This has to be my favorite experience at any of the BelAire locations. I never had high hopes of this place as my first experience was very mediocre. This time the food and drinks had blown me away that it has changed my outlook on this place. I have returned now many times just to this location as for some reason I just find this one much better. The staff is very friendly and the environment is vibrant and fun. read more

The food was extremely good. We had drinks, appetizers and entrees - all for under $30 due to the happy hour specials. Food came out in a timely fashion and we didn't regret our decision. Parking could be a bit tricky depending on what's going on, but we found free street parking within a few blocks. As other reviewers have stated, the service could use a bit of an upgrade. We had a server who was prompt initially but service soon fell off after our orders were in. As a whole this is a good spot for dinner just don't expect top service from the college crew working as servers. read more

BelAir Cantina - Accurate - Mexican Near Me - Milwaukee, Wisconsin

Great tacos, great margarita, great staff! I love the shrimp taco and most recently had the Korean style taco! Must get the guacamole too! The only downside to this place is they do not have the best salsa, some days it is great with lots of flavor and other days it's sometime bland! I will continue to return. Especially on Tuesday and Thursdays! read more

I sat outside at this great place and it was a joyful experience. I had the chips and guac and it had a great flavor to it. I had the shrimp tacos on the corn tortillas and had some rice and black beans to tag along with it. I am on a mission to go to every Bel Air in the city and my time here was a great one to check off the list. read more

We used to love Bel Air in 2014. But then in 2017 it started declining, so have not gone back in a long time. The salsas, dishes and general sauces over the buritos used to be very tasty. Over time the salsas lost their fresh flavor and got more watery and salty and the sauces over the buritos became very bland. I had the same experience in Brookfield. Not sure why the decline, but due to the bland food, we stopped coming here. read more

Finally I made it to Bel Air Cantina! I liked it, but didn't love it. The food was good, as was the quality, the value, and the service. I don't know why I'm kind of meh about it. I wasn't there on the $2 taco night and maybe that would have made a difference, but I thought my cost was reasonable for a lunch on a Friday afternoon. I will say the chips and salsa that were served were a hit. They had different flavors and textures than at a typical Mexican restaurant, which was a plus. I also like to enjoy non-alcoholic cocktails, and must say the fresh-squeezed limeade was absolutely delicious. Very refreshing. I enjoyed a Chicken Taco Salad for my main course. It was good, prepared well, and satisfying. So there you have it. My take on a wildly popular restaurant that has sprouted all over the Milwaukee restaurant scene recently. 3 stars! read more

BelAir Cantina - Chicken Taco Salad, Chips and Salsa, and fresh squeezed limeade - Mexican Near Me - Milwaukee, Wisconsin

My wife and I visited the Bel Air Cantina. The first thing we noticed was how extensive their Tequila / Margarita menu was. They have many options from which to choose so making an ultimate choice a little challenging (in a good way). The second thing we noticed was how extensive their menu was. I had the steak Burrito (pictured) which was really good. My wife, a vegetarian, had the Cactus Taco and she thoroughly enjoyed it. Their prices were very reasonable for what you get. We will no-doubt be returning to the Bel Air Cantina with some friends in the near future. read more

BelAir Cantina - My steak Burrito at the Bel Air Cantina. Delicious! - Mexican Near Me - Milwaukee, Wisconsin

I am a frequent member of the Taco Tuesday at Bel Air. All tacos are $2 and are great. It is good food but it isn't amazing. I mostly go to Bel Air for the cheap tacos, margaritas and atmosphere. They have really fun art all over the restaurant. We started off with about two baskets of chips and 3 salsas (free of course) which seem to always fill me up before I get my actual meal. I got the Carne Asada, Al Pastor and Pollo Yucatan. These were a good choice! I love the steak and cilantro combination. The black beans and rice are the perfect side. I also love the plantain with a dollop of sour cream on it. Overall, Bel Air is good. read more

BelAir Cantina - Carne Asada, Pollo Yucatan, Al Pastor. - Mexican Near Me - Milwaukee, Wisconsin

Do not order "curbside" from them!! You have to go in after repeated calls tonight. The order not only was wrong, but food out of the shells! Never again - a joke. read more

The nachos are DANK. The chips and salsa are pretty good, but the chicken nachos are truly a spectacle. Equally delicious is the strawberry orange margarita for brunch, or the FREE REFILL horchata!! Best taco on the menu is the sweet rib :) nom nom nom Also the service is fab, fun, and fast. No complaints here, will be back! read more

BelAir Cantina - BOTTOMLESS HORCHATA - Mexican Near Me - Milwaukee, Wisconsin

Mushy, almost ground beef consistency in my carne asada that looks like diarrhea on a plate from the excess water from who knows where. And NO rice in my Burrito bowl even though it's STANDARD in burrito bowl. Manager of the day responds with "sorry" without offered compensation or replacement. The Downer location lives up to its name: A downer. BOOO! read more

BelAir Cantina - BM - Mexican Near Me - Milwaukee, Wisconsin

Picture this. Three employees sitting in a booth- slightly before opening. Guests sitting on patio already with menus. Employees having a conversation and couldn't be bothered to help potential guests. Employee: Looks up? Hi. Me: Can we get a table for 2? Employee: We're not actually open. Employee 2 (girl) so yeah Me: There are people on your patio with menus. Employee 3 (setting up umbrellas to Employee: You can give them menus Employee gets up leisurely to get menus We left, terrible service and rude employees. Epic fail Bel Air. read more

Always my go to taco place in Milwaukee. The restaurant is a bit small so when they're specials for taco Tuesday/Thursday are on, dinner time can be a bit of a wait. Although it is a wait, i will always be there. The staff is incredible. They get your food out immediately! The chicken nachos are definitely a great choice to split! If you're in town this is a place to try! read more

I mean, I'm going to go back because they have 25% off burritos on Monday and I love burritos, but the overall experience was "meh." ETA: It is yet another Milwaukee place that thinks that people shouldn't be able to converse with one another and so they play the music at a super high volume. Sure, I get it, you have your doors open for the outdoor diners, but really, the music is too loud. We bellied up to the bar a little after 4pm on Taco Tuesday. Between the two of us we ordered 5 tacos. Of the five the shrimp was the standout because it was the only one with any depth of flavor. The chicken taco tasted like cumin, even the delicious avocado salsa was overwhelmed by the one note of cumin. The pork taco had wonderfully moist pork, but little flavor beyond that which is odd because there are a ton of sauces and other condiments on these tacos. The black bean and corn taco was a total miss for me because I am one of those weird people who cannot stand cilantro and of all the tacos, this one was covered in cilantro. (On a non-Taco Tuesday night, I might ask for there to be no cilantro but that seems kind of rude to do on a taco special night.) Because one of us ordered 3 tacos, we received beans and rice. They were also terribly under flavored. Now I get that it's $2 tacos and we should just shut up and be grateful for our tacos, but for as much as people rave about this place, it was a little disappointing. The $2 tap Modello's were delicious. The chips and 3! salsas were also very very good. Basically I'm of the mind that to get the best out of Bel Air one needs to go on a non-special night. Like maybe a Wednesday or Friday. read more

Such good food! The service is impeccable and the raspberry mango margarita is a must! I got the taco salad w hot sauce, by far the best one I've ever had. Place had cute decorations, and our waitress was Kylee. 10/10. Superb! read more

Table 20 - party of 4 - was fairly pleasant on 9/3, however, the customer- care was lacking and the service was weak. Specials of margarita slushies for $3.50 were welcome, the regular margarita was $5. The La Prima house cocktail charged $14 - high. Beers were 3 and 4 dollars. Our server Kaitlin brought a stake fajita instead of the shrimp we had ordered, she did not apologize and we took the too tough stake fajita and asked for shrimp on the side - we should not have been charged. Kaitlin also forgot the mexican cobb salad we ordered for the table. We 4 judged the food and service - meh. We do not need to come in a second time. Hope you all improve for others. M.W. read more

Where to start. If I could give less stars, I would! The bathrooms smell like out houses. (Gag my guts)! Place is basically empty, but 'still' had to wait to be seated. Of course... closest to the bathrooms. Table is sticky. So sticky! Server and bartender have NO knowledge of the 7 imported beers offered on the menu. Bartender actually had the audacity to tell me to go back to the table to order a beer! Mind you, we haven't seen our server in 15 min! But... (get this), our food has been up and ready now... for 10 minutes! There's only three tables occupied in the entire place. Oh... the bar is empty. read more

I go here quite frequently, usually on Tuesday or Thursday as they have specials on tacos. The tacos are ok, the meat can be a little dry, but if you get them while on special they are worth the price. But if you want the best thing on the menu, I highly suggest the Korean Beef Burrito. It's huge and smothered in a delicious cream sauce and stuffed full of amazingly tasty sweet Korean bulgogi. The chips and salsa are amazing too, with 3 very different and tasty salsas. Expect a long wait if you come during dinner time on Tuesday or Thursday as many college students from the area come to fill up on cheap food and pitchers of their tasty and affordable "El Cheapo" margarita. read more

food good, service mid (50/50) drinks, especially margaritas, very inconsistent. usually too salty and almost undrinkable but that depends on the bartender of course. still come here periodically for the shrimp bowl which is good. was pretty disappointed on national margarita day as the margaritas were bad enough that i sent them back. I dont usually complain or send things back because i too work in the service industry but they were undrinkable. they remade them for us which i was thankful for. read more

Good environment, nice touch on salsa and chips!! Would like to come back for drinks when I'm around the town read more

Unsafe Cinco de Mayo experience during COVID at this location, and all locations based on other reviews and photos. Placed order at 4PM for 6:30PM, food was not ready until 7:30 but could not even be picked up until 8 due to line of 40+ people on Downer. Could not even cancel order bc phone was tied up and by the time we got through it was already made. Did not correctly fill order and tacos missing were the more expensive ones. Asked at pick up to add chips and was told orders must be placed online .... sorry not waiting 4 hours for a bag of chips and they cost less than $2 so would have been good will to just throw them in. Bel Air also deleted their Facebook post which had a thread of comments expressing concern for long lines, lack of social distancing, wait times over an hour past schedule pick up, busy phone lines so orders could not be cancelled, and getting incorrect orders. I read police even responded to the Brookfield location due to the size of the crowd. read more

I love my Korean beef burrito so much!!!! The fusion is perfect! Had a wonderful experience here! read more

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Aye Corumba! Tacos tacos tacos and did I mention? More tacos. So so soooooooooo good. But if you're looking for an American fare this is not the place for you. They are strictly Mexican food and Latino food and Spanish food and food from Texas. Yum. The salsas they serve before the meals are great for dipping anything really. I tried their "margs", uhhhhmmmmm strong. But hey when in Rome I mean Mexico hahahahaha. I went to the bathroom there and they have some weird language playing. I don't know what it was saying, but tienes lapiz! If you know what I mean ;) anywhozen, I would go here any day of the week except for Thursday's because that's when I teach my yoga class. You should bop in, but remember to tip your servers kindly. Yo soy elegante! Signing off again, your friend, Frankie H. read more

Great food. Consistent. Portions a tad small. Best Margarita ( frozen). I've had in a long time

This was literally the most unbelievable experience I have ever had. "45 minutes to an hour wait, is that cool". "Ok maybe an hour to an hour and a half." 3 straight hours later; still haven't been seated. Honestly incredible. If the tacos were free on Tuesday it wouldn't be worth my time. Unbelievable. read more

BelAir Cantina - Mexican Near Me - Milwaukee, Wisconsin

Expect to wait. Expect to eat delish tacos. Expect to learn Spanish in the bathroom. The only question that should really matter: half or full pitcher? And in my opinion, life is too short to order the half pitcher of margarita. Live life to the fullest and go crazy -- because you'll leave full, for sure. read more

I used to enjoy Belair. Not anymore. I order from them frequently because my partner likes it and lives nearby, but I seriously cannot remember the last time they got our order right. They frequently leave out the chips and salsa or a side. The online ordering site changes constantly and for no apparent reason. If it's within an hour of closing they may just tell you they're closed. As for the food itself, it used to be decent but now it's just bland and never the same from one time to the next. I won't be going there anymore. read more

The $2 tacos on Tuesdays are pretty bland. And that's really what got me in the door in the first place. In fact, the last time I had the beef taco, it was so dry and flavorless that I nearly choked trying to swallow my first bite. However, BelAir, you've redeemed yourself a bit with the breakfast option. Though vegetarian, it is surprisingly good. At the end of the day, the real star of the show here is the non-$2 options (though I've only had one before, it was chicken smothered in delicious queso) and the cheap beer. Know what you're getting, and this place is worth a visit. read more

We have ordered from Belair once per week for the last 2 years. We typically alternate between Downer and Wauwatosa locations, but we will now be taking our business to Wauwatosa. The poor customer service, slow/negligent service, deceitful promises, poor quality control, inconsistent portions, and lack of apology or attempts to resolve the issues has led us to discontinue our patronage: #1: Ordered takeout. The 8 o'clock pickup time was "no longer available," so I had to choose the next available time, 8:15. Drove 20 minutes to get the food only to be welcomed by a locked door. An employee said they had our order but it was past 8 so they couldn't fill the order. He stated an email was sent notifying me, but this was untrue (not in inbox/spam). #2 Ordered online for ourselves and our 76 year old neighbor lady. We pick up the order, got home, and they got the order wrong- the one for our elderly neighbor. #3 Ordered online and included adobo sauce in the order. The adobo sauce lid was not all the way on and spilled all over in the bag. #4 Every time we order later in the evening the taco portions are significantly smaller and inconsistent. It's laughable that one taco within the same order might have a good portion and another has a bite-sized filling. #5 The adobo sauce (red salsa) is ALWAYS clearly watered down and flavorless. We've eaten this stuff so many times; we know what it's supposed to look/taste like. It's way better at Wauwatosa Belair. Doesn't make sense to save costs on watering down your salsa. #6 On Cinco de Mayo, I placed my takeout order early in the morning to ensure we were able to get a pickup time slot. I arrived to absolute chaos of 30-40 people standing outside waiting for orders. There were no safety procedures in place for high volume of people during the pandemic. Not everyone was prepared with a mask and there was no way to avoid congregating in a tiny entryway to hear orders being called from inside. It took over an hour past my pickup time for my order to be ready! I understand it was a holiday, but what didn't make any sense was that the order pickup times are controlled and clearly only allow a certain number of orders at one pickup time. So how was this even possible for so many orders to be extremely delayed?! Absolutely ridiculous and just goes to show poor and negligent planning without regard for customers' health. No apology was given and even though again they said they sent emails out, no one got them. I contacted Belair about these issues and they again reassured me (lies) that they would be addressed. #7 The final straw was tonight; I ordered for pickup at 7 for ourselves and my elderly neighbor (who's used to eating dinner at 5:30). My boyfriend rushed from work to get there to pick up our order in time so it wouldn't be cold and to get home as soon as possible with everyone's dinner. He arrived and they informed him it wasn't ready even after 15 minutes of waiting. They again lied and said an email was sent (NEVER any emails received about any of these delayed or cancelled orders). He waited another 10 minutes and went to check; the hostess informed him ours still wasn't there. He checked again when the next orders came up and the hostess said she would come get him when our order was up. After more waiting he went up again and she said "what was your name again" and proceeded to pick up the bag that had been sitting on the table for the last 10 minutes after she had promised to bring the order out to him. It took 45 minutes past our order pickup time for the food to be ready! The hostess was no help at all. He watched numerous people come in and sit down and even get their food orders in that time spent waiting. What is the point of reserving a pickup time if the food isn't going to be ready anywhere near that time?! If you make a dinner reservation, it's for a reason. You don't get seated 45 minutes or an hour later. You're seated very near the reservation time. The same should go for an order pickup. What if we had children at home waiting to eat, somewhere to be, or if we were a delivery service picking up food food?! Absolutely inexcusable service especially considering they have full control over the number of allowed orders at a designated pickup time. read more

This is about the service, not the food. The wait is terribly long. Got seated at 8:45 pm, and didn't get food until 10:00 pm. Group of two- ordered six tacos total. On a Thursday night (even though taco Thursday's are popular), I'd expect better service. Sorry Bel Air Downer! Go to El Beso in Greenfield instead! Update: I let them know that we had been waiting an hour, and then they got our food out quickly. Only... my fiancé was missing a taco, and I was missing beans, haha. Wouldn't really expect much different, I suppose. To be fair though, Bel Air paid for our whole meal for all the trouble. It was the right thing to do, in my opinion. The shift manager seemed to be the only one who cared about how things got done that night. No one else seemed to give a s**t. Still leaving my rating as a two, and will most likely not be returning anytime soon, unless I see some better reviews in the future. read more

BelAir Cantina is not consistent across sites. Some are great (Drexel Square) and some are not (Downer Street). Downer Street is noisy and the tables are crowded. The food took forever. I recommend the other locations. read more

As a vegetarian, it's so refreshing to have such a great selection of vegetarian/vegan tacos--and they're delicious, too! My go-to's are the Soy Chorizo and the Port Queso. Their margaritas are also amazing and a good value. It's a great place to bring friends and family from out of town. A favorite Milwaukee restaurant of mine, for sure! read more

I've been going here solidly for years, and yet I've never gotten around to reviewing this place... Although it can get quite slammed on their $2 taco days, Bel Air is the perfect place to stop in with some friends on a warm sunny day, if you can avoid a rush. I usually tend to stop in after work on a monday or wednesday, and it's usually not too busy. They've got a relatively newly redone patio in the back, and if it's nice out, they open their giant windows, so every seat feels open and relaxed! The service has always been great when I've been there, and the prices are very fair. While not authentic mexican, the variety of different options means I ALWAYS find something that appeals to my appetite, or at least something newish to try. My go to taco is always the Ninja Pig, and not just because I like the name, it somehow satiates my craving for delicious pig AND my sweet tooth. I'm the worst at kosher-ing. Sorry mom & dad. There's usually a drink special, and the staff will always go out of their way to find something to recommend if you're up for trying something new, and it's usually right on the money! Bel Air is definitely a staple of the east side, and I certainly hope/dont see it going away anytime soon. Mazel taco tov. read more

I've been to the Downer location of Bel Air several times, but lately I've left feeling gross. The restaurant is not clean. I went there for brunch this past weekend and the booth along the back wall was disgusting. It was completely covered in crumbs and old food bits. It made me lose my appetite. The menus were also dirty and covered with old salsa, but that is nothing new. Throughout the meal I was constantly batting away fruit flies. Overall I've been a fan of their food over the years. The make your own taco platter is always my go to option, but I don't think I will be eating there much anymore. read more

Tasteless food, horrendous rice (literally- it would be a step up if they just opened a packet of Goya dry rice mix and served that instead), and bland sauces. The guac was decent but underwhelming. The service is the only reason I give this place a single star. Good service overall, but at times neglectful attention to detail. I used to love this place, but the more of them that opened up, the less attractive the food was. Need a new Mexican restaurant to regular, because BelAir just ain't it. read more

Impressed with the new location! I've been to the Bel-Air on Humbolt/Water maybe three times, and was never super impressed. I blame this on three things: 1) them 2) myself 3) everyone else. From the bottom up - the Humbolt location is just ALWAYS a loud crowded mess with insane wait times. On Downer, there were maybe two other parties eating while we were there, and I couldn't hear their conversations. There was a movie on the one bar tv in Spanish, but it was either muted or very quiet (nice). Partially to blame for my being underwhelmed on Humboldt were probably my taco choices. I played it pretty basic previously trying to keep costs down, and I think you get what you pay for here with their price differentials. Tonight's big winners were also the most expensive... But we're talking an extra dollar. Lamb barbacoa = A+. Horchata also recommended. The atmosphere here is lovely. It is brighter as another reviewer noted, and I was concerned about that, but I didn't find it to be a problem; in fact it made me feel Humbolt is unnecessarily dark. There is also a much lighter feeling in terms of color palate, airiness and amount of extra space at this location. I'd come here again any day. UPDATE: I went back to Downer for Taco Tuesday and basically everything negative that I previously attributed to the Humbolt location, I now attribute to Taco Tuesday. (Read: still go to Downer, but not on a Tues/Thurs unless literally all you want in a dining experience is a cheap meal, because it is a fantastic deal.) If I was going just on TT experiences I would I'd give 2.5 stars, so I took one star off this review. read more

I finally decided to go to Bel Air Cantina on a cold chilly night for Taco Tuesday. It was about a 45-60 minute wait, which we thought was fair since it was 6:00 P.M. We were seated in about 30 minutes, and got our food and drinks in about 5 minutes. Quick, helpful, and efficient are the words I would describe the service. It was incredibly loud, but in a good way. People were enjoying themselves which really enhanced the fun, neighborhood atmosphere. Girlfriend and I got 6 tacos all together (including beans and rice) and two beers. All together came to a grand total of $16.34. I will say that again. 6 tacos and two tap beers came to $16.34. AWESOME. The tacos were great by the way. I ordered Housemade Chorizo ( personal fav), Al Pastor, and Pollo Verde. All made with the freshest ingredients and were perfecto! Bel Air has a huge selection of tequilas and margaritas. Beer and wine list were eh. Also got to meet what I believe to be the owners and they were incredibly nice. Just maybe next time, i'll make a reservation. This definitely will not be our last time at Bel Air Cantina. read more

Home of the saddest, most pathetic overpriced taco salads this side of the border. Bleh! The saving grace of BelAir is the tacos, and even those can be hit or miss depending on your cook for the day. Stick with the safe bets, such as Carne Asada, and you'll be fairly satisfied. For quality tacos, however, there are better options in town. Tuesdays and Thursdays bring out the cheapskate in me. I'm usually out the door with 3 tacos, beans, rice, and a Mexican coke for under 10 bucks minus tip. read more

I love Bel Air. Correction: I loved it. Their chips and salsa, superb. The prices, pretty darn fair. The mystery shots, smooth. The tacos, creatively constructed. Despite all of this, last night was the final straw for this establishment and me. We had a good run. We waited for around 45 minutes, just talking and catching up with our friends. Suddenly, we look around and realize that we are the only ones waiting. My boyfriend checks the app, and it says that we are no longer on the waiting list. But...we are still sitting in the breezeway? The hostess cannot find our name anywhere on her tablet, even though we have a text to show that we put in our name a while ago. We got seated shortly after, but this was a little frustrating for a hungry lady who just wants a taco and a beer. We shook it off real fast. Now we're in a booth (booths always make it better), and we order some beer and shots for our newly engaged friends. We wait...and wait. After maybe 10 minutes, we get our drinks and chips. Delicious, as always. The mystery shot rarely disappoints - it's so smooth. And there's nothing like a $2 beer to follow it up with. Our group thoroughly enjoyed some tacos and tamales (love the sauce that comes with), paid, and left. I get a text from my friend this morning saying he is miserably sick. He ate 4 chorizo and pork tacos. His fiance is a vegetarian and is absolutely fine. I had one chorizo taco, and I'm feeling slightly gross (no details needed). I think I'm done going here for a while. There was a stretch where my boyfriend and I went once a week. I'm sad to say those days are over, at least for now. read more

Meh, nothing to write home about. Tacos are beautifully described in the menu, but lack salt and flavor when eaten. Beans are lackluster. Again, lacking salt and overall flavor. Drinks are average but way overpriced. Every time I eat here, I try something different. I've gotten a stomach ache every single time I've eaten here. But, since friends and I live in the 'hood, we come here. And they park their van in the alley all day long and it's next to impossible to get through after leaving Sendiks! read more