Pablo’s Cantina

closed.

Been to Pablo’s Cantina (Old Compadre’s) 3 times since I’ve been home and it’s been a pretty good experience every time. I will admit though we have always been seated in the bar area and have dealt with the same bar tender every time, whom has been very nice, attentive and accommodating (My sister can be a little demanding).
The happy hour prices and specials are reasonable, but that’s about where reasonable prices stop (It is however a nice place in Ward Center with beautiful views)…
Pablo’s Cantina décor is nice, I’d say Artsy Mexican meets Ward Center.
There is a main restaurant area, two indoor bar areas, and one on the patio where the Taco Tues taco bar is set up.
The ocean side of the bar where we sit always seems to be available and has beautiful views, making this a very relaxing bar for cocktails and some Mexican appetizers. 3.5 Stars
Enjoy…
TIPS: Happy hour 4pm-​7pm & 10pm-​1am /​Taco Tues — $ 1 beef & Chicken Tacos, $ 2 Carnitas & Fish Tacos /​Cash only for the Taco Tues Bar /​Soft tortillas are available upon request during Taco Tues

… at least the chips & salsa were pretty good, and the waitress was nice?
Stopped by with a friend for lunch to make use of the $ 30 LivingSocial deal I picked up. The layout felt very similar to the old Compadre’s that preceded Pablo’s, except that it felt more … open? I vaguely recall that there were a few more walls before, but I liked the openness of Pablo’s.
Waitress was nice — brought out our salsa and chips pretty quickly. (Unfortunately, that was probably the last thing that was «quick» about the meal.) My friend had the chicken enchilada, and I ordered the tacos al pastor. After the waitress smiled back and said, «Good choice», I had high hopes.
Food took a while to come out (~20 mins), so we were trying to not gorge on the salsa and chips before it came out.
Some descriptions of the enchilada included «the sauce tasted like chili paste», there «was no flavor, that’s why there’s salsa, hot sauce and tomatillo all over», and «…never again.»
The tacos al pastor looked promising. When I took a bite, though … I kid you not, I tasted the tortilla more than the meat. I mean, I love the subtleties of flavors in food, but not to the point of non-​existence. The beans were pretty standard, but the rice was actually pretty good. I made sure to polish that off.
Drawbacks: where’s the taste?; slow kitchen/​service; odd/​no flavors
Positives: friendly wait staff; chips were delicious?
In the end, the total damage after the $ 30 LivingSocial voucher came out to be $ 1.31. I’m not one to snipe usually, but my dining companion did say, «You had to pay an extra $ 2 on top of that?» Unfortunately, I’d have to agree a little here. If I came back, I’d probably come back for their $ 5 margarita deals (with $ 1/​$ 2 added shots of tequila) and salsa & chips.

Twas the days before Christmas and up on the rooftop was not Old Saint Nick, it was Pablo Catina with their Taco Tuesday night!
$ 1 chicken or beef tacos and $ 2 carna asada and… a 4^th kind of meat. You can have them either on a soft or hard shell. I personally liked the flavors of the chicken and beef; Call me «Ju» but my mouth doesn’t lie to me.
It’s like a cafeteria line: You tell them how many tacos of what meats and on what shell. You pay the man CASH, he gives you your taco plate. At the end of the line is the salad bar where you can load up on lettuce, tomatoes, sour cream, verde salsa and shredded cheese.
On Tuesdays they also offer $ 4 Coronas and margaritas! Also ordered chips & salsa which were nommy. We saw some people being served nachos and the tostadas and everything looked like ENORMOUS portions!!! Got to be back to try that out!
Overall great relaxed vibe to the place. A little tacky and not quite authentic, but service was good and the food alright. Just watch out about parking, it got messy and we kept having to drive up and up but we ended up on the same floor as the Cantina.
Pablo Cantina, you’ve been good to me so I’ll drop a note to Santa Unilocal to keep you on the good list!