El Cantinero

Doesn't Recommend

Chris4533

Joined 2 years ago

El Cantinero. It is absolutely THE worst Mexican food in new york city - and they couldn't care less.

Recommends

cinderelochka

Joined 4 years ago

Love this place! New Favorite!. This place is wonderful! I live in North Brooklyn, and its a straight shot to get here. The service is great. your chips and salsa are never empty, and the food is even better. I suggest this place to anyone who wants realllyyy good mexican food!

Recommends

Maddiesmom

Joined 6 years ago

love this place!. I went here last night with my sister and friend, and we had a great time. The Sangria was juicy and delicious, and they had an all you can eat menu for monday night $10.95! It is so cheap and a really nice setting. Wait staff is accomodating. I had enchiladas suiza, my sister had fajitas, and my friend had a veggie burrito. We were all really happy. They have outdoor rooftop seating! do not miss out!

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gripdxd

Joined 11 years ago

Mixed Crowd & Cheap Drinks. This place draws a mixed crowd for happy hour and it gets PACKED! Drinks are cheap and the bartenders work fast. The music is also a mix of dance, pop & latin. If you are dining, you need to get there super early. It's a small place and it looks grimy, good thing it's dark inside. If you're in the area and need to get a cheap drink on check it out.

Recommends

labk1

Joined 5 years ago

Love this place!. I've been coming here for about 2 years, and it's the best deal for Mexican I've found so far. The pitchers of margaritas for $30 are awesome, even though they charge more for frozen, which is slightly odd. During happy hour, there's free food and a fun atmosphere in their bar area- when it's warm out, the back garden is really pretty if you can get a table there. Good food, good drinks, awesome place.

Doesn't Recommend

canera22

Joined 6 years ago

NIGHTMARE ON 12TH STREET. We went to this Mexican restaurant on my birthday, which happened to be on a Friday. First of all, we were told the wait would be 30 - 35 minutes. NOT! We wound up waiting 2 hours for seating in the garden. Who asked for the garden anyway? NOT US! Let me add that we were told that the garden was well covered and heated. WE FROZE as soon as we sat down. If they call a canopy well covered who are they kidding? Then in order to change our seats we had to wait another hour. Finally, the shrimp and avocado salad had no seasoning, at all. The frozen raspberry margarita was brown, and the steak sizzler platter had more onions than steak. If you are reading this review, GO SOMEWHERE ELSE!

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Contributor

Joined 10 years ago

Editorial Review by Marcella Veneziale. This festively-decorated Mexican restaurant caters mostly to nearby NYU students and locals lured in by sangria, margaritas, and dinner discounts.

Doesn't Recommend

tumbleweed

Joined 9 years ago

Awful food, surprised it's been able to last this long!. I went this past weekend with a friend who was looking for non frou frou Mexican. I had the Pollo a la Mexicana (something like that) and he had a beef enchilada. Our food was just plain awful. My chicken was bland as was the sauce that it came with. I'm no expert when it comes to Mexican food but I do know this is probably as bad as they come. They have a nice garden, though but that's about it. It was an incredibly disappointing experience.

Doesn't Recommend

flexichick

Joined 10 years ago

Horrible Manager on a Friday Night. After spending literally HUNDREDS of dollars (we had a large party) on mediocre food, we were hassled by a very obnoxious manager. Plus, they put on a $6 service charge on a pitcher of margaritas which we ended up having to pour ourselves. Never again.

Doesn't Recommend

carpenterae

Joined 11 years ago

Terrible. I vowed never to go back to this place years ago, and gave them another shot last night and then took another vow to never, ever to come back here! The food is not good, the drinks were overpriced and weak, and it is overpriced. The staff is rude and the service is so slow, it is like pulling teeth to get your waiter over. . They overcharged our bill and were not helpful in resolving the issue; even the manager was rude and told our table that we did not know how to dine out! They do not know how to run a restaurant, the only reason they are in business is their location. If you want inexpensive, really good Mexican go to Mary Ann's they are great and the one in the east village has outdoor seating.

I will never go back to El Cantinero, and hope no one else will either.

And as for the couple who wrote the review from Texas who liked the food, shame on you, you are a disgrace to your state, the salsa here taste like ketchup! Real Tex-Mex is fresh and served with dignity, not this place, it is a step up from Taco Bell with worse service.