Cantina Taqueria & Tequila Bar — Restaurant in New York

I ate here 3 times and meant to leave a review. I had a difficult time finding this place on Google tonight because I wanted to try them on the take out side, but they are closed, Monday.

I am very surprised to find this restaurant rated below 4 stars - like 3.8 or something. They do attract a young crowd so it could be that those novice millennial pallets have no idea what good food or fresh ingredients taste like - and as a consequence, are leaving behind undeserved poor ratings. What a shame. McDonald's anyone?

Here's the truth: The grilled fish tacos are amazing and so friggin' tasty. I usually prefer fried fish tacos, which I tried here as well, and they were also good. But the grilled fish tacos have now moved up the chow line to my favorite - or at least when I come here. They are using a real grill, which is becoming so rare with these cheap restaurant owners who fail us miserably by not investing in a traditional restaurant grill that can give us that authentic, banging charcoal flavor. Go Cantina!

The fried sweet plantains were incredibly well made and properly aged each time I ate here. I am saying, this restaurant does the banana right. The plantains are aged, sweet, no hard spots, and fried well done where they come out with that delicious sticky, black crispy crunch along the edges. Just delicious and very hot - cooked to order I believe.

I didn't drink alcohol but my friend did and said his margarita was okay. He may have complained about it not being strong enough - but I can't review it since we have different preferences and I did't drink while there. The alcohol levels may have been just fine for me.

The avocado salsa with tortilla chips came out fresh, chilled, chunky, organic and delicious. I am a real foodie so I was happy to learn this restaurant is not cutting corners where the guac is concerned. Lately, I've been running into some liquified Guacamole around these parts.

I won't turn your stomach and tell you why that is happening but I do suggest you Google "liquid or runny Guacamole" so you can learn that this is an actual thing in a few Mexican restaurants. Some owners or chefs are now trying to cut corners. They'll have you pay for Guac (avocados) but are really selling you an imitation version made from another Mexican product. I learned about this recently.

Cantina Taqueria gives us the real deal served up in a heavy traditional Mexican pilon dish. It was really, really delicious.

Every time I came through the food was delicious & satisfying - living up to my very high standards & expectations for food - so I give them an A+ for cook & consistency, which is so important for rating restaurants.

I feel secure that any time I drop in I'll get what I'm craving - the same way every time! Keep up the good work.

Vibe: Now if you're on a first date, just know it's loud inside, very loud and alive so you won't be able to engage in meaningful conversation unless you're willing to yell over the music and energetic voices - possibly spitting in your date's face.

But maybe you can text one another?

This might be a good place to bring a date if you just want to be around the person without blabbing off at the mouth too much. Ha ha. Enjoy!

My waitresses have always been kind, positive and respectful - zero...

Waited well over 30 minutes to get seated because the hostess and owner only had one table booth for four. But to give context, the table for four was in reality two tables for two placed together and the bar was full. Along with my friend, three other groups of two came in and we were all told to wait. After 44 minutes a group of three walked in straight to the booth and sat down with no issues, no obstacles. We left hungry and annoyed because we could've at least have eaten. The last time I was here the food was cold and honestly, you shouldn't have people waiting over an hour when you have unreserved seating hoping that a group of four will show up. That's like refusing to sell a customer a used phone hoping someone will be buying an iPhone later. Rude and discourteous.

EDIT: In response to the restaurant's account reply below me. I've been to your restaurant three times, my companion much more often. I'm not mistaken. And not once have you ever used a pager system. I'll take a video/photo next time to prove that.

And if the person that one of your servers went to, who denied us seating, and had us wait for a long time just because he wanted to keep an unreserved table open for a larger crowd, was not an owner or a host then you have a very significant and different problem to address.

I was able to play air hockey with my friend on my phone, win twice, lose three times, read a chapter, watch a YouTube vid, talk to the other couples you made wait. Search for a different place to eat, and write the review above.

So instead of trying to avoid being accountable for poor pre-service treatment, learn from your mistakes and apply better...

I came here after hearing good reviews and thought it would be a nice place to celebrate with my girlfriends on being hired at new jobs and other career opportunities. To start, we were disappointed that they did not have nachos as an appetizer. Instead we ordered a small guacamole and chips for the table. They brought the smallest size guac we have ever seen. We barely could split it.

We each chose different variations of 3 tacos and a side. We each felt that there were some good, like the chili-lime chicken taco, and others that they definitely need to work on. Out of the 3 tacos from my order, I would say that the brisket one was the best. The crab and shrimp one was just mediocre at best and definitely not worth the additional charge to the order because it has seafood in it. One of my girlfriends ordered the corn on the cob as a side but barely touched it due to it leaving a nasty after taste. One girlfriend also ordered steak quesadilla. She said that this dish was the one redeeming quality of her entire order. We thought it was strange that sour cream was not included with the meals, so we asked the waiter for it. After reviewing our bill, we saw that we were charged 50¢ for 1 small container of sour cream. We have been to several restaurants over the years and this is the first time we've ever experienced being charged for a condiment​.

While the food was ok, I will say that I've had better. Like another reviewer said, the only factor in this place staying open is because the restaurant is located in a high traffic area. After spending close to $120.00 for average food, I do not plan on visiting this...