El Cabrón Cantina — Restaurant in Hamilton

I want to support Sarah Theaker’s review and share that I had a similarly concerning experience at this restaurant.

First, I’ll start with the positives: the food tasted great, and the quality of ingredients seemed fresh. However, the portion sizes were on the smaller side for the price, and the overall atmosphere felt awkward — the space is tight, and it almost felt like the staff were watching us throughout the entire meal, which made for an uncomfortable dining experience.

More importantly, I was there during the same visit as Sarah, and I witnessed the interaction with the server. She clearly asked whether the battered fish tacos were gluten-free and confirmed it with the staff before ordering. It wasn’t just a vague dietary preference — she made a point to clarify her needs. The menu also showed the “GF” (gluten-free) symbol beside both the pan-seared and battered taco options, which is incredibly misleading. If only one version is gluten-free, it’s dangerous and irresponsible to label both that way. The error wasn’t hers — it was a breakdown in training and labeling that could seriously affect someone’s health.

It’s incredibly frustrating to see the response from management trying to shift blame by saying she “didn’t explicitly mention an allergy.” When your menu already labels an item as gluten-free, that’s a representation of safety and accuracy, and customers should be able to trust that. Especially when staff confirm it.

For someone with celiac disease, ingesting gluten isn’t a minor inconvenience — it’s a medical condition that can cause intense symptoms for days or even months. Dismissing this as a misunderstanding minimizes the severity of what happened.

I hope the restaurant reflects seriously on this issue, retrains their staff, and corrects their menu to avoid putting other people in harm’s way. Sarah was not overreacting — she was holding the restaurant accountable for a real...

My wife and I tried El Cabrón Cantina today on a whim and we were thoroughly impressed! It's a smaller restaurant inside, with 4 tables for 4, but it doesn't feel cramped. The vibe is fantastic. The staff is great, super friendly, welcoming and were very helpful suggesting what they enjoyed from the menu, as well as what's popular with other diners.

The food was spectacular. I love shrimp tacos, so I had to try theirs, my wife got the Tinga Chicken tacos, and we ordered their chips and guac. The shrimp tacos were spectacular, the batter was nice and crunchy (you can also get the shrimp pan seared if you'd prefer) and toppings pulled it all together beautifully. They were the best I've had. My wife really enjoyed her Tinga tacos, though she found them a bit spicier than she was expecting. (That's totally due to her personal spice tolerance though, and not a fault of El Cabróns). Overall the flavours for both orders were absolutely spot on, and no one thing overpowered the rest.

The portions were quite good, with very nicely sized tacos. A standard order comes with 3, but you can add a 4th for an extra charge. As a guy with the physique of someone who LOVES food, I left feeling satisfied, without feeling stuffed, having had 4 (my wife let me have her 3rd).

The chips and guac were also great, with the chips being made to order and not just a bag of Tostitos.

Pricing is quite good too, as my wife and I spent around what we usually do for dinner for 2, and definitely got our money's worth.

Definitely go check them out if you're looking for fantastic...

LEGIT … we enjoyed our visit today SO much that the food kept getting snatched up before I could take pics!!! The first pic should have been beef empanadas but NOPE! Snatched and gobbled! A truly enjoyable restaurant visit from start to finish. Family owned, we spent time speaking to the owner, whose sister runs a twin establishment in Milton. Amazing food, excellent service and experience, reasonably priced as we all walked away with satisfied tummies. Pictured — Shucos (latin hotdog), chicken flautas, quesaburrias, shrimp taco (gluten friendly option with no breading on beautifully seasoned shrimp) and tres leches cake that the owners daughter is tasked with making 3x per week and they run out frequently. They have a few tables to sit with beautiful and quaint decor and are waiting on their liquor license that will offer beer, wine and spirits not readily available here. They are happy to explain the food and suggest meal choices. With the growing food scene on Concession Avenue on the Hamilton Mountain Brow (my lifelong and beloved stomping grounds) @elcabroncantinahamilton is a mere few blocks away on Crockett street. Get your ass in here and get your...