I braced myself for all the negative reviews I read but, YOU should give them a try and see for yourself. I'm so mad I didn't take any pictures!! I got nachos and cranberry juice, and it was alll soooo freaking yummy!! The nachos were large and loaded with the basics. Can't go wrong with that. The nachos were $15. For what you get that was really good. Service was spectacular. Didn't catch his name but my server was super sweet and helpful! Restaurant is also really nice and artsy. When I visit, I'll definitely be back! read more

walked in and the hostess said "3?" to my party of three, no greeting whatsoever. Wiped down a dirty table with a rag in front of us and never offered to dry the table. then sat there for over 5 minutes without seeing a single staff member offer us water or serve any other tables. walked out and didn't pass a single staff member in the restaurant. absolutely awful 8 minites. Went to a different restaurant had drinks, chips, salsa, and apps within 8 minutes read more

I came here for a group lunch with some fellow volunteers. The space was very nice and quite big. I enjoyed the food a lot. The guac and chips were solid and my enchiladas mole was a hefty portion and filling. I don't know if Wednesdays are a slower day for the kitchen, but the food seemed to take a while to actually get out which was weird since I think we were only 1 of 2 tables there at noon. There didn't seem to be a vegan meat option available ( or they were out) for my colleague. Staff is very friendly. I would give this a go another time. read more

Cantina on Madison - Mexican Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

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I came upon this place with a friend of mine after iceskating, and was immediately hit with the fresh and flavorful aroma of Mexican cuisine. We were promptly sat by one gentlemen and then served by another that seemed to be taking on all customers but still maintained amazing charisma and service! The interior is very nice and I could see it being a popular late night bar stop for anyone in the area. For my meal, I got the grilled chicken taco dinner with beans and rice on the side. I thoroughly enjoyed the rice as it had a nice soft aroma assisted by a cardamom pod. (I loved it) The chicken tacos were good however i wish the chicken had more moisture as it would have sealed the deal and allotted five stars! Overall this was a very great experience and I look forwards to coming back. read more

Cantina on Madison - grilled chicken tacos - Mexican Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

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Waiter was nice, atmosphere was okay. Food was very bland. Little to no flavor. Edible but not exciting says my fiancé. I think we got food poisoning, only thing that was spicy about this visit was my asshole. read more

They have good Mexican food, good drinks, it's a great location to catch a game or just chill out at the bar for drinks, especially being in the heart of downtown. Just be careful with their red salsa, it's good but spicyyy! read more

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Cantina on Madison is really good! The food was fresh, flavorful, and came out fast. The service was great too super friendly and attentive. You get 2 tacos for the price of 1, which is such a win, especially for the quality. Everything I tried was delicious and worth it. Definitely recommend this spot if you're in Chicago and looking for good tacos, good vibes, and great service. I'll for sure be coming back. read more

Cantina on Madison - Tacos - Mexican Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

Decent Mexican cuisine close to where I was staying. The restaurant was into the bar section and the restaurant section. It was pretty late but we were able to get a table. The bar was pretty busy as well. They also had a small section for outdoor seating. Our server was good. Decent sized groups and we seperated our checks. He got everyone's order right and the food was good. The tacos and the burritos were good. I'll be back when I'm in the area again. read more

Cantina on Madison - Mexican Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

Had dinner with a group of four and we all left completely satisfied. The vibe was lively and fun, and the service was top-notch. We came for Taco Tuesday, where tacos are just $3.50 each--a great deal. The margarita was a good size for around $15, which felt like a steal compared to the $20+ ones I've had in Chicago before. Everything we ordered was delicious and full of flavor. Not a single complaint from anyone in our group--highly recommend for your margarita & taco needs! read more

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We stopped in here for a quick bite and something to drink. The drinks were so good and they were pretty big for a decent price. We shared a nacho and it was perfect and fulfilling for the both of us. We got sat down instantly and of course they serve chips and salsa while your waiting for your food. The inside of the restaurant was very cute. Everything was decorated on theme and we sat right by the window to see all the action read more

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Cute spot! Had their fish tacos with spanish rice. For one, their spanish rice is amazing!!! Best spanish rice I've had. I would come back just to get a bowl of this. Their mango margaritas are delicious, but just as a heads up, they're not very strong. read more

Cantina on Madison - Fish tacos - Mexican Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

Food was decent, don't expect chips and salsa in certain they are an additional charge anyway, waters were brought... empty and a small pitcher brought to table which required 3 refills before it filled our 4 standard cups. There's very few dishes under $17 unless you're looking at the kids menu, we just wanted a quick lunch. Meh quality read more

Mr. DJ (Diego behind the bar) hooked us tf UP with some great tacos and a bomb margaritas after ice skating! The ambiance and music is great: cute and artistic. We stopped in on our way to kareoke and were out in a half hour having experienced great service, yummy food, and a bussin' Margarita at the bar! read more

Very disorganized place. Authentic atmosphere, but that's where it stops. This restaurant was nearly empty yet we encountered some of the worst service we've ever had. Our server, whose name I believe was "Lore", was just plain awful. Rude, and so slow. She stood on her phone while ignoring us completely. This place doesn't have typical Mexican staples like Horchata, Chips & Salsa, etc. "They're making the chips" said our waitress. We never received them. We were thinking about leaving when she finally decided to take out order, I ordered the Grilled Chicken Tacos and my Dad got the Al Pastor Tacos. The food took forever and was mediocre at best. My chicken tacos were dry. The bathrooms were also filthy and sticky. For nearly $50, this was a terrible experience. read more

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Have been craving some yummy tacos recently, and I walk past this place everyday for school, so I finally gave it a try!!! The atmosphere is very authentic feeling. Right when you walk in you see the bar, where you can eat at if you wanted. And then the rest of the seating areas were throughout. It's a very cozy and warm place for sure! I was a little sad that chips and salsa wasn't something they gave to you as you were seated. I've never been to a Mexican restaurant that didn't do that. So that was disappointing. The food however made up for that honestly, the steak tacos were juicy AS HECK. And the fries were actually very crispy on the outside and potatoey in the inside. The location is quaint. Right off Michigan avenue, so it's a very touristy spot but also very good for locals. I'll definitely be back here as I told the waitress. read more

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A friend and I were visiting the "BEAN" downtown and it started raining so we ran inside this cute place for a drink! We had an excellent experience. Our bartender AJ was a true gem and very entertaining. Not only do they make a delicious tamarind margarita, the margaritas are huge! And only about $15. He also introduced us to a new tequila called INSOLITO that is now my favorite. The restaurant itself was very cute and festive. 10/10 for cleanliness as well. This is definitely now a top 5 on my places to visit. Next time I will try the tacos since everyone says they are the best around. read more

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If I've said it once, I'll say it again: Well-made guacamole gets five stars every time! What I love most about Cantina's guac is that they leave some nice little avocado chunks in it. It's also not too salty. I walked into this place on a random Tuesday afternoon during lunch. There weren't a lot of patrons. Even still, the service was a bit slower than I expected. Especially for our drinks. However, once the drinks arrived... OH YEAH! It's been a long time since I felt a buzz from a sangria! LOL! Everything here is traditional Mexican style. From the colorful Mexican art on the walls to the types of tacos they sell. Speaking of tacos, they were the BOMB! If I didn't have a meeting to get two and dinner planned for later on, I could have easily downed 6-7 of them! I recommend the shredded pork and pulled beef! Yum! They're a few dollars pricier than I expected, so be sure to take advantage of the taco Tuesdays and lunch specials! read more

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Colorful small place- very folkloric vibe, the food is just okay, we where there for breakfast, only one more table with one guest, waiter took very very long to take our order and very very long to bring it out, (chorizo and eggs) - to pay the check ee waited like 10 min before asking the bartender to check us out because the server was not to be found . read more

My friends & I do a trip to Chicago every year and last year we had gotten a margarita at Cantina on Madison and loved it! We loved it so much we planned a trip to go back this year and do a full lunch! When we arrived we ordered food and drinks right away and thats when the disapointment began. It took over 20 minutes to get our drinks, we had to ask for our own chips and salsa, the food took an HOUR AND 20 MINS to come out! And it was cold! We recognize this was on a busy weekend, but this was probably the worst service we had ever recieved in the city. On top of that they added 20% gratutity automatically for our group of 5. Definitley disappointed and won't be back here. read more

Food seemed good but two people in our party got sick from their meal. Service was really bad. Maybe they were short staffed??? Had to ask twice for drinks and had to ask for the check after sitting a good 15 minutes after eating. This was mid day lunch. I'd suggest trying somewhere else read more

Walked in looking to have a couple beers and something to eat at the bar a few minutes ago on a Wednesday. Bartender was very hood like and brought me a menu and disappeared. No question of can I get you a drink while you look at the menu. Had rap music playing instead of something more fitting it a Mexican restaurant. Base was so turned up that it sounded like one of the cars we all have heard drive by with the trunk vibrating. Waited about 10 minutes and eventually she came over. I ordered a Modelo and was told they were out. I left. This is a prime example of the owner not being present and having a manager manage their employees. This was truly pathetic read more

The ambiance is great. Decor is thoughtful. The service was great. Staff was fast and attentive. The food, while a bit on the higher end of pricing, it was well worth it. First time visiting and would definitely come back. read more

Shout out to the former RUDY'S! This place is fantastic! I love that they kept the crazy neon from the previous restaurant. In this area, it's hard to find a bar/resto that is open LATE. Come to Cantina! I've been here again now a couple of times when other stuff was closed! The usual array of Mexican beers, and seltzer. I'm a huge fan of the mini quesadillas with steak. I've had them twice now, and yum - they are juicy and delicious. Enough for two to share, or for one if you're hungry! My friend got the Torta al Pastor, and that was enough for two meals! Big fan! read more

Visited this location while on vacation and had the Shrimp tacos (forgot to take photos). They were absolutely delicious. The margaritas were soooo good also. I highly recommend this location. read more

great drinks and service. didn't try the food but would recommend just for their vibes. the owner was there and very kind would visit again.

Don't waste your time. The food was subpar and the service was HORRIBLE. We had to wait 15 minutes for anyone to even acknowledge us and seat us. It wasn't busy at all when we arrived. My friend ordered a shot of tequila and we had to ask 3 different times for our waitress to bring her a lime. After waiting a good half hour for our waitress to remember, my friend ended up going to the bar herself to ask the bartender. When she got there, our waitress was just standing there chatting. She never acknowledged she kept forgetting. When our bill arrived, we noticed we were charged full price for our happy hour drinks. When it was brought to our servers attention, she said "Oh I meant to tell you it was wrong". Um what?? Why didn't you say that when dropping off the bill? And even when she went to her manager to "fix" it, it still wasn't fixed. We ended up just paying because we didn't have time to wait for her any longer. We saw other tables getting up and grabbing their own silverware and napkins. The staff just really gave off the impression they don't care. At all. Overall it was just a bad experience. We won't be back. I saw the reviews saying the service was poor but I didn't expect that. I should have listened! read more

Great margs, mid food. I ordered the Chicken Quesadillas and they were served like Taco's. Good environment.

great service! very authentic, the mother son duo really made the experience top tier. loved them!

Starting off with the positives, the food was good. That was about it. When we first arrived there was not too many people inside and it took almost 10 minutes to get seated. We got seated and throughout the meal we had almost no service. Whether it was not getting water, or asking for sour cream THREE times and barely getting it at the very end of the meal. Not only did we not get the sour cream, but they charged us for it. They also don't care about how good their service is because they add an automatic 20% tip on the check that you can't take off. The staff only consisted of 3-4 employees making it super difficult to manage any customer needs. Overall, horrible service and disappointing experience with the dirty play on our check. Will not be coming back and would not recommend. read more

Giving 2 stars because the carne asada meat and burger was decent but the service was HORRIBLE . We literally had to get up and get our own plates and napkins and yet they included 20% gratuity at the end!!! Drinks are not good and extremely over price . Do not recommend this place read more

This place has an abundant menu, but some patrons have shared with me that they weren't offered chips and salsa when they ordered drinks while other patrons at the same time were offered chips and salsa. These patrons were not white, and were only offered salsa after their white friend joined them over AN HOUR LATER. This tracks- in my experience as a white male who has been there before, I was offered chips and salsa right away. I'm not going to cry out explicit racism against this company, but as a person of conscience, I cannot stay silent about how wrong those patrons were treated. Everyone should be offered chips and salsa, and any place that prioritizes offering them to white patrons needs to be CALLED OUT. That's why I will never patronize this place again. read more

It took 15 minutes for someone to come to our table after we were seated. 30 more minutes to get our drinks and appetizers. We started eating our appetizers 1 hour and 5 later after I had to go het our own utensils. Drinks and appetizers were average. We never got to order dinner. The place was not busy at all, but it looked disorganized. read more

Food was great, got the nachos and they were massive for a pretty good price. Service was really nice and fast.

AJ is the best! Great hospitality, forget about it!! Great margaritas with all kinds of flavors, cold coronas. Stop in if you have the chance read more

Visited chicago on a work trip and decided to give this place a try. Honestly pretty blown away by how good everything is. They just opened up a few weeks ago and are already pretty on top of their $hit. Portions are huge, the food is super solid, and the service was good. The only thing I can say is that the music was a little too loud and more club like than restaurant like. They have drink specials as well everyday that are a good deal. Def would recommend checking this place out if you're in the area and craving some cantina. read more

Cantina on Madison - Ceviche, Al pastor tacos, Al pastor burrito. - Mexican Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

The food here is incredibly subpar as I found a large bone in my quesadilla. Even without the bone, the quesadilla was dry and lacked flavor. The drinks are also very watered down. For the prices, which are steep for the quality of food and service, this place is not worth it. Be prepared to sit in an empty restaurant for an hour plus to receive your food. There are plenty of other Mexican restaurants in the area that are more worth your time. read more

I've been here a few times. It's not spectacular but not awful either. The chips, salsa, enchilada plates are solid. However, the queso is literally nacho cheese (yuck). The house margaritas are not good at all. They taste like pre-mixed sweet and sour with artificial lime flavor (or whatever flavor you chose). I haven't had any other margarita here, so maybe there are some good ones. read more

The Avocado Burger was by far one of the best burgers I have had, also really affordable and super nice workers! read more

Cantina on Madison - Sweet potato fries - Mexican Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

Delicious food, amazing spicy. Cucumber margarita & Yummy spicy salsa! Definitely recommend this place. read more

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Friendly staff, and pleasant atmosphere Guacamole was very good, not premade. Steak fajitas were flavorful, tortillas were freshly made. Rice and beans complimented well. Thank you Sergio. read more