Service friendly and attentive. Minute I dropped a fork in seconds someone was on it. Food cooked with love by mom. Everything was delicious!

The food here is very good.the margaritas are great. Definitely would recommend this restaurant to any body wanting to try great authentic Mexican food and a good drink👍.

Today was my first time at this restaurant and the waiter was extremely nice and the food was great. Very accommodating I totally recommend

I hate to give it away, but this is the best kept secret for Mexican food and a drink on Staten Island. Reasonable prices, cute atmosphere, excellent food and drink, and the owner and other personnel are friendly and attentive. It's hard to beat!

I have been coming to this place for years , and it is always so good! The staff, the drinks, the food...simply the best! Always a good time!

Love this place , my family and I have been coming here for a while now. The food is always perfect . The service is impeccable .

It’s amazing and delicious anyone should come here

Great food and service, nice small place for date night. Steak and shrimp fajitas were great

The place is small. It was an old diner BUT the food was outstanding. The service was great! Drinks even better. Come here you will enjoy it!

Authentic Mexican. The food is delicious, I love their enchiladas suizas. The drinks are really good, always strong and taste great. They have a cucumber/jalapeño margarita where the tequila is infused with jalapeños, very good. The cook and bartender are on point. The service is great as well, always attentive and friendly. For their weekend menu, the Alfonso Tacos are. The. Best. Most tender short rib.

By far hands down best mexican place in Staten Island . Always fresh, great service. They do not take reservations and can get crowded as it is small. We normally go for lunch or an eaely dinner. That said, its worth the wait anytime as this place is delicious. They accomodate vegetarians as well

Really cute converted diner serving excellent drinks and some or the best Mexican food on the island. Be aware that it is small and can be quite crowded but it is worth the not so long wait as the small tables do turnover relatively quickly.

My taste buds are still dancing from the incredible flavors.

Best bang for your buck. The food is delicious!

Best Mexican spot around, possibly the best on all of Staten Island. Taco Tuesdays are $3 ea. Don't go home without some shrimp tacos! Chicken and steak are meh, but the Al Pastor and Carnitas are to die for. Great prices on margs, recommend the passion for. Finish up with a churro and you're 10/10.

Delicious food, fair prices, and great service. Definitely would recommend to pretty much everyone. The lunch special is awesome too

I loved the service with Manny! Alba made the best drinks and I will definitely come back!!

Great food! Went out with 5 people looking for any Mexican restaurant for Taco Tuesday. we all ordered different items on the menu and we were all very impressed with out meal. Pleasant surprise!!!

Awesome food. Good prices. Decent service. Would be a problem if I lived closer... And I wish I did!

Enjoyed a nice lunch. Nothing was too expensive. Everything was fairly priced. The margaritas we got were also quite good.

Our first time there and we enjoyed a wonderful meal. The steak in the steak fajita was tender, perfectly seasoned, and properly plated. The rice and beans - excellent! The burrito with pork was super-fresh with just the right amount of spice, light but filling. The margaritas (we had them frozen, no salt) were delicious. Not light on the tequila and not heavy on the ice. Looking forward to my next visit. If the margaritas are as good on 2 for 1 night, Cantina Mexicana gets six stars!

Been here only a handful of times but I am determined to change that! This place is so so good. Freshest of the fresh dishes in a super cute cantina type decor. Great service. Music was great too. Highly recommend this restaurant👍

I’ve already been back twice in the past 2 weeks!🤤 the food is absolutely delicious. There is not one bad taco on that menu. We tried some of their specials this time and the octopus tacos were out of control amazing. The meat is always tender and flavored so eloquently. Haven’t tried the margaritas yet but heard great things of them. The waitress was very attentive and provided excellent service, all were very polite. Have been raving about this place to all my friends. Not sure if it’s authentic homemade Mexican food but regardless some of the best damn tacos I’ve tried on this island!

I really liked the food here

The owners, Alphonse, his mom and dad are such nice people. It's a pleasure to enjoy a delicious meal there where you're made to feel welcome while enjoying cocktails or a pitcher of sangria. The food is amazing. Everything is fresh and served hot ( except their homemade guac, of course, lol). The service is excellent and prices are too!

Ordered from this place for office lunch, food was fresh and delicious! Customer service was also very nice. It took a while to deliver, so the food was slightly warm, but the reason for that is my location and Staten Island school traffic.Would definitely order from here again and like to try to go here for a dinner as well.

What can I say about Cantina Mexicana, if you are serious about good authentic Mexican dishes this is the place to come to. Service was great, the drinks are superb, it's a smaller sized restaurant so make sure you know that going in but overall you can't ask for a better meal. Don't hesitate on this place. You will not be sorry and the prices are very reasonable... enjoy!!!

My boyfriend and I always come here. Super homey, amazing attentive staff and always great food. We recommend the Taquitos del Pulpo if you're here on a weekend and the Pollo Al Chipotle. If you like spice, they have a great homemade habanero sauce. Love their Très Lèches cake and recently had their Mexican Coffee Cake, super good. It's like a combo of Tiramisu and Très Lèches. Thank you Cantina Mexicana ❤️

Phenomenal food and staff...the burrito was amazing...

Great food and nice staff.

Great food and drinks. This will definitely become a regular place for me.

Great little place we found on our way out of the city. Food was absolutely tasty, fresh and the ambience is great. They had the Giants game too. A bit of a long wait but was made up with the taste for sure

Service Is friendly and attentive. Food is fresh and delicious. Portions are moderate (as are the prices) but more than enough to fill you up and then some. Margarita list has something for everyone

First time going, heard great ghings about it, so had to try. Food was authentic, large amount of choices. Its small, so prepare to wait, especially if large group -party of 6 waited an hour, so they hung at the small bar. (If you dont like waiting, go off hours-call ahead.... but its worth it) Becsuse of the size of the restaurant and extensive choices, the food is prepared fresh, a must for me. We ordered the nachos, then built it up! Ordered spicy chicken, it was shredded! Was easier to eat! For dinner, I ordered the burrito. Normally you'll get mostly rice instead I got mostly beef. The pulled pork option is one of the best Ive had in a while. Others had tacos, and they raved about it ! Definitely will go back.

The last few times I enjoyed Cantina Mexicana, it was a to-go order and Yummm! Anyway you have their food is always 5-Stars! Some of my favorites are the Cancun Shrimp tacos, lobster empanadas and their Aguacate Ceviche - all a must!! While you're there, be sure to grab a frozen margarita - I always get a mango one - delicious!! Enjoy!!!

Cantina is my fiancé and I's favorite place. We have been coming for years, even after we moved because we love it so much. The food is amazing, the drinks are amazing, and everyone there treats you like family. We love their mango margarita so much, that we are making that our signature drink at our wedding! We truly love this place so much❤️

I've been here twice a week for the past 6 weeks.

My family and I had a great time the waitress was really nice. The food was delicious. once we were done me and my family couldn’t get up that’s how delicious and filling the food was. I would really recommend this place to eat for dinner.

What can you say when you enter a hearth. My favorite Mexicana restaurant on Staten Island. They always makes my family feel like family.

So I worry that if I leave a review here this place will have to expand and never again be what it is now. The margaritas are delicious, each one built from scratch with premium liquor and ingredients. The food is fresh, hot and authentic. It doesn’t matter if you show up on a busy Saturday night or a quiet Monday afternoon, the meal is perfect.

wthomas415

Cantina Mexicana is one of those places you end up craving after your first visit. The owners, Maria and Alphonso, clearly care about every detail—from the food to the atmosphere—and it shows. The chicken chipotle is unreal. It’s my go-to order and I honestly get it all the time because nothing else hits quite the same. The wings are also excellent, and to be fair, I haven’t had a single dish here that wasn’t on point. Everything tastes fresh, well-seasoned, and made with intention. And the drinks… next level. If you go, do yourself a favor and order the cucumber jalapeño margarita. It’s refreshing, perfectly balanced, and just spicy enough to keep you thinking about it long after you leave. This is the kind of spot that turns first-timers into regulars. If you haven’t been yet, you’re missing out.

Lou-Anne Barbaro

Very cozy! Wonderful service! Delicious food! We had the Mexican street corn, tacos and fajitas! Great Margaritas! Mexican coffee was the best!

Isabel Gautreaux

Very helpful and polite waitstaff + good food

J Cee

20/10 recommend!!! Ordered from Grubhub and the food was still HOT!! Tacos and chimichangas are amazing!!! Definitely a new go to!!

Yoyou

We ordered the steak and blackened chicken fajitas. The sangria was well made. The staff, owners were very accommodating, gracious and friendly. This was our 1st visit and it won't be our last. We can't wait to dine there again!

Laura Pucciarelli

Cozy family dinner on a rainy winter night. The food was delicious and the service was top notch. You can tell the owners & staff take great pride in the meals & service that they offer.

David Wallman

Delicious local Mexican food! Sometimes when I visit my fiancé’s family in SI we will come here for lunch and it never disappoints! Today we went with guac to start and then tacos. They refilled our chips multiple times for no charge! The Pina el pastor and el ranchero tacos were delicious and we’d definitely get them again!

Nicole Puma

Not only is the staff awesome they enjoyed Cinco de Mayo they made are night...The food was outstanding short rib tacos, shrimp chicken and steal fajitas outrageous ....guacamole was soo fresh ... beef nachos were amazing I will be coming back again and again love this place ...

Robert Brown

This is my favorite place! Everything on the menu is great! The drinks are the best! They treat you like family and take the best care of you! The chicken fajitas are the best on SI!

Mike Acquesta

Very very tasty and flavorful food. The tortillas were perfectly cooked and fresh to perfection. Each taco I ordered (steak, chicken al pastor, and pineapple shrimp) had very unique flavors and every ingredient was present with each bite. This, by a landslide, out tacos Ho'brah right down the street. If you want truly authentic tacos from a very friendly staff, this is the place to be. Absolutely delicious I am excited to go back and try another dish.

Georges HairStation

This is our place to go!! Wonderful people, great food & the BEST margaritas- especially the prickly pear! You will not be disappointed! 💜💜

Richard Ocasio

Great food, friendly service. The meat wasn't fried out like I've had in other "authentic" Mexican places

Frank Couso

Wow what an amazing experience. The food was incredible, everything was seasoned and cooked perfectly. Our waiter was extremely friendly and offered his recommendations on the menu. The margaritas here are all delicious and well balanced. Service was quick. I will definitely come back here

Albert Aydin

Service and food here were excellent. The guacamole was fantastic and tasted fresh. The tacos didn't fall apart and they had wonderful combinations of flavors for each taco option. This is definitely my new go-to spot on Staten Island.

Did seems authentic compared to a home cooked meal. The drinks are great and the food is excellent. Nice little cozy place to be

Remember the Lane Diner ? Well, now its a Mexican restaurant with very good food. A small bar and maybe 12 tables, a small place. Friendly service, sometimes slow. Street parking.

This restaurant is a small atmosphere. The servers are very nice. The food is so good. The prices are mediocre. For three people the bill was about $100.

Food was great service was horrible. They seemed as if we were bothering them. People came after us and were served before us. The check was thrown on the table with barely a thank you!

Food was great Price was great The only drawback no parking lot would definitely visit there again The queso dip was out of this world with the chorizo

The service was good, the food though not so good. I had flavorless tacos, and the burrito wasn't that great. The horchata tasted like water with cinnamon. I really wanted to like this place..

Very good atmosphere. The food is really tasty and it comes to your table fast, they need to add house made salsas, there's only bottled sause

Really enjoyed the food at Cantina Mexicana. The portions are large. Your stomach will say stop and yet your tongue will say continue. The service was good too.

The place is small and unassuming. The food is delicious. Not at all like generic chain Mexican restaurant food. I don't know if it's authentic because I've never been to Mexico but it sure is good. Try the guac. Also try the skirt steak.

Me and my friend both had quesadillas. I have to say I've tried a lot of quesadillas on Staten Island and these are by far the best that I've tried thus far. I ordered a BBQ one and he ordered a chipotle BBQ. It came with four nice sized quesadillas that were filled up. Taste was on point. Next time I eat here I'll be sure to order some appetizers as well. Overall good experience.

The food, drinks and desserts are really good! The service is terrific. I've enjoyed the chipotle chicken dish many times. Cantina Mexicana is an excellent place for an extended family to have a reasonably priced delicious meal. We highly recommend.

I really liked this place, the steak and shrimp fajitas were excellent, my girl had the chicken enchiladas, very good as well. We started with wings and bacon wrapped shrimp, both were excellent. And the Mezcal margarita...watch out! It's not a typical margarita. Better have just one!!! Service was very good, don't hesitate. Much better than schlepping to Jose Tejas and waiting an hour. And the food seems much more authentic.

Came here a few times, usually get the tacos, they're good. Great nachos, and come with the whole schabang(guac sour cream, protien, beans cheese). The margaritas were nice. tried the hibiscus and pomegranate similar flavors - ones just more tangy.

Went here on a date with wife and we came out with full belly’s and a great experience. The food tasted great and was filling and the atmosphere was even more better, the music, the cultural aspects it really added to the experience. The staff were nice and very attentive and made sure we had everything we needed. There was just one thing though, I had gotten the burrito and when it was presented the sauce was on top of the entire burrito making to difficult to hold it and eat without making a mess. We ate it anyways of course :) it was just something I thought was weird to do. Overall amazing place to eat and fair pricing

This is my 3rd time here. And their chips are always mixture of good ones and bad ones. Can’t even really eat some of it because it’s too hard. Mango margarita is always good I come for this. Lol. The Churasco Steak is delish and this was my 2nd time but the potatoes somehow taste so sour not even lemon-y it was weird as if that it’s expired but no funky smell just tasted weird from the last time I had it. Over all would come back for mango margarita yum

Nancy I M

With a diner-like appearance and colorful plates to add a southwestern palette, this place is like a Mexican / Diner hybrid. Upon entry, I noticed a cozy enclosed outdoor seating area, followed by a few steps up to the main entrance. Evening street parking was a breeze. Famished, we sat toward the back and commenced with two appetizers: guacamole with hearty tortillas chips (they don’t break when you scoop up the guacamole), and Choriqueso (melted cheese, chorizo, Picolo de gallo, guacamole, flour tortillas), I wasn’t crazy about the salsa, however, the guacamole was very good. I decided to try the Toro Narteño (grilled steak, jalapeño, pico de Galli, Monterey cheddar cheese). Which was very tasty, I found the jalapeño to be very fresh and crunchy, and My husband ordered the Enchiladas Suizas (pulled chicken, green salsa, corn tortillas, cheddar cheese, Monterey, Avocado, pickled red onions, rice & black beans). I didn’t like it at all, the tortilla tasted like it was made with all-purpose flour and the chicken was soggy. Rice and beans were ok. Our friend ordered the Burrito Classico (ground beef, shrimp, steak), he liked it. Our waiter was very friendly and attentive. His recommendations for desserts that were made on premises were everything on the menu except the ice cream and mexican coffee cake. So we ordered the tres leches and the Mexican coffee cake (because I heard it’s made with mascarpone cheese! So it’s like tiramisù without the coffee). They really aced the Tres Leches. As a side note, if you have a sensitivity to msg, you should let them know because they do use adobo in their cooking. 4 stars are for cleanliness, wait staff, appetizers and dessert.

+10

MC

Super chill atmosphere! We ordered the shrimp cocktail & buffalo wings. My husband did not like the shrimp cocktail it was in a sauce heavy on cumino or curry or tumeric. Wings were average. Main entree was the rib eye tacos!! On point! They were delicious, perfectly cooked DO NOT skip on the sauce, the mushroom sauce made the meal!! The tres leche was not entirely soaked in milk. I was disappointed for I know 3/leche is suppose to be soaked in 3 diff kinds of milk. The sangria was average. I will come again, but it is not my first choice. Very Mediocre 🤷🏻‍♀️

+1

Sean

The guacamole was great, margaritas were strong and the food was delicious. The restaurant is pretty small but having the outdoor dining doubles the size.

Went their for lunch. The shrimp taco was very good. The chicken taco was not as good. Very good service. Prices were very reasonable.

I call for a take out and the lady who answer was kinda of nice, I ask for if they could take it out to my car since my kid had fallen sleep and unfortunately I can't carry him 😔 they were nice enough to do that and was greatly appreciated. The guacamole was delicious I would definitely recommend it, the tacos not so much I order 1 steak and 2 al pastor which were not just for the fact they put pineapple on them , they ended up putting hot sauce on all of them without even asking, and the quesadilla was ok but I was expecting a Mexican style not a tex-mex style which was disappointing so in overall I gave it 3 stars not to bad not to great 😊

The food is very good. Service was good. The atmosphere is OK. The place is very small and the bar takes up too much room but maybe thats where they do their business during the week because on Friday & Saturday nights for dinner sometimes the wait is out the door. There is no room to wait inside.

Adam Cohen

Average food. Ordered through DoorDash for delivery the chicken tortilla soup and steak chimichanga. The soup was very bland; very little flavor. I’ve had amazing chicken tortilla soups at other places. This one is probably near the bottom of the list. The chimichanga was average. Won’t be ordering here again.

Ordered three different tacos they use store bought taco shells that taste terrible! Tacos were dry with dry meat and spicy. Tasted awful Chinese Mexican tastes much better.

Honestly it’s a bit lackluster The food was just okay the drinks were just okay and the service was horrible which just make it even worse The server seemed like she did NOT want to be there just stood around looking miserable and barely came over and it wasn’t even busy at all only like 3 tables that day.

Have been here a total of 3 times now and each time the service gets worse and worse. Was there last Friday with my date and it took us almost 15 minutes to get served water and chips. It started with the waiter sitting us down and with no menu or water. We kept looking around and finally he caught our eyes. Finally drops 2 menus and ask what we wanted to drink, we said water. He comes back in like 2 minutes and asks us if we're ready. We give orders for appetizers and asked for that water again. About 10 minutes into this he comes back and takes our order for main course. Still no water. We continue to look around for another 5 minutes or so until the bartender catches our eyes and notices our table is still barren, and finally gets a different waitress to get us some water and chips. We also assume he didn't put in the orders for appetizers first because it took soooo long to get them. Eventually we decided that we were just going to take our entrees to go because we waited so long for them and got full from munching on chips+salsa and water.

VICTORIA ZONANA

Stale chips, guacamole that tasted like they used commercial prepackaged avocado halves. Chicken tacos with rubbery chicken which i ended up removing and just ate the tortilla with pickled onions. Margarita was good as was the service. Never again

Sorry but the food is NOT good. Expensive for just a small amount of food literally. No never again. The waitres was nice but the food was no good ; nope my boyfriend and i weren't satisfied we didnt even finish that small amount of food , the rice was hard , chicken no taste, ; Chicken Chipotle doesnt taste like chipotle bad bad bad 👎🏻

This place is horrendous, one, I went in to get a drink with my friends and I see a freaking rat trap and roach traps near the kitchen doors, rude staff, terrible service, I would rate the drinks a 0/10 if I could never stepping foot in this place ever again save yourself the trouble & the money!!!! (PSA:Boss making drinks & terribly rude to they’re bussers)

Beware. A credit card which I use just to keep the account active, was used at this place. 1 hour later I was getting charges in multiple states. I can only assume it was stolen here, after it was out of my possession for over 5 minutes, which I thought was strange. Pay with cash!

I ordered the grilled cantina salad with grilled chicken. It didn’t come with most of the items in the description. I didn’t get corn, radish or carrots. I asked for ranch dressing and I didn’t get any dressing. Instead I got sour cream. Also the salad was so small there was barely any lettuce and it was $14 plus tip. Not happy with my order.

How can you sell a ball of cheese and chicken rice and beans and call it Mexican food? No pico, no cilantro no sauce zero flavor,,, rice was still cold and hard from the fridge. Seriously disrespectful don’t understand who would do this

Ordered from here two weeks for take out. Spent 60.00. The food was dry and disgusting . Called to complain and spoke to an alfonso .i usually would not complain and just go on. However, the food was sodry. Alfonso explained that i would get a call the next day. I explained that i wasnt looking for a credit but at a time like this when so many places are closing they need to step up there game. Needless to say no one called me back. Bad food and bad customer service.

Been going there for year's. Their food is great. They don't do right by their customers. Extra salsa and chips they charge. That is news to me. Sorry they lost a good customer! God blessed you and your business

I hate to say this, but none of our meal was worthy of a good review. The worst item was a lobster empanada which tasted fishy and was cooked in old oil. Not coming back.

We ordered through DoorDash and what followed was a nightmare. Within hours of eating, my husband and our 1-year-old became violently ill with severe vomiting. Watching a baby suffer like that is absolutely heartbreaking and unacceptable. We ended up in the ER. Health Dept will be called as well This was the only food they ate beforehand, so we strongly believe it was food poisoning from this restaurant. Whatever the cause, the food was clearly unsafe. There is no excuse for serving meals that can make an entire family this sick—especially a child. We will never order from here again, and I strongly caution other families, particularly those with young children, to think twice.

Lucy R

This place has really gone down hill. It's so tight and crowded It takes 10 minutes just for someone to come ask if you need anything. But the biggest problem is how disgusting the food is. This place used to be a good authentic Mexican food place not anymore. Now it's super salty food. I ordered al pastor tacos and tell me why they gave me shredded chicken that was extremely salty with pineapple chunks. The margaritas got smaller but the price is the same. It's so noisy and uncomfortable I made the mistake of giving them another chance. They definitely Rip people off with the prices too better mexixan food and drinks around This place is not it