Spice Cantina

Sign is misleading. Should read «Needs More Spice Cantina»
Hate to pile on to this place, but I have to echo the sentiment of many of the other reviewers. The food is just not good. The setting is really great, which is the only reason it gets more than a single star, but I go out to eat to have a good meal first and foremost. I can sit comfortably in my own living room.
The worst part of the food being bad, is that it is just bland. You can’t put «Spice» in the name of a place and serve bland food. It’s just silly. A little salt goes a long way, but it is more than that in this case.
I didn’t get any alcohol, so I can’t comment on that, but it seems like a nice enough place to share a drink with someone on a date. Service is also good, so whatever the problem is, it is in the recipes or the kitchen.

Seems like people either love it or hate — well, we are in the love it category. We have been here at least ten times with our entire family and the kids love it as much as I do. They recently changed to a new menu but we did like the older one much better. I love the atmosphere and enjoy sitting outside when the weather is nice. I hope they stay in business for a long time. I love the bar area and the drinks are stout for sure. I love the tres leche for dessert.

Terrific setting… too bad the food doesn’t come close to the physical plant. Here’s what’s missing from tonite’s Mahi tacos: the Mahi, rice that is fresh-​you could spackle a wall with this stuff, beans that are warm.
Service was very good… too bad the food was among the worst pseudo-​Mexican I’ve ever eaten. We were told it is a new menu… what the place needs is a new kitchen staff.

Delicious food! Had their guac, cheese dip, chicken quesadilla and mahi mahi. We loved every bite! And the ambiance is very unique and spacious. I can’t say enough good things about this place. Can’t wait until Fall to enjoy our food outside on the patio

Food– 2 stars, Drinks– 4 stars. I ordered the Miami Vice, which was a strawberry daiquiri topped with a piña colada, it was very good and fresh tasting. I like that they used a house made strawberry purée in their strawberry drinks. It wasn’t super icy, which was good. My sister ordered the dirty monkey, and it was really good. It tasted like a good banana Popsicle with kahlua on top and whipped cream and some sort of toffeeish topping.
The chips and salsa were nothing special. The salsa was bland but had a spicy undertone… it was strange. The chips were «meh».
I ordered the «el matador» burrito with chicken, which was supposed to be a «jumbo» burrito. Ha! Well, it was anything but jumbo– it was the size of a sandwich wrap. I was very disappointed that it didn’t come with red sauce on top. For the price and the type of place it was, I was expecting it to come out piping hot, smothered with red sauce on top or something. I really wouldn’t call it a burrito– it was more like a wrap. It was smaller than a burrito you’d get at Moes, Barberitos, Chipotle, etc. and had a lot less filling in it than those places. This really made me mad considering it was $ 12! The ends of the burrito had a lot of extra flour tortilla, meaning they skimped out on the filling. The taste of the burrito was good, and I enjoyed the peppers that were in it. But again, it wasn’t anything spectacular or worth coming back for. The rice and beans were BLAND. Bland bland bland as could be. Some salt would have helped it too. No unique flavors here and tasted like something from a box. I hate to say it but Taco Bell’s rice and beans are probably better! There was an option to get potato salad as a side, but I was really disappointed to hear that they stopped serving it for the night… Wtf? Why have it on the menu if you stop serving it at a certain time? Not sure if she just told me that because they ran out or what, but I thought it was weird.
The waitress was very friendly and moderately attentive. The guy handing out the food was really nice. A woman came by and asked how everything was, and I didn’t have the heart to tell her it was bland as hell and wtf are you thinking and did your taste buds fall off? I’m not sure how many people actually answer the question «how was everything» with brutal honesty, it’s almost as if they just say it to be nice. But it’s okay, perhaps they will read this review and do something about the food.
If this were my restaurant, I would make sure every item was extremely flavorful and would make people want to come back time and time again just to experience the unique flavors. It makes me sad that someone would allow bland food to be served just to make a profit, which is not what I’m accusing this place of necessarily.
Greensboro really needs a great Tex-​Mex restaurant, and this place has the potential to be something awesome. I didn’t go to culinary school, but I think if I got in the kitchen, I could whip up better tasting items than this place has. Its kind of a shame because all of the staff members seemed friendly.
Overall, I got the vibe that this place is trying so hard to have great food, but in reality, the food tastes like something you can make at home and definitely lacks any professional culinary skill. The drinks are really good, but they need to focus on their food more. If they are just trying to be passionate about their drinks, then stop serving food! It’s insulting to serve bland food and charge an arm and a leg.
I hope they hire a new head chef or manager or whatever and totally redo the menu! Get some good tex mex Monterrey Jack cheese and amp up the flavor in the items! And beef up the portions!

Service and food are both excellent here! I love the atmosphere, which I can’t really put a name to other than homey and natural. The dark wood throughout the restaurant makes it warm, classy and inviting.
The portion sizes are huge!!! Share something if you aren’t that hungry. My husband got the appetizer nachos and I had a vegetarian burrito. We both made 3 meals out of our plates. I haven’t had any alcoholic beverages from here but I can assure you, the bartenders know what they are doing. many of the couples around us the Saturday that we went had more than one mimosa or martini.
We usually park downtown and walk around, but there is plenty of parking if you just want to park, eat and leave. This restaurant has live music between it and its sister restaurant «The Worx» and all the bands I have heard have been really talented. There is a good sized, comfy patio you can sit on on nice days and listen to the entertainment or just enjoy the nature around you.
I have no complaints at all, you should definitely check it out!

I just attended a «tequila» tasting. But, it turned out to be so much more. The General Manager Jess put on quite a show. Her knowledge, passion, and honesty about the product served at Spice is remarkable. Not only did I get the opportunity and priveldge to try 6 different high end tequilas, they were paired with elegance including such small plates like Mahi Mahi to Chorizo Grits. I’ve always liked this restaurant, but today I’m all in. I have been a bartender for 10 years but left today with a wealth of knowledge, a full stomach, and a feeling of excitement about what this restaurant has in store for my community.

Awesome drinks! Some of the best in town. They really put time into the drinks there. Bartenders are really cool. Sit at the bar if possible. Food wise… It’s hit or miss. Had the beef brisket enchiladas, very flavorful. Sad they got rid of the chicken mole. They have a $ 2 taco Tuesday, BUT the tacos aren’t anything to rave about. Ground beef was too salty and lettuce was wilted. Your $ 2 for tacos on a Tuesday is better spent at Crafted.

Time has not been kind to Spice Cantina since their opening nearly seven months ago. I’ve dined several times since and with each visit the quality of the food has decreased significantly. Gone are their opening night blue corn tortilla chips, replaced with flavorless corn chips that could easily be store-​bought. It seems like the cheeses have been reworked as well, as the veggie quesadilla now hosts a bland american type cheese. The declining food quality is not the worst problem I have encountered though.
We recently visited for some after dinner drinks on a moderately busy night. After entering, the hostess was nowhere to be found. Then after a short wait, a server dropped by to say that the hostess could not be located and offered to seat us instead. We opted for the middle section with plush chairs and an antique couch. Even with the room at half capacity, the central section acted as an echo chamber, making every noise much louder. The 1960’s music I enjoyed on my first visit was notably absent. It took nearly 20 minutes for our server to come back and take our drink order. We ordered one Margarita each, and I opted for a classic margarita on the rocks with a salt rim. After ordering, we waited, waited some more, and then possibly broke a world record for world’s longest wait. By my watch it took a little over 30 minutes for the two drinks to arrive. For a margarita on the rocks, I would rank that night’s rendition closer in flavor to off the shelf margarita mix. I am not entirely certain that it contained tequila, either.
After the near hour it took to secure seating, place an order, and receive the drinks, we tried in vain to flag someone down so that we could pay our tab. After 10 minutes of more waiting, we decided to pay at the bar. My partner voiced our concerns to the bartender, who was completely unsympathetic to our experience. The total bill came to $ 16 before tip, which seemed excessive for two basic margaritas, especially compared to most other tex-​mex establishments in town. I would have second guessed the bill, but we did not receive a paper bill or a receipt since we paid in cash. Given the stellar opening night so many months ago, it pains me to award two stars. However, all of my recent downtown dining adventures have made me feel valued as a customer, and not ignored. I wish Spice Cantina well in future, and hope that the customer service aspects of the business can be improved. Unfortunately though after this experience I cannot say that I will be back.

Clearly Caucasian Mexican cuisine. Poor service and bland food.
I was here on Cinco de Mayo, so I will give them a pass on the poor service. Still, I felt like I was an inconvenience to the staff from the moment I entered to the second I left. At least give me some sort of sign that you actually want me to eat at your restaurant! But again, I realize it was one of the busiest days of the year.
After an hour of waiting we finally received our food. I received an incorrect order, as did one other person in my party. Of course, not wanting to inconvenience the staff, and not wanting to wait for another hour, I ate the beef enchiladas, which were fine. I was quite underwhelmed with the portions. I’m used to eating at San Luis, where you order something for a few bucks and receive a massive portion of super flavorful food. Someone else at my table had ordered two tacos, and only received one. We did ask for the other one, which never came. Never fear, they didn’t charge us for the $ 2 taco! Hint — it isn’t about the $ 2. It is about not feeling like a refugee when you are paying $ 70 for dinner.
I also ordered a beer, which was served in a plastic cup. Seriously, when I’m out to eat with my family, I’d rather not be treated like a toddler or a piss drunk frat boy who is going to drop his beer.
We won’t be back, which saddens me. I really wanted this place to work, but I’m afraid Greensboro has opened another sub-​par, mediocre restaurant.
Go to San Luis if you want good Mexican food for half the price and no wait time!

Awesome food great drink and the best service! The atmosphere can’t be beat. Renovated old structure. Tequila flights. Just a must try.

As I read the positive reviews I wonder what I missed. The space was very appealing and the service was great. That is where my good experience stopped.
I thought the menu was limited weighing heavily on beef items and lacking in authentic. Maybe it was an off night but our meal had little to no spice or taste appeal. The complimentary chips were cold and tasted no different than a mediocre bag of grocery chips, same went for the salsa. The guacamole was good but not worth the $ 8 they commanded. I can say the same for the $ 7 queso. The the three meals consisting of meat was very dry, either being over cooked or sat out too long. I won’t even begin on the over priced beverages.
We enjoy our Friday night dining and do not mind paying for a good meal but I can say, I have no desire to dine here again. We (2 people) walked out paying $ 90 and a feeling of regret.

Excellent New Mexican restaurant in downtown Greensboro, Spice Cantina is in the Railyard section of downtown just off of South Elm Street. They have done an awesome job converting the old coal and ice building into a cool Mexican restaurant with a great vibe. This is a place to come with friends and stay awhile.
The food was very good though the menu is not extensive. Not all of the usual suspects are on the menu: no burritos. But they do offer some very nice choices including tamales and mole. The salsa was just average but the guacamole was excellent. Red onions gave it a little kick and lime juice made for a nice finish. I had the pulled pork which was outstanding. Covered with their verde sauce, the pork was tender and had a smokey taste The pulled pork is also available in a tamale. Nearly all dishes give you a choice two sides of either rice, black beans, or potatoes (I can’t remember the name, it’s something Bravo) GET the potatoes! Very unusual and very good.
Serving sizes are generous and I find the prices good, most dishes at $ 9.95 or less though the pulled pork was $ 11.95.
The service was very good, no, excellent. In addition to our server, Jessica, we also had another server refilling water at half-​glass and bringing us more chips. Food delivery was quick as well.
Spice Cantina is definitely worth checking out with friends.

Atmosphere is amazing and drinks are so west coast! Makes me feel like I’m back in west LA!

Been there twice and it’s just okay. Beef brisket enchilada had a good flavor but meat wasn’t sliced against grain so meat was tough. Cocktails are weak! Everyone at my table on second visit ordered margaritas and we questioned server if tequila was in the drink. The potatoes sound like they’ll be delicious but both times served room temp and just okay at best.
Want to love this place, great vibe but food and service are just okay

The food is very bland. Something that should never be said about TexMex food. Every person at my table of 4 said the same thing. Very little flavor. Most of our meals were overcooked as well. I had tamales which were dry and mealy. My friend had chicken mole which was also dry, even served on the bone. Hard to do that.
It’s not all bad. The chips and salsa are tasty, and there is a decent drink menu. The atmosphere is top notch, as is the service. This place COULD be so awesome, but ultimately… I come to eat, and I was not at all impressed. I’ll stick to Los Gordos.

This place has potential. My experience wasn’t as good as some of the posts so far, but they are new and probably still working out the kinks. We went during their soft opening period on ¹⁰⁄₂₄.
I’ll get the grips out of the way first.
My wife and I got drinks as we waited a short time for the table. I ordered a whisky w/​ice. Typically in the whisky world that means just enough ice to chill it out and dilute it a tad. The bartender literally filled a stem-​less wine glass full to the top with ice and made the pour. A little disappointing considering I got their top shelf stuff.
My other gripe (the major one) was the entrée. Our order came quick, usually not a gripe, but it came a little too quick. I forgot the name of the dish, but essentially it was the ‘meat sample’ platter. A little of everything including the chorizo, flat iron steak, chicken, carnitas, and shrimp. Along w/​this was rice and beans w/​tortillas. All items were flavorful and they incorporated good use of their name sake. However plate came out and looked and tasted like it had sat under the heat lamp for a while. Here’s a break down…
— Chorizo: came out dry, but tasty. Couldn’t nail down the spices, but very unique flavor… maybe coriander as the major player?
— Steak: again… came out really dry. Tasty though… good use of cumin and cayenne
— Chicken: this came out tender and tasty, no complaints here
— Carnitas: came out tender too, but a little flat on flavor.
— Shrimp: the best sample on the plate. Good heat, spice, and the subtle strip of bacon along the skewer added good smoky flavor
The beans and rice were cooked well. The flavor didn’t stand out on either. There’s attention to detail on almost everything in a presentation sense… even the chips come out in a cool baskety thing. But the Tortillas came in a cheap, thin, plastic container that I doubt would keep them warm for long.
Like I said though, the place has potential. Great atmosphere, attentive service… they just need to work out the kinks and this place could be great!

Our first trip, I ordered the vegetable fajitas. While I enjoyed the variety of vegetables, there was no seasoning, not even salt, which made for a bland dish. Luckily the table had ordered a round of sauces to sample so I was able to use that for adding flavor. The blue and yellow corn chips served before the meal were delicious as was the house salsa. However, on our second trip, these chips were gone — looks like they swapped for house made. The house made chips need to be cooked longer at a lower oil temp, they came out a little too greasy and soft.
My entrée on the second trip was the vegetable quesadilla. Wow! it was delicious and packed full of flavor. I also ordered the raspberry margarita. It is well worth the price! Very fresh and flavorful. I like how the bartender garnished it with a blackberry and lime wedge.

I really liked the vibe of Spice Cantina! It is definitely more trendy and up scale than the majority of the Mexican restaurants in the area. This place is more of a Friday night date spot. The service was really great especially for only being open for a week or two. Our server was John but they really have a good team system working here.
We got the queso dip, it was okay, I probably wouldn’t have ordered it again. We shared the platter for two and it was really tasty. My favorite were the carnitas and the house made chorizo. I do wish the chorizo was in sausage form as opposed to just crumbled on the side of the plate and hard to grab. The patatas bravas and rice and beans were a great side to all the meat. The plate also had flank steak and chicken.
We got the churros with chocolate dipping sauce for dessert. Those things were tasty! I just wish the chocolate was a little thicker so I could get more on the churros.

Visited yesterday when checking out the nearby food truck rodeo and not being enticed by anything there, so we dropped into Spice Cantina to check out their menu.
Looked good to us, so we grabbed a table.
Ordered the fundido dip for an appetizer, the house margarita and we each ordered a beef brisket quesadilla and chicken quesadilla. Not terribly imaginative, but that’s what sounded good :).
The dip came out a few minutes after our order and smelled and tasted wonderful. The same tortilla chips for the standard chips and salsa are used here and may be a little thin for the dip, but pair very well flavor-​wise. My only problem with the dip is that the chorizo must’ve been cooked with everything else as it was extremely oily under the cheese. Made it a little less appetizing to see oil laced throughout the dip.
Our quesadillas came out and were delicious. Perfect in size (roughly one large tortilla folded in half) and cut into thirds. The brisket was moist and flavorful, but the winner here was clearly the chicken. Moist, well-​seasoned and just perfectly with the cheese and veggies inside the quesadilla. Interestingly enough, it looks as if they use zucchini as a veggie in the quesadilla and it was very nicely cooked and seasoned too.
Entrees come with your choice of black beans and rice or papas bravas (essentially spiced hashbrowns) and the beans and rice are much better, so I recommend going that route unless you desperately want potatoes.
The margarita was good if not a little too sweet, but is served in a large glass and they do not skimp on size or salt. Service was great the whole way through the meal — knowledgeable server, quick service and even brought a water without asking (I only ordered a beer). For the beer lovers, they do have the standard Mexican restaurant fare, but also will offer rotating taps of good NC beer. Make sure to ask your server about them!
A very nice addition to downtown Greensboro and we look forward to when we can go back and try some of the other items on the menu.