée, il y a de la musique sympa.
Le seul bémol c’est les desserts, les churros et les bananes plantains étaient beaucoup trop gras ce qui dénote avec toute la légèreté des mets consommés pendant la soirée

Cartel is good. It could be better though. Try it out for yourself and see but if you want a sure thing … go to Ta Chido which is also in the Mile-​End or Grumman ’78 in Saint-​Henri or Restaurant Amaranto in NDG.
There is amicable, informative and speedy service here! So that’s good!
The libations were very good. I had a Cuba Libre that was good but quite plain. Rebecca had a Jack Daniels lemonade that was quite delicious. I then tried the Thai basil Mohito and found my drink of the day! It was absolutely beautiful. Splendiferous. Rebecca’s second was a conventional mint Mohito which was excellent as well! There were also complimentary maple whisky shots; a pleasant surprise.
Okay, I am vegetarian and I went here with my omnivorous partner for an early dinner on Taco Tuesday. She quite enjoyed the lobster roll as well as the oysters. I am fully aware and sympathetically understanding of the fact that vegetarian fare may not be the prime and foremost concern to the average restaurateur; this is totally cool and I’ve got no beef with anybody on this point. Here’s the however part. However, mostly every restaurant I go to has at least one or two good token vegetarian options. Cartel … not so much. The guacamole was average if not bland and there wasn’t too much of it either. The tortilla chips, however, were in abundance and were standard /​average Mexican resto chips. Not to be boastful but any guac will turn out average when compared to my own home-​made guac goodness and also nothing beats some nice organic blue corn tortilla chips. The avocado and plantain tacos were something cool to think about but were quite lacking on the taste front. They work in theory but not in practice. We need a little more ingenuity here. Seriously, anything can be a taco! The world is your taco! You can be as far-​out and as creative as you want to be with different flavour combinations and ingredient selections and such and at the end of the day if you put it on a flat corn tortilla and call it a taco … it’s definitely a taco. I’ve had some damn good vegetarian tacos. Namely at Ta Chido on Parc in the Mile-​End, Grumman ’78 on Courcelle in Saint-​Henri and Restaurant Amaranto on Monkland in NDG. These are some awesome and out-​of-​this-​world tacos.
Cartel: I totally may just give you another chance because your drinks are really good and I like your atmosphere but you’ve totally got to step up your flavour game. You’re not the only taco cartel in this city … so stand out a bit … or some up-​and-​coming hotshot might just edge you out. You know, Scarface or Pablo Escobar styles.
Good luck and godspeed.

I came here for taco Tuesdays with my friends. I absolutely loved the fish tacos! The environment is cozy, but I always go with friends, so it’s nice. Service is fine, there was a lineup when I left, so it’s a good thing my friends went early.

food is definitely good albeit a bit on the small side but then, it was taco tuesday.
nitpicking time: i like a balanced ratio between filling and sauce. more filling to sauce ratio or 50 – 50 but not more sauce than filling. the tacos were a bit too saucy for me. eating them was a mess, a good one but still a mess.
as for the drink, too much ice for alcohol content for my liking. hey, i like my booze ;)
other than that, i love me some fried plantains and was satisfied greatly!
will definitely go back to abuse the hell out of their oysters.

A great find in a neat neighborhood. Moderately priced, good portions, and tasty. I had the shrimp tacos and the Lobster roll. Both very good. A good blend of simple, fresh food.
However, be sure to understand pricing because you pay more for simple extras. My bill was unusually higher than I expected because there were extras added. My $ 8 taco ended up being a $ 15 dollar taco. So ask beforehand to avoid a surprise bill.

Cartel restaurant has a wide variety of very addictive street food inspired from many cuisines including Latin America, Vietnamese, Thai… now they they are bringing it to the streets of Montréal! Must try — for something different.

We’ve been regulars at Cartel over the last few moths. I learned about the restaurant on Unilocal and decided to go check it out. On our first visit we enjoyed ourselves and learned about $ 1 Wednesdays and have been hocked ever since. On Wednesday Cartel serves up Oysters at a buck a pop with the purchase of a drink. Can’t beat that.
Cartel is a great place, with fun vibe, great décor, attentive staff and a great drink menu of tasty concoctions.
Typically we start with a drink and a few dozen oysters and then grab a few other things off the menu. Some of our favorites include; Baja Fish Tacos, Shrimp Pintxos (a generous serving, great for sharing), the Lobster Roll, Camarones Del Diablo (they are very hot), Cantonese-​style asparagus and wild mushrooms. The Chocolate & Churros is a must have dessert (again a large portion great for sharing).

I’ve often walked by Cartel and been enticed by their chalkboard advertizing all kinds of delicious sounding specials. So on a rainy Friday, with our hearts set on tacos, we ventured out to Cartel for lunch. And I will definitely be back, hopefully with nicer weather so we can enjoy the terrace!
I was a little worried about portion sizes, never sure if a small plate is really going to be a small plate, or a tiny plate, or a giant plate. But these portions were quite reasonable, and we definitely ordered a bit too much food, at least for a lunch. We started with the guacamole, and I know, you’re thinking: guacamole, really? Was it ever good! Especially the homemade tortilla chips it was served with. I could go and order a fancy drink, and guacamole, and be a happy camper. Then we had the mango, papaya and peanut salad: nice and simple, but well spiced, with a bit of a kick. The perfect refreshing salad for a hot day. For mains I had the fish tacos, and my dining companion had the lobster roll. The fish tacos were really stuffed! Just the tacos would have been enough for lunch for me. Tasty too! Apparently the lobster rolls are decent, but unfortunately after having lobster rolls in the maritimes, from a lobster caught that very day, well, it’s hard to compare.
I had the rootbeer mexicana, and yum yum! If I’m going to order a drink when I go out, I make sure and order something involved, that has way more liquors in it than I would make at home. And this really hit the spot.
The restaurant itself is really beautiful, and very much my style. I’m not picky about the appearance of a restaurant, if it’s tasty, I don’t really care what the place looks like, but I still like to look at beautiful spaces, it’s a bonus! This place is definitely beautiful, with the painted ceiling and mirrors. It would be a fantastic place to host a 5a7 with people you want to impress, or say, take your mom out for a really nice lunch, that is, if your mom is adventurous! Mine is!
I hear that Tuesdays are $ 2 taco night, so I will definitely be coming back. On a recent Tuesday I walked by, and sure enough the place was hopping, full of people munching happily on tacos. Reminds me a lot of San Diego, it seems there is always somewhere having a happy hour with cheap tacos and drink specials.

Met up with a girlfriend for some tiny bites to share. I learned Wednesday is oyster night, so you can get 6 for $ 6 or 12 for $ 12 and they have a $ 5 champagne special. Everyone in the half full restaurant was eating oysters and drinking champ! I wanted to go to the there, but my dining amiga wasn’t into oysters and i didn’t want 6 all to myself. My fiancé and I will come back here next wednesday to try this special.
What we did order was guacamole (¹⁰⁄₁₀) shrimp and mango wontons (⁶⁄₁₀) chicken skewers with a teriyaki sauce (7.5÷10) and Baja fried fish tacos (⁸⁄₁₀)
The fried foods weren’t too greasy which was nice and the teriyaki sauce on the chicken was delicious.
The guacamole was the standout for me. Chunky, creamy, with tomatoes and… feta? There was some salty creaminess on top that really brought it home for me. Served with super crunchy fried chips.
The onnnly think I noticed, was that even though all the servers were incredibly friendly they were not very attentive. It took at least 10 minutes after I sat down before someone asked me if i wanted anything to drink even though the place was nowhere near capacity. The entire course of the dinner from ordering a drink to getting the check I had a hard time getting anyone’s attention.
I will go again for the oysters and see if the service improves the next time.

We were in Montréal on a Saturday night looking for somewhere to go for dinner with a few friends in the Plateau/​Mile End area. We were reservationless, hoping for some good food without a wait outside on a cold January night. Everyone knows there are a ton of great restaurants in Montréal — especially that area, but if you haven’t planned ahead it can be very hard to avoid waiting a long time for a table and spending an arm and a leg when you get there.
Luckily, just as we were about to give up hope I stumbled across Cartel Street Food Bar on Unilocal.We called, they had a table for us, and we were off to a great find. This place has unique dishes at a reasonable price. I’m convinced we won’t be able to get in here without a reservation once it’s discovered. The ambiance is nice, the service is helpful and friendly and the food is good.
The menu is, as the name leads you to believe, inspired by street food, specifically from Southeast Asia and Mexico, as well as some fusion between them.
There were five of us out to dinner, all interested in trying lots of things. The waitress suggested that three sharing plates plus some appetizers would be an appropriate amount of food and she was right.
From the sharing plates we ordered the top three (duck, chicken and pork) and to start we ordered guacamole, crispy wontons, duck wraps and oysters. Everything was fresh tasting, full of flavour and tasty. I would have liked for the food to be spicier, but I know that a lot of people are looking for less spicy food. It has enough flavour that the low spice wasnt’ a deal breaker for me.
For that food, plus drinks and tax (but before tip) we ended up paying a bit more than $ 150, so the prices are very reasonable. We’re looking forward to making this a more common stop when we’re in Montréal.