CANTINA IMPERFECTO — Restaurant in Myrtle Beach

New “upscale” Mexican restaurant and bar in Myrtle Beach. Decor, lights, tables, chairs, etc…very nicely done. Feels and looks high end. The restaurant us small and has an indoor space and an “outdoor “ space. I say that because Im not sure it’s truly outdoors but rather a separate space through a set of doors. There is a bar in both spaces as well as tables for dining. We sat indoors. Ir was extremely loud. There’s no sound proofing. It was almost impossible to hear our servers or each other. I was anticipating a cocktail menu offering a number of custom and creative margaritas but that wasn’t the case. Yes, they have margs but nothing unusual and unfortunately nothing that grabbed my attention. Instead I went with a Paloma. It was good but nothing more than a Paloma elsewhere aside from it being served with a floating flower in the glass. Someone in our group got a mango marg and it was delicious. On the rocks, not frozen. She liked it so much she ordered 2! I will say the drinks were appealing to the eye and served in attractive glassware. As for the food menu, it too has some classics but not as many as you might expect at a Mexican restaurant. Tacos, fajitas, burritos, chimichangas and quesadillas. Sides for most dishes need to be ordered separately. There were about 10 specialties on the menu ranging from steak to salmon, octopus, and pasta. Complimentary chips and salsa is servers and both were good. The chips were large, fresh, and just the right amount of salt. The salsa was also good. We ordered table side guacamole. Somewhat disappointing. We asked for it hot with jalapeños. It wasn’t hot at all. It was served with red diced peppers on the side, not mixed in. Not sure why. It lacked flavor and need more salt (which we added) and more lime juice. The food was good; fresh and quality meats. The food was flavorful. Unfortunately we all weren’t served at the same time which was awkward so some in the party ate while tighter waited and watched us eat. And when those waiting for food were finally served it was the wrong order. The restaurant is new so perhaps they are still on a learning curve. We also order sweet plantains...

Blown away formal yet welcoming

We had the service and quality of formal dining experience yet the welcoming vibe of eating with family.

We have a toddler who is very active and did not want to sit still. Naturally as a new parent you are concerned for the experience this has on the other patrons dining in the restaurant. We originally thought “oh no this place is too fancy to have a ticking time bomb of energy”. The hostess new us by name as we entered I guess we were the only party to have a kid with us. The server came over and took our drink order and our child’s food . The owner came to introduce himself and welcome us in, (all the staff mentioned were all delighted to see our son with us.). I offered to has us seated in the corner or outside to not bother the other guests. He reassured us not to worry about it, and that we should enjoy ourselves. Keeping in mind at this point our son is trying to cannonball from his booster seat to my lap to be proceeded by spinning around in mach 3 circles to then stumble left and right to only do it again. I looked up at the other patrons worried that this was taking away from their dinner. At this point o decided to take my son outside to run around and get out some energy. There was a nice gentleman seated near us who went to his car and grabbed a stuffed GOAT, which had a sweet poem telling a story about how kids are the greatest of all time. Given that last little bit is not Resturant related other than the quality customers it attracts.

So the nitty gritty of the meal what most people are here for.

Ordered a “house margarita” was good and just teetering over on the strong side which was welcomed with open arms by me.

The food was promptly brought to the table it was great my wife ordered the lamb I have the steak frites all very tasty to close out with crème brûlée.

I cannot thank the staff all enough on how they made our night out with a child one to remember and have truly set the bench...

Are We Going to the Same Restaurant???

I tried Cantina Imperfecto for lunch a few months back and was underwhelmed. Lately, I’d been hearing lots of glowing comments about their dinner service, so I decided to give it another shot. Unfortunately, I left with the same impression.

The restaurant is located in a strip mall near the hospital — convenient, with plenty of parking. We arrived around 5:30 and were seated immediately. The interior is stylish and well-decorated, but the noise level was intense. It was hard to hear each other across the table, which made conversation frustrating.

We were served tortilla chips and salsa to start — a generous portion, but both were forgettable. Not bad, just bland. Honestly, they tasted store-bought.

We sipped on skinny margaritas while browsing the menu. Be careful — they’re very strong! Not a complaint, just a heads-up.

For appetizers, we went with the table-side guacamole and the chicken empanadas. The guac was fresh and vibrant but lacked seasoning — it felt unfinished. The empanadas were tiny, and the dough reminded me more of puff pastry than traditional empanada crust. The chicken filling was moist, but again — lacking punch.

For our main course, we both ordered the quesabirria tacos and were equally disappointed. The beef was bland, and the dipping broth was thin and completely flavorless. It's a dish that usually delivers bold, rich flavors, but this version missed the mark entirely.

The highlight of our visit was definitely the service. Our server was fantastic — warm, attentive, friendly, and smiling the entire time. He really stood out and made the experience much better than it might have been otherwise.

I had high hopes based on recent reviews, but sadly, Cantina Imperfecto didn’t live up to the hype for me. Overall, the food wasn’t terrible, just dull and forgettable. It feels like the kitchen is playing it safe and needs to turn up the flavor...