Blanco Cantina located along Bloor St. W. near Dalton Rd is a Mexican spot in the Annex. It's actually a Canadian chain where most of their locations are out west (like Calgary, Edmonton, Saskatoon, etc.). This particular location of Blanco Cantina can hold a large group of people and they also have some great happy hour deals as well. The perfect spot for a get together or if you want some tacos, burritos, or nachos with a date. In no way is this authentic Mexican but more westernized Mexican food.
Food wise, the menu has shareables (chips, wings, queso, guac, fries, etc.), soups/salads, classic or premium (think bulgogi steak, diablo shrimp, crispy cauliflour, etc.) tacos, burritos/wraps (which come with a side), fajitas, as well as some dessert items.
I recently dined at Blanco Cantina with a large party. We did make reservations in advance for about 15 people, however, only about 10 people showed up. We occupied 2 tables and the restaurant allowed us to pay separately.
Service was great as we arrived during happy hour in the afternoon. We were able order a second round of drinks as well as food around 5pm where the waiter honoured the happy hour pricing despite it being a few minutes past 5pm. As the night went on, our party dwindled down in numbers as people left and the waiters and staff never asked us to leave. For those who stayed till the end, we almost stayed till happy hour at 10pm. Despite the large party staff were organized and able to put in our orders as well as check up on us from time to time. They were a little slow with clearing the tables though.
In terms of food/drink, I ordered the following items, taking advantage of their happy hour deal (from 2-5pm and then 10pm onwards - classic tacos were only $3.50 and margaritas were $7!):
- Tableside guac (made to order, tableside - avocado, onion, tomato, cilantro, jalapeno, minced garlic and fresh lime) - Got this item for free as a promo on their website; when you sign up for the first time you get to have free guac which comes with chips as well.
- Crispy fish taco (served with cabbage, onion, cilantro, and jalapeno)
- Chicken tinga (served with cabbage, onion, cilantro, and jalapeno)
- Baja shrimp (served with jalapeno ranch slaw, pico de gallo, and chipotle sauce)
- Classic margarita (blanco tequila, triple sec, citrus, agave nectar, salt rim)
- Watermelon margarita (watermelon tequila, triple sec, agave nectar, fresh watermelon, lime juice)
- A shot of the 1800 coconut tequila ($5 special every day!)
- 5oz of the pinot grigio
Tacos were decent and I enjoyed the Baja shrimp taco the most out of all 3 tacos I got. In terms of the drinks, I enjoyed the classic margarita - can't go wrong with that!
Overall, great space with good vibes and service. Happy hour deals are great and the food is good. A good choice for Mexican food in the Annex! read more