Cantina — Restaurant in Cincinnati

Update: WARNING / Beware: this restaurant group pays influencers to dine at their restaurants and promote them on social media without the required FTC advertising disclosures that those reviews are actually compensated, sponsored posts. That is a very shady practice, which completely changed my option of the Crown group. Other businesses do this responsibly by disclosing it, instead Crown pays influencers for promotion and DOESN'T disclose it. Great way to lose your customer's trust. (It makes you wonder what other shady things they're doing behind the scenes.)

The food is excellent and the ambiance is very nice.

But it's also extremely pricey, not necessarily overpriced for the quality which is excellent, just not an everyday value kind of place. [I did not know this was a Crown Restaurant place when I ate there, but my experience at their other places has been very similar, if you've been to any of them.]

To use Bakersfield as a point of reference: For example a taco that's $4 at Bakersfield is $6 at La Cantina. A cocktail that's ~$10 there is $14 here. Popular common mexican beers like Corona are $7. You get the idea. Overall, I'd say prices here are 30–40% higher on average for similar portion sizes.

My bill for one person with two drinks and an entree including tip was ~$80.

I'll definitely come back, but if you are just looking for nice tacos, you can save a ton of money and get equivalently good ones at Pata Roja, Bakersfield, or Mazunte.

5/5 on food 4/5 on drinks 2/5 on value 0/5 on ethics 1/5 overall...

#1. Make a reservation! #2. Run don't walk to La Cantina for a fantastic made from scratch meal by a fabulous well run kitchen. #3. Even if you're full from the amazing meal order the dessert! We were greeted by the friendly hostess Sarah, who sat us at a table across from the beautiful tequila bar. The kitchen is open and the food smells delicious. The restaurant décor is bright and light with crisp lines. They have an outdoor patio off the sidewalk next to a small parking lot. Our table was indoors which was fine. The inside holds about 40 people. It can get loud inside too. Our waitress, Marha, said she was new, but we could not tell. She was fantastic, plus was training a new employee herself. I have severe food allergies. I called ahead and researched to make sure I could dine here without any issue and I could! La Cantina is 100% Gluten Free! Marha spoke with the chef to double check on everything I ordered. They created a peanut free salsa for my tacos that was the perfect combination of spicy and sweet. The portions are large and shareable. The carnitas were surrounded by salsa, cilantro, pickled cauliflower and carrots, and they were delicious. Spices on point! We also ordered the Suadero taco and the Sweet Potato Taco. Both were delish!! Leftovers for breakfast the next day. My other half ordered a smoky HEROE VERDADERO. It's the Mezcal version of a negroni, and the smokiness from the mezcal made it truly unique. We ordered the Tres Leche's cake for dessert which just melted in our mouths! We cannot...

Update- a bit disappointed they dropped using the InKind app.

We’re thrilled to welcome Cantina to the Pendleton neighborhood in its beautiful new home…formerly Nation. Having moved from its downtown location, Cantina has already made an impressive entrance in just its second day open.

From the moment we walked in, the service was impeccable and the decor was beautiful. Modern, warm, and inviting. The space has been completely reimagined and sets the tone for what turned out to be a flawless dining experience.

We started with the Ceviche del Día. It was bright, extremely fresh, and layered with snapper, mahi, marisco, and salsa rojo, a fantastic, smoky sauce on the side. The Lamb Barbacoa and Baja Fish tacos followed, each offering bold, balanced flavors. For our main dish, the Snapper a la Talla was perfectly grilled and complemented by smoky, citrusy notes that hit all the right marks. We decided to add the charro beans (navy) and Mexican rice. Great sides. We ended the night with the Flan, silky and rich with just the right amount of caramel drizzle.

Every course was a hit.

Cantina is yet another fantastic addition from the Crown Restaurant Group. We’re excited to have them right here in the neighborhood and look forward to many...