very good authentic mexican food!!!!!!!!!!!!!! very nice people!!!!!!!! wonderful service and decor

One of my favorite Mexican restaurants. The food, drinks, staff, atmosphere are always amazing. The food and drinks are consistent-love that! Family owned, check them out. read more

El Cantarito - Jalapeno poppers-amazing - Mexican Near Me - Michigan City, Indiana

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One star because zero isn't an option. The service was absolute bullshit. I flagged our waitress down, and she still didn't acknowledge us, yet somehow managed to help two other tables while we sat there waiting. No "I'll be right with you," no acknowledgment, nothing. I'm not expecting royal treatment. I'm expecting the bare fucking minimum when I'm spending money at your restaurant. Being busy is understandable. Leaving customers trying to get your attention without even a response is rude as hell. If I wanted to spend my evening being ignored, I could've stayed home and saved my money. This experience was a complete disappointment, and I won't be back. Management needs to get its shit together. read more

Hands down one of the best Mexican meals I've had. The veggie quesadilla, chimichangas, and fajitas were all packed with so much flavor -- the sauces and seasonings were honestly amazing. Not sure what seasonings and sauces they used but was so so so delicious! Visited this place en route traveling, but honestly craving it so much now! For dessert we tried the gooey chocolate cake, and even though it was a bit on the sweeter side, it was still delicious. The place itself was super cute with all the Christmas decor, and the staff was really friendly. Overall such a great experience. read more

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Food terrible ! 3 steak tacos were dry ! Chewy ! Dry rice no taste with the 3 steak taco dinner and no refried beans. Wet burrito was terrible, didn't taste like a steak burrito, crappy ! White creamy cheese poured over it. Hot sauces were scarce one one little hot green sauce container ! A chain that's commercialized. Find a real authentic Mexican Restaurant. Food too expensive for POOR QUALITY ! Never again !!!! read more

It started the few first minute that we were in there. My wife and our two daughters, eight and four, sat down, and the girls were playing with their kids' menu coloring. And we were enjoying ourselves, my wife asked me to go get another one, so her and I could play the connect four. So I went up and asked the guy, and he says, we already gave you two!? And I said, yes, sir. I understand that, but, could we just get one more because, we're playing the connect four. He had a lot of attitude, and I handed me one. Now mind you, its just a printed sheet of paper. He rolled his eyes kinda rolled his eyes and handed me 1. During the meal, I got a little nauseated, no fault of the restaurant. And we got our boxes to go, and everybody had only eaten, you know, like, maybe half a meal. And we ask if we could have one of those little thimble size containers to put some of the green hot sauce so that when we got home, my wife could put some on her burrito because we didn't finish eating there because my being nauseous. And the guy just walked away. And the next thing I know the -- the host/ manager came back and said, no. You can't do that. You can't take it. I originally thought he said, no. Just take the rest of his home because It only had maybe a fourth of it left in bottle. It was mostly empty. So I thought he was saying just take the bottle. And my wife said, no.... That's not what he's saying. I asked him again. He says, no. You you can't take it home and you can't have a container for it. Now I'm not talking the the cups that have the ketchup in them, the bigger ones. I'm talking about the thimble ones where the little hot sauce, they are the different color hot sauce, not the one that gets served when you sit down. He was very rude and just walked away. I've never experienced anything... but before he walked away, I did ask, well, what's the difference if we sat here and finish our meals and she used the stuff and use getting a small amount to go? I said we're just asking if we could get a little container, and we probably would even fill the container cup with much, just to put on her burrito when she gets home later to eat. . And we just want a little bit more for my wife's burrito since I was feeling nauseous. And we're trying to get out of there because I have some health issues. But I've never in my life dealt with anything like that. The food was okay. You know, nothing Wonderful. Nothing like that. Service was not great. But that manager that can't even stand up hardly when you walk in, he's always leaning on the counter looking like he's ready to pass out how rude he was when all we wanted was a little bit of that green sauce after spending sixty two dollars. You know? It's pretty pretty bad experience. The one in Chesterton, wonderful place. Nice people, good food. But that one in Michigan City, I will never go back. read more

We have been here before and enjoyed it. Tonight not so much. My husband's burrito was served cold all the way through, and they tried to blame it on the sour cream. My food had a long white/blonde hair in it. Their answer to this was to give us a small discount on our meal, the manager came over and offered no apology. Our waitress was nice, but we won't be back. Noticeably small amount of people in the restaurant, for a reason! read more

I called to place a pick up order in Michigan City Indiana on Friday November 21, 2025 at 12:35 CST, and the employee over the phone tried to charge me $37 for the fajita meal that costs $21 and tried to over charge for the Jalisco meal that costs $20 . I am familiar with these meals on their menu, so I already knew the price. When I asked about the price and said I'll call back, he suddenly said the correct price for the meals. This employee is trying to rip off customers and possibly trying to pocket the money. This is disgusting and unlawful behavior by your employees. Something needs to be done about this! read more

My parents love this spot, so I've heard about it for a long time. The portions are large, so we split a queso fundido, birria tacos and shrimp fajitas. Food came out very quick and they have huge sodas/waters. read more

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They overcharged us on our burritos. We ordered the $14 and $15 burritos but were charged $17 for each. The steak was chewy and the burritos were average size. Learned my lesson and will not be going back. I rarely recommend Rios but I'd head there instead of this place. read more

Really good Mexican restaurant in the area! We were so sick of all the American bar food so we were happy to have something different! The pricing was very reasonable! A good variety of menu options. The service was fantastic! We were seated right away, food was served fast and hot, and our server was very personable. The queso appetizer was delicious! Just your basic melted white Queso which is how I like it! They also have a version with chorizo. I ordered the enchiladas verdes. I like that it was a poblano cream sauce on top. I don't think the lettuce and radish on the side is necessary. The rice was also delicious. I was curious why they don't also serve beans like most Mexican restaurants. I would suggest that for the future instead of the lettuce and radish. Overall I would definitely come back! The dessert menu looked really good as well! read more

El Cantarito - Enchiladas verde - very good - Mexican Near Me - Michigan City, Indiana

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The food and atmosphere were both on point! I ordered the tacos trio, and the steak was perfectly marinated and absolutely delicious. Service was quick, speedy, and friendly, which made the experience even better. We will be back! read more

Really solid Mexican. Margs were strong-ish, chips/queso/salsa were good, service was great. They were good with our little ones and had a nice kids selection. I got the chicken fajitas and wife got the enchiladas- both were good portions and tasty. Would come back again. read more

Food here was delicious, I had the steak tacos and they were simple but great. The lime really added a great flavor. read more

El Cantarito - Steak tacos - Mexican Near Me - Michigan City, Indiana

If they wouldn't charge you full price for the lunch menu..... Then not take it off bill, said too bad, you got full order. I also ordered a to go order, was charged full price and when compared to the amount I had leftove from my own carnitas, the to go order had less. so apparently I did get one lunch size yet was charged full price for the carnitas...too bad for them as my family and I will now find another Mexican restaurant to patronize, sad cause we spent a lot of money there as we love the food, however I only let someone "steal" from me once.... read more

Great service, portions are large and the food is flavorful. The server was professional and brought us our food and drinks timely. The prices are reasonable. We would definately come back. read more

Overall a fantastic restaurant! The atmosphere is calm and more low key with darker lighting. It's a really good pick for date night. The service was great and quick, very friendly staff at the front door as well. The food is definitely the highlight. I cannot stress enough how good the birria tacos are, they are unreal! Of course, the salsa and chips are top tier as well. Every time I visit Michigan City, I stop here for lunch and so should you. read more

El Cantarito - Birria tacos - Mexican Near Me - Michigan City, Indiana

Food is really good here! I've tried a couple things and never had a dish I didn't like, and the vibe is great. The only thing that dropped a star is that the service can be great or bad... I went when there was a big table nearby and it took ages to get our food. Other times, though, it was incredibly fast! A bit hit-or-miss read more

Food and service great here and in Laporte. Not much of a drinker but their margaritas are great when I drank them

Food and margaritas are good here staple is the fajita burrito. Frozen margaritas are large and very good.

The quesadilla el Cantarito was filled with caramelized onions, grilled peppers and chicken and covered with melted cheese. It was delicious. Service here was a bit slow and the Mexican music was way too loud to have a conversation. read more

El Cantarito - Quesadilla el Cantarito - Mexican Near Me - Michigan City, Indiana

The Chimmy Chonga in steak is amazing! I love the rice and beans! Taco trio is another great one In steak. Service is outstanding Ambiance is good, Mexican music and it is fun! read more

El Cantarito is hands down the best Mexican restaurant in the area! We have tried others around and they have been just ok. Since moving from Southern California we have been missing authentic, truly flavorful Mexican food and this is it! Every time we have been there we have tried different menu items and each has been amazing. The service is also excellent and friendly. The restaurant is clean and well kept. It's always busy any day or time that we have been there, which is a good sign. read more

El Cantarito - Lily's Tacos (vegetarian) - Mexican Near Me - Michigan City, Indiana

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The tacos de birria at El Cantarito are the single best dish I've had at a Mexican restaurant anywhere. Considering I've lived in both Chicago and Cincinnati extensively it's a bold claim. They stew beef in herbs for many hours until it's completely tender and then dip the corn tortillas in the juices before they put them on the griddle to add a slight crisp. Next, they add melty cheese with the tender pulled beef. They top it with cilantro and provide grilled onions, limes, and a side of the juices to dip your tacos. It's memorable! The space is also relaxing and well-designed. It feels like a much classier establishment than a strip mall would suggest. The mango margarita is on point. Go! read more

Food and service are always great! One of my favorite Mexican restaurants In the area.

Nothing seems fresh. Everything we had was full of grease. The margaritas we're very sour and plastic tasting. Environment was quite filthy as well. My friends are vegetarian and they found chicken in their food. read more

This place sucked for take out food. Food was cold no -queso cheese sauce on the entree as described on the menu and food was not prepared with care. Dry .. cold and thrown together. Yuk. Not worth the $50 we paid. Girl did not speak English. I noticed this is my second review in 2 years and both times were bad. Reminder to self: don't go there again! read more

Been here twice. First time was two years ago, after apple picking at Garwood Orchards. Figured since we were out this way again time to repeat. The restaurant is found in a strip mall. We had a few with us that weren't sure whether to enter based on the outward appearance. These are older family folk and kids. Once we were seated, those first thoughts started to fizzle away. Since we were fresh on the scene, service responded kindly to the large group and graciousness was underway. Since I'm talking from the perspective of two unique visits with two years of space in-between I'll hold off from the play by plays. For Mexican food found in the MI city area, it's tasty and well presented. There are many options beyond the norm. Have a thorough look at their menu & pictures, they offer house specialties that set their fare apart from other Mex-type restaurants. In the Michigan city area there are very few that could be called a gastropub & those that are are hella busy. I'm not saying El Cantarito is there, but it's an alternative. One entree I love finding at random Mex restaurants is that made in a molcajete. A molcajete is a lava bowl which can be used like a mortar and pestle to grind spices or as a cooking untensil. The same vessel will be used to serve grilled meats with a mixture of vegetables and chihuahua cheese. Salsas (sauces) are often mixed in a molcajete. Because it is lava stone, once it's heated it can retain a high temperature for a time. At Cantarito their's is a mere okay. I wish they would offer it with more sauce/gravy. Look at customer photos. The steak, onions and cactus on lava stone is what I'm discussing here. It usually comes with extra tortillas for dipping into gravy and making tacos. There are a couple locations to choose from. Surfing reviews of either, service tends to be the biggest gripe. Can't decide on food options?peep photos and choose accordingly, you won't go wrong. read more

Wife and I sat at the bar and Ashley who was bartending and waiting on tables was remarkable. Having been a bartender and waiter while in college I found her remarkable. She did multiple things with ease and showed zero stress. She was easy to talk with and made us feel special. The food was tasty the margaritas were right and it would be near impossible to get better food and drink for the price El Cantarito offers. If I lived in the area this would be a once a week place for us to eat. read more

Jalisco was insanely good beef and chicken was fresh moist and juicy. .shrimp were grilled nicely plump n juicy peppers and onion grilled but not burnt up..rice was fresh ...totally impressed for a very reasonable price ... Laporte by far the best of the other two ... staff was very family oriented and friendly ...many could take lessons from this restaurant The love and care is evident in what they are doing ..hope it stays this way I'll be back over and over .. read more

Good food! Good atmosphere!! Chips and salsa for everyone!!service was great and fast

We were pleasantly surprised to find such delicious Mexican food in Michigan City! We got the quesadilla gringa and quesadilla grande! Both were delicious. The sirloin steak was delicious in the grande. We loved the chips and salsa as well. Will definitely visit next time we're in the area! read more

This *could* have been a 5 star... but our waiter was pretty awful. The environment was noisy & active- what you'd expect for a successful Saturday evening. Our wait was about 10 minutes, so not bad. We really appreciated that they kept walking around and refilling our salsa and chips. The food was really top notch- exception being the queso, which our group of 4 thought was "meh." We all had ordered something different & we were each satisfied with our meals. Back to the waiter. He took our drink orders & we all commented on how it was interesting he didn't write anything down. He brought our friend the wrong drink & instead of apologizing and correcting... he questioned us and told him to drink what he had and he'd bring the right drink upon refill (what??). We ended up asked another server to get the drink. We ordered our food & again... he barely gave us eye contact and didn't record our orders. He ended up coming back a second time to ask our orders again. He was just very off-putting. No smiling. He made us feel uncomfortable... we had never had someone treat us that way. Weird. read more

Wow! This place deserves 6 stars! Truly the best Mexican food I've ever had! My mom and I came here before closing one night and had great service. We were so pleased we came back a couple days later before leaving town. We got queso and guac and both were delicious! We split the chicken fajita burrito and an alambre taco. WOW! They both were so delicious! The veggies were amazing. The chicken was great! The taco was great! I wish we lived closer because this would become my new favorite place to go. Our waitress, Mariana, was the sweetest and she did such a great job! If I am ever in Michigan City again, I will for sure stop by and have a delicious meal. read more

El Cantarito - Queso and Guacamole - Mexican Near Me - Michigan City, Indiana

We stopped in for a late lunch on a Saturday St. Patrick's day, hoping to get a good meal, maybe a beer or two and NOT have to compete with the already drunk crowds in most of the downtown MC district. The restaurant was busy but the bar was not, so we sat down to watch some March Madness and enjoy a local Burn 'Em brew. My wife got the giant margarita for only $5.00... but you should know there is no hard liquor served at EC. Their liquor license is for beer and wine, so the margaritas are made with Agave wine, which is the ingredient that is further distilled to make tequila spirits. No worries. She liked it. Our food was great. The pork tacos and chorizo quesadillas were excellent. So why only 4 stars? The queso bowl was a very liquid soupy glop that should be much thicker. AND the best authentic Mexican restaurants make their own chips. EC must buy their flat processed chips from Sysco. But so-so chips and soupy cheese are really no big deal. Just room for improvement. We'll be back! read more

El Cantarito - Local beers on tap. - Mexican Near Me - Michigan City, Indiana

We ate here several times while on vacation with our family. Service was great, food was phenomenal and atmosphere was great!

Very nice restaurant, good atmosphere. Family friendly as well! The chips and salsa weren't all that great, chips were not warmed at all, salsa was decent though. The food was amazing! Highly recommend the Fajita Burritos, best ones I have ever had. Highly recommend this restaurant. read more

So finally writing a review after going here for about 5 or 6 times. Love love the pomegranate margrita here!! The employees are very welcoming and super helpful, and don't have to wait too long to be seated. The food has always been good, always fresh and hot and the chips never stale. Will keep coming back read more

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Great food and service, we order lunch out for about 10 people at least twice a month and it's always great. If you order pickup they send a small bag of chips and salsa. read more

The first few times we were there food and service was awesome. We went yesterday ( Father's Day) not so impressed. It was very busy. I assume that's why food was just ok not hot. My order was was wrong. Quickly replaced. We will give it another try. read more