Cantina Los Caballitos

Took a visit to this place with my girlfriend. The space is average size with access to outside dinning. It was a tad unpleasant given the cold weather even though we were inside (the outside meshed with the inside.) We were immediately greeted with complementarity chips, salsa, and guacamole, which is always nice. I ordered there Cabrito (slow cooked goat) which was very good and well prepared. My girlfriend on the other hand had a salad that looked as if it was quickly prepared and came straight from chipotle.

It’s now 2016 and this place is still my favorite.

«The Cantina» is a place I have visited a few times, and overall i am a fan of the food, service and appropriate price for the quality and quantity of food you get. Just to be clear there is very little «Mexican» about this place, it very much reminds me of what a person who has never been to Mexico would imagine Mexico to be.
As I said before the food is good but aside from one or items there is nothing Mexican about it. In fact i would call it an American play on Tex-​Mex food. There are some elements of Mexican food and a few ingredients but they are used to appease an American taste. An example: for brunch the only truly Mexican item out of about 10 choices was Chilaquiles. But they did have eggs Benedict, a breakfast burrito, and a standard side of potatoes and onions for every order. the quality of the food was good and the price was right ($ 8 – 10), but it just wasn’t Mexican. The service has been great every time and the servers are very nice. Good drink specials too.
Even though its not authentic I still come across the the city to come here so it is worth the trip it in my opinion,.

Drinks and food are fantastic! Highly recommend the blood orange margarita on the rocks

So this is not authentic Mexican food. This is «modern» Mexican, coming from a real life Hispanic. You actually have to ask for the Spanish rice and refried beans to replace the white rice and black beans. The salsa had ZERO spice and then our dishes were so hot we were chugging water like crazy. Drinks were amazing so I consider this more of a bar with some pretentious bites than a restaurant. If you’re looking to come drink, this is the spot, anything else… good luck.

Amazing spot! I love coming here! Staff is great, food is amazing, margaritas are delicious – I’ve got nothing bad to say about this place.
I come to this spot regularly and am never disappointed.
I love it for brunch, drinks, casual dinner, and outdoor sitting in summer.
P. S. Folks who leave poor reviews, stop making up stuff; this place is great and you know it!

To put it shortly:
Dear heavens, this place is the BEST. The absolute, best Mexican.
More details, maybe:
My friends and I came here to celebrate one of our friend’s birthday, as it was his favorite place. We were greeted-​with cheer, and the friendly hostess immediately led us to our table. Then we were served and checked on frequently.
From start to finish the service was fast, friendly, and on cue.
We were four, and the menu was intersting. I believe we ended up ordering everything on the menu. And we loved everything we ordered.
I would personally recommend the Camarones al Ajillo (garlic shrimp as an appetizer), Pescado (mani mani for your main course) and crème brûlée, which most of you, probably, know it is my my favorite dessert. It was a sad moment when the last bite of the crème brûlée was devoured, I had to order another one.
I can’t wait to go back to Cantina Los Caballitos.
Four and half Unilocal

I have been here several times and always have a great time! It is a fun, friendly atmosphere with homemade chips and tasty margaritas! What more can you ask for. This is a great place to meet up with friends after work or to come for a first date.

Their seasonal margarita flavors are so good. I really liked the Spiced Pear! I will go back again to try the pumpkin one soon!
I tried a few appetizers and everything was tasty. Guacamole side was a large portion and the chicken nachos were huge! I really enjoyed the smoky flavor of the chicken on the nachos. It was full of flavor.
Service was a little on the slow side but that may be because we had a large party of 7 people. Otherwise, friend staff and good spot to go for dinner or drinks.
Cheers!

How do I not have a review for this place. We are here a few times a month. Insane. Anyway. Our go to. Always delicious. Reasonable and vegan options!
The seitan skewers are my favorite. Three perfectly crispy on the outside and soft on the inside cubes skewers with sesame seeds and seasoned to perfection. Served over a spicy quinoa salad with peanuts. So yum! My meat eating hubby orders them they are so good. I highly recommend them for anyone. Vegan or not. Once anyone tastes them, they’re sold.
I alternate between the skewers and the Mixta salad mixed greens, avocado, jícama, orange sections, radishes, almonds, piquín chile vinaigrette which is light but somehow still filing. Very flavorful!
We always get the blood orange margaritas. The best!
Last night I tried the shredded jackfruit taco special and they were fantastic! Also fantastic! With crisp red cabbage and carrots.
Hubs gets the Mexican hotdog.
The lights are so fun. The chalkboards in the restrooms are too. The music good. The service is quick. Free chips and salsas. Love sitting outside on a nice day. We always find parking out front but it’s quarter meters so come prepared.
Our kiddos enjoy it here too! Very much so.

I’ve been to Cantina probably half a dozen times. I’ve walked out of Cantina blackout drunk only twice so that’s a good thing, right? Man, summer days sitting on their patio with pitchers of margaritas with chips and guacamole… does life get better? Add in some hot chicks and I’m like a kid on Christmas morning.
Seriously, Cantina is one of my favorite spots in South Philly. I’ve tried a number of menu items and each is quite good. They generally have food specials so it can be fairly economical so long as you’re not pounding pitchers of top shelf margaritas.
Service has always been great. In fact a couple weeks ago I went up there with a buddy. We sat at a high table close to the bar, had a few rounds and dinner. Towards the end of dinner an intoxicated group (it was before 10pm… total amateur hour crapshow) comes into the bar area and kept bumping into us… yeah it’s annoying but I”ve done plenty worse when drunk. Waiter recognizes what’s going on and tries to smooth it over by offering me and my buddy a shot on the house. What a cool guy. Wasn’t his fault but hey it was a nice gesture and I’ll always be a fan of Cantina.

Hey solid Mexican here. I stopped by to meet some Unilocal friends after an aborted trip to Stargazy for a UYE. Of course it would be foolish to call ahead to a place to reserve meat pies that are always sold out, and then show up right at closing. Anyway, after shaking the owner Sam’s hand (and him thinking «buddy that’s as close to a meat pie as you’re gonna get on a Sunday at 2pm»), I joined my crew at the improptu plan «B» hookup… Cantina Los Caballitos.
I am a big fan of Mexican and breakfast, so after some brief but tortured soul searching (huevos rancheros or a breakfast burrito) I went with the burrito, a legit ¾ pound of scrambled eggs, bacon, rice, beans, and some other goodies, none of which are conducive to cardio health or intimacy, but, eh, it was a Sunday. And that last sentence was a run-​on. Oh well. Tenga un bueno dia!

Cantina was not our original destination this afternoon. We were supposed to meet at Stargazy and Sam was sold out of pies, so we settled on Cantina, which was nearby.
It was a beautiful fall Sunday afternoon, and we decided to eat outside. We 6 were sat immediately and the menu held some interesting brunch choices. I was immediately glad we chose this place.
We ordered beers, sangrias and Bloody Mary’s and all seemed good (the beer was anyway). I really liked the idea of a breakfast burrito but eventually settled for steak tacos because I hadn’t had one in awhile.
I liked them, but I have to say, through no fault of cantina, I realize that I grew up on flour tortillas and I just don’t like corn tortillas as much. Still the steak and fillings were to die for.
This is a great weekend brunch option if you are in the area. Definitely go when you can enjoy the patio area.

Came for dinner around 7:30 on a Saturday night and were seated fairly quickly inside. Outside seating would have been a 45 min wait. It’s pretty dim, but the hanging lights are great. It was also very loud between the music and tables are pretty close together, which made it a little hard to have a conversation. It’s definitely a laid back, fun atmosphere. All the serves and hostess were dressed in casual clothes.
I’m not usually into margaritas so I can’t say if it the strawberry margarita was fully up to par, but I liked it.
We were given chips and two types of salsa to start. The salsas were alright. The Costillitas-​bbq pork ribs– were hands down my favorite part of the meal. Meat came right off the bone, super tender and really delicious with pineapple salsa and a little jalapeño for a sweet and spicy bite. Enchiladas were good and Cabrito-​slow cooked goat– was also very tender and tasted good with the pickled red onions, refried beans and rice. Tres Leches Crème Brulee was okay, a little lacking in texture. There is also a vegetarian option for dessert as well.
Server was on top of everything throughout the night. I would come back for a casual meal or drinks at the bar and play tunes on the jukebox.

After a long night last night, my fiancé and I decided to not make breakfast and to go out for brunch besides it’s the weekend, who wants to cook.
So we go to Cantina, we’ve been there before and they had great pancakes. This time I got the special, poached eggs and my lady gets the breakfast burrito.
The poached eggs with veggies on a mosa boat was amazing. It was covered in chorizo, just enough beans, the right amount of great tasting sauce with just the perfect hint of spicy, well cooked poached eggs and a mixture of kale and spinach (mexican veggies). The burrito was great as well, the guac and eggs so fresh with great flavor and rice. The side potatoes are awesome as well. All the flavors came through. I said I felt like I was on a trip in mexico at a resort having great authentic Mexican food. Definitely a great place for an authentic Mexican brunch. Enjoy.
Side note. About those pancakes we had previously. They are great. fluffy, great taste and awesome sauce. no syrup needed. Enjoy.

I am a regular here because the margaritas are the best I’ve had in the city.
If you are up for trying a flavored margarita, go for cucumber. It’s refreshing and not too sweet. Getting the pitcher vs. single drinks, in my opinion, makes the most sense if you are a party of 2 or more. You get more bang for your buck, or in this case, more margaritas!!!
The service is pretty solid but I’ve had to track down the waitress for the bill a couple of times. Food here is pretty good too. Chips and salsa are complimentary.
This place is pretty much the same as Cantina Dos Segundos in nolibs, but I prefer the outdoor space at this location.
Overall, a great staple on Passyunk!

GOOD FOOD… FAIR PRICES… WOULD VISIT AGAIN IF IN AREA.
Food: The food is good and is fairly priced. The theme is Americanized Mexican food. The sopapilla French toast is excellent!
Ambiance: Nice restaurant in the Passyunk area of south Philly. Definitely fits in with the vibe of the local neighborhood. Lots of outdoor seating.
Service: Friendly staff and usually very timely. However, this one time the delivery of the food took more than 35 mins.
Definitely worth a visit if you are in the area! However, I wouldn’t go extremely out of my way to just eat brunch here.

I can only speak for patio atmosphere and margaritas. But oh boy were those a treat! My sister had a traditional margarita on the rocks, and I had a blood orange one. Both delicious and flavorful! Strong but didn’t taste like it. Got complimentary chips and salsa with two salsas. Great patio, people watching, and drinks!

Solid three stars for food, ambience and service. I wasn’t exactly overwhelmed with joyous feelings but not crazily disappointed either.
My dining partner and I arrived at about 915pm on Memorial day Sunday. Honestly, when he suggested this place, I kinda cringed because of the usual mess of a parking situation. But he assured me that most folks had done down the shore, there were plenty of spots and there were! Yay! No wasting a quarter tank of gas trying to find a parking spot in South Philly’s super crowded streets.
We wanted to dine outside, so we were told that there was a twenty minute wait. We looked around a spotted millions of empty tables and they didn’t seem short staffed, but um okay. Snagged two seats at the bar and I tried a blood orange margarita on the rocks with salt. He had a mango margarita, no salt or sugar. Drum roll… I was slightly disappointed. The taste was great, didn’t really have much tequila and at $ 9 a pop I want some kick! He said his drink was fine, but he really wasn’t a drinker so what did he know? Lol. We got the your table is ready text, settled up the tab and sat our table.
Sitting there having my margarita, I had some time to look around and take in the scenery. This place is über hipster-​y. Is that a word? :shrugs:. Or should I say, the folks that frequent the restaurant. Anyway, the noise level here is LOUD. Like I’m at a Naughty By Nature concert screaming «Hip Hop Hooray» loud. It was annoying, that I practically lost my voice trying to talk to my date. Ugh. I would not bring someone here on a date ever again. Just can’t hear the person. I know my server got tired of me saying HUH… Somewhere outside was a dog howling. Behind us was a some college crowd of folks that clearly just turned 21 and having their first round of drinks. Lots of screaming and yelling. My annoyance meter is creeping up slowly but surely.
Anyway, the place is dim and dark. Kinda sexy but the noise takes that down a notch. The patio is huge and can seat well over 20 – 25 tables easily without fear of the server dropping hot coffee on your head or bumping into the next table. The chairs are not made for long time dining and sitting. You eat, drink and be gone. Lol. Those chairs are metal. Metal and metal.
Now, onto the food. Most of the menu is in Spanish I believe and to be honest I didn’t understand some of it. There were some English descriptive words though. I ordered the Cabrito dish which was some pulled goat dish. I’d never tried goat so why not? He ordered the enchiladas. Server brought out a warm bowl of chips and two glorious bowls of Verde and Rojo (a) salsa… Ohhhhhh baby, love at first sight. Both had a slight kick. Nice! Me want more!!!
Twenty minutes later and my plate arrives. On one side, is the pulled goat with roasted garlic and a cucumber salad. On the other, was literally a SPOONFUL of white rice with what looked like a sprinkling of cilantro and refried beans. My plate looked so damned empty, I was sure that I was missing something. I’d think a «platter» at a Mexican restaurant woukd come with tortillas. So I asked another server if it came with tortillas and he gave a flat NO. But does offer to bring some out. After six or seven minutes, plate almost gone… comes my super warm tortillas. They save my life and stomach because I knew I was going home hungry.
The pulled goat was OK. The taste was flavorful but a bit tough and hard to chew. Loved the refried beans. Plain old white rice with cilantro, keep that away. Or at least give me enough to fill me up. Sheesh, a spoonful? Sweet Lord. That wasn’t enough to quiet that howling dog a few tables over.
At $ 17, I’d like more food. Seriously, I was still hungry after leaving.
Overall, would I come back? Probably. For happy hour or any time they have a special. I don’t think they serve your money’s worth here. And on any other day, pair bad parking with overpriced food and drinks, you’ll probably be pissed.

Want delicious mexican food? Want a great margarita? How about a huge courtyard for outside seating so you can dine in the sun? Cantina Los Caballitos has that! Come for brunch or dinner, the menu is great, and the atmosphere is authentic!
I ate brunch here on Sunday, after the famous Broad St run. The wait was long, but for good reason, because there was an extra 40k people in the city that day, and everyone wanted to dine outside. Despite the long wait times, the staff were super friendly about everything, and did a great job keeping us updated about our status.
Food was really good. The guacamole appetizer was amazing, including the special with bacon, goat cheese, and raddish. Yumm! I had speical tacos, with pork carnitas and jackfruit salsa. It was very good! The breakfast burriots were enourmous, probably as large as my head. My friend wasn’t as fond of the egg & spinach tacos, stating they were quite bland. The watermelon margarittas were delicious, and so was the jalepeno cucumber margarita. Also, I loved the verde salsa! Not too spicy so I could actually eat it!
Overall everything was very good, despite the long wait times, but again, it was expected given the situation. At least the staff kept us informed, so they managed it well. I would definitly come back here! The outside courtyard is huge! I also want to try their sister location in Northern Liberties.