Matador - Fort Collins

Matador is set apart from other burrito places in town for a few reasons. One, the staff is knowledgeable about what is and isn't vegan, and the vegan options are really good--flavored tortillas, rice, beans, sauteed veggies, white and sweet potatoes, guac, and AMAZING salsas/hot sauces. The vegan options are even labeled on the menu. Two, they have a great rotating selection of craft beer on tap (including Grimm Brothers and PCBC) AND in the bottle--and all bottles of beer are under $2, even the microbrews. Three, it's locally owned and operated with a dedication to using local produce and ingredients. It's on the south side of town, but a good place to grab dinner before or after seeing a movie at the nearby Cinemark (I've even brought their burritos into the theater with me before

FREE guac with the vegan burrito? Nice! But not if you add the sauteed veggies, which is a bummer. I believe they saute with water, their huge list of salsas is impressive and delicious, and beer is always less than two bucks! Oh and they support local farms. Food is delicious and staff is very friendly.

While there are not many vegan options available to try at matador, their basic options are quite good and there are so many sauces to try. I love to go to breakfast as they have roasted carrots that I have with both whole bean (not the brat), grilled vegetables, crushed cauliflower, pico, and whatever sauce sounds good on this day. If they have roasted sweet potatoes, I often bring them with the black bean and rice at lunchtime.

All of the tortillas (except the cheddar one), both rices, fried sweet or russet potatoes and all three beans (whole black, pinto and refried) are VEGAN! Plus, the owner is super nice to vegans: you get free guacamole on your meal. Plus, you can get chips beans or salsa or both. Don't forget to get your freshly-grilled veggies. Yes, they grill them after you order and they're also no extra charge! Fresh, home made salsas vary with the season. Try their fruit salsas.. they're the best you will ever taste. I recommend the strawberry salsa. But their cranberry is a close second! Don't forget their sweet potato soups (when they have them) and pumpkin salsas, usually in the fall. A.M.A.Z.I.N.G. Oh, they give huge portions so you may want to split your meal with a friend. Enjoy it! And be sure the owner knows you appreciate all of his yummy vegan options.

I visited Matador in the hope that in the end it would be a great option where I could actually enjoy the Guac (make the fist as Big City Burrito), but it was just... big. The burrito was fine, and there are tons of sauces, and I always enjoy a bean potato burrito, but we had to wait like 15 minutes for them to make more Fajita vegetables, and when we eat down, I got halfway through my burrito, rose to fill my drink, and noticed a few bugs wandering around next to the soda machine. The place was generally dirty, but the bugs really did it for me.