Cantina 1

Not bad for a mall restaurant. Located on the top floor, the 4^th floor of the mall. Very lively and active atmosphere. They had a dj playing nice music that had the whole place moving to the beat. The food was good. We ordered the nachos and fajitas. One combo and one steak. Pretty typical. The service was good. They had a good team that was very attentive and kept our table clean and our water glasses replenished. The place is huge so it’s perfect for large groups which it appeared to be several groups enjoying themselves on the dance floor.

For what it is Cantina 1 is vastly over priced. The food is just boring and that is saying something for Mexican.
I ordered the taco sampler. Of the three taco types it came with only one had any flavor to it, and in all honesty they were all so boring that the one doesn’t even stick out in my mind. They also charge extra for sour cream if you feel like adding something moist to the cardboard they call fresh tortillas. It looks like they just plop the food down on the plate and throw it out of the kitchen, Taco Bell is better at plating their food than Cantina 1.
I love tacky décor if it’s done in a fun way, but this place looks like it was designed by a blind person who only had Mexico described to them.
The service was polite but it was hard to get their attention, which would be fine if the restaurant hadn’t been nearly empty.
Overall, just avoid it. There are so many other options at the Mall Of America and this is literally the last one on my list.

Please don’t waste your money. This was a very sad attempt at Mexican food… we split a few appetizers and drinks. The drinks were all ice, and had no flavor. The nachos were absolutely terrible as well. It was dead in the restaurant, and we still had crappy service. I couldn’t have been more disappointed.

The food is good but the prices are outrageous! Not even free chips and salsa at a Mexican restaurant. Even with a groupon, it is overpriced. They don’t bring you salsa with your entrée either. I had a platter with different Mexican dishes and no salsa. I had to ask and then they charged me for it!

Went here for a work function and tried the array of cocktails they offered. First off: they are expensive and for no good reason. I tried the pina-​rita which advertises is pineapple taste (thus the name). It’s horrible. Completely un-​drinkable. It’s overwhelmingly coconut with a bitter rum burn and no pineapple taste at all. It has flakes of coconut that are hard and stale so it’s physchically hard to drink. My friends didn’t have much luck of their cocktails either. Gin-​ginger, kinky-​rita and pomegranate Margarita were all disasters. This could be forgiven if our server was ever around to order something else but in our mere 45 minute visit we only saw her once.
Save your money and your taste buds.

Food: N/​A (didn’t have service to eat)
Service: ⁰⁄₅
Cleanliness: ⁴⁄₅
Décor & Style: ⁵⁄₅
Went on a Saturday afternoon (1240 or so) and the host told me the bar is self seat. The bar area is real nice and large with plenty of seats. Great ambience and a place to relax in the mall. Well, I sat there for 10 minutes and no one served me. I sat at one of the tables not at the actual bar, but near the window. The bartender (only 1) was at the bar and the other servers (for the bar tables) just ignored me the whole time. Sure, I could literally get off my seat, wave someone down, and ask for service but what’s the point, this is not my problem. No one came by or acknowledged me and I tried many times to make eye contact as they passed near me. How odd. If they were too busy then at least tell me, right? Well, hopefully this doesn’t have to anyone else!

Disclaimer: I had been watching a lot of Bar Rescue before visiting, but this experience was far below anything on that show.
I arrived around 7 p.m. on a Sunday, which is when the stores in the mall shut down. I had only a few days left to use a groupon, so I figured why not. When arriving we were told that the dining room was closed but we could sit anywhere in the bar. Seating was plentiful, so we grabbed a seat and got situated. Our server stopped by after a few moments and gave us the menus and asked if we wanted anything to drink. That is where the trouble begins.
After ordering a coke and a water, we took a look over the food and drink menus. When the waiter came by again, I asked for a Corona, which makes sense since it was a Mexican restaurant. After about 10 minutes the waiter came back and it was clear he had forgotten my drink order. No big. It also gave me an opportunity to ask if the Corona was a regular 12 oz or what was listed in the menu as a 32 oz beer. He was adamant that they did not serve anything other than the 12 oz beer. So, I opted to have a Michelob golden instead, since it was on tap and on special. He returned a minute later with a Corona and told me that they had already opened it. Again, no big deal.
At this time, my dining parter/​extremely patient girlfriend asked for a refill of her coke. Again, 10 minutes goes by and nothing. Luckily, someone who I have to assume was the manager brought our chips and salsa by (which I would recommend, even for the additional $ 3). We mentioned very politely to her that we had been waiting a long time for a coke, and she appeared agitated by that, but she very quickly helped us out. I will point out that by this time, the place had picked up and it was much fuller, however, it was not at capacity. There were also a table of servers eating and drinking at a table immediately behind us. Maybe they were kicking back after a long day, or maybe they were on break, but it was still a little confusing to see so many employees hanging out when we were getting such terrible service.
Service is one thing, and even terrible service can be overcome by great food. Unfortunately, this missed the mark in a big way as well. Another disclaimer, I was born in Texas. I’ve eaten at more than three «authentic» Mexican joints, so I know what to expect. Very rarely do I expect that in my transplant Minnesota, but there are a few keys which I think should be universal. I ordered chicken Fajitas. The skillet arrived at my table not making even the slightest sizzling sound. Instead, it was a bunch of onions, some chicken, and a few peppers soaked in a bath of oil. It made me feel sad to eat, yet it tasted pretty decent, probably on account of the oil.
My girlfriend got some combination plate that she enjoyed very much. The telltale sign, in my opinion, of a Mexican restaurant that isn’t too confident in their food is when they cover it in melted cheese. Don’t get me wrong, I love a good base of Queso Fundido or Mexican crema, but if you cover a burrito in melted colby jack, you’re hiding the fact that you just aren’t trying very hard.
Underwhelmed by the experience, we decided it was time to go. We asked for the bill, again a process which took 15 or so minutes. Initially, we got the wrong bill, but unfortunately didn’t notice until after the card had been run. However, they were very helpful in getting that cleared up.
Overall, the service was horrendous. I can count the number of times I’ve been inclined to withhold a tip (especially in Minnesota based on the fact that servers don’t make $ 1.90 per hour base), and this was one of them. Instead I provided a nominal tip. The food was fine, you got a lot for your money, but it was cheap Mexican-​oriented food that let’s face, just evidenced a general lack of effort or attention. Even for a half-​priced meal, this was a swing and a miss.

EPIC Fail — The experience should have been documented for a reality TV show for restaurant failures… or it could have been a great Lucy episode.
We had a large group of people for an event. At least 40. The restaurant knew we were coming and had an idea of how many as we were there the previous night with less people. There was no organized system for documenting the orders. They did not ask our name. Someone said something about them assigning numbers but not sure if for this night or previous or not. All the orders came out and the staff was trying to scream out the dish name as if anyone could hear, until someone claimed it. They did not keep track of where the order should go. When it came time to paying, it took 90 minutes for what I think I counted was 7 staff, including someone that looked like a manager to get the bills and pay for them. I counted 5 people in the little room where they print the checks and process payments on 3 or 4 registers looking like they were scrambling and getting nothing done. Most were all staying at a hotel where we had to get a shuttle by a certain time and that time came and went.

The food was good — no complaints. Service was incredibly disorganized however. Staff was not able to keep track of orders. It took 90 minutes for the servers and managers to resolve the issue. I would not go back.

Took over 90 minutes to get our bill when asked. Would not come back here. Had to finally tell servers we were walking out if they didn’t get our bill. What a joke. The other bad reviews don’t surprise me anymore.

The food choices have their own spin on Mexican. I ate the special, Tacos Al Pastor, it was fairly good. I didn’t like the chunks of pineapple in it (I’m not a huge fan of pineapple) but they were easy to pick out. The meat was dry though. The plate consisted of 5 small tacos, probably about the same amount of 2– 2 ½ normal tacos.
The person I was with got the Taco De Carne Asada and said that was good but didn’t taste like authentic Mexican. We are both picky when it comes to Mexican food so I don’t know if it was just us or if the food was truly mediocre.
Our server was Cristian, he was very attentive and did and good job. I like the plants around the restaurant and we had a both by windows over looking Nickelodeon Land so that was fun to watch and we ended up even going on some rides.

Easy to miss seating at the fourth level away from most of the other restaurants. Decided to try to for appetizer and drinks the Margarita was good and you can get a larger size for just a few more dollars during happy hour. I ordered the 3 tacos but the sauce that comes with it was very spicy so ordered a side of salsa.

We were in town for a conference downtown and had a day where we wanted to explore — so naturally, we thought — Bar Crawl at the Mall of America!?!
We started at Cantina 1 for lunch, margs, and a shot. I wasn’t a fan that like many other mexican joints, this place did not give complimentary chips and salsa, but instead — they charge (not much, but if I’m paying, I’ll get more than just chips and salsa). We started with the spinach queso dip, which was pretty good! Not too spinach-​y — just small hints of it in each bite and the queso was pretty good. I got the vegetarian fajitas as my entrée and it was pretty good. I liked the variety of vegetables that came on the sizzling skillet (I’ve never really seen corn in my fajitas so that was a nice touch). The side plate was also good, though I didn’t understand why there were two types of rice — I probably would have wanted more of the pico (since there was no salsa) and cheese. But, overall not too bad!
The drinks were great! We got the gigantic marg (gold patron?) that was (no joke) as big as my head if not bigger. We also asked for shots and he made them exactly as we said :)
The service was pretty good– our waiter was attentive enough and made sure he checked up on us often. There was a random lady that kept coming around after him and asking if we needed anything, which was a little strange — and even asked if she could clear a plate that was clearly full and being worked on. Weird.
Overall, we had a good experience, but we also went around lunch on a Friday — according to some of these reviews, things may change during busier times. But, we had no complaints.
Learning spanish in the bathrooms is a nice touch too! :)

We’re confused. Is this a sports bar? A dance club? Why is «Batman Begins» on one TV? Why is the music so loud?
Yikes. Not fun.

Omg, why! Why did I not read the reviews??? Avoid this place. Go to Chevy’s across from the mall of America if you want Mexican food, or even chipotle in the mall.
So we were walking the mall and decided to grab dinner as my shopping makes my husband hungry… or maybe he needed a drink?
We decided to go here because we were close to it and quite frankly we love Mexican food. We arrived and it was DEAD on a Friday night. We pushed a very small infant car seat stroller in and were told we couldn’t take it in, that’s fine we will take the car seat and put it in the booth, maybe it is busy? We get lead through the restaurant and it is pretty dead. There were a couple other families (Hispanic) who had giant strollers in the restaurant… wtf? So they put us in a booth where they infant car seat doesn’t fit and didn’t offer is a high chair to put it on. Finally we ask the waitress who is super friendly.
We get the menu and before we have a chance to even look she comes back for the order and brings us our drinks. We weren’t ready so she left. came back a second later. we still weren’t ready. give us a minute please?
She comes right back again and I honestly couldn’t find anything that stuck out to me on the menu, she was super nice and said they would make whatever I really wanted, but I settled on the Swiss enchiladas and husband ordered the taco salad.
Entrees came out pretty quickly, she sat mine in front of me and the baby. didn’t say the plate was scorching hot. luckily his leg didn’t touch it! My enchiladas SUCKED! Husbands salad wasn’t impressive either. The men busing the random tables were beyond rude, one almost knocked our baby completely off his high chair and didn’t even stop to apologize or acknowledge he did it. Other staff were behind our booth at their station talking about other tables.
We got our bill and paid it, walking out another bus person almost knocked me over with my infant. didn’t even stop or apologize. HORRIBLE staff unless you are Hispanic. Wtf?
So here is where it gets bad… we get home and about 4 hours later I get the worst food poisoning ever! 48 hours of absolute hell! I seriously lost 12.5 lbs in 2 days! Hospital was horrified at how sick I was. We call Cantina as my husband and I ate the same exact things all day except for there. their response? «It wasn’t us!» Omg! I’m not asking for a free meal as I would never step foot in this place again, but I didn’t want others to get sick as well. Hospital is going to step in and contact whoever it is that will check it out. Do yourself a favor and go elsewhere!

I am giving this a 4 star based on drinks! If you are looking for some amazing fun drinks then go here! We tried the chips and dip, 3 different dips and all disappointing! Bartenders are amazing and funny! Atmosphere is great! Prices are normal for the area! And the location is good if you are looking for somewhere to go on a date night as the movie theatre is very close by!

I only stopped in for drinks — and I’m glad that’s all!
Located on the top floor of the Mall, it’s a ‘corona’ themed place. We went about 3:00 and the bar was full (good sign, right?) so we snagged a high-​top.
Once our server finally made her way over she was very rushed and just said what can I get you… I ordered a margarita (a place like this is bound to have some stellar agave laced bevs), and she talked me into a jumbo. Joe was disappointed with the beer selection and settled on a dos equis.
They eventually came and mine was big. I was put off by the fluorescent yellow green color, and the flavor was seriously just as bad — tasted like windshield washer fluid and no tequila taste.
After the bill was delivered (my jumbo was $ 12) I looked up what I was charged for on the menu and it was touted as a fancy version made with grand marnier etc… well it was not the darker color that it should have been (as pictured). Instead of getting food we bounced and ate somewhere else.

If you feel like taking a stroll down the authentic streets of Mexico. this is the place for you. Ripe with the smell of piss and tequila. Feel like getting cat called by the servers.
Boy was this place a mess. The food was crap, literally crap. Taco Bell has better Mexican than this joint. being next to the servers computer did we over hear from pretty disturbing convos. One went off about how he wanted to have sexual relations with the young lady who had just ordered a «sex on the beach» literally talking about how he wanted to bang her on the beach
Constantly crowding around to gossip about the customers. The most unprofessional staff I have EVER seen.
Not to mention the smell… so disgusting I could barely get my food down.
Waste of money.

I’ve been coming here for years and today might have been my last. You can definitely tell the quality of their food and service has been steadily declining — their flour tortillas don’t even taste as good as store-​bought mission ones, and it took about 10 minutes after I was done with my meal for anyone to stop by to see how things were. I’ve always gotten the lobster tacos, and while pretty tasty, they are simply not worth the $ 20 price tag.
I do love the view of the park below from the booths on the dining room side, though.

After performing in the Mall of America’s Rotunda below, I «escalated» up to the fourth floor with a gang of peeps to chill at Catina. For the first time in a year or so, I visited a restaurant without looking it up on Unilocal beforehand. #mistakecity #mistakemistakecity
MOA doesn’t carry the best reputation for tasty eats, but when I’m exasperated from performing for several hours, I would consider eating a grilled giraffe head with baby seal shavings. In other words, my stomach, in that starving state, does not usually discriminate.
But there’s a first time for everything, I guess.
My server suggested I order his favorite: the Cubano Torta ($ 10.99 or so). For drink, the only beer supposedly on tap that night was Michelob Light. (This is what the server told me.) I didn’t care. I ordered both, and waited for about twenty minutes.
Sadly, my overall plate of food was uninspiring. (Like this review.) I just tasted beans, beans, some soggy bread, and more beans. Not to mention, I’ve never had a side of fries with my torta before, and they too were gross. Soggy, cold, and an insult to the French Fry name — for God-​sakes, how does one mess this up? I would’ve sent it back, but the server disappeared like Kevin Federline’s career or the pack of Camel Light 100s I hid in my car during high school (which I later found below the armrest years later). Exhausted, dejected, and hungry, I retreated into their dim fake palm tree jungle and rested my head on the table. When I saw the check, I uttered the words, «Did I really just pay for this whackness?»
In addition to the food, the service isn’t particularly fast (or present), and they carry mainly cheap brands. I found that ironic, considering the prices.
Sure, I had decent time pounding a few back and hanging out with friends. But, it’s the first time in recent memory I said «no» to food while hungry. (In other words, I didn’t finish.) I, along with many others, decided that we would best satiate our hunger by eating 11-​inch pizzas on the floor below. #truestory.
I would not recommend this restaurant.