Servers profiling guests has forever existed but when “managers” get involved it spices things up. Our server didn’t shy away from judging us based on our order (Happy hour okay!) and conveniently made up a policy to avoid serving us. (Mind you we’ve been here multiple times before). Simply asked for a refill on something and the server accepted the order - 15 mins passed and neither did she bother to come tell us this “policy” nor did she bring us the order. They simply switched our server and the new one started talking about how she’s worked at a taqueria for 6 months and never gave anyone a refil. She tried to look convincing - she FAILED.
I understand they didn’t view us as big spenders and so they chose to avoid our request - atleast they could’ve had the courage to say NO. We would’ve paid the whopping 3$ for it. That being said we left the server with a 50% tip - maybe that will help them be better hosts/humans. The dude at the front happily took part and he did it with a smile (albeit fake).
Never going back.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 1
Thibault Dambrine
Blanco Cantina is a Mexican food restaurant located on a busy stretch of Kensington Avenue, in a half-basement level with a terrace.
Upon arriving, near the reception desk, there was a strange, sour odor, which I could not readily identify. Fortunately, we were promptly greeted and seated at our table shortly after.
Immediately after sitting down, our waitress arrived with a basket of crispy chips and salsa.
The chips were heavily dusted with a salty flavor powder, the salsa was only memorable for its lack of taste.
We ordered a braised beef quesadilla, a chicken burrito, a side of tater tots and a side of corn & bean salad.
Our order arrived about 30-ish minutes later.
This gave me time to visit the men's room, where the Mexican masked wrestling themed wallpaper was punctuated with suggestive sexual graffiti. The tap wobbled precariously but the soap dispenser worked.
Our food arrived. - The general presentation looked good. - The quesadilla was good but not specifically exciting. - The burrito, which we ordered without extras, stood out for its lack of taste. - The corn and bean salad tasted like every single component had come from a can, with a mayonnaise style dressing. - The tater tots were served hot, with chopped green onions as a garnish, the only fresh ingredient I noticed. They met expectations.
To sum it up:
On the bright side, the table service was attentive and friendly. The terrace would be a good spot for a few beers on a warm summer day.
The food and the general state of the facilities however could use an upgrade.
Atmosphere: 1
Food: 2
Service: 4
Zander Kormos
Decent food and drinks, but slightly disappointed with untimely and begrudging service. Nice location in heart of Kensington, with easy access to other entertainment and shopping venues nearby.
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 4
Service: 2
Ruby River
After a food quality issue the manager reached out and offered a solution. I appreciate the offer and I will give blanco another chance in the future after all, the frozen margaritas are amazing!
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 3
Service: 5
Madison Zahn
Came in for the late night happy hour on Sunday. Nice atmosphere to enjoy great tacos and tequila. Julissa served us and she provided great service. Always checked on us and made sure we had everything we needed to enjoy our meal. We will definitely be returning in the future.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 4
Service: 5
Alan Skebo
Great and very attentive staff and service, margaritas were made well, mains were decent, disappointed the queso was basically cheese whiz
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 4
Service: 5
Tara Cherian
can’t say too much abt the food bcs i didn’t try a whole lot since it was a bit pricy.. but we got the 3 tacos for $17. u get to pick ur flavours for each individual taco so i chose the chicken tinga, the crispy fish, & baja shrimp. the baja shrimp was my fav out of three i tried, mainly bcs it’s the only one w different filling (jalapeño ranch slaw, pico de gallo, and chipotle sauce)- compared to all the other flavours that have cabbage, onion, cilantro, and jalapeño & personally i think that filling just tasted better. the chicken tinga id rank 2nd & crispy fish 3rd bcs it just tasted a little too oily and fried, it was a lot of batter. i think this would’ve been more worth it if we had made it in time for happy hour which i believe offers $3/taco, but we were an hour late so j missed it :’( they gave us a basket of chips & salsa to share while we waited for our food to come out and that def made all of us immediately happy LOL we were munchin fr 😋 those chips were so addicting like they were just delectable, so tbh if i were to come next time id probably get their nachos or smth! aside from that, idt i’d come back unless it was during their happy hour.
the ambience in this place was great i love the dark vibe & the decor was so adorbs.
there’s parking right next to the restaurant so that’s nice fs if ur planning on driving but those spots do fill up fast since it’s shared between that whole street.
it’s a good spot to eat if u wanna just walk it off after, since it is on a busy street in kensington there’s plenty to do. we ate dinner here & then went right upstairs to hexagon cafe to get dessert hehe 🫶🏽
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 3
Service: 4
Amanda McLocclain
Blanco Cantina - First Visit Review
Blanco Cantina is a great spot for groups and social gatherings, with a lively atmosphere and loud music that keeps the energy up. However, if you’re looking for a quiet, relaxed dining experience, this might not be the best choice.
The food was solid overall. You start off with a complimentary chips and salsa basket. The beef burrito was really good—flavorful, filling, and big enough that we had to take some home. The fish and pork tacos had good flavor but were a little dry; they could use a bit more sauce to bring them to the next level. However, you have 3 hot sauces to choose from your little box on the table. The chips and dips appetizer were a nice pairing with our meal, a good choice to snack on alongside the mains. Drinks from the bar were well-crafted.
Service was friendly but could have been quicker. They were busy, but with so many servers.
I asked the waitress if the dish I'd chosen wasn't spicy and she said no. In the end it was spicy and I didn't like it at all. If I had known I would have chosen another dish... The link you sent below is not working 😡
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 3
Service: 1
imani F.P
To start I’ve been to blanco on a separate occasion then today and received extremely slow mediocre service but had a great server so let it slide. As of today, my family and I were sat in a corner and ignored by all staff. No one came to our table for 15 minutes. A table sat next to us and was immediately served. We ended up walking out and notified management of the poor service and just received an apology and no attempt to rectify the situation. Extremely disappointed and
I love Mexican food and this place is absolutely amazing! We tried the quesadilla chicken and tacos and it was wow)) I remembered that I wanted to take a photo of the dishes, but it was too late ? (but it is there) The food, drinks, atmosphere and service were all great! Will I come here again? Definitely yes! Thank you ??
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
adam b
Walked in today to get some tacos and a couple of drinks, I was served by Kaylee, Kaylee was so personable and provided all the right recommendations. Food came out fast and tasted amazing, the server was quick to deliver our requests and make sure refills were taken care of. I will start making this place a staple in my week.
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Enchiladas
Hilson Leung
Happy hour is great, and the food, service, and atmosphere is top tier ?
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Rosa Chan
Great location, good quality of food and friendly service. The at the table guac is highly recommended.
Servers profiling guests has forever existed but when “managers” get involved it spices things up.
Our server didn’t shy away from judging us based on our order (Happy hour okay!) and conveniently made up a policy to avoid serving us. (Mind you we’ve been here multiple times before). Simply asked for a refill on something and the server accepted the order - 15 mins passed and neither did she bother to come tell us this “policy” nor did she bring us the order. They simply switched our server and the new one started talking about how she’s worked at a taqueria for 6 months and never gave anyone a refil. She tried to look convincing - she FAILED.
I understand they didn’t view us as big spenders and so they chose to avoid our request - atleast they could’ve had the courage to say NO. We would’ve paid the whopping 3$ for it. That being said we left the server with a 50% tip - maybe that will help them be better hosts/humans. The dude at the front happily took part and he did it with a smile (albeit fake).
Never going back.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 1
Blanco Cantina is a Mexican food restaurant located on a busy stretch of Kensington Avenue, in a half-basement level with a terrace.
Upon arriving, near the reception desk, there was a strange, sour odor, which I could not readily identify. Fortunately, we were promptly greeted and seated at our table shortly after.
Immediately after sitting down, our waitress arrived with a basket of crispy chips and salsa.
The chips were heavily dusted with a salty flavor powder, the salsa was only memorable for its lack of taste.
We ordered a braised beef quesadilla, a chicken burrito, a side of tater tots and a side of corn & bean salad.
Our order arrived about 30-ish minutes later.
This gave me time to visit the men's room, where the Mexican masked wrestling themed wallpaper was punctuated with suggestive sexual graffiti. The tap wobbled precariously but the soap dispenser worked.
Our food arrived.
- The general presentation looked good.
- The quesadilla was good but not specifically exciting.
- The burrito, which we ordered without extras, stood out for its lack of taste.
- The corn and bean salad tasted like every single component had come from a can, with a mayonnaise style dressing.
- The tater tots were served hot, with chopped green onions as a garnish, the only fresh ingredient I noticed. They met expectations.
To sum it up:
On the bright side, the table service was attentive and friendly. The terrace would be a good spot for a few beers on a warm summer day.
The food and the general state of the facilities however could use an upgrade.
Atmosphere: 1
Food: 2
Service: 4
Decent food and drinks, but slightly disappointed with untimely and begrudging service. Nice location in heart of Kensington, with easy access to other entertainment and shopping venues nearby.
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 4
Service: 2
After a food quality issue the manager reached out and offered a solution. I appreciate the offer and I will give blanco another chance in the future after all, the frozen margaritas are amazing!
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 3
Service: 5
Came in for the late night happy hour on Sunday. Nice atmosphere to enjoy great tacos and tequila. Julissa served us and she provided great service. Always checked on us and made sure we had everything we needed to enjoy our meal. We will definitely be returning in the future.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 4
Service: 5
Great and very attentive staff and service, margaritas were made well, mains were decent, disappointed the queso was basically cheese whiz
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 4
Service: 5
can’t say too much abt the food bcs i didn’t try a whole lot since it was a bit pricy.. but we got the 3 tacos for $17. u get to pick ur flavours for each individual taco so i chose the chicken tinga, the crispy fish, & baja shrimp. the baja shrimp was my fav out of three i tried, mainly bcs it’s the only one w different filling (jalapeño ranch slaw, pico de gallo, and chipotle sauce)- compared to all the other flavours that have cabbage, onion, cilantro, and jalapeño & personally i think that filling just tasted better. the chicken tinga id rank 2nd & crispy fish 3rd bcs it just tasted a little too oily and fried, it was a lot of batter. i think this would’ve been more worth it if we had made it in time for happy hour which i believe offers $3/taco, but we were an hour late so j missed it :’(
they gave us a basket of chips & salsa to share while we waited for our food to come out and that def made all of us immediately happy LOL we were munchin fr 😋 those chips were so addicting like they were just delectable, so tbh if i were to come next time id probably get their nachos or smth! aside from that, idt i’d come back unless it was during their happy hour.
the ambience in this place was great i love the dark vibe & the decor was so adorbs.
there’s parking right next to the restaurant so that’s nice fs if ur planning on driving but those spots do fill up fast since it’s shared between that whole street.
it’s a good spot to eat if u wanna just walk it off after, since it is on a busy street in kensington there’s plenty to do. we ate dinner here & then went right upstairs to hexagon cafe to get dessert hehe 🫶🏽
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 3
Service: 4
Blanco Cantina - First Visit Review
Blanco Cantina is a great spot for groups and social gatherings, with a lively atmosphere and loud music that keeps the energy up. However, if you’re looking for a quiet, relaxed dining experience, this might not be the best choice.
The food was solid overall. You start off with a complimentary chips and salsa basket. The beef burrito was really good—flavorful, filling, and big enough that we had to take some home. The fish and pork tacos had good flavor but were a little dry; they could use a bit more sauce to bring them to the next level. However, you have 3 hot sauces to choose from your little box on the table. The chips and dips appetizer were a nice pairing with our meal, a good choice to snack on alongside the mains. Drinks from the bar were well-crafted.
Service was friendly but could have been quicker. They were busy, but with so many servers.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 4
Service: 3
Recommended dishes: Classic Tacos Crispy Tilapia Mojo Pork Chicken Tinga, Fish Tacos
I asked the waitress if the dish I'd chosen wasn't spicy and she said no. In the end it was spicy and I didn't like it at all. If I had known I would have chosen another dish...
The link you sent below is not working 😡
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 3
Service: 1
To start I’ve been to blanco on a separate occasion then today and received extremely slow mediocre service but had a great server so let it slide. As of today, my family and I were sat in a corner and ignored by all staff. No one came to our table for 15 minutes. A table sat next to us and was immediately served. We ended up walking out and notified management of the poor service and just received an apology and no attempt to rectify the situation. Extremely disappointed and
Atmosphere: 2
Food: 2
Service: 1
Restaurantji Recommends
Food was great! Service was fast and freindly
I love Mexican food and this place is absolutely amazing!
We tried the quesadilla chicken and tacos and it was wow))
I remembered that I wanted to take a photo of the dishes, but it was too late ? (but it is there)
The food, drinks, atmosphere and service were all great!
Will I come here again? Definitely yes!
Thank you ??
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Walked in today to get some tacos and a couple of drinks, I was served by Kaylee, Kaylee was so personable and provided all the right recommendations. Food came out fast and tasted amazing, the server was quick to deliver our requests and make sure refills were taken care of. I will start making this place a staple in my week.
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Enchiladas
Happy hour is great, and the food, service, and atmosphere is top tier ?
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Great location, good quality of food and friendly service. The at the table guac is highly recommended.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 4
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Tableside Guacamole, Nachos, Classic Tacos Crispy Tilapia Mojo Pork Chicken Tinga, Guacamole
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