Buyer beware: restaurant fails to tell you that their pupusas aren't pupusas. It looks more like a giant empanada. If I wanted an empanada, i would have ordered one. Majorly disappointed. Also lacking flavor. The dough part is unsalted, and the meat and cheese is ok. I ordered this through ubereats, so pictures are limited on there. I think the restaurant could save themselves a lot of headaches to provide a picture along with their pupusas and let people know it's not a pupusa. read more

El Cantarito - "Papusa" - Mexican Near Me - Placentia, California

Talk about a friendly staff!! So genuinely kind and attentive. Husband got the birria with broth ... do people order without? If so they are missing out!! It was the best restaurant Birria we've ever had. I got the carne asada burrito with red sauce and cheese - it is GIANT. Super good food. We arrived Friday around 8pm, super quiet and not busy. Restaurant is super casual. Will definitely be back! read more

El Cantarito - Birria de Chivo - Mexican Near Me - Placentia, California

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Honestly I found this place through Tik tok and took my bf and when I walked immediately was it hot inside with a lot of flys we still decided to eat but outside which made it better but the food was trash ... wouldn't recommend to any other Mexicanos lol read more

You want real authentic Mexican food. Come here. Service is good, very welcoming and as soon as you sit down, you get chips and this amazing salsa. I alway get the chilaquiles highly recommend them. El café de la olla is really good. read more

Good service! Fresh salsa and chips! Food is great and highly recommend this place! Ordered the chicken and beef enchilada, very flavorful and gotta come back for the cheese and carne asada nachos! read more

Food prices are a bit high here now, I remember when the soups were under $12. Still great flavor but for $17 it's not the best value out there read more

Known for them taco Tuesdays specials. The price can't be beat. They have a contest if you eat so many in a certain time. Great value, but you get what you pay for. I had the combination plate (which I typically order at Mexican places). All tasted good but nothing stood out too much and it was flavorful. read more

Terrible service .today !!! Have been coming here for 15 years and today was the last !!! Asked to have my caldo de rez chopped up as usual due to my dad not having many teeth left ..I always check me order because they make lots of mistakes and sure enough soup wasn't chopped ..I asked why and acting manager who was just a waiter told me " why ? You are going to bite it anyway " wow ...then asked if I wanted it or not !! ..walked out and will never come back !!! read more

We had not been to the Cantarito restaurant in a couple of years. We stopped in for breakfast. The server was friendly and prompt with taking the order and bringing the food. I ordered chiliquiles and my husband ordered caldo de res. My husband enjoyed his soup. My chiliquiles tasted like reheated enchiladas with the scrambled egg on top. Very disappointed with my order. We won't be coming back to this rextaurant. I like reheated enchiladas but chiliquiles are soggy when reheated. read more

Sunday morning craving for Pozole & El Cantarito did not disappoint. Nice family owned restaurant, always a plus when there's TVs with sports. The service was great, menu has a great variety of Mexican dishes & reasonable prices. Great local restaurant! read more

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Mexican brekkie is always a good idea What I ate: - Huevos con chorizo: This was super hearty and flavorful. I asked for flour tortillas, and they were pretty magical. I wasn't planning on eating more than one tortilla, but they were so good I ended up eating all 3. Came with rice and beans. Pros: - Food was great! - The salsa they give you has a really nice kick to it - Staff was super friendly and on top of things - Plenty of seating inside - For brunch time mid week, this restaurant was pretty packed of people, always a good sign - Street parking was easy to find - Price is right! Very reasonably priced considering the amount of food you got. I left stuffed! - My friend ordered pancakes for her toddler, and the staff were cute enough to make mickey mouse shaped pancakes Cons: - None that I can think of Would I come again? Probably not, but only because I live too far away. read more

El Cantarito - Huevos con chorizo - Mexican Near Me - Placentia, California

Most bang for your taco buck, on a Tuesday. Street tacos just the way you like. Just go. read more

El Cantarito - The teaser...lil' Guac-salsa-chip trifecta - Mexican Near Me - Placentia, California

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Great vibes, menudo for the recovery 100% recommend service was great and quick and it was nice to know that they serve authentic Latin food read more

I went last week and grabbed a chicken burrito and some carnitas & birria tacos. I'm sorry to say the burrito which was supposed to have included beans and rice was 80% dry chicken with no seasoning whatsoever and the remainder 20% was the smallest amount of rice and beans possible. I had to absolutely douse it with their homemade salsa to give it any moisture. The homemade salsa is really tasty and that's honestly the reason for my two stars. Even the red enchilada sauce that was on top tasted almost like play-doh. It sounds bizarre, but I really can't describe it any other way. It was the weirdest taste and I tried to scrape it off the top of my mojado burrito, so I could eat it. Sadly, the carnitas were very, very dry. The birria ones were moist and tasty. I won't be coming back. read more

Nothing but good things to say about El Cantarito! Good food, good prices, good service! Eric was super attentive and friendly. Great environment. Love to see it! Lives up to the great things I heard about it. Definitely coming back. read more

El Cantarito - Mexican Near Me - Placentia, California

Never again will i come to this place. The main reason is that their printed menu prices does not reflect what they actually charge you later. The server told us that most food items are 3 to 4 dollars more than what is printed on the menu. She said they have been asking the owner to update the menu for awhile and he doesn't do it. We walked out without ordering a thing. Went down the street to Mi Casita and had a delicious meal for less money. read more

I would never come back. Food is awful, mediocre at best. So many other places in the area are better.

When we first walked in we smelled bleach which made me think the restaurant regularly cleans. We were the only customers so we were able to sit anywhere. They have TVs on all the walls, so if your party wants to watch tv while you eat, any direction you sit is still good. Other than that, the decor is fairly plain. The server was very friendly and answered all our questions. I ordered the 2-item combo with cheese enchilada & chile relleno. The other people in my party got the same combo but with 2 cheese enchiladas, & a cheese enchilada & hard shell asada taco. We all got rice & beans, 1 refried & the other 2 boiled, AKA frijoles de la olla. The enchilada combo plate was still cold & the cheese wasn't melted. After returning from the kitchen about 5 minutes later you could see steam rising from everything on the plate. It was surely hot now! 2 of us didn't like the rice. I thought it was too garlic-forward for my liking. Both types of beans were good. The enchilada sauce was different on the single vs double enchilada plates, which was odd. The double enchilada plate's sauce was darker (more chili powder??) but not quite mole dark. The taco got no complaints. I thought the relleno sauce was wonderful! It was filled with big pieces of peppers & onions and I enjoyed the flavor. I saw a small piece of meat in the sauce & moved it away because I am a vegetarian. I've had chile relleno many places and am used to this being a vegetarian dish. The last 2 bites proved me wrong. Both included larger pieces of meat. Another odd thing with our experience was that the menu listed the combo as $15.99, but today, their online menu stated $11.99 for the same item. Not sure if prices recently went up??? When we left the consensus was that if we went back, it would be for the service, not the food; since for less than $15.99 for a 2-item combo the restaurant across Santa Fe Avenue has much more ambiance and comparable food. Then that decision changed for me 2-3 minutes into my drive home when the meat-contamination issue hit my gut & I had to speed the rest of the way. The rest of my party had no issues, so it was for sure the meat in the relleno sauce. Now I know to ask about meat in EVERYTHING. If you are a meat eater, I highly recommend the chile relleno and the service! read more

Pretty good food and decent service... why only 3 stars? Pricing.... The menu has one price but when you get your bill, the prices are higher. My wife ordered a two item combo that was listed on the menu for $12.99. When the bill came it was $15.99. When I asked about the discrepancy, I was shown a sticker on the menu that stated "prices are subject to change." Why not update your menu? Why not notify the customer when they are placing the order that the price has increased? I mean, technically the restaurant could have charged me whatever they wanted and told me that "prices are subject to change." Also, less than one month ago the tacos on Tuesday were $1. Today, they were $1.50. Again, food was tasty and service was good but you'll be taking a gamble when you receive the bill. El Cantarito, don't be lazy and just update your menu prices! read more

Delicious Mexican food! Chips and salsa are the best and free! Great customer service. read more

El Cantarito - Birria plate - Mexican Near Me - Placentia, California

The aroma, flavors & service! Drinks not overpriced, be sure to save some food for later!

Love this lil spot! The staff are amazing, friendly and always happy to greet us. The menu has a variety of selections, highly recommend the Chilaquiles with Carnitas. Salsa is very tasty as well. Great place to visit read more

Not the best looking but definitely the best tasting. Food taste homemade and delicious. Prices are very affordable. They also have taco Tuesday specials. Located in downtown placentia aka sante fe street. Great spot, great location, great prices and great food. I will definitely be back! read more

El Cantarito - 5$ Margaritas!!! - Mexican Near Me - Placentia, California

Tacos were great, they have a really great deal during taco Tuesday. Everything else was pretty standard. Clean place, good service. read more

THE FOOD IS AWESOME! they're service was great I would 100% recommend! Caldo De Res Pozole Menudo read more

This spot is a hidden gem. They offer both outdoor and indoor dining, although I'd recommend dining outdoors because they've got a pretty nice setup. When I went, my friends and I got the nachos with half carne asada and carnitas -- it was great! I particularly liked their carnitas. It was really flavorful and juicy with a good amount of crispiness. I'd highly recommend getting some of their margaritas too. I had their mango margarita and thought it tasted great! One thing to point out is that they use agave wine instead of tequila. However I hear they are going to get their liquor license soon so, no fear, tequila is coming! Lastly, their customer service is great. No complaints & we will definitely be back to try their chilaquiles, chile relleno, and tacos. read more

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WE really like El Cantarito. We have been going there for years. It's a family run operation, and they have provided good food for many years. We periodically meet our extended family there and take up a few tables. I especially like their chile verde. They know how to prepare it. But all their dishes are good. The staff and servers are all very friendly, polite, courteous and efficient. The prices are not bad. Good food, good service, good prices; what else could you ask for? read more

Very good, tastes homemade. We tried a chile relleno, shrimp empazenados, also a torta all very good. Couple of tuesday tacos which were packed with meat and the salsa was outstanding. read more

We stopped here last night because it was going to be a 40 minute wait at another restaurant & think we just found our new to go spot. Love the unique flavor of the food & the service was great...thank you!!! read more

Called in for pick-up on a Sunday morning. Wait time was ~20 min, not bad. Had the breakfast burrito and the torta with carnitas. Both were fine but not great. The breakfast burrito was 70% bean - it was difficult to taste anything else. The torta was fine but disliked that there was only 1 slice of a jalapeno and the cheese was a small block slice (was expecting shredded cheese to cover the entire length). read more

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Better than expected my husband loved his 2 item combo of taco and enchilada and my 2 item was good the rellano was a lil soggy but overall good. Service was really good got our items to go and the wait was minimal. read more

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It's a family restaurant. I work there 17 year of my life. My mom and dad maid it what it is. My brother say my dad will be proud of him. I don't think so. He did his own mom and sister dirt. Ask him about his mom. You life one and he wants to live like is doing it for his family. No his is doing it for him self. read more

Amazing food, fabulously wonderful service. If you are ever in Old Town Placentia, check them out!! You wont be disappointed!! read more

This place is a good spot for Taco Tuesdays! Btw, this is a pre-COVID review. Randomly found this spot on Yelp when I was looking for Taco Tuesday spots, so my friend and I came here. Upon being seated, they give you chips and salsa, which is unlimited. On Tuesdays, the tacos are 99 cents each. I ordered the steak, chicken, carnitas, and al pastor tacos, all were pretty good! Their margaritas were also yummy. Service was quick and good! If you're in the area, try this spot out. read more

El Cantarito - Steak, Carnitas, Al Pastor, and Chicken Tacos with margaritas - Mexican Near Me - Placentia, California

Go to taco Tuesday spot!! I would come here almost every Tuesday when I was in college. I'll go out of my way to come here on a Tuesday. I recommend the el pastor, asada and the churro!!! The churro is a hit or miss but when it's a hit it's A HIT. read more

Eric is legit here! No lié he always gives his extra to everyone. Great food too. I recommend this restaurant read more

El Cantarito - Mexican Near Me - Placentia, California

Wow first Time here Eric and Daisy are amazing!! the best service & most authentic food so welcoming !! The food is prepared all homemade from the chips to the salsa we left feeling very comfortable and satisfied you can tell they take pride in their food!! the best customer service we have ever received at any restaurant!! If you haven't tried it you're missing out come on down!! read more

El Cantarito - Pozole yum - Mexican Near Me - Placentia, California

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What happen El Canto? Used to be a great option for Mexican, and this was my first trip here this year, but everything was off. Priced jumped up... soups are even $17-19, most dishes now $16-20+. Serves really stale chips from previous days, tortillas and soups tasted microwaved from temperatures off and hard tasting edges when it cooled... dang, not a good sign... quite terrible and I'm surprised to see decent business for poor quality. read more

The portions here are absolutely ginormous and DELICIOUS. The fajitas are above and beyond outstanding. Fresh-made chips always a huge plus for me. read more

This place is an absolute trash. Faralito was closed so came here instead. Horrible food and customer service.