This was, without exaggeration, the worst service I have ever experienced in a restaurant.
My husband and I went to Cantin with three friends who are visiting us from Colombia. We arrived in a good mood, simply hoping to enjoy dinner together. When we approached the host stand, we politely asked the young male host if he could please put us on the list for a table for five.
From that moment, the experience went completely downhill.
The host never asked for our names, never gave us an estimated wait time, and instead started openly mocking us. He walked over to one of his coworkers, pointed at us, said something, and they both laughed while looking in our direction. Then he repeated the same behavior with another coworker at the bar—again pointing at us, saying something, and laughing.
We were just standing there, waiting for our table, while being made fun of in front of the staff.
After watching this happen more than once, I decided to confront him calmly and asked, “Hey, is there a problem with our table or with us?” He brushed it off with a fake apology and an excuse about having a long day, but he kept smirking and laughing in my face. I told him directly that it was very uncomfortable to be treated like that when all we wanted was to have dinner there. Instead of stopping, his attitude stayed disrespectful and dismissive.
A woman with glasses (who seemed to be a supervisor or manager) came over and asked what was going on. I explained the situation in detail, expecting that she would apologize and try to fix it. Instead, she justified his behavior by saying he was “young” and “new,” as if that excused mocking customers and pointing at them in front of other staff.
In the end, they never seated us, never offered a genuine apology, and the solution was basically to let us leave without being served. We were effectively pushed out of the restaurant instead of being treated like paying guests.
I don’t know if what we experienced was discrimination, a lack of respect for Latino customers, or just incredibly unprofessional staff, which is especially ironic in a restaurant that serves Mexican-inspired food. Whatever the reason, we were humiliated in front of our friends who are visiting from another country, and we left feeling upset and unwelcome.
I would never recommend this place to anyone. Terrible service, rude staff, zero accountability. One star only because there isn’t an option for zero.
Atmosphere: 1
Food: 1
Service: 1
Krista
The food and atmosphere were great. But our experience was really impacted by the reservation “time limit”. I get you don’t want people to camp but a few minutes over an hour and we were given our check? Our server begrudgingly let us get a second margarita but I would much rather get the same tacos at a nearby spot that doesn’t rush you out the door.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 4
Service: 3
Kelly Sue
with a capacity of 55 heads, you know this place is popping. delicious, quick, and cozy. I didn't catch the bartenders name, as they were busy running around but he was kind and courteous, took great care of me, made me a delicious agua fresca and accommodated my requests with a smile. a gem! grateful to find this spot on my day in Madison for the Yahara Coven paddle - will absolutely return!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 4
Barrie Dnistrian
We had an 8 pm reservation and were still seated at a high top by the door. The host was rude when we asked to sit at a table further in. Tables remained empty despite his telling us we couldn’t sit until 10 pm.
Atmosphere: 2
Food: 4
Service: 2
HaikuReview
Plain but pretty good
Modified taco salad
Have snacks and entrees
ariadnabuj
I've always liked Canteen because it offers a modest but enjoyable experience. The tacos are good, and I haven't tried them, but my friends think their margaritas are excellent, too. The best thing about Canteen is their happy hour policy.
Lola
Delicious brisket , strawberry margaritas was excellent.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Jamie Puche
The place is nice and the service is good. We ordered nachos, tacos and some drinks and we were really disappointed, the fish tacos were super spicy which made the other flavors not noticeable, the nachos tasteless. Price quality -1
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 2
Service: 4
Rick Komas (TinyStudio)
A few choices nearby and I chose this for the ambiance, decor, and diverse Mexican fare. Wow! Glad I did. Cool staff, great food, and one of the largest Tequila selections I've seen in awhile. Nicollet makes an incredible Virgin Margarita.
Some of the best Mexican food in Madison. Try their spicy marg!!!
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Churros with Chocolate Sauce Vegetarian, Salsa, Tres Salsas & Chips, Griddled Burrito, Chips, Classic Burrito
Brandon LeBlanc
Really wanted to like this place, but it was terrible from start to finish. First I sit down at the bar, nobody comes to give me menus/water/acknowledge me for 15min. It wasn’t busy, the servers were too busy having a full conversation and gossiping.
When the finally do get around to getting my order, I order a beer and tacos. I get back a half full glass of beer, never seen that before. Couldn’t even fill the cup up properly!
A half hour later the tacos came out absolutely sopping wet in oil. They were soaked, again never seen that before. My fingers were completely wet from all the oil. The inside was somehow burned and inedible. The entire plate was so soaked in oil it looked more like a soup than tacos.
I ca count on one hand the amount of times I’ve had to send a dish back. So I sent it back, another half hour passes. I ordered a simple burrito so surely they couldn’t mess that up? Wrong again, at least it was edible but it had no seasoning, the meat was overcooked and tough.
Bottom of the barrel experience. Wish I could have the nearly 2 hours and $40 I spent on that mockery of Mexican cuisine.
Atmosphere: 1
Food: 1
Service: 1
Katrina Harms
Their food is so amazing, however, EVERY TIME (4 times now?) I have ordered their incredible taco salad, they have forgotten the chicken. I should just stop ordering it, it’s not even funny anymore. I would give ANYTHING FOR THEM TO SIMPLY TELL THE PREPPERS TO CHECK THE BAG. It’s seriously THAT good.
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 5
Service: 2
Tod Priest
Amazing food and specialty margaritas. Outside seating.
This was, without exaggeration, the worst service I have ever experienced in a restaurant.
My husband and I went to Cantin with three friends who are visiting us from Colombia. We arrived in a good mood, simply hoping to enjoy dinner together. When we approached the host stand, we politely asked the young male host if he could please put us on the list for a table for five.
From that moment, the experience went completely downhill.
The host never asked for our names, never gave us an estimated wait time, and instead started openly mocking us. He walked over to one of his coworkers, pointed at us, said something, and they both laughed while looking in our direction. Then he repeated the same behavior with another coworker at the bar—again pointing at us, saying something, and laughing.
We were just standing there, waiting for our table, while being made fun of in front of the staff.
After watching this happen more than once, I decided to confront him calmly and asked, “Hey, is there a problem with our table or with us?” He brushed it off with a fake apology and an excuse about having a long day, but he kept smirking and laughing in my face. I told him directly that it was very uncomfortable to be treated like that when all we wanted was to have dinner there. Instead of stopping, his attitude stayed disrespectful and dismissive.
A woman with glasses (who seemed to be a supervisor or manager) came over and asked what was going on. I explained the situation in detail, expecting that she would apologize and try to fix it. Instead, she justified his behavior by saying he was “young” and “new,” as if that excused mocking customers and pointing at them in front of other staff.
In the end, they never seated us, never offered a genuine apology, and the solution was basically to let us leave without being served. We were effectively pushed out of the restaurant instead of being treated like paying guests.
I don’t know if what we experienced was discrimination, a lack of respect for Latino customers, or just incredibly unprofessional staff, which is especially ironic in a restaurant that serves Mexican-inspired food. Whatever the reason, we were humiliated in front of our friends who are visiting from another country, and we left feeling upset and unwelcome.
I would never recommend this place to anyone. Terrible service, rude staff, zero accountability.
One star only because there isn’t an option for zero.
Atmosphere: 1
Food: 1
Service: 1
The food and atmosphere were great. But our experience was really impacted by the reservation “time limit”. I get you don’t want people to camp but a few minutes over an hour and we were given our check? Our server begrudgingly let us get a second margarita but I would much rather get the same tacos at a nearby spot that doesn’t rush you out the door.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 4
Service: 3
with a capacity of 55 heads, you know this place is popping. delicious, quick, and cozy. I didn't catch the bartenders name, as they were busy running around but he was kind and courteous, took great care of me, made me a delicious agua fresca and accommodated my requests with a smile. a gem! grateful to find this spot on my day in Madison for the Yahara Coven paddle - will absolutely return!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 4
We had an 8 pm reservation and were still seated at a high top by the door. The host was rude when we asked to sit at a table further in. Tables remained empty despite his telling us we couldn’t sit until 10 pm.
Atmosphere: 2
Food: 4
Service: 2
Plain but pretty good Modified taco salad Have snacks and entrees
I've always liked Canteen because it offers a modest but enjoyable experience. The tacos are good, and I haven't tried them, but my friends think their margaritas are excellent, too. The best thing about Canteen is their happy hour policy.
Delicious brisket , strawberry margaritas was excellent.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
The place is nice and the service is good.
We ordered nachos, tacos and some drinks and we were really disappointed, the fish tacos were super spicy which made the other flavors not noticeable, the nachos tasteless. Price quality -1
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 2
Service: 4
A few choices nearby and I chose this for the ambiance, decor, and diverse Mexican fare. Wow! Glad I did.
Cool staff, great food, and one of the largest Tequila selections I've seen in awhile. Nicollet makes an incredible Virgin Margarita.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Refried Beans, Salsa, Sauce, Chips
I got food from Door Dash. AMAZING FOOD!!!!!!! ❤️
Food: 5
Restaurantji Recommends
Great food, great service and amazing Drinks! 10/10
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Chips, Carnitas, Pork Belly Tacos
Some of the best Mexican food in Madison. Try their spicy marg!!!
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Churros with Chocolate Sauce Vegetarian, Salsa, Tres Salsas & Chips, Griddled Burrito, Chips, Classic Burrito
Really wanted to like this place, but it was terrible from start to finish. First I sit down at the bar, nobody comes to give me menus/water/acknowledge me for 15min. It wasn’t busy, the servers were too busy having a full conversation and gossiping.
When the finally do get around to getting my order, I order a beer and tacos. I get back a half full glass of beer, never seen that before. Couldn’t even fill the cup up properly!
A half hour later the tacos came out absolutely sopping wet in oil. They were soaked, again never seen that before. My fingers were completely wet from all the oil. The inside was somehow burned and inedible. The entire plate was so soaked in oil it looked more like a soup than tacos.
I ca count on one hand the amount of times I’ve had to send a dish back. So I sent it back, another half hour passes. I ordered a simple burrito so surely they couldn’t mess that up? Wrong again, at least it was edible but it had no seasoning, the meat was overcooked and tough.
Bottom of the barrel experience. Wish I could have the nearly 2 hours and $40 I spent on that mockery of Mexican cuisine.
Atmosphere: 1
Food: 1
Service: 1
Their food is so amazing, however, EVERY TIME (4 times now?) I have ordered their incredible taco salad, they have forgotten the chicken. I should just stop ordering it, it’s not even funny anymore. I would give ANYTHING FOR THEM TO SIMPLY TELL THE PREPPERS TO CHECK THE BAG. It’s seriously THAT good.
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 5
Service: 2
Amazing food and specialty margaritas. Outside seating.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Pork Belly Tacos
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