Happy hour is great here. Was quite crowded when I got there because of the summer & the lilac festival in town. Ordered the HH tacos for $3 each- the shrimp was very tasty. Chicken tinga was alright but filling. They serve free tortillas & salsa at the table. The salsa is blah. But overall a very reasonable place to eat in esp during a happy hour..they have $6 margs and a great variety. Service was good overall. read more

Blanco Cantina - Bars Near Me - Calgary, Alberta

Staff are so friendly and accommodating... I like the food specially for avocado chicken burrito... satisfy!!

Nahhhhh what the heck did they give me. I simply asked for chicken tacos w cheese and lettuce/cabbage & I literally got the most spiciest + worst tacos ever. Not even exaggerating, my mouth has been burning the past hour. I've never had tacos that were spicy like what read more

Came with my cousin and his s/o for a late lunch around 2pm. Note, happy hour (#halfyhour) starts at 3pm! It includes 1/2 price tacos and nachos, $6 margs and beer, 1/2 price tequila). Patio area is really nice, and I love how they open up the restaurant on beautiful days. Considering it was stampede weekend, Blanco Cantina wasn't very busy. I ordered the speedy lunch (Two brisket tacos on corn tortillas, a small guac, and a soft drink for $14 from 11am - 3pm). I replaced the soft drink with a chili coconut margarita for an extra $6. You can do this with any alcoholic drink (even ones over $6). The brisket was super juicy and flavorful. They also added the right amount of cilantro and onions. The guac was perfect to top off my tacos. I also highly recommend their smokey hot sauce. Chili Coconut Margarita: THIS WAS AMAZING. Very refreshing drink with a hint of spice. The coconut wasn't too overpowering and it worked perfectly well with the tequila and chili. Will definitely order a larger one when I'm back. My cousin ordered the burrito speedy lunch and it came out enchilada style (with sauce on top). Overall Blanco Cantina has amazing brisket and margaritas, it's just more on the pricey side. read more

Blanco Cantina - Lunch special brisket tacos - Bars Near Me - Calgary, Alberta

See all

My friends and I were there last weekend during happy hour and it was great! Huge selection of tequila for $8-10. The casamigos anejo was very smooth. The watermelon margarita was very good! All the tacos were fresh and tasty!! Service - waitress came by often and managed our table of 6 well. read more

Checked out Halfy Hour by Chance. . Two drinks and 6 tacos for the low, low price of 30 buckeroos. Can't complain at all. . The tacos were delicious and heartily filled. We got pulled pork, fish taco, and brisket. I particularly liked the fish taco and pulled pork. 100% would go again and recommend. . The margs we got were coconut chili and watermelon. Coconut chili was bomb and I'll get that one again. So many options. . Halfy hour is 7 days a week from 3-5pm and after 9pm. Gettt itttt. . I will say service was exceptionally slow, so that was the only down. Otherwise still will come again. read more

Blanco Cantina - Top - fish taco, middle- pulled pork, bottom- beef brisket. - Bars Near Me - Calgary, Alberta

See all

Trendy casual Mexican restaurant on the strip. The servers were pleasant. The tacos are excellent and filling. I would get 3, each of different kind. And the drinks are good. But the place is cramped and patio very noisy next to the road. Hard to talk at times. It is for those who want a party busy alive vibe. I prefer something quieter with a little more elbow room. read more

Came here on a Friday night to enjoy the late happy hour. They have: Half price tacos and nachos. $6 Margaritas and beers Half price tequila We ordered a few margaritas and also some tacos. I got the Smokey Pineapple and Mezcalarita as for the tacos I got pulled pork and chicken, they were very good! We booked a table for 10 people and I'm so glad I booked it because the place was packed! I highly recommend making reservations on happy hours. Service was good and in general it was a fun experience. We'll very likely be back here. read more

Blanco Cantina - Mezcalarita - Bars Near Me - Calgary, Alberta

If you are looking for fantastic....and I do mean fantastic nachos tuen this is definitely the place. Additionally, should you, for some reason, have a hankering for irrationally priced tacos that are flavorless and fall apart in you hand, mercilessly making a mess of you and your attire then by golly!!! You have found your place. Despite the on point decor, the subpar service and lackluster above mentioned tacos, makes this place a hard pass for me in the future. Except the nachos......the nachos are good read more

See all

I would never had put two and two together that Calgary has a strong Mexican food scene. However, Blanco makes a mean taco. Perhaps the name translation eludes to the staff who works in the front and back of the house as it appeared to be all local Calgarians. That comment doesn't take away from the food quality and authenticity. We ordered fresh table side guacamole which came with crispy chips and was delicious. Not often is Guam prepared in front of you and their ingredients were all quality fresh. Pictured are the pulled pork tacos, lots of pull pork in a soft shell over some cabbage (I think) and salsa on the side. Three tacos are plenty to leave you full and satisfied. Also paired the tacos with a shot of tequila which the menu offers a decent selection. Can't get enough of Blanco? They sell merchandise, mostly tee shirts, that the staff wears. Pretty clever lines on the shirts. read more

Blanco Cantina - Pulled pork tacos with a side of salsa - Bars Near Me - Calgary, Alberta

Mostly tasteless, tacos especially bad, I can easily make better without effort. Which seems to be how they cook- without effort (or ingredients). It's also overpriced. Insanely over priced. Even if the food was good, which it's not. Lastly, can some 4 year old teach these fools how to make a strawberry daiquiri? read more

Very delicious food. Filling and fun atmosphere. The service was incredible! We were there for fathers day, and the whole family had fun.

Best Nachos I have ever had! Ok it's not a perfect venue with a crappy table at the back by the kitchen, but holy cow THOSE NACHOS! With veggie chilli.... so good. I will be back for beer and nachos, and we are only a 5 min walk, trouble ;) read more

Blanco Cantina - Bars Near Me - Calgary, Alberta

Since new management and staff have taken over it has improved a lot. Great atmosphere, happy hour and ambience. The homemade guacamole and salsa is excellent . Great selection of hot sauces for tacos and they have excellent wings. read more

I made a reservation for 4 for dinner on a Saturday night. Upon arriving, they seated us at the tiniest table that I'm pretty sure is in the area where people wait for their table. I told them no way and I spotted a different table and it was kinda like "yah whatever, go sit there". The service was crap. I had to ask the hostess if we had a waiter. She finally arrived and said she'd bring back waters...15 min later she's back. We order a drink...again, took forever to come back. We ordered the table side guacamole and for $15.00 they mash up ONE avocado. Like how cheap can you get? We wanted a refill on drinks, she's no where to be found. Finally got our meals (which we all thought was sub par). Very expensive for what you get. Good things: the coconut marg is so good and they have dos xx on tap. read more

Nice atmosphere and polite staff. I loved the nachos. Maybe one of best nacho experiences! Also I had the raspberry beer which was pretty awesome. read more

You can hands down have a 5-Star experience at Blanco Cantina if you do it right. In their court: Service. Luckily, out of the two times I've been here, they've had it dialed! I'm really impressed with how our server managed to help us out with our orders, make good suggestions, friendly conversation, and still manage a jam packed restaurant. Kudos! In your court: Expectation. Why are you coming here? If it's for halfy hour margaritas in the sunshine, you're gonna have a good time! I probably wouldn't throw Blanco into a "Best/Most Authentic Mexican food" category, but they're really not trying to be that anyway. They've taken awesome things like rum tequila and tiki bars and given it a local, 17th Ave feel and I think it works. They also have a "Halfy Hour" every day, including weekends. I tell you, at half price, those hand crafted Mezcalaritas taste extra good. In fact they taste like another, and another, and a full day of sitting on their amazing patio. The patio gets a lot of shade, but they've got plenty of heating so they can keep it open well into the evening. Two large garage type doors open up almost removing the front wall entirely, adding to the relaxed Tiki feel of the place. I've so far only tried their special menu items created for Poutine Week and AB Burger Fest, but both of them were definitely good enough have me wanting to come back again to see what they're regularly up to. read more

Blanco Cantina - Inside the deep fried guacamole burger for #abburgerfest - Bars Near Me - Calgary, Alberta

See all

Bring your appetite because at Blanco Cantina size is everything and their food portions are MASSIVE. Well over the size of a hefty 'American' portion, it's questionable how they can even make money. They are seriously OUTRAGEOUS! The menu contains Burritos, Burgers, Poutines & Nachos.... All with a Mexican flair. But the list doesn't end there! 50+ Rums & Tequilas, drafts and even Red Bull slushies, Blanco is a place you'll go for one and end up staying the night. And with there $5 margarita & draft happy hour and 50% off nachos and poutines happening Everyday Day(yes, weekends included) between 3-5pm, you'll end up starting early and ending late! An amazing concept and a very welcome addition to the popular 17th ave! read more

See all

New to the neighborhood, Blanco Cantina inhabits the former Brava Bistro. Inside has been transformed into a tequila wonderland and the promise of a killer patio had me already looking to next summer. Bright and airy with whimsy throughout, the decor sets the mood. TVs wrap around the bar to show the games and ambient music plays overhead. But who cares, you want the dirt on the food. Well, here's the nachos and poutine that Calgary deserves. You can choose between big and frigging huge, and from there you pick from unlimited toppings, then add your protein and extras. You can do the same to the poutine or choose from pre-built options. The menu is large and the tequila plentiful. You would be foolish to skip this place if you're a fan of Mexican food and good spirits! read more

See all

Stopped for lunch today. Simply awful. First, the service was slow, and server made me feel like a total zero because I asked for a real menu. Given that it took her 5 minutes to print one I tried the QR thing, and it didn't work. Second, I'm 60+ and visually impaired, and really don't appreciate the condescending point of view from a 20-something server, even after I told her I was visually impaired. Perhaps I should have a chat with the Canadian Human Rights Commission about proper manners. Tried ordering Dos Equis lager on tap. They were out. Ordered Negra Modello in the bottle which I also love. It went down well. After the server's 3rd visit with an empty bottle sitting there and no offer to bring me another, I decided I wasn't going to give them more business than they deserved, and stuck with water. As for the burrito I ordered? I won't say it's the worst I've ever had, but only because I couldn't defend that in court if I was sued. It was dry and had no flavor. The menu said "covered in red sauce". Typically that would mean "wet" or "enchilada style" which means covered in enchilada sauce. In this case it was a bowl of red queso sauce on the side. Restaurants should serve what they describe on their menu, and shouldn't serve cuisines they clearly don't understand (and yes, I've lived in Los Angeles and travelled the US Southwest, so I know a thing or two about TexMex). There are so many good Mexican restaurants in Calgary, but clearly this isn't one of them. Don't waste your time. read more

What a cute restaurant! The patio is strung with lights and bar seating faces onto 17th ave where you can partake in plenty of people watching!! The menu is Mexican- fajitas, tacos, soup, burritos. We started with the guacamole which is made in their sister restaurant. It was delicious! The chips were thick and baked and sprinkled with a chilli powder. Gave the dish a nice little kick. The tacos must be ordered in 3s so I ordered the pork tacos and my friend ordered the fish tacos. The fish tacos were over-deep fries and has few toppings making for a sub par taco. The pork was a little better. Lots of meat and well seasoned. Overall I have mixed review. Great place to maybe go for drinks and snacks rather than a full meal. read more

Blanco Cantina - Pork tacos - Bars Near Me - Calgary, Alberta

You guys, EVERYDAY from 3-5PM is "Halfy Hour" at Blanco. That means 1/2 price tacos & nachos, tequila & rum and $5 margs & beers. How can you NOT take advantage of this? When we arrived, our waitress said we had 5 mins to get our orders in, but seeing how I had already studied the menu before we arrived we didn't panic. A couple watermelon margaritas, a cerveza, tacos (fish, chicken & beef) and platter of nachos and we were ready to party. The breaded basa fish tacos were aH-mazing! The mango salsa gave it a nice sweet balance to the salty fish. I didn't love the chicken tacos (just preference, I don't like pulled chicken/pork) but it was still pretty decent. The watermelon drinks cleansed our palettes and were quite refreshing! And the thick cut tortilla chips in the nachos were perfect for holding up all the toppings (no soggy chips here!) I really liked the food at Blanco. However, it was eerily empty the whole time we were here which is odd since it's in a prime location. Maybe it was an off day? Guess the only way to find out is to head back again, which I will absolutely do :) read more

See all

When I was on a poutine crawl for Poutine Week we changed destinations and came to Blanco Cantina instead. They were super generous with letting us all in at the last minute and their poutine for the week was a Poutine Burrito with sides. I'll start with the sides that I tried. The cornbread was fluffy and delicous with big bits of corn throughout and the fries were crispy but could have used a little more flavour. The corn salad was nice, very fresh with a hint of spice. The Burrito itself had shaved skirt steak, cheese curds, spicy Mexican gravy, house cut fries, and coriander scented onions. The steak was the best part. The marinade and cook of the meat was perfect, the cheese was nicely melted. The onions were mixed in nicely, but I think the mushy fries didn't work too well. Honestly just the meat and cheese would be fantastic if they ever make something similar again. We were in a back corner so the noise from the kitchen was pretty high but for a last-minute arrangement it worked out really well. read more

Blanco Cantina - Poutine burrito with fries - Bars Near Me - Calgary, Alberta

The nachos here are fabulous. I mean... I don't even know if they have other food. Probably, but I came for the nachos, and boy, I had great nachos. However, the service here is pretty... bleh. We were a table of three, and only one other table in the entire establishment had people sitting at it... Yet, our server was frequently difficult to track down and did not check up on us much. Still... the nachos. read more

Ok y'all I'm from TEXAS so by default I'm the best judge of Tex-mex (that's right, I said YALL)! I wasn't expecting a miracle here but I was expecting more than what I got. Everything was so bland. This is not tex mex. Let me start by saying the queso was ok not great but ok. If I could find the right cheese here I could make a better one in my kitchen. It was like a step up from Tostitos dip in a jar. The food was super bland, did they run out of seasonings in the back? The beans were awful and c'mon beans are pretty hard to mess up. The rice, I'm not sure what happened there. Just add some seasonings and the food could be good!! To make charro beans put pinto beans on low all day with garlic, onion, bacon and cilantro! It's not hard. The servers and staff were quick and nice. read more

First and last time to Blanco Cantina today. Thought we'd try Taco Tuesday there. Taco meat, chicken and brisket, was watery... How could that be unless it was reconstituted?? Way too much meat and no flavour. Pico de gallo was definitely made for use last weekend if you get my drift. Service was ok. Kitchen needs help. I left with an upset tummy. Another worthwhile note: if you're a Mexican Restaurant play Hispanic music. There's plenty of options to keep the vibes going through out the day without being redundant for the staff. read more

I had the best Miami Vice ever at Blanco Cantina! However, the ceviche tostadas were bleh. I don't think it was made fresh, it lacked flavor and most importantly did not seem to be cured in citrus juices to give that acidic flavor I was craving. It was not a ceviche. It was just raw tuna/partly cooked salmon on a board. I guess I'll only go here for drinks in the future. I did enjoy the tres leches because it reminded me of bread pudding, one of my fave desserts. But there was almost too much cream cheese icing layered on top. Scraped off half of it. Unless you love sweet, you'll want to do the same. At least the Miami Vice was great! read more

Blanco Cantina - Ceviche tostadas - Bars Near Me - Calgary, Alberta

See all

Guacamole, tuna poke and grilled fish tacos....such an amazing night to share great food with an open patio and an amazing waitress who took great care in recommending my watermelon margarita and the churros that ended our meal. Everything was deelish!!! Fish came out on a fajita skillet with spicy grilled onions, rice and beans. You build your own taco rather than getting the usual flour tortillas with slaw on a stand up plate. The soft, warm shells were perfect for holding the ingredients. Guacamole is the same as at Anejo; so light and airy with thick lightly spiced chips. Music was upbeat and just loud enough that we could talk at a normal volume. Decor was relaxed and exactly what an after work summer night should include... A lot of construction on 17ave and parking was hard to find but other than that, I can't wait to return and try some other items! Sorry Yelpers, I was engrossed in convo and forgot to take pics. Next time!!! read more

The tacos and margaritas are excellent! Very good value for the price. Service was adequate, didn't have to wait long for our drinks or food. The weather was nice, we we sat on the patio. My only criticism is there happens to be bird nesting above the patio and they swooped down too close for comfort. read more

Blanco Cantina - Pulled pork tacos and raspberry jalapeño margarita - Bars Near Me - Calgary, Alberta

We were in yesterday for Cinco De Mayo and Sara was AMAZING!!!! If I could rate her 10 stars I would! She gave the best service and was a total delight to have as a server. The drinks were amazing and the food was tasty. We can't wait to come back! read more

Oh dear - cute tex mex decor and ambiance was ruined by poor service and poor food! I was recently in the mood for Tex Mex, and I walked by this place on 17th and thought I'd give it a shot. I love the decor and styling of the place - looks hip and happening despite the lack of customers on the Saturday afternoon. We got the Poutine Burrito as well as a the classic burrito. I thought the Poutine Burrito was pretty good for a gimmicky choice - the steak was done rare (excellent) and the balance of flavours was good. The Classic Burrito was not good at all - the flavours were completely bland and it didn't taste much like anything. As far as sides, I got the mac and cheese (+$3 upcharge), which was the biggest mistake of the day. Granted some may say that I'm asking for it, ordering mac and cheese at a "tex mex" place, but man this iteration of Mac and Cheese was brutal. The pasta was completely dry, tasteless, CHEESELESS, and also sauceless. I 100% was going to send it back, but...... The service was poor. After serving the food, the waitress did not check on our table, not once, despite my attempts to flag her down. Our water glasses were not refilled either. I couldn't even find the waitress to send back this awful mac and cheese. I hope she wasn't surprised when I left a significantly reduced tip. Mexican food in Calgary is generally disappointing, but this experience was especially so - what a missed opportunity for what could have been a hip and trendy spot on 17th, that could have had excellent food. read more

Poor service, bland food! I tried Blanco Cantina for the first time tonight for their half price Taco Tuesday special, but I won't be going back due to the service. Our waitress was borderline rude from the second she approached us. On observing some of the other staff with patrons, it seems this wasn't an isolated experience. One of the wait staff almost chastised a family who had just walked in. I ordered the pork, chicken and pulled beef tacos. The chicken taco was pretty good, however the other two were very bland and the corn taco shell fell apart quickly as the filling was so wet and runny. All in all, super messy to eat with not much flavour. read more

Blanco has a great location right in the middle of 17th Ave. They have great decor and ambiance throughout the restaurant and a great patio for the warmer summer months. Their nacho happy hour is a great bang for your buck and you can really customize the order to your preferences and requirements. On a recommendation from our waitress last time we also ordered the wings which were on special and they were delicious, I was impressed. Chips and Queso are another solid offering. I mostly come in to share appies and drinks so I can't speak to the rest of the menu. read more

I'm not sure why some people rave here about their nachos and tacos? I'm pretty sure it's because they never had any good nachos or tacos. We ordered both and they were disgusting! Too many good restaurants in calgary, don't waste your money here people. read more

Food was excellent. The service not much. Our waitress stood at the table beside us talking it up with a couple of guys while are good was delivered by another without cutlery. Out waitress stood and watched while I got up, went inside to get some cutlery and then I walked past her again to get to our table. Even after this she was oblivious. Another table in out section got up and walked after getting only water and a menu after 20 minutes. The exact amount of time we had to wait for our bill after telling her we were ready to go. read more

Great food! The nachos were really good. The beer was great, all complimented by good service.

Auto grated our party without telling us - ended up giving 45% tip for a round of drinks and one appetizer

I LOVE their margaritas and nachos! Their guac is delicious! The ambience is fantastic and it's a great place to go on Sundays! Their patio doesn't get much sun exposure and their main course food is rather flavourless. If you want good drinks, good vibes and good nachos, hit this place up! read more

$2.50 tacos all night long on Tuesdays!! The tacos were tasty and the service was excellent. My favourite here are the pork tacos and the fish tacos. We also enjoyed chips and guac and salsa to start. Lots if delicious drinks to choose from including the spicy sweet pineapple sorrento margarita which is my mom's favourite! read more

Blanco Cantina - Bars Near Me - Calgary, Alberta

What a great place. We went yesterday for the first time. The food was good. We took advantage of "Taco Tuesday " and wernt disappointed. Fish, Pork & Chicken was fantastic. It was $7.00 for 3 tacos. Great patio and nice staff. Booze was pricey but it's 17th Ave so whatever. read more

See all