Playa Cabana Cantina

I have been here a few times, but never got around to writing reviews for it. The tacos aren’t authentic, but they’re tasty, amazing here, and full of good stuff. You need to RSVP more than 1 week in advance for any of their locations though. Be prepared to get your hands dirty. :)

Tried the plated vegetarian taco, corn, fish tacos and the house made cream soda. The fish tacos were really tasty. They were a fried white fish with a slaw on top and some creamy guac. The corn I highly recommend it’s done in a sauce and sprinkled with cheese. Plated tacos had a bit too many beans for me but the sauce on top and guac tasted great. Recommend starting with guac and chips. Try their tequilas if you drink.

Ordered from this place for the first time. Wasn’t bad but could be better. A bit greasy for my taste and lacked seasoning. Chips were good but some were overly salted than others. Tacos are overpriced and the chips and guacamole considering lack of spices. I did enjoy the crunch of he slaw!

Tried ordering from each of the chains via UberEats and the app allows me to note allergy requests. The restaurant cancels the order without explanation, on 3 seperate occasions) when I tried to call both Hacienda (2 times) and Cantina, the staff are unwilling to make any changes to the dish. I eat at these restaurants in person regularly, and can make the same substitutions. I get attitude from both — andddd taking my business elsewhere.

I’m really surprised this place has only 3.5 stars. We decided to check out Catina tonight (Sunday of a long weekend) and arrived at 6pm and this place was pretty crowded. So, don’t be like us — make a reservation.
Despite our lack of resos, we were able to get a seat at the line of seating behind the bar. Another reason to make a reso: that line is INCREDIBLY limited in space!
I had the Paloma cocktail — grapefruit infused tequila… totally up my alley! Very refreshing and tasty.
We decided to do the guacamole and split the braised rib taco (we neeeeeded to try at least one taco). The consistency of the guacamole was amazing and so flavourful and that taco… omg that taco… we already want to return to try every single taco on the menu.
As for our entrée, we ordered the chicken enchiladas which was really yum and the chorizo burrito — found the chorizo a little dry but the egg on top was a nice touch.
My only 2 complaints were the chorizo and the slower service. However, our server was still very likeable and like I mentioned, I’d 100% return for a taco fiesta!

Food is hit and miss. Drinks are good but expensive without much of a return. Service is chronically bad. What I mean by bad is unapologetic and unaccommodating.

Great tacos. Great booze. Great staff.
Nuff said.

Overhyped… end of story.
Their nachos and guac are good. Now here’s what sucks:
–the guac is way overpriced
–the tacos are WAY overpriced
–the burritos are terrible, 90% stuffed with rice and very very little protein
–they take forever, the slowest and laziest service I’ve ever seen (I’ve been here 4 times and this is consistent)
–extremely uncomfortable seating for groups larger than 4
Seriously, this place has the potential to be great but accepts mediocrity because it looks trendy and people in this neighborhood overvalue that.
Don’t waste your time.

I went there for my birthday dinner last night! And everybody was absolutely amazing from food to the staff! Our server was extremely friendly and he made our time at Cantina even more fun! They all came and sang happy birthday to me with a sombrero and even a cowbell! It was great! Their crispy tacos are to die for and they have the best guac! Amazing place!

Their hard taco shells are absolute perfection. My favourite is the short rib taco — you won’t be disappointed, you have to order it!
I will definitely be back to dine here again. It’s on a small side but well worth any wait you may run into. My waiter was a gorgeous girl with a bald head — she’s deserves recognition (not only for the fact that I had an embarrassingly intense crush on her) but because she was attentive without hovering or being too in-​your-​face, which is hard sometimes in a place that small.
Overall, I loved all of the food (in total our table shared the fish tacos, chicken and rib) but the rib tacos with the hard shell are by far my favourite, and I can’t wait to go back on the sole strength of them.
Even thinking about them makes me want to go, right now.

I went to this restaurant on Valentine’s Day with a friend. It was the Sunday of the coldest long weekend ever.
It is the sister restaurant of playa cabana on DuPont. Same menu. Similar décor which is Mexican gas station-​hipster-​chic. Picture large neon signs that say «tequila» with reclaimed wood and mood lighting. If it were bigger it might be cheesy, but it’s cramped junction digs make it feel authentic and a bit romantic. It was much less busy than the DuPont location (maybe it was the weather, though rare is the restaurant that is as busy as the DuPont location).
He menu is solid. I don’t think anyone here has criticized the menu. Good selection of tacos, entrees and appetizers. We had guac which was good but the chips, deep fried (I mean really deep fried) are amazing. I have the chile rellennos. A beaded chile pepper stuffed with cheese and topped with sautéed onion and tomato sauce, accompanied by black beans and rice. It needed hot sauces and I was quickly brought a sampler of 4.
The principal criticism I have read here is with respect to service. Maybe I went in with low expectations but I thought the service was great. From the hostess to our server, everyone was very nice and solicitous. I had a draft beer and the server pointed out to me that they had some difficulty with the gas. I told him that it was a bit flat, but that I liked the flavour and that I would stick with it. He popped by halfway through the meal to say that even though I was ok with it he didn’t think they could charge me for it, so they didn’t. I thought that was a very nice touch.
I have to admit, when in the junction I have steered clear of cantina with the expectation that it would be impossible to get a seat (like its other location) but my experience on Valentine’s Day has changed my mind. We will certainly be back.

Incredible! Some of The best vegetarian food I’ve ever had. The Veggy chorizo was great but it’s probably all great. Highly recommend

When I usually feel like eating Mexican, always end up at Taco Bell or at my ex wife’s — so Playa Cabana Cantina is an upgrade for me.
The place is cool and the food is pretty great. Nice location to have a few drinks and eat some good food. One of my Tinder premium 1^st date location.

I wish I could eat there tonight! Food was fresh, innovative, cocktails were superb (they provided off the menu for my mezcal tastebuds). Erica was awesome, gave great recommendations on the menu as well as our trip’s endeavors. Their salsas can build smokier, spicier profiles into their dishes. pulpo and tacos were home runs fo sho.

3.5. Actually. Service was young. Sweet, but… kinda… Ya know. And the food was almost spot on — guacamole perfection, flutas (sping?) drowned but tasty. Now… the drinks are amazing. Atmosphere is where I was lost, loud and bustling= felt like a airport bar. Go on a week night maybe for a not so cafeteria loud experience? Great for a group though! :’) not the best Mexican in the city, but the drinks saved the night!

If you are into $ 6 tacos, you will probably love this place!
Had lunch here with a friend over the weekend. Place was empty at lunch and service was therefore great as there were only 3 other tables of diners.
I tried an ensalada picada (chopped salad with lots of ingredients, $ 9) and 1 taco (the pulled pork, $ 6). Both were tasty and I enjoyed them. If you want to feel full you would need to order at least twice of that, but since I was having Thanksgiving dinner later in the day, I didn’t mind a light meal.
I could see this place being an excellent dinner spot, but think they should have a special lunch menu, because who wants to spend $ 40 on lunch?

I had a disappointing meal here last night.
Service was pretty, good. Server was very nice.
Atmosphere is dingy and cluttered, but it’s what you’d expect from this chain which has an authentic feel to it.
Food was sub par. We had:
Ceviche — ¹⁄₅ wasn’t fresh, sent it back.
Steak enchiladas — ²⁄₅ there was a smokey chipotle sauce that really didn’t go with the ingredients. We sent this back too.
Guacamole — ⁴⁄₅ — very good
Habanero Steak tacos — ⁵⁄₅ these were excellent!
Grilled fish taco — ²⁄₅ the fish was very bland and under seasoned, but the taco came with yummy veggies on it.
The margaritas were good.
My boyfriend had the churros. I found the sauce they came with too sweet, he liked it. I will give the churros ³⁄₅ because we were divided.
There are 4 sauces on the table. It would have been nice if:
1. there was an explanation of what they were
2. there were spoons for them.
I don’t think I will return here.

Hands down best Mexican cuisine out there!
It just keeps getting better and better and I’m always bringing new people to show them how awesome it is.
Elotes– grilled corn was ⁵⁄₅. So delicious
Verduras– veggie tacos were mouth-​watering, I could not get enough
Tres Leches– the night had to be topped off with the most amazing dessert
Rum punch– had such a nice kick, they really know how to do it. I’ll get a pitcher of it next time
Mojito– It needed a little more flavour, was a bit watered down for my taste
Overall– I will never stop coming here. So addicted!

Ambiance was great, there was a cool vibe to the place. I loved the look and feel. The restaurants was decorated to look like a rustic Mexican place with the wood on the walls, but with a modern twist. They had cool neon light and road signs. The place gets packed fairly quickly, especially on a Saturday evening. It’s a nice spot to grab a drink, hangout, or eat some food. So make a reservation before going if you can.
Guacamole good, but I’ve tasted better. It was very creamy and rich, and the avocado was blended in. They serve this will crispy tortilla chips. I thought the guacamole could have used a bit more salt and acid.
I really enjoyed the Basa ceviche, which was yummy. It had just the right amount of herbs and acid. It also had some avocado, cilantro, and onions.
I got the MGM (mango margarita), which is a nice cocktail. It was a bit more on the sour side, with a hint of mango.
For the most part the service was good. Our waitress seemed knowledgeable and made food recommendations, when asked for it. She was also very friendly and we got our food fairly quickly. The payment took a bit longer than usual because it was so busy, and our waitress got swamped.
I loved the octopus taco. The octopus was grilled, and the texture nice and tender. It had a bit of smokiness from the grill. The chirzo added a little bit of spicy heat, which added that extra something. Fried onions and the cabbage, on top gave it an extra textural crunch. Everything worked well and complemented each other.
I didn’t enjoy the braised beef taco as much. It wasn’t as flavourful as the octopus taco. The taco is deep fried which give it a crunchy texture, but it does make the taco a bit oiler.
Sadly I was too full to try the dessert. The churros looked really good. Next time!

This was my second visit to Playa and I was bringing friends because I really enjoyed my first visit. We were going to be attending another function that night so I actually made early reservations for the place just because I wanted to take them there.
A few hours before the reservation, I got a call to confirm that I was coming. Totally fine — it seems to be the norm for popular places. However when I made the reservation almost a week and a half earlier I was never told that there would be a two hour limit for our spot. I mean I understand… the reservation was for 5pm! I get it… the perception is that sub ewe won’t be the types to go crazy on cocktails… which for those who read my reviews is obviously not true, but to tell me THE DAY OF, when I am handcuffed to make another reservation and have been already been giving the place props… that is weak. Weak in fact like the drinks as the consensus went.
In any event, the food is awesome and very reasonably priced and that is the main attraction. I will be back, but will save grabbing drinks for some other much better spots nearby!