Cantina South

Please be warned — Cantina South has closed and per their website will be re-​opening under new membership sometime this summer.
I was EXTREMELY shocked and unhappy to learn this when I showed up for brunch, with out-​of-​country family in tow, this past weekend. They have not notified Open Table so you are still able to make reservations.
I’d recommend checking their website before visiting, as their voicemail recording had not been updated either, nor was there any signage on location to indicate this.
Very disappointing, and not a good way to retain clientele.

Again, this review is only for the Sunday buffet. They have somehow managed to make a good thing even better! You really can’t beat the quality for the price. The one thing they might have been lacking the first time we went to this was cheesy… well, you can’t say that any more! The mac n cheese they’ve added was incredibly good… beyond rich and creamy… wow!
They also had added an enchilada type very cheesy casserole. Everything else was very similar to what we had experienced before (see previous review). There truly is something for everyone… every comfort level heat-​wise, every kind of fresh salsas/​guacamole, wonderful meats, excellent breakfast items. (poached egg lovers, try their version, but get it before it has been on the station too long or your yolk could get overcooked… get it fresh and… well, wow again!
Honestly, I cannot imagine getting an omelet or something when there are all these Mexican delights, but if that’s your thing I would think it would be fabulous. They have a full staff standing by and incredible looking fresh ingredients just waiting for hungry fine-​food-​loving diners.
On top of that, booths are comfy and the service is excellent!

I hadn’t heard about Cantina South until I purchased a Groupon for it. And I let that sit for a while but just as it was about to expire, I finally made it over.
We had the Quesadilla de Cuitlacoche as the app. My wife picked it. I’m not a big mushroom fan but it was good. For entrees, we had Tablones (boneless beef short ribs) and Pork Tenderloin Pibil. Both were very good. If there was anything wrong, the short ribs had too much meat on the plate. The small amount of rice and few tortillas weren’t enough to balance it off. But the pork tenderloin was just right. We ended with Empanadas with Plantains. It was a great balance of sweet, rich and crispy on the outside without going too far in any of those areas. And the coconut ice cream went perfectly with it. I’m not a big dessert fan but it was probably the best plate of the meal.
The atmosphere was pleasant and relaxing. It’s a bit rustic and kept on the darker side. Our waiter was great: outgoing, helpful, responsive etc.
It’s pricier and more formal than the Mexican places I usually frequent but I enjoyed the experience and under the right circumstances, I would go back without a Groupon.

I think this place is underrated. I have eaten food from Cantina South a couple times, once for takeout and once in the restaurant.
With takeout, there was a service glitch and the food took 20 minutes or so longer than expected. The staff was profusely apologetic and comp’d some of the meal.
When I took my father for dinner, our server could not have been more pleasant. He was a role model for what every waiter should aspire to be. He was attentive and helpful, knew the menu, offered suggestions when asked, was not overbearing and did not try to up-​sell.
The menu here may seem Rick Bayless-​esque. Frankly, I am impressed that Raleigh has achieved this level of sophistication on the Mexican front. The menu has very impressive descriptions and variety. The shrimp dishes I have had were quite good. The appetizer we got with cheese and chorizo was nicely presented and great comfort food for a winter’s night.
We happened in on a weeknight when sangria was $ 4 a glass and Mexican beers were less than that.
I used to live in this building and can tell you this is a huge improvement over Bogart’s (which was decent as a bar but had terrible food). Cantina South has a big, tastefully decorated space that hopefully will fill with more foot traffic once there is a tenant in the large Glenwood Avenue frontage (to replace Red Room) and the building looks less vacant from the street.
I will definitely be back.

First of all, let me preface this by saying that my standards for Mexican food are pretty low. As long as it’s not fast food (like Taco Bell or Qdoba), I’m pretty easy to please.
Anytime a Mexican restaurant is on the pricey side (over $ 10 average per entrée), I expect the food to blow me away, especially considering a cheaper Mexican restaurant is usually delicious. If I’m paying $ 12 for 3 tacos, they better be amazing.
With that all being said, Cantina South is expensive and not really that great.
The service is great. The hostess and server were very attentive, especially considering we walked in 40 minutes before close. The atmosphere is great, and they have great décor.
I immediately knew we were in for trouble when they brought our the salsa and chips. They served us approximately ½ cup of salsa (in the most ridiculous serving dish I have ever seen) and a small basket of chips for four people. There is nothing worse than a Mexican restaurant trying to be uppity by serving small portions of chips and salsa. The salsa was good, but more Pico de Gallo style. I, personally, enjoy the more blended type salsa.
Our entrees were served to us about 15 minutes after ordering, so again, service was phenomenal. I ordered the Tacos de Carne Asada and was really disappointed. The carne asada was not authentic tasting at all (I used to live in Mexico, and carne asada was my favorite!). It was heavily marinated with something of gravy like texture. It had a really weird taste. The rice was very bland, and so were the refried beans. The overall taste of the meal was just, «Meh.»
The quality of the food just isn’t worth the extra $ 5 an entrée, when I could go to another Mexican restaurant and experience the same quality (if not better) for half the price (with more chips and salsa!).

My husband and I had the opportunity to enjoy dinner at Cantina South. It was around 9:30 on a Thursday night.
The pros:
Their «skinny margarita», at less than 100 calories, is a million times better than the disgusting concoction of the same name marketed by Bethenny Frankel, though it could use more lime.
The queso dip, and chips, were HOT (temperature-​wise). Nothing worse than lukewarm queso and cold chips.
The salsa was quite tasty.
The bartender (we ate at the bar) was friendly-​ish.
They have a decent tequila selection, even it if is all «downtown prices».
The cons:
This place was EMPTY. There were maybe 7 other customers in the entire place. For a Thursday night I found that suprising.
Most of the staff was just hanging around doing nothing since it wasn’t busy. A couple of waiter-​types even sat down at the bar to eat. I’m sure that’s just their practice, but it was a little weird.
My sopes poblano was pretty bland for something with the word «poblano» in the name. I know poblanos are mild, but «mild» doesn’t mean «bland» to me.
Overall, everything was just ok. Cantina South could stand to spice it up a notch in every way.

Meh.
Décor is nice, definitely an upgrade from the previous tenants. Bar is a cool space to belly up at and enjoy a margarita or two.
The food, well, I only tried the tacos and in the interest of full disclosure it was on their $ 3 taco night Considering the regular price for these tacos, I’m happy I did. I had two types: the pollo a las brasas and carne asada. The carne asada was good. The pollo a las brasas, well, it tasted like it was swimming in vegetable oil. I don’t know how they cook them, but it was oily and fairly disappointing. Someone down from me had the fish tacos, which packed a pretty powerful order (for NY area transplants, think Fulton Street at sunrise).
I hear they have a busy night life, and it really does have an attractive interior, so good for business dinners or impressing that special someone in your life. I might take a cue from Christina G. however and go during restaurant week, or during one of their specials night. Nothing about what I had made me want to pay full price…

Ummm… yeah… me thinks not really just sums it up.
Me and my friend came here for a few apps and drinks on a very very slow Sat. night. The waitress was really weird and kept telling us all the things that were going wrong in the kitchen that night– telling us how no one wants to make more chips and they cant find the cook… ?! Then the dude who came out to make our tableside guac was like a dead zombie. Seriously. Then our apps came out and well. I’m not really sure how we were supposed to eat them… with no utensils or napkins. Finally we got those and were able to try the food.
SO basically we had to mix the salsa into the guac bc the guac was so disghusting. So that kinda made it better. We got the mango guac– it had 3 pieces of mango in it. Yes, we counted it. 3. Whatever food we got sucked, small tacos, think it was the mushroom one.
Really wish we had gone to Taco bell instead :/​I have a feeling that next time I’m in town, this place will have closed. Such a shame.

The restaurant is pretty and cheerful and our server was very nice. I too wish there were half stars as I would give this place 3.5 stars. The salsa and chips that came out first were fresh and flavorful. I am a ceviche fan but I was very disappointed in the ceviche here. It had big pieces of avocado and mango, hardly any fish and lime, which to me is the essential part of the ceviche. So I was feeling sad at this point in the meal. Then came my lobster tacos. They were a big hit with me. Yum, yum, yum. I almost forgot how disappointing the ceviche had been. All in all I stick with my 3.5, if anyone knows the chef there, please teach him to make real ceviche like I had as a child in Lima. The stuff we were served was criminal. Would I return? Perhaps. I think those lobster tacos will be calling me back next month. Oh I forgot the margaritas. Nice, smooth and sweet. Adiós.

Have my taste buds been misguided by years of Mexican defined by Taco Bell and Moe’s? Was I foolish to focus on the Triangle’s lunch buffets, when I should’ve been hitting up its brunch offerings all along? After my experience at Cantina South’s brunch buffet yesterday, I’m inclined to think yes and yes.
My expectations were slightly tempered by the lukewarm reviews, but almost immediately, I was blown away. Let’s start with the food. There’s both a made-​to-​order omelet and pancake station, which for me meant a chorizo and jalapeño omelet and chocolate chip banana pancakes with strawberry syrup. As good as the description alone sounds, it’s not enough to capture the incredible assault of sweetness and spice. The main buffet itself was perfectly sized with enough to keep you intrigued with a variety of flavors, but not weighted down by unnecessary mediocrity.
The theme is heavy on do-​it-​yourself, with make your own tacos and huevos rancheros. The choice of filling on tacos were all delicious, particularly the steak which was super juicy with a flavorful kick. There’s also fish (snapper?) in a yummy tomatoey spice mix that I used for fish tacos, as well as tender braised short ribs. Of course, all of my tacos included a giant heap of guacamole, made fresh with huge chunks of avocado and a great balance of salt and acidity.
Other highlights on the buffet were breakfast potatoes (including sweet and purple potatoes) which may have been the most delicious thing there, as well as a breakfast sope with a fried egg, and wonderful plantains. On the side were 2 additional stations, 1 with chips and a number of salsas + guacamole, and the second with dessert, including chocolate cake and cheesecake, a nice end to any buffet.
I’d be remiss to not mention the service, which was spectacular. The moment my glass was empty, the waiter swooped by with a refill. That kind of attention is refreshing when elsewhere I’m routinely asked halfway through my second plate whether I want another diet coke. No thanks, I was planning on washing down my next 7 plates with my own saliva. Hello!
I tried to think of some cons to dispel the notion that I’m part-​owner of this restaurant, but mostly failed. The price at $ 14.95 is certainly reasonable, although if it was around $ 10, I’d probably make the 30 mile drive to downtown Raleigh every weekend for it. So that’s about as close as I can get. Hope I don’t steer too many wrong, but it’s absolutely worth at least checking out for yourself.

One of the things I love about the Missus is that she understands that cravings can’t be denied. So when I started whining about Mexican food yesterday, she sprang into action and found something different to try.
Mind you, we had already been to Cantina South on one of the first Sundays they were open, but that was before the buffet brunch. At the risk of sounding like a buffet fanatic (not ALWAYS… really… honest…), this was a step in the right direction for them.
We were seated quickly and almost immediately our drink orders were taken and we were encouraged to «help ourselves.» There were 3 stations/​tables to choose from. A made to order omelet bar, a long buffet of breakfast fare/​taco fixings, and a combination chips and fixings/​dessert table. There were many people milling around, waiting in line… or, were they waiting for an omelet? This was a bit confusing at first… either I’m easily confused (a good possibility) or the manager could have done a little «traffic control.» No biggie. I ended up in the line for breakfast/​taco stuff… right where I wanted to be.
Eggs and I don’t agree with each other, so I went for more of the lunch items (although I had to try the sausages and bacon… excellent). The tortillas seemed fresh, and the carne asada and chicken was fresh and flavorful. I also tried the braised short ribs, which were some of the best I’ve ever had! You can tell when a chef doesn’t take the time to do short ribs «low and slow;» these were great! I also enjoyed the medley of potatoes (white and purple), sweet potatoes, and peppers. I got a little yellow rice, which was fine, but not much flavor. The Missus does eggs and really enjoyed a dish with beans and chorizo, topped with a fried egg.
Next stop was the chips. Warm, seemed fresh, and plenty of fixings to choose from. I’m a sucker for Guacamole, and this one was fantastic! The tomatillo sauce was also fresh and tasty.
I can’t speak to the omelet bar (due to my stomach’s war against egg dishes), but from what I could see there was a nice variety of fixings and people were happy with what they got.
Dessert… Mmmmmmmmm… dessert! There was an amazing lime cheesecake and what seemed like a chocolate chocolate chocolate chocolate CHOCOLATE cake (I think they added some extra chocolate too…). There was fruit, but, well… lime cheesecake and chocolate cake, you know?
Through it all, our Server was friendly and attentive. I drink a frightening amount of tea, but I never found my glass empty… she even noticed that I was out of ice at one point and brought more (a tip enhancer!).
All in all, a winner, especially when consider the variety, quality and price. While I’m sure the Missus will find that some of my details in this review might be fuzzy, I have no doubt that she’ll agree that we’ll be back… and that this is now our second-​favorite brunch in Raleigh.

It’s rare I give a place 2 stars, but I was seriously disappointed.
The atmosphere was a night and day difference from the old Bogarts, I give them props for that. But everything else was just ‘okay’ for me.
We dined with a large group for a friends birthday … the service was slow. The margarita I tried was terrible. They charge for chips and salsa, which is a Mexican restaurant no-​no. And the food was nothing to write home about, to be as pricey as it was!
I wouldn’t eat here again, and that’s saying a lot for me. I’d prefer to walk across the street and have Armadillo Grill.

I dig this place. From what I gather, they’re somewhat the ‘NKOTB’, and they’re doing things well.
Granted– when it comes to Mexican, I’m spoiled. I’m a fan of buche, lengua, al pastor, and all kinds of other stuff that you’re probably not going to find at a place like this. But it’s apples and oranges, baby. This place is pretty. It’s shiny. It’s new, exciting, fairly metrosexual, and great for a date. Fits in very well in the downtown Raleigh scene, and everyone who works here is very nice. The drinks are solid– tasty and tastefully served in nice glasses. The food is tasty, if not overly adventurous. The salsas are tasty, and the tacos are extremely well done. I know that the ‘nasty bits’ wouldn’t sell so well around this part of town, but I’d really love to see what these folks could do with some tripe, stomach, tongue, and pigskin.
All in all, a fairly solid place that deserves it’s fair shot.

Brand spankin new «Modern Mexican Kitchen» on Glenwood South… as much as I liked Bogarts back in the day, it was time for some revival in that space.
I was lucky enough to snag one of the Groupon specials for a 3 course meal… My friend and I had to try the tableside Guac appetizer… Perfection! Perfect blend of spice, salt, creamy avocado… mmmmm. Try it.
We both had the Carne Asada– the steak was perfectly seasoned, tender, and cam with gourmet (ish) beans, rice, and a random chorizo sausage. My only complaint ws that there wasn’t nearly enough of it for my large appetite.
Dessert was mexican– infused lime cheesecake with a southwestern flare. Creamy, delish and refreshing.
All around… great food. The porch is already perfect for fall seating. I was with a pregnant dining companion so we didn’t dive into the tequila list but they had amazing drink options.
Definitely try this place. Slightly high price point but I think they can make it if the word gets out. Fun and spunky atmosphere too!

Three Courses of Modern Mexican
Visit: 8÷22÷11
R-​Line Stop: R5 or R6
Last night, Andy, my husband, and I joined a group of local Unilocalers to kick-​off Downtown Raleigh Restaurant Week at Cantina South. First of all, if you are a Unilocaler or occasionally use this very useful tool, this group is very friendly, warm and welcoming, and they are ‘in the know’ so I recommend that you try to make the next Unilocal get together.
Christina, the Unilocal Community Manager, organized the event and she got the party started with pitchers of House Red sangria and Cantina Margarita. The pitchers were very heavy, beautiful, and glass. So we had to be very careful passing the pitchers. The sangria was delicious but the tasty concoction was missing one of the most important ingredients of traditional sangria, FRUIT. Everybody knows you soak fresh fruit in wine and maybe some type of liquor to make sangria. So the fruit ‘no-​show’ was a little disappointing. As I mentioned in my previous review, I thought the margaritas tasted fabulous but they are very light on the tequila and I found that to be true again. So I ordered a glass (split) of Codorniu Cava (only $ 6) and was very happy with my sparkling wine… delightful, lightly effervescent with a bright crispness that paired well with my food. Several people in our group opted for the specialty modern drink pairing and they were very pleased with the various cocktails.
My first course was the Flautas de Pato which was sort of like a taquito made with duck confit. The whole collection of flavors, sesame seed salsa with yucatecan pipian, queso fresco and crema, was absolutely scrumptious. Andy had the Chiles Embutidos which was a long chiles pepper cut in half and filled with cheese swimming in a lake of a slightly sweet, spicy tomato broth. It was delicious-​just a hint of sweet kind of like an afterthought and a nice level of hot.
My second course was banana leaf wrapped marinated red snapper called Pescado Tikin-​Xic. Since the fish was cooked in the banana leaf, the fish was supposed to be very moist. To me, the fish was a little overcooked. However, the marinade of achiote, orange, and garlic was very yummy. Also the black bean purée was awesome and as good as my previous meal. Just a note of caution on the ‘hotness’, whenever there is a habanero involved be careful-​it is HOT! Several diners had to guzzle a lot of water after a bite of the very innocent looking dollop of habanero salsa.
Last but not least-​Dessert! One of my favorite desserts is cheesecake so I had to order the Lime Cheesecake. The cheesecake barely had a hint of lime but it was creamy and light with this very tasty apple cajeta sauce. I don’t know what apple cajeta sauce is but it was really good… sort of like caramel? Yum!
Our waiter really hustled and did a great job. He even volunteered to take a photo of our group, which involved him standing a chair. I’m glad they seated our group of 10 in a back corner so we could enjoy our conversation without disturbing other guests.
If you haven’t been to Cantina South, I recommend visiting this week so that you can try 3 courses for $ 20.

I’ve been to Cantina South a full 3 times now, so I feel semi-​qualified to give you my less than expert opinion of their menu, service, and overall restaurant.
So, the first time, they had just been open a week or so and we went for dinner. It was good… I did suffer from a bit of the mexican oh dear, what did I eat the next day. A week later, we head back for brunch, granted my gf’s picked some really lovely dishes… and I went w/​the standard lunch dishes. All were pleased.
Round 3: hosted a ladies meetup event … tried the fish tacos. The girls had a mixed experience… the enchilladas were a pass… don’t collect $ 200…just run… the tacos were a run don’t walk… just get yourself a taco and a smile!
All in all, the tacos are good… 2 will fill you up… the guac app will feed 3… the ceviche is a bit of a disappointment… not the best in town… and I’ve definitely had better…

Is it weird that I pick places to eat based on the dessert the restaurant offer? Because I totally went to Catina tonight because I saw Flan was on the Restaurant Week menu for dessert choice. Well, that, and the fact I was sharing the dinner table with some very cool people tonight.
It’s kinda funny we made our waiter explained and pushed the Restaurant Week menu to us, when everyone at the table was going specifically for the special. When I heard that they dropped the prix-​fix price, in exchange you can pick up complimentary mixed cocktails with each course, I suddenly became delightful.
[Menu]
Flautas de Pato: Duck meat rolled and fried in tortilla topped with some kind of southwestern cabbage slaw, queso fresco and crema. The appetizer was paired that with the Watermelon Mojito, sweet cane sugar syrup and lightly minted. The dinner was off to a good start.
Pescado Tikin-​Xic: Red snapper served in Yucatan marinate on black bean purée with rice, topped with pickled red onion and bell pepper. By the way, we weren’t forewarned about the rather spicy habanero salsa. Totally caught some of us off guard. Main course was served with Pepper and Peach Margarita — habanero infused tequila, freshly muddled peach, orange juice, lime juice and agave nectar, with what was supposed to be «ancho salt rim.» Guess what, No salt rim.
And of course I have already told you what my dessert was — Orange liquor infused flan served with mango salsa (and I was lucky that my neighboring Unilocaler was not all that into dessert, because I totally got another serving of the deliciousness). Dessert came a Raspberry Fresca — a blend of raspberries, passionfruit nectar and oranges, mixed in some more tequila, and again, supposed to have «a cocoa powder dusted rim.» You guessed it again! no dusted rim. Funny how the kitchen staff know how to dust the empanadas with cinnamon sugar, but the bar staffs didn’t learn that at the bartending school.
Good and prompt services for a party of 10, okay selection of the menu variety, promise forgotten salt rim and chocolate dust, very neutral and calm interiors and decors, and very good tasting dessert. I still torn about the 4^th star, perhaps giving it to Cantina on the merit that next time I visit, they better wow me with their cerviche dishes.

I wasn’t very hungry (wrong place to come!), but my husband was, so we decided to go anyway. Great atmosphere! The restaurant was technically closed, but they were open for the bar and serving a very limited menu.
We sat ourselves in the bar section and were quickly greeted with a couple of ice waters. My husband ordered the carne asada tacos. They took a really long time to bring out our food, but apparently the kitchen’s receipt paper was out, so they never got the order. The waitress brought us some complimentary chips and guacamole since the wait was so long. The guac was very good! It was nice a chunky, obviously freshly made.
The steak tacos finally arrived. They were served in a metal taco stand, which is nice because it keeps the tortillas from getting soggy. They were quite good, but was missing marinade. They kind of had a burger taste. The meat was very tender, though. I was pretty disappointed that a place that charges $ 15 for three tacos serves them in a store bought tortilla. The price of the entrée should more than make up for the cost of a tortilla press so they could make their own (hint to kitchen: please start making fresh tortillas!)
They don’t take Costco American Express cards. something to do with their credit card machine. That was another disappointment. But, thankfully, we had another form of payment!
We will definitely go back when they are truly open to try out some other dishes. Looking forward to it! And, hope they stay open! People — get out and try them!

Can Rick Bayliss survive in downtown Raleigh? Who knows but David Peraza is giving it a shot. Peraza made his mark with Mez and Jibarra, and now brings his own spin to South and Central American Cuisine to the spot formerly known as Bogart’s. The layout is virtually the same, though the wooden slat front door area is a unique twist from the old glass ones in place when it was Rocky Top establishment.
Tall backed four tops take up what used to be the dance floor and as one reviewer mentioned faux skulls adorn the tables along one side of the upper dining room. (Yes I too agree that’s a bit sketchy)
We were seated promptly and were first greeted by the server’s assistant. Jeanelle [sp] filled our water’s and said she’s be back to see us if we ordered the table side guacamole.
Margaret our waitress came by and told us of the chef and the menu. We started with the Chiles Toreados Guacamole.
Jeanalle came by and made the guac table side, seeded and cubed the avocado and made the guac to our desired consistency. Great flavor, well made (as we watched her do it), but for 11.00 a bit steep for two avocados.
Brit ordered the trio of ceviche — Scallop, tuna and lobster. Fresh bits of cured fish. Good accompaniment and the fried plantains were crispy.
I ordered the Pescado Tikin-​Xic. The seasonal fish was grouper, heavily seasoned over a blackbean purée wrapped in a banana leaf served with an accompaniment of yellow rice with a red onion salsa. The fish had a habanero sauce drizzled over the top. The fish was well cooked, moist and flavorful with nothing outdoing the fish flavor, but accentuating it nicely.
Margaret was an excellent server, and Jeanelle did a great job keeping our water glasses full.
I think the restaurant is a great addition to downtown, but I believe that given the current economy this place is going to be hard pressed to meet it’s numbers with the price points. It’s a bit steep, and I always find it hard to spend the kind of money being asked for South and Central American Cuisine.
All in all it was a good meal, and some place we’ll come back when craving this type of cuisine.

New Mexican Restaurant, heard about it on the news, thought we would give it a try. Food was great. Love that the chef is not afraid of flavor and spice. Table side fresh guacamole. Maybe because the restaurant has just opened, but one of the male servers there was kind of annoying, by taking plates and drinks away before we were finished with them. Took my friend’s Margarita away and our guacamole and didn’t ask, but maybe needs to just work some of the kinks out. Will definitely try again.