Nueva Cantina - St. Pete — Restaurant in Saint Petersburg

The first time I went there it was for lunch and it was very good at least the cheese dip was great and the bartender was fantastic... And the sauces that they make are delicious. I had hoped that I found a good Mexican restaurant in St Petersburg Florida not just a standard run of the mill Mexican restaurant. I must admit I was excited when I finish my meal.

Two weeks later I took my wife there for lunch and it was not a very good experience at all. There were several hard to ignore issues.

The floors were theoretically recently mopped but unfortunately the tile floors were very slick with what felt like oil in fact another patron of the restaurant when they were trying to walk out commented how slippery the floors were.

I raved about the cheese dip but this time the cheese dip was horrendous. I asked for to have chorizo on top but unfortunately the cherries are that they put on top was seemingly burned and dry. Not to mention the cheese dip was not white but a yellow type of color as if it was several days old and they had been reheating it up in the warmer. I made a comment to the girl and she took it away and she brought back a small one to try again but it was still slightly yellow as well.

My wife loves street corn and it was absolutely the worst street corn either one of us had ever eaten. Basically what they did was boil the 🌽 corn until beyond done I imagine they had it in a warming system as well in water in fact it was quite heavy when you picked up the corn and then they grilled it slightly and put a terrible mayonnaise combination that was not even close to the standard street corn and then they use very little cotija cheese. My wife cannot eat it and I tried one bite in it did not taste good at all. What they should have done is is blanched the corn and then cooled it off with ice water and kept it in the refrigeration and then took it out and put it on the grill to chart and finish cooking. It definitely needs some help and it's hard to imagine that they're opening another restaurant closer to the beach.

The fajitas were also ordered and were decent the unfortunate thing is they came out super quick which obviously as I tasted the fajitas the vegetables were very smooshy and soft and the protein was precooked and then warmed up on the flat top. Not very good quality at all and quite honestly a let down.

Bathroom and outside were disgusting lots of trash everywhere. Grease on the floors... Outside areas at trash everywhere to be quite honest the place was disgusting. Yes the decor is nice but when you walk in there's a strange smell in general in the restaurant.... Imagine if it's dirty outside and the restroom how dirty and unsanitary is the kitchen!

I do my best not to give bad reviews but I hope that they learn from this review because there are lots of things that need to change in...

CINCO DE MAYO @ Nueva Cantina yesterday.... They were having a "Block party" in the parking lot with a live band outside beer & Margarita stations and a Food Truck serving $3.00 Tacos. We opted to sit inside in a comfortable booth during this very busy but well managed event by the Restaurant Staff (both front and back of the house). Our wait for a booth was minimal and our server Cheyanne phenomenal, even if she is a Canadian serving Mexican cuisine ;-). She was very attentive, friendly and outgoing - kudos to the management for landing this hire!

On to the Food.

Our Appetizer "Nueva Sampler" $10.95 Chips, Guacamole, Queso & Fresh Salsa was perfect.

My dining partner selected the Seafood Enchiladas (2) $15.95 Flour Tortillas filled with shrimp,scallops,pescado (fish), Mexican cheese & mushrooms. Topped with Sherry Cream Sauce and with Rice and Beans although Janie substituted a lettuce and tomato salad that was handled on the fly (not on menu) by the staff at her request. I was lucky enough to share a bite of the Seafood enchiladas and it really was a heavenly flavor. My bite had flaky white fish filet within and the Sherry Cream sauce was perfection... I really did ooh and ahh....

I selected the "Raging Queso Burrito" $12.95 Grilled steak with sauteed bell peppers, onions, mushrooms, roasted corn & Topped with queso, picao de gallo and Mexican Cheese. Accompanied by Rice and Beans. The steak in this burrito had a flavorful char on every bite and the roasted fresh corn kernels were a highlight for me. A Very satisfying meal with the $1.00 upcharge Charro Beans (pinto beans, smoked ham & onions) that were awesome as well.

The atmosphere inside is very authentic feeling and I was impressed with both the owner and the entire staff who were all working well together to handle this event with efficiency and care. There was not a single staff member not on the move to handle one thing or another and our server Cheyanne touched our table on numerous occasions handling every request with a huge smile and great demeanor.

We each chose to have the house special Margaritas $6 and they were awesome, later we opted for an entire pitcher $20 to finish the party with when we moved to the outside bar to enjoy the band.

Overall a great first experience for each of us.... Best Mexican Cuisine I have had in several...

My wife, grandson and I visited Nueva Cantina after a visit to All Children's Hospital. The outside was not unattractive, however it gave you that impression of being a bit "sketchy". I believe this was mostly due to the fact that you could see the alleyway where employees smoked cigarettes at the back of the building (I suggest they put up a blind) and the fact that thier outside area chairs and tables were stacked and put away giving the impression of being closed. The inside decorations were unique and lively, though you could tell it was an older building. A friendly hostess sat us at the King's Table, a raised seating area towards the back of the main eatery with a King of ♦️ (?) Card painting decorating the wall. We were attended quickly by a friendly waiter and ordered negra Modelo beer for myself and sangria for my wife. Unfortunately they did not have apple juice for the grandson. They did however have a kids menu. We ordered the Nueva sampler appetizer which has guacamole, queso and salsa. The chips seemed fresh and were tasty. All three dips were also tasty with a bit of spice. We ordered the grandson the cheese quesadillas with tater tots, my wife ordered the mojo pork tacos with refried beans and rice and I ordered the Birria tacos with Charro beans and rice. The taco meals were very tasty with a bit of heat and spice. The mojo tacos came with pickled onions which lent a pleasant taste and crunch. The Birria tacos had short rib meat and were pan fried with a side of Chipotle seasoned short rib au jus. Very very good, it was like a Mexican "French dip". The Charro beans had bits of meat, so was worth the added expense to me. The atmosphere was relaxed and comfortable. Rather than the traditional Hispanic music they played contemporary rock and pop. I can't speak for the female bathroom, but I took the grandson to the restroom before we left and was pleasantly surprised that it was well kept and clean. I judge most restaurants by how they maintain their bathroom. The four-star rating should not reflect badly upon Nueva Cantina as I rarely give a five-star - perfect rating. I highly recommend Nueva Cantina if you're in St Pete and looking for good Mexican fare. I apologize that I did not get pictures of the food or of the...