Service is hot garbage. They are incapable of flipping a table in under an hour a half; then tell people the wait is an hour when it's truly 3 hours. Avoid read more

I'm thinking you probably can't fail by ordering most anything on their menu. We stopped in for a late lunch today, and while it was our first visit, it definitely won't be our last. We had the fried cauliflower taco, the loaded Mexican rice, and the baja burrito with fried cauliflower. I'm not sure if they make their own corn tortillas, but the ones they use for the taco have more corny flavor than than the ones we buy, and they aren't all dry and crumbly. I loved the radish and tomatillo. I was excited about the guajillo red sauce, but there wasn't much of it, and it kind of got lost. They could certainly use more of it on the taco. Guajillo is one of my favorite chilis, as it has the heat, but also has that lovely complex chili flavor I crave. It's a staple in my kitchen for spice blends. The cauliflower is encased in a light, crispy breading. I could eat several of these tacos and be very happy about it. The loaded rice is fantastic. It's a good combination of the fresh and the roasted. The rice is perfectly cooked and well-seasoned. I loved the chive, corn, black beans and squash bits. There is a bit of cheese involved, but it's so sparse you wouldn't miss it if it wasn't there. I think the guajillo sauce is used on the rice to some extent as well, given its red (not saffron gold) tinge. So good. The room itself is an echo chamber, and can be quite loud, but once food or drinks arrive there shouldn't be much table talk. read more

The space (although a bit small) is well decorated and has a good atmosphere. We had to wait about 15-20 mins even at 1pm on a Saturday but they have a texting option so we walked around the square enjoying the end of the farmer's market until we were texted that the table was ready. We all got different tacos - I chose the carne asada and the fried cauliflower and liked both. Overall they have a good variety in their options and we were all satisfied. Nothing was incredible but it was all good and the good service and atmosphere bump it from a 3 to a 4 for me. read more

Canteen - Carne asada taco on the top, fried cauliflower below. - Tacos Near Me - Madison, Wisconsin

While eating my meal there was a large group eating as well and what look like were complaining to the poor waitress about splitting their check now i was near by and heard the waitress clearly tell them if they all sat together she wouldn't be able to split the check they still went forward and sat together not giving a care for what the waitress had said. Later on once they ask for their check the waitress brought over their check and immediately the group started to tare her to shreds that they wanted separate checks now that waitress had told them sorry i cannot i told you guy before you ordered we couldn't do it and they proceeded to chew her out about this. I'm very conflicted on the start giving the only 5 start service came from that one waitress so my star review is based on and the group of Karen's mistreating that poor waitress who was doing more then a wonderful job. And idk who the supervisor on duty was but someone should have stood up and helped that waitress out. read more

This is our go to spot when my boyfriend and I can't decide where to go. It is always good. The place is small so you may have to wait to get a table on the weekend, but you can often gets seats at the bar. Last time I was there they had a special menu the benefit the second harvest food back that was quite tasty, especially the chicken tinga taco. read more

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Another great surprise find on the Madison square! An upscale Mexican restaurant where just about everything was on the top of the "good" list. The Carnitas tacos were as good as anywhere I've been. The Carne was overdone but, but the rest of the meal was outstanding! Don't think twice about giving this place a try!! read more

Super great food. The chips and salsa is incredible. Tasty verde, flavorful arbol, and nice and spicy red. The pork belly tacos are to die for. The carnitas are great too, especially if you add some green salsa. The elotes is amazing. The thinly sliced serrano chiles are a nice touch. They said they had free duritos, and we even asked, but they didn't give them to us. Hmmm. read more

The food at this restaurant is very good. The waitress didn't wear a mask QR code menus but you can request a paper menu. I've been seeing more and more QR code menus but a lack of training of staff to ask the customer if they are familiar with it. The younger people wait staff just assume everyone knows how to use it. I was familiar with it but have seen some confused customers. The pinwheel puffs were good but only after I ate some did I realize they were wheat! I'm GF! The waitress could have warned me. Hopefully I won't get too sick on those. The guacamole is some of the best I've had at a restaurant. My husband has now claimed this is his favorite Mexican restaurant in Madison. Try it if you like Mexican food. read more

Went here with a few friends the other weekend-the decorations,setup, and overall vibe is adorable-think woven bowls on the walls and decorative faux-cow skulls. Great drink and food selections, margaritas were a bit on the pricey side. I got the grilled farmers cheese taco, the Baja fish taco, and the fried cauliflower taco with a side of street corn. Street corn was delicious, with a lime juice and (maybe garlic?) aioli and spices, and the cauliflower taco was my favorite, with the fish in a close second- the chipotle sauce on it is SO good! My only suggestion is that they add shrimp tacos to the menu since I'm sure they'd be amazing! Note that the tacos don't come with a side of beans and rice, so you have to order that separately. Overall super cute and unique place to go for dinner. Definitely different from other Mexican restaurants in Madison and one of my new favorites. read more

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1000% the best frozen margarita-- the happy hour is to die for. I've been there over 20 times and I have yet to find something on the menu I don't like. read more

We stopped in for an early afternoon bite to eat on New Year's eve and we were not disappointed. My partner had tacos and I enjoyed the enchiladas. The flavors were all very good. Since it was a bit of an "off time" there was only one server working, but she was quite capable of handling the few occupied tables. I will say that it was a very cold day, and the restaurant itself also felt quite cold. I am guessing the older windows don't make it easy to keep heated. Canteen seems like a bit of a step up from TTTP - which is also a favorite Food Fight spot of ours. We'll definitely be back to Canteen. read more

This is a great, new restaurant. I ended up here after most places were closed Sunday night and was not disappointed. It was happy hour so I opted to try a half price margarita which was fantastic - not too sweet like most places. A bag of duritos is a must, first one is free. I could best deaceibe them as Mexican funions. There are plenty of vegetarian options, I opted for the cauliflower taco which was phenomenal. I tried the crispy rice and beans as a side and that was decisions as well though a tad spicy. Another person in my group got the street corn which was a tasty blend of corn, cotija cheese and some kind of chipotle sauce. Super friendly staff, great food, awesome happy hour. Will definitely be back. read more

Oh, man, I promise I will finish later. I'm a little busy stuffing my face with a sandwich at the moment. And it's hot, so....

Canteen used to be better...they changed their menu so now instead of being able to order individual tacos, their tacos come in groups of two. This is a bummer, considering the thing that was nice about Canteen was that you could try a bunch of different tacos. I hope they realize that this is definitely a mistake in terms of their business model, because until this changes, I will be going to other taco places. read more

I've been to Canteen now twice since it opened and its pretty good. I was psyched to hear and read about it prior to opening and I don't think it disappointed, it just has some improvements to make. The decor and space are both very inviting and festive. It is limited by an awkward shape and crowded but those are not bad things!! The first time I came I had a margarita, guac/chips, carnitas, fried cauliflower, and fish tacos. They were all pretty good but the fried stuff (cauliflower and fish) were heavily breaded and not hot enough so both felt a little heavy. I would love to see a fish taco option that was not fried. The guac is delicious...and the margaritas were good...but nothing special. I'd love to see a spicy margarita option and just some more options in general. I went again last night and had the carne asada and farmers cheese taco....these were not great. The farmers cheese just isn't my thing so my fault for a bad order. But the carne asada needs to reduce the chipotle/smoke flavor a bit- it takes over. Also, all 3 of my tacos last night had cold filling so that didn't help. I will be back again in the hopes that its heading on up! read more

I ordered curbside pickup from Canteen during quarantine/social isolation and I just had to write a review to commend not only the food, but also the quality of the service I was given. It was clear from my first call to the restaurant that Canteen is determined to keep their customers healthy by no-contact. And the woman who answered the phone, Hannah, was so incredibly helpful. I drove up to the location, and my food was brought to me and left just outside my car door. The employees I saw bringing out orders were also wearing masks, which made me feel comfortable about the restaurant's safety in general. Seriously thank you all for keeping your employee health and customer health in mind! Also doesn't hurt that my burrito, salsa, churros are absolutely delicious read more

Canteen - Classic Burrito with Chicken and Salsa Verde (box), a bowl filled with Canteen tortilla chips, a healthy amount of Salsa Arbol, and Churros - Tacos Near Me - Madison, Wisconsin

Service was great last night but food was underwhelming. It's sad to say this may be the first taco place that I didn't like. Only 1 out of 5 tacos we tried were good. Also their take on a chip is bad, the seasoning is good but please change the Durito things that look like wagon wheels. read more

Music sucks, too cold, bar is way too small. Good tequila selection, can't decide if I wanna stick around for food. ... ok, ok, i will eat something. Street corn is delightful, music sounds better the more tequila we drink. This place seems to get better and better the longer we're here... Well well well... Viva Canteen! After all, this place kicked ass. The food was delicious, ingredients tasted clean and light. Sauces were amazing, rich and flavorful, spices were not timid, portions were perfect. One of us is a San Diego native so we typically avoid Mexican food in Wisconsin but this place hits a great groove with modern innovations on classic recipes. Service was kind and prompt. Next time we come here, we want to sit at the bar though read more

Had this on our list of options during our trip to Madison from St Paul! I'm so glad we came in. Not only was the food delicious, but the staff were remarkably welcoming an friendly. As soon as we mentioned that we were visiting from out of town, we got some great pointers for sight seeing, activities, and events. What drew us were the vegan options and they were great! The fried cauliflower tacos and calabacitas tacos (requested vegan) were delightful as were our sides of loaded Mexican rice and chips and guacamole. We'll definitely come here again next time we're in town! read more

Very beautifully decorated with lots of interesting artwork, lots of fun colors! Cozy seating and all around comfy ambiance. The chips and salsa were absolutely amazing! In house made chips. Tacos are great too. Many different menu options and even vegetarian selections. Lots of tequila options as well. I had the mezcal marg, it was everything I had hoped. Perfect amount of sweet to marg flavor. Overall it was a great experience! read more

Pretty great food, not so great service. We sat at the bar and were completely ignored for about 10 minutes until we sort of forced our presence known. A table of 4 of us were seated about 30 minutes later. Drinks took well over 20 minutes every time to receive and any alterations to food were ignored. However, the food is pretty darn good! Worth braving the spotty service for. We'll be back. Perhaps, the FOH will have their stuff in order by then. read more

We went to Canteen as a group with a reservation, however we had to stand outside for 15 minutes because our table wasn't ready. Apparently they had booked two groups back-to-back. Probably not the best idea... We ordered chips and salsa and were given tiny bags of chips - not nearly enough for the amount of salsa. No offer of more chips for the group. But overall, Canteen had a decent selection of Mexican food for affordable prices. I enjoyed their carnitas tacos and the atmosphere was fun and funky. read more

I was desperately in need of libations and the first place I stopped across the street was closed. BLESSING in disguise! Entering, I was immediately greeted by a young smiling gentleman Arly. All I needed was a spot at the bar with a plug. He instantly accommodated me as if I was the only person in the full establishment. He recommended the Heffe margarita and WOW I was impressed. The atmosphere, food, and staff were wonderful. It is a fun lively enjoyable restaurant that lifted my own personal sad spirits that day. Being from Ft. Lauderdale, this place rates 5 stars. Thank you Arly! read more

Love this authentic Mexican restaurant, staff and the food! Brought me back to Puerto Vallarta because of their cold brewed Mexican Hortiata coffee and the music! Came to find out later that they have happy hour too! read more

Canteen - The best Mexican cold brew coffee ever at Canteen restaurant! Then came to find out the have HaPpy HoUr! - Tacos Near Me - Madison, Wisconsin

Bright, colorful venue with a great view of the capital. Happy hour 1/2 price tacos and drinks offered great value! Margs and tacos were quality and tasty ! read more

Their tacos are amazing. It's a very small restaurant though so if you're coming in on a Friday or Saturday night, beware. You'll have to wait if you didn't make a reservation. It's well worth the wait though! read more

Great burritos (seriously, the best I've had in a long time) and great staff. Some of the most attentive service I've ever had a restaurant.

Ok So I ordered from EatStreet tonight. Therefore, temperature, plating, etc aren't things I'll base this on. Not even estimated order delivery time (which was short of the expectation). I ordered street corn, crispy rice and beans, two barbacoa tacos (no cilantro), beef burrito no cilantro, and duritos. I'll start with the app/sides: Duritos: Delicious blend of seasonings. I'd eat these again every time. The thing that sort of gets me is this: for a $0.69 bag of dehydrated wagon wheels, you charge people who want it for delivery $1.00. And you give them about 9. I get that you give this away in-store. But if I don't want to dine-in, you're charging me, and then making me feel nickel-and-dimed. Why? 3/5 Street corn: People have alternately loved and hated on this for some reason on yelp. This is a 5 star item. Even delivered, I loved it and wished I'd subbed another portion for the crispy rice and beans. Perfection in cheese, lime, seasoning, and temperature. I don't give a rip if it is frozen corn, I'd eat this every day. If you want a fresh corn dish, go to Nomo. 5/5 Crispy Rice and Beans: I know, I know. read the menu. I did. And I still gave it a chance. The LAST thing I want in rice in beans, is a crunch. I give this dish a -5/5. My dog ate it, though, so that's a plus. Due to reading and not comprehending, i'll just go for 0/5 Barbacoa tacos: Super underwhelming. The barbacoa itself was tasty. There's nothing else memorable about it. So much potential for these $4 tacos, and you're just disappointing. 2/5 Burrito with beef: Hot, generally delicious. But all you do is cram a bunch of rice into a burrito with a bit of cheese, a marginal amount of meat, and then refried black beans. I like ALL of those things, but you aren't doing anything new. If i'm being honest, the money spent on this, is better spent at Burrito Drive. They've got inventive and delicious burritos. 1.5/5 All in all, I'd try this place again. I'd go here to see what their service and drinks are like. The food in a vaccuum is hit or miss. The street corn, in my estimation, shines. And the barbacoa in and of itself is top notch. They just need to capitalize on what they have. Probably won't re-order delivery, possibly will try to stop in. So, all in all, its a 46%. Which is slightly higher than two stars. But I don't have fractionals, so 2 it is. Hope they can get better, they have potential just based on food. I'll update if/when I visit in person. read more

The barbacoa tacos were probably the best tacos I've ever had. Soooo delicious. We ordered online and brought the food in. I live in Minnesota and am sad I won't be able to eat here regularly. read more

New favorite spot for tacos hands down. Got the fried fish taco, and carne asada taco. Both excellent. Chips and 3 salsas were great too, although the chips were on the oily side. Also ordered the street corn which had amazing flavor but the corn was watery and not grilled. Street corn should be grilled ...always. We will be back for the tacos without a doubt! read more

Stopped with my girlfriend for tacos. Didn't think they were very authentic. The food seemed overpriced for how it tasted.

Truly the best margaritas in downtown Madison! A fun selection of tacos that are sure to please multiple people.

After two unpleasant visits, I decided to give Canteen another try, since we were in the area. Just for a quick drink- what could go wrong? The service was horrible. We were not greeted, and we made our way to the bar. We were acknowledged after 6-7 minutes. The bartender was particularly preoccupied with entertaining her friends and coworkers who were at the bar. My drink was empty for 13 minutes. Finally, the bartender broke herself away from her friends to come over and say "Are you ready for your check?" I mentioned that we would have asked for another but we'd been sitting for awhile and she said "Okay" and handed us our check. I will not be returning. read more

Our first time visiting Canteen (not too long after they had come to town) we unfortunately weren't all that impressed. The prices were a bit high for the individual tacos and sides such as guac and chips. However, our recent second time around, we came to find they changed things up! They offer a daily happy hour (3-6?) of half price tacos which are now approx $6 for 2 tacos so the deal gets you 2 tacos for $3! Not to mention good deals on Tecante and margs. Overall we were very happy we gave the place a second chance. The food was delicious and the prices were great! read more

For no fault of their own, I think that restaurants near the Capitol generally have a policy of under seasoning and overhyping their dishes. We were there for happy hour and got the house margarita which was good. Not anything special by itself. We got the rock shrimp tacos which was disappointing because it was not flavorful in any sense and the shrimp tasted just frozen and mushy. We sat at the bar during shift change and the service seemed to not be able to handle the transition properly. Overall cool vibe at the place and in a good location, probably should rethink their menu items and execution. read more

Not what I expected! Even three stars is generous. We got the nachos (apps) and it was just a big tray of nachos without anything which makes it different. There was very little cheese, and just a spoon full of guacamole on it! Tacos were just ok. A bit dry! Needs more flavor and citrus. Street corn was sticking to my teeth! Not sure why but probably something about the corn they used. Not sure if I will go back. Sorry! There are better Mexican restaurants in town. read more

Good establishment, clean, and good service but the food lacked depth of flavor other than the mango salsa. The food was a bit heavy on grease But the margaritas were great. They also were good at suggesting a drink which is always a sign for service. The wait was short which was nice even when the place was full. Short wait for food which was also nice considering we had to get to a concert after dinner. We ordered 2 side dishes.....crunchy rice dish which was ok but again but greasy. The corn dish was underwhelming. Corn was not fresh. We had 6 different tacos. The carnitas, fish, and pork belly were good. The carni asada, chicken, and barbacoa were all chewy and not flavored well. We also had guacamole for app which was good and the Doritos were good. Wouldn't take much to turn this into a great place to eat and hang out. Also heard a patio is potentially coming soon which would make this a margarita stopover for sure!!! read more

Always heard good things. Went with my girlfriend and roommate on a Friday night at 6. Was busy, but not full. The one star is unfortunately mainly for our waitress, Jazmin. We get there and get seated right away, had to wait about 8 mins just for our waitress to come by and take our drinks. Just a water and two simple margaritas. Waited another 6 mins for those before she took off without taking our food order. We waited for a while when an old friend came up and chatted for about 5 mins. I assume she saw that and didn't want to bother us, that's fine, I appreciated that even though our order should've already been taken. But after the friend leaves the table, another 15 mins went by before she came back and took our order, I also ordered another margarita. Another 5 mins go by and as she's walking by, asks my roommate if he'd like another margarita, he obliges. 10 mins after I ordered my second and 5 mins after my roommate ordered his second, she dropped them both off. Food arrived in decent time, but 40 mins after we arrived, and dropped off by a server assistant. She seemed to have 6 tables tops, and we were just a 3-top. As someone who's worked in the industry, it was the first time in a long while where I tipped someone less than 20%. Food tasted very good but the portions were small. I suggest just ordering for pickup or delivery through EatStreet. read more

Went here last night for the first time and I was very impressed! The decor was fun and colorful, and we were seated inside promptly. I had the cauliflower taco (AMAZING), the zucchini one, and fish. All very tasty! I also had a strawberry frozen margarita which was outstanding. We had a really awesome waitress too!! Will definitely be back! read more

I had delivery and it did not disappoint. The nachos were delicious and filled with terrific flavors! The classic burrito was perfect, the brisket is the best I've ever tasted! Next time I'm in town, the Canteen will be my first stop. I cannot wait to try more options!! read more