The Cantina at Silver Reef

If I had written a review of the Cantina at Silver Reef on any of the many times we visited before, it would have been a raving 5 star review, and in fact I have raved on many occasions verbally to other Unilocalers that I know about how great it is.
However the tides have turned.
My wife and I dined at the Cantina tonight, and had a bad experience. They were out of my favorite dish, their amazing chile relleno, which was certainly the best in Whatcom County. So I ordered the carne asada instead, which was okay, nothing spectacular. Marcia ordered the pork carnitas, which were bad, they were cooked so hard that they couldn’t even be cut with a knife. I tried one, and it was perhaps the first time in a restaurant that I have spit out food onto a plate because it was truly inedible. My one star review is not because they were out of my favorite item, instead it is the reason that they were out.
After a short discussion of with the supervisor, we learned that the restaurant is closing at the beginning of January 2016, and that they are no longer open for lunch, only dinner. She explained that by not being open for lunch, they don’t have the staff available to prepare the amazing dishes that take time, for instance the carnitas, or the rellenos which are normally prepared earlier in the day. It is clear that they are just riding out their time before they close, and that the quality and amazing dishes are no longer available.
I regret that I didn’t write a 5 star review earlier, when the food was amazing, but now they are on their way out, just don’t expect the quality they used to have.
If the food had been bad just once I could have lived with that, but other factors as mentioned above make it so that I will not return.
This is perhaps the saddest review that I have written because this was one of my favorite restaurants. Sad to see them go out this way.
Note, the pictures attached are from previous visits before it went bad.

My wife, daughter and I went for dinner and were very happy with the whole experience. We each used our annual birthday free meal which had a $ 18.95 value since it is based on the buffet cost that night. At the end of the meal, we only had to pay for the tip.
I had carnitas. It was $ 14.95 and had enough to fill me (6’2″, 250 lbs.) that night and the following morning. The pork comes out in chunks about the size of a small red potato. When you cut into the meat, there’s a good amount of moisture still in there. It was great.
We got the table side guacamole. You can specify the ingredients and really tell them exactly how you want it. We got extra pico. They use one full, small avocado so there’s just enough to share for 2.5 people.
My wife got a 2 item combo (enchilada and taco) for about 10 bucks. She didn’t finish everything and was stuffed. She says the chicken was moist and had guacamole, pico, and sour cream.
The waitress was awesome, décor is amazing, and I would say this is absolutely a great way to spend you annual free meal at the casino!

Not a big fan of casinos in general. Specifically the smoke. But the Cantina restaurant is worth the brief walk through the casino haze. The staff is generally friendly and timely. The margaritas are tasty, we always go for the Cadillac margarita. The nachos are fantastic a full meal for 2 people. They also have an appetizer of guacamole made at your table side. Overall I haven’t had anything that has disappointed. Food seems fresh not your typical Mexican restaurant.
12/​10/​2015 So sad, today was the first time that I have had bad food at the Cantina, We are talking pork carnitas so hard that they were really inedible. I could get past that and try this place again because of the incredible track record, however today I found out that The Cantina is closing in January. So sad. This truly was one of the better Mexican restaurants in Whatcom County.

Ate at The Cantina for the first time last night. The food was delicious and had a variety of good flavors going on.
This is the best Mexican food we’ve had in Whatcom Co (and we’ve tried many places). Not only that, it’s reasonably priced, too. We usually frequent Jalapenos. Not only was this heads above them, they were actually less expensive.
If you enjoy going to the Casino now and then, this is a great place to have dinner. If not, it still might be worth the trip. Because it’s inside the casino, it will be smokey.

Had dinner there last night. WOW! Food was really good, great service and big portions. The only reason I don’t give it a five star is that the casino smoke still seems to waffle in the restaurant. Not real bad but noticeable.

We eat at mexican restaurants pretty regularly, and The Cantina was top notch. Smaller restaurant, but the ambiance is nice. But the food is where it’s at. Incredibly delicious. The tableside guacamole is a fantastic experience. Their queso dip is to die for. Everything was just very flavorful, and priced really well.
Service was great, and we only wish we lived closer so we could make this a frequent visit. Highly recommended.

Solid 3.5 stars, quite authentic, and loses a 4^th star due to casino pricing and kitchen closes at 9 or so on a Sat nite!
signature dish: tequila-​flavoured, pan seared chicken, can’t go wrong with that ;)
It’s upscale here, so date-​worhy.
Cool, blue-​lit bar counter top, wide bar outside the dining area.