Cantina Taqueria & Tequila Bar

Me and my daughter were looking for Mexican food and this was the closet place around. The waitress was fast and friendly but the food and drinks were so bad we didn't order anything else. We had the crab and shrimp tacos. They were so bland, there was no tomatillo sauce to add and the only flavor came from whatever orange sauce they drizzle on top. The salsa for the chips were awful. It was like they just serve tomato sauce and chips, There was not a single oñion in there and no type of spice to give it that authentic salsa kick, then they served it in plastic to go cups. We also had the mango jerk wings but there was no jerk or mango on them, just regular wings with really bad bbq sauce. And let me not talk about the margarita, just awful. It was hot there was no ice in my drink, and being that I am an experienced bartender, I immediately knew that it was made with simple syrup and sour mix. Not agave as their menu states, I took 3 sips and was done. A real bartender knows what fresh limes and agave do for a margarita. I will definitely not be coming back here. This is clearly not authentic Mexican food.

Atmosphere: 2

Food: 1

Service: 4

While I acknowledge that there was an event, Mixxy Sundays, the location was very crowded and made it difficult to either stand at the bar or have a meal seated. Not ideal for hosting huge crowds as it makes the experience difficult to enjoy.

Atmosphere: 3

Service: 3

Disappointing Experience at Cantina on Lenox

I visited Cantina on Lenox expecting a good vibe, but unfortunately, my experience didn’t live up to that expectation. I ordered a Hennessy Colada and loaded nachos. The nachos were okay but not the best, and the drink tasted like it had no liquor at all—just a sugary mix.

When I mentioned this to my waitress, Paige, she was very argumentative instead of explaining the situation. I told her I couldn’t taste any liquor in my drink, but she just kept insisting it was there. For a drink that costs almost $20, I expect to taste the Hennessy. Since I wasn’t satisfied, I told her I didn’t want it anymore and I didn’t even take another sip. However, when I received my bill, the drink was still included when it should have been comped.

On top of that, the bill didn’t make any kind of sense at all. The calculation was totally wrong, and when I pointed it out, Paige just blamed the computer instead of offering a real explanation. It honestly felt like someone was manipulating the register to add extra charges. To make matters worse, an 18% gratuity was added without any prior mention. Even then, the math was off—the gratuity amount didn’t align with the subtotal.

Overall, between the overpriced drink, questionable billing, and Paige’s unprofessional attitude, I wouldn’t rush back. This place had the potential to be great, but my experience left me disappointed.
I highly suggest people pay attention to their bill because PAIGE is adding extra money with her bad service ‼️ Trust me it’s not about the price. It’s about the principal. She’s a scammer.

Been coming here for a while and the food is always great just like the service. Except for the Sunday night (January 12th). To begin with our server seemed annoyed taking the order. While she was taking the order she said she would come with waters. Never happened. Even though all the other tables had water. After we got our food my wife asked for a side a guac. Gave the server like good 10 minutes, the guac never came. The I asked for guac again plus for a refill of my drink which we once again never got. Our server was either on her phone and talking to her co workers or doing anything else other than paying any attention to our table. We had to go ask for the bill ourselves and had to also get up and take our card to the person sitting in the front cause our server just ignored our table. On top of that they couldn’t find my card so we had to wait extra for everyone to look for it so that just shows even more how negligent our server was towards us and at some point it started feeling like all the bad service was on purpose which I don’t know why cause we were very nice and polite from the moment we walked in. Sucks that they also charge an automatic tip because the service we got was not worth the money we paid.

Food: 5

Service: 1

Best taco happy hour (or sit down dinner for that matter) in the area. Be sure to grab one of the brisket tacos. Playlist is a vibe.

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 4

Service: 4

I'm baffled as to why I keep returning to this establishment. The service is consistently subpar. The staff seems inattentive, and the included gratuity appears to have no impact on their demeanor. They seem indifferent to customers' needs and comfort. Unfortunately, I've had one too many lackluster experiences here.

A pretty good happy hour spot. Jazz was nice & took good care of my friends and I. The drinks are more on the sweet side, but the rum punch was pretty good.

Atmosphere: 4

Food: 3

Service: 5

Recommended dishes: Modelo Battered Fish Taco

The food and drinks are good but there is always a loud group of men at the bar screaming at the top of their lungs every time we go. We asked to be placed outside and when we were waiting for the bill one on the waitresses or managers must of told the group of men we requested to change our seats because one of them approached me and my girlfriend outside. The waitresses always taking long and are on their phones while we wait, but the fact that you would kick these men out and blame me and girlfriend is a problem and safety concern. They don't have security during the happy hours so the people there act up. That is and was the last time I or any of people will spend a dollar there, and its sad cause the tacos were actually really good!!!

Atmosphere: 1

Food: 3

Service: 1

My group of 5 was enjoying the happy hour tacos and drinks when the waitress presented our bill and told us our 90 minutes were up. WTH??!! The owner then repeated the time-limit despite the fact there were empty tables, no line outside and we had spent $160 in that time. We left and continued our good time at Corner Social. I will never return to Cantina again.

Atmosphere: 1

Food: 3

Service: 1

🎈Decent Spot, but Some Boundaries Need Respecting 🎈

I’ve been coming to Cantina’s Taqueria & Tequila Bar for years, and while I still frequent the place, a recent experience left me feeling uneasy. During a personal meeting there, one of the waitresses, who I had been introduced to before, texted a friend to let them know I was there with a lady friend.

That definitely felt like an overstep and an overreach of her role, and it turned me off from the experience. It’s one thing to enjoy a place for its food and drinks, but it’s another to have staff cross personal boundaries.

That aside, the food is generally good, with strong flavors in the tacos (especially the carnitas), and the drinks are pretty strong. It’s also a popular spot with a great atmosphere in a central location, which keeps me coming back. However, you might want to be mindful of who you walk in the door with, as some staff may be a little too involved in your business.

Overall, Cantina’s has a lot going for it, but I’d give it three stars for now due to that incident and some of the slower service. Hopefully, that was a one-off, but it’s something to keep in mind.

Parking: Take the 2/3 train to 125 leaves you a block away

Wheelchair accessibility: Yes

Atmosphere: 3

Food: 4

Service: 3

Recommended dishes: Mango

The place wasn't so nice and clean(found a roach) and the service so bad. I had to go to the front and ask for the check. They already add the tip without asking.

Food was bad. Steak bowl was just awful. Not inedible but not good. Mango margarita tasted NOTHING like mango and more like vomit. Place looked like a dive bar.

Atmosphere: 3

Food: 1

Service: 4

They include a tip because the service is bad. You have to wait 5 minutes sitting for your
menu and it wasn't busy, the girl who served me took my order and disappeared. I wanted to order some chips but I couldn't stand up to look for the waitress. The tables do not have salt, pepper and the tacos do not come with any spicy sauce to accompany them. but the beers were pretty good.

Food: 2

Amazing customer service and great live performance

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 4

Service: 5

Went for happy hour on Monday. Had the 3 tacos then ordered 2 more jerky chicken tacos with the passion fruit margarita.

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

Recommended dishes: Fish Tacos, Jerk Chicken, 3 Tacos, Shrimp Tacos