Blanco Cantina

I love it here! Fun atmosphere and good food — nothing fancy or too adventurous, but always good. My go-​to here is the regular-​sized veggie burrito, which is a MEAL and is very reasonably priced! I can eat as much as the next guy, but the burrito comes with two sides and after that, I am stuffed. I imagine some people could share one between two people. If you can make it for their happy hour then you are winning.

When I was on a poutine crawl for Poutine Week we changed destinations and came to Blanco Cantina instead. They were super generous with letting us all in at the last minute and their poutine for the week was a Poutine Burrito with sides.
I’ll start with the sides that I tried. The cornbread was fluffy and delicous with big bits of corn throughout and the fries were crispy but could have used a little more flavour. The corn salad was nice, very fresh with a hint of spice.
The Burrito itself had shaved skirt steak, cheese curds, spicy Mexican gravy, house cut fries, and coriander scented onions. The steak was the best part. The marinade and cook of the meat was perfect, the cheese was nicely melted. The onions were mixed in nicely, but I think the mushy fries didn’t work too well. Honestly just the meat and cheese would be fantastic if they ever make something similar again.
We were in a back corner so the noise from the kitchen was pretty high but for a last-​minute arrangement it worked out really well.

You can hands down have a 5-​Star experience at Blanco Cantina if you do it right.
In their court: Service. Luckily, out of the two times I’ve been here, they’ve had it dialed! I’m really impressed with how our server managed to help us out with our orders, make good suggestions, friendly conversation, and still manage a jam packed restaurant. Kudos!
In your court: Expectation. Why are you coming here? If it’s for halfy hour margaritas in the sunshine, you’re gonna have a good time! I probably wouldn’t throw Blanco into a «Best/​Most Authentic Mexican food» category, but they’re really not trying to be that anyway. They’ve taken awesome things like rum tequila and tiki bars and given it a local, 17^th Ave feel and I think it works.
They also have a «Halfy Hour» every day, including weekends. I tell you, at half price, those hand crafted Mezcalaritas taste extra good. In fact they taste like another, and another, and a full day of sitting on their amazing patio.
The patio gets a lot of shade, but they’ve got plenty of heating so they can keep it open well into the evening. Two large garage type doors open up almost removing the front wall entirely, adding to the relaxed Tiki feel of the place.
I’ve so far only tried their special menu items created for Poutine Week and AB Burger Fest, but both of them were definitely good enough have me wanting to come back again to see what they’re regularly up to.

We stopped in for the deck… Service was decent, food was excellent and the drinks delicious.

This was stop number 2 for my Calgary Taco Fiesta crawl. Their taco offering was a «chipotle confit pork belly» with apple slaw and I figured out I was officially Team Pork Belly.
Service was friendly and my order came out very quickly. With the description, I wasn’t expecting pulled pork but that’s what I got. The pork was well cooked and they didn’t pull any punches with the heat. It was spicy hot! I normally expect the slaw on a taco to balance or compliment the meat. This slaw did neither and I wasn’t pleased about that. The slaw seemed to have been mixed with the same sauce as the pork so it didn’t have an independent taste of its own.
Décor was pretty cool. While I have no major complaints, I also did not have any wow moments and a return trip is doubtful

This was my first time at Blanco Cantina. I cannot really review the interior and the staff too much as I only ordered for take-​out. Although I had no issues with the staff (they were quite friendly) my review is only regulated to the food portion of the restaurant.
I ordered the El Demonio 1lbs burrito. It came with two sides so I chose the biscuit and the corn salad. First, the sides; the biscuit was nice and moist and they were nice enough to wrap it in saran wrap for me to keep it warm. It had a bit of veggies and cheese in the mix. The creamed corn salad was interesting. It lacked a bit of flavour but was a nice palette cleanser. And now onto the burrito; it’s HUGE. The 1lbs is almost all soft and tender beef brisket. I found the beef to be a bit bland but the texture was all there. Another thing, it had 3-​chili symbols beside it on the menu so I was aware it would be spicy. It had A LOT of heat. I can usually handle spice but it was a bit too much for me (now I know for next time). I ended up not finishing ¹⁄₅ of the burrito because of how spicy it was. Along with the brisket were fries and a salsa wrapped in together. I didn’t think it was that great of a combination and at $ 21 for the dish I don’t think I’ll ever get it again.
I had a bit of a higher expectation and perhaps it was a case of just ordering the wrong thing. I will be back to try out other items (sans the chilis).

Yum! The nachos are the must try item on the menu. The margaritas run a close second. Nothing fake here — all good — all the time. The staff is very friendly and helpful with the menu. They also have a LARGE selection of tequila & rum. You can’t go wrong here!

A group of 6 of us decided to give it a try since it has a central location. Unfortunately theres nothing to rave about in regards to the food. The good: chips/​guac, the prompt service and some of the drinks. The bad: most food items we tried including the fried chicken, fajitas, burrito and pescado tacos. All the food was a bit bland and did not excite any of our taste buds at all. The rice tasted a bit off and the beans also had no flavour. Not good mexican food at all (and we compared with a couple other friends who went on different nights). Los Chilitos is a bit better if you walk down a couple blocks. Or if you want better tacos go check out Native Tongues (another new spot).

So I’m conflicted because I love the food here, and have had some great servers at night here. However I brought my friends here for happy hour after our server mentioned it last time. It was a bit of a different experience. I felt a bit embarrassed because I had raved about the place. Our server was not pleasant at all despite my efforts to be nice. My friends are less accommodating. They hadn’t been there before so got confused when ordering the nachos, but rather than explain it to her she got mega rude and condescending. I was in total shock. I picked up that my gf wasn’t understanding so took the time to explain how the ordering system went, but that really shouldn’t be my job. The rest of the experience was just awkward… like I just wanted to leave right away.

Great friendly attentive staff and the portions are really good as well. Good selection of everything on tap and behind the bar. will be back again and again.

There is something I love about this space and then in equal parts somethings that totally threw me off the love. Here are the hi’s and low’s to help you decide yourself.
Service was very prompt and quick. Considering how quickly they filled up on a Saturday night feel we were lucky to come when we did and get a table without a wait. Server was very friendly but not too pushy, giving us time to catch up with a drink before deciding on food. One of the ladies at the table has this weird drink order she loves and the server took it in stride and produced as requested. One star for that alone.
They also have a board with 50 tequila and 50 rum choices on it — you will not be disappointed if you like either one. Menu notes Halfy Hour has having some pretty awesome deals daily from 3−5pm. Love that the weekend made it into these times, even if we missed out being there just after 5pm.
Food wise…
She had the ½ Carne (pulled beef) burrito with side choices of coleslaw and fries. Was warned the beef is a little spicy and had no problem with the heat on that one. Beef was deliciously tasty and tender. Fries were crispy and still hot coming out. Said the coleslaw was pretty good. For ½ size it is pretty big so she was happy not to have gone the whole 1lb size.
The boy had the Jefe Pable burger with side choices of fries and guacamole. For a side portion the guacamole was pretty massive — I have seen smaller sizes as an extra charge with nachos at some places. Was big enough for the boy and friend to share. Burger comes with 3 different chillies on + chilli gravy + queso (cheese sauce). Thought it could have been hotter for the amount of chillies but he is crazy that way so figure if you like heat this one is a winner. Downside? The burger was super salty. Now we are people that love the salt. So if he could only get ½ way though before it got to salty there is a problem,. Not sure if someone got seasoning measurements wrong or if the ground beef just wasn’t mixed well enough but had one sad boy who couldn’t finish his burger.
— note the burger and sides were still big enough that he was 90% full
— second note, when we told the server she was very apologetic and promised the tell the kitchen. No discount on the bill but as he was ½ way though I can understand that.
I went with Pollo Loco Fried chicken, cause who doesn’t like fried chicken? Sides were corn bread and refitos (re-​fried beans). Normally I am the biggest fan of re-​fried beans, but these were spicy. now I get that we are in a Mexican restaurant but why the spicy beans? They are there to be mild and delicious and cool the mouth as you eat chillies. Or is that just me? Chicken was tender and most with a lovely crispy outside, with chopped up jalapenos scattered over it. Asked for the chilli gravy on the side, had great flavour and was completely devoured with the fries. Queso sauce kind of looked like melted Velveeta on top. Corn bread was quite tasty and thankfully not spicy so that helped with the heat. All in all tasty but started getting too hot mid way through, but I don’t like too much spice.
No space for dessert, and of the 3 options none grabbed us enough to share either.
Food gets us to 3 stars. Not blown away by anything and not entirely disappointed. kind of left somewhere in the middle.
Love the décor though so would maybe rather just come back in for a drink or 2 next time. Also appreciate that they had the music on but low enough we didn’t have to shout to hear each other.

Third visit and below mediocre. Drinks are acid like bar lime mix is over used. Nachos were burnt on top, uncooked in the middle. Fish tacos deep fried to almost charcoal. Can’t tell it’s fish. Server even commented on nachos, shrugged and walked away. Such a fan of Anejo but can’t give Blanco a 4^th chance.
And just realizing that for Halfy Hour we got charged full price. Damn it.

4 stars for the killer happy hour special daily. All tequilas and rums are half price making it very easy to make your way through the list and trying some I’ve never had the pleasure of tasting before. The only food we were able to try were the nachos which were delicious! Note to self– make a reservation because the whole joint was reserved by 6 pm on a Saturday night.

I have been waiting for the place to open for so long and trust me when I say it does not disappoint. The décor is reminiscent to an old school tex-​mex joint with lots of little touches all over the room (Tequila bottle chandeliers!!). Our server was super friendly and happy to tell us all about the tequila list and rum that they had to offer and explained the food menu to us as well. we decided on wings to start… They were massive! super crunchy with just the right spice so good! We also sampled some of the cocktails. Everything was made fresh and super yummy, Im going to be dreaming about that DJ Paloma for days to come! I can’t wait to visit again.

Service was not great… drinks took a long time and were meh, food orders taken.
My food arrived wrong, I asked for the pork tacos with no tomatoes and no cilantro, chicken tacos arrived with tomatoes and cilantro… rather than apologies both servers blamed each other and went back and got me new tacos… The new tacos were crazy spicy. which was not advertised, like inedible spicy, so the server brought me some sour cream… when i told her I could not eat them, she brought me a take away box.. .. .thanks?
I’ll stick to Anejo

I have been here twice, greeted promptly, seated within a few minutes. Staff were obviously new but very friendly. Food portions were great, Watermelon Margarita the best (they creep up on you so dont be tempted to have too many).
Will be back again with my girlfriends.

First time to this new establishment! I would say the ambience is great, great for all occasions but the food ok not great. The waitress we had was awesome! Definitely would come back for the good service we had!

Overall I was impressed with this new place which is in the location of the old Brava Bistro on 17^th Ave SW. I think the restaurant is owned by the same group as the Anejo restaurant in the Mission area. This Mexican inspired restaurant is perfect for a casual get together with friends. I liked the laid back feel of the restaurant with the TVs, booths and high top tables. The passion fruit margarita is a must try! It wasn’t too sweet which I appreciated. The Mexican poutine was a hit at our table and a friend of mine was also really impressed with the fish tacos. The food and drinks came out fast and perfectly made. The server was friendly and able to answer our questions on the menu. I recommend this place and will be back for sure!

New to the neighborhood, Blanco Cantina inhabits the former Brava Bistro. Inside has been transformed into a tequila wonderland and the promise of a killer patio had me already looking to next summer.
Bright and airy with whimsy throughout, the décor sets the mood. TVs wrap around the bar to show the games and ambient music plays overhead.
But who cares, you want the dirt on the food. Well, here’s the nachos and poutine that Calgary deserves. You can choose between big and frigging huge, and from there you pick from unlimited toppings, then add your protein and extras. You can do the same to the poutine or choose from pre-​built options.
The menu is large and the tequila plentiful. You would be foolish to skip this place if you’re a fan of Mexican food and good spirits!

Bring your appetite because at Blanco Cantina size is everything and their food portions are MASSIVE.
Well over the size of a hefty ‘American’ portion, it’s questionable how they can even make money.
They are seriously OUTRAGEOUS!
The menu contains Burritos, Burgers, Poutines & Nachos… All with a Mexican flair.
But the list doesn’t end there!
50+ Rums & Tequilas, drafts and even Red Bull slushies, Blanco is a place you’ll go for one and end up staying the night.
And with there $ 5 margarita & draft happy hour and 50% off nachos and poutines happening Everyday Day (yes, weekends included) between 3−5pm, you’ll end up starting early and ending late!
An amazing concept and a very welcome addition to the popular 17^th ave!