Cancel

    Open app

    Search

    The Grand Cantina

    4.0 (28 reviews)
    Open 11:00 am - 11:00 pm

    The Grand Cantina Photos

    Business Info

    THE GRAND CANTINA ATMOSPHERE

    What's the vibe?
    Casual
    Trendy
    Outdoor seating

    You might also consider

    Recommended Reviews - The Grand Cantina

    Your trust is our priority, so businesses can't pay to alter or remove their reviews. Learn more about reviews.
    Yelp app icon
    Browse more easily on the app
    Review Feed Illustration

    Reviews With Photos

    Nice decor.
    Jason H.

    When I say, "it's just stupid how good this place is", you know what I mean, right? Disclaimer: I am an American so this is from the perspective of an American, who frequently visits Canada for business, who really likes good tacos and wants this place to be open forever! I can't speak at all of the bar, other than I'm jealous of anyone who gets to enjoy the food at The Grand Cantina with a nice side of Tequila. But a boy can dream.... I can, and will, speak of the food. And that food is incredible! These are the kind of tacos that give you indecent thoughts. The thoughts and feelings that you don't typically experience from normal everyday food will. Especially normal, boring, everyday old tacos. That's not what you're gonna find here. You're gonna find creative taco mastery. I've been here a few times and here's what I like. This isn't to say I wouldn't want to be adventurous and try something else, this is just what I know, up to the point of writing this review. Barbacoa - slow roasted beef, onion, cilantro and chipotle aioli (gf on corn) - Fresh, juicy and almost creamy, this Barbacoa baby kicks off the party right! Carnitas - shredded smoked pork, pico de gallo, lettuce and salsa verde (gf on corn) - Every paper shredder I've seen since, conjures the impression of a beautifully tanned and smiling pig being slid through and shredded into a tasty corn tortilla. No restaurant has ever left me with the issue of a paper shredder making my mouth water. Ugly Delicious - crispy gochujang chicken, pico de gallo and pickled jalapeño (spicy) - What is "gochujang chicken", you ask? I've had these things twice now and I still don't know and still don't care So stop asking stupid questions and eat!! Just stop it already!!! This crunchy fantastic dream taco will leave you in a post-fowlgasm refractory period that may limit your speech for several minutes. The crunch, the zip, the zing, the juice, the heat and finally the afterglow of this heavenly blend of all that is good will satisfy all of your hopes and dreams. Also, do not forget to ask for their homemade hot sauces!!! The staff - amazing. Always friendly and patient. One other note: Flour tortillas are for flunkies and fools. Corn tortillas or get out. If you see anyone with a flour tortilla taco, take it from their plate, hand or mouth, spike it like a Super Bowl touchdown football and change that person's life and buy them another taco with a corn tortilla. While it is being prepared, embrace that person and tell them you are doing this out of love. That person will forever be grateful and will never forget you. Would I go back? Remember when I said "stop asking stupid questions"? Let me know when you're going, and I'll meet you there! Some people go to Canada for the fishing, for the beauty, to laugh when you hear "aboat", "soory" and "ay" spoken not as a joke, for Niagara Falls, national health care, Tom Green and so much more. Well now you can also go for the tacos. The delicious, beautiful, tasty tacos. I'm fricking starving now.

    Tacos (left to right): ODB, pulled duck, coconut shrimp
    Amanda L.

    My Windsor friend took us here for dinner the second time I came back to Canada post-pandemic border closure & it was DELICIOUS! First of all, this area is so cute and I'd love to come back to explore because it looked so interesting. Second of all, the interior to The Grand Cantina is adorable! From the outside, the restaurant looks very unassuming, so I was very surprised by the gorgeous space when I entered! Third of all, they also have an adorable outside space in the back that feels secluded & cozy, picnic tables & umbrellas all over, and it was just the absolute perfect vibe for our evening! We came on a Taco Tuesday, so they were doing a deal for 3 tacos, which was perfect because every taco on their menu looked amazing and I wanted to try them all! It was a tough decision, but I ultimately went with the pulled duck, ODB, and coconut shrimp. The coconut shrimp was my favorite, but all were so delicious! My friend and I also shared an order of the duck fat fries - delicious! Can't wait to come back here hopefully soon and try everything else on the menu as well. :)

    Menu
    Grace Y.

    Came here for lunch with my family. Reservations can be easily made online. The restaurant has a nice spacious back yard patio with a beautiful mural wall. Service was great. Food was ok. Tried their street corn fritters which I thought would be deep fried corn but it was more of a donut or deep fried bread with corn in it topped with lime crema, scallion, cilantro and queso crumble vegetarian - tasted meh and too heavy. Their loaded duck fries were probably my favourite thing on the menu - delicious! They're basically duck fat fries loaded up with pickled onion, pickled jalapeño, melted cheese, chipotle aioli, scallion and cilantro. Drool... Now for their tacos... compared to many Toronto taco spots that I've dined at, The Grand Cantina really fell short. We tried almost two of every flavour they had to offer and the only one that stood out was the Ugly Delicious taco which had fried chicken in it and who doesn't love fried chicken? Crispy gochujang chicken, pico de gallo and pickled jalapeño (spicy). It definitely brought the heat.

    Street corn fritters
    Mary P.

    Wanted to try this place with high reviews while in Windsor and it was disappointing. We ordered the street corn fritters and it was so burnt that it was inedible. Keep in mind I do like some of my food charred/ burnt edges. We also ordered the trio tacos of pulled duck, carnitas, and ODB. All the tacos were dry even with the sauces they added. Bland proteins and cold, brittle corn tortilla. The duck fat fries were ok and the only thing we actually finished

    the front of the building at night
    Owen R.

    Terrific service Tacos, taco salad and empanadas Margarita and good beer selection Ford city, best of Windsor..???

    Taco salad
    Mikaela K.

    We had dinner on the patio at The Grand Cantina during phase two re-opening during COVID. The patio has super cool vibes and was clearly a hot spot for the young locals. Although this restaurant has a lot of potential the food was disappointing. We started with the cantina salad. This salad has no dressing and when I inquired with the server she told me that I was supposed to use the sour cream and salsa as my dressing; this was slightly off putting. This salad was topped with their homemade corn chips which were sprinkled in a mystery seasoning. The seasoning was too strong and took away from the enjoyment of the corn flavour of the chips. We followed with five different tacos; the vegan chorizo, grilled chicken, braised beef, pork carnitas and pulled duck. The chicken, chorizo and duck tacos were underwhelming. They all lacked flavour and contrasting textures. The braised beef and pork carnita tacos were the highlights of the meal. Both the pork and beef were tender and flavourful and the toppings enhanced the overall tacos. Due to covid this restaurant has a limited alcohol menu as they are only offering margaritas and beer. Overall this place has great vibes but I wouldn't return for the food.

    Opening night a few years ago.

    Not the most easy place to find or park but the food is awesome. Hamburgers are great, so good. Tacos were small but very tasty. Chips and salsa was so good. I highly recommend this place.

    Go for the tacos stay for the tequila! A quaint location with a fabulous patio and did I mention tacos??? If you like spicy go for the Pulled Duck or Ugly Delicious. You won't be disappointed. Make sure to get the duck fat fries and save room for some churros, made to order or course. Margaritas are always on point and if you're feeling adventurous try a flight of tequila.

    Captain S.

    I know $15 for 3 tacos seems like a lot. Boy is this place good. I chose barbacoa I'd say an entire level for the fearful who want to try this place. Next was carnitas if you like smoked flavours then this is it. Last was O.D.B so flavourful. Best tacos in Canada. To compliment the tacos they have their own home sauces roll the dice and choose your heat. Even the cola is local and good and I'm a coke snob.

    Dos Equis and Fruity Version of Margherita

    See all

    3 months ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    9 months ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    1 year ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    4 years ago

    Helpful 4
    Thanks 0
    Love this 5
    Oh no 0

    1 year ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    5 years ago

    Helpful 1
    Thanks 1
    Love this 1
    Oh no 0

    4 years ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0
    Photo of Mary P.
    1
    69
    231

    4 years ago

    Helpful 1
    Thanks 1
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    4 years ago

    Helpful 2
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0
    Photo of Owen R.
    598
    3067
    14049

    5 years ago

    Helpful 2
    Thanks 0
    Love this 3
    Oh no 0

    6 years ago

    Helpful 1
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    3 years ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 1

    3 years ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    5 years ago

    DRINKS ARE STRONG!!! Well worth it, very fun! Authentic Mexican! Overall it was good, well worth the money. It was a good group atmosphere!

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    6 years ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    7 years ago

    Helpful 1
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    6 years ago

    Helpful 1
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    7 years ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    7 years ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    7 years ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    7 years ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    5 years ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    5 years ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    7 years ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    5 years ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0
    Photo of Sam M.
    0
    12
    0

    7 years ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0
    Photo of L M.
    0
    6
    0

    7 years ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    7 years ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    Verify this business for free

    People searched for Mexican 13,034 times last month within 15 miles of this business.

    Verify this business

    El Patron

    El Patron

    3.4(136 reviews)
    80.1 km
    $$

    Decent Mexican. We…read moreusually go here with my FIL. He likes it more and it's closer to his house. My FIL gets steak tacos or burtotosMy husband usually gets their chicken tacos. Staff are super friendly and helpful too. This visit, we ordered 2 grilled chicken tacos, one grilled chicken quesadilla, side of beans and esquite, chicken burrito verde, two chicken flautas, side of beans, large guacamole, taquitos Mexicanos and one chicken tostada. $75.46 The house salsa is good, it's better mixed with the house mild salsa. The guacamole doesn't look fresh at all. Looks like it was out of a tube or container. It looks like they added some tomatoes to it to doctor it up some, it doesn't taste fresh either. It's not so good. The taquitos and the flautas look exactly the same, both are good. Packed with shredded chicken. The chicken tacos aren't bad, chicken is a bit dry. The chicken tostada wasn't bad. Corn tortilla gets soft quickly, ate that after my flautas and taquitos. The chicken quesadillas are too bad.

    First, I wanna say thank you for packing it so well. I ordered the shrimp ceviche and they even…read moretaped the top to it. It was very good as always but they didn't give me any saltines My husband ordered a steak & shrimp fajita without tomato and it came with minimal meat and vegetables, but again everything was packed really good. The food is always good. We ordered the cheese cake and banana dessert this time and it was delicious. The reason 4 's was because I paid $66 for no saltines and not much of a fajita. We'll be back.

    Photos
    El Patron
    El Patron
    El Patron

    See all

    El Fogon Authentic Mexican Grill - Enchilada dinner

    El Fogon Authentic Mexican Grill

    4.3(39 reviews)
    22.7 km

    If you visit Taco Bell or El Charro, you're supporting a corporation. If you visit this place…read moreyou're supporting a family. My wife and I have been running errands and wanted to try something new for supper and found this place on yelp. When we arrived it seemed a little quiet, but the hostess/waitress quickly appeared and showed us to a table. From there everything went smoothly. I opted for a plate of enchiladas, and found them to be very well prepared and seasoned. The salsa had that wonderful tomato forward texture to it that I enjoy very much. The room is small, and it's clear that they get most of their business on carryout. That being said I think if you showed up with a somewhat larger party they would be glad to take care of you. They certainly took good care of us.

    I'm familiar with El Fogon because they have a location out in Rochester Hills and I drive by this…read moreplace a million times because it's a mile from work. Being that I'm on this side of town for a few days, I figured it was finally time to check it out. The location's much bigger with more seating than the Rochester Hills one. Nicely decorated with ample seating, you order at the counter and they run the food out to you. Not sure if they have waitresses or not, but that's how they were running it when I was there. I asked if they had Birria tacos and the man behind the counter said they do, just not on the menu. I ordered the taco dinner with shredded beef, rice, beans and a glass of water. I got served chips and dip which was okay, but the salsa was a bit runny for my liking. The "hot" salsa was good, and wasn't overpowering. Eventually, my food came out and it was a huge portion! I was impressed with all three tacos, rice and beans. It was only $13 on the menu, so I was happy with how much food I was served. The beef was a little on the dry side but still fairly good. Rice and beans were decent, but the music was a bit on the louder side. I docked a star for the meat being a bit dry and louder music considering it wasn't really necessary. The man who rang me up was super nice and friendly and also went through the menu with me since I had a few questions before ordering. Overall, a decent meal for the price and I'd return in the future.

    Photos
    El Fogon Authentic Mexican Grill - Mexican tortas

    Mexican tortas

    El Fogon Authentic Mexican Grill - AL PASTOR TACOS

    AL PASTOR TACOS

    El Fogon Authentic Mexican Grill - Cheese did and chips

    See all

    Cheese did and chips

    Hot Tacos Restaurant

    Hot Tacos Restaurant

    3.8(5 reviews)
    45.4 km

    We ordered the grilled steak with salad & loaded fries. BIG MISTAKE! Steak was dry, cold, full of…read moregristle & very tough. Salad lol shredded lettuce no dressing & the bottom of a tomato that you cut off & throw away. Rice dry & cold. Refried beans were hot. We told the waitress we were never here before asked about the sauces she was very nice explaining the different levels of heat. I don't understand the high stars I'll never go back & never recommend this restaurant. Now maybe we ordered the wrong thing I don't know. I can't imagine the rest of their food being any better. Our bill was $82.00 with 2 pops included. The inside was okay everything was really old & worn out inside not much ambiance to mention. We are not from the area & not familiar with the restaurants this one had a high rating that's why we chose it.

    A family member recommended this place, so I popped in one days for lunch…read more This place is authentic Mexican cuisine, not an American Tex Mex kinda place. There were 8 tables of migrant workers, so the place had to have food similar to home (there were several tables with food that I couldn't recognize, and I've toured the Yucatan several times). Regardless, service was quick. Food ordered and out in 20 minutes. I ordered the birria Tacos....they were excellent. The accompying broth was different than others I've had, but it was extremely flavourful and did the job. The Tacos were stuffed with meat (open face). My dining companion ordered a 3 taco combo..1 chorizo, 1 pasteur and 1 pork. The chorizo was a star, the other two, while good, had huge pieces of fat in them...kinda turned him off. But he did say he'd order them again. I'll definitely go back.

    Photos
    Hot Tacos Restaurant
    Hot Tacos Restaurant
    Hot Tacos Restaurant

    See all

    Los Pinguinos - Mojarra Frita

    Los Pinguinos

    4.5(45 reviews)
    68.8 km
    $$

    Had a crazy morning with power outage and snow squalls yesterday. Today, coming back from 2 of the…read more3 appts that I had to cancel I was sitting in front of St. Clair # trying to find out who had taco Tuesday. I'd only been here one time before, but I thought the food was excellent, & I knew they were pretty close, so I called. The sweetest young woman told me that they had $2 taco Tuesdays! Beef/chicken, soft/ hard shell. I was honestly so hungry, I took a bite of the middle 1 & that's why it's turned around, and doesn't look all that great. They were excellent. Those tacos were stuffed, I could only eat 1, brought the other 2, home. I didn't eat a whole lot of chips, either, but let's talk about the homemade salsa! Spicy perfection! You can purchase a lg ($8) or small ($4). I got the Lg one, and Pam the #NumeroUno waitress in the entire , was kind enough to put the salsa into 2 containers for me. I was really grateful for that because if I'd had just the lg container, my small household probly wouldn't hv finished it b4 it, expired(?). Pam was just a gem all the way around. Great spot, excellent service, kid friendly...you must visit.

    I was really excited to try Los Pinguinos because I've been hoping to find an authentic Mexican…read morerestaurant nearby. Unfortunately, it completely took away that little glimmer of hope I had. The service is honestly the best part -- the employees are super kind and welcoming, and they always treat you with respect. I really appreciate that about them. But everything else just misses the mark. The ambiance and decor look very cheap and thrown together -- it feels more like they raided a dollar store for decorations. It really needs a lot of work to match the quality you'd expect from a restaurant charging the prices they do. The food is okay -- not terrible, but definitely not great either. It's just average, which would be fine if it were priced fairly. But for what you're getting, it's way too expensive. To make matters worse, they've never gotten my order right, which gets frustrating after giving them multiple chances. Overall, I can't recommend Los Pinguinos. It feels like a waste of money, and I left more disappointed than anything. I wanted authentic flavor and a nice experience, but this just wasn't it.

    Photos
    Los Pinguinos - Napkin holder

    Napkin holder

    Los Pinguinos - Ordered the chimichangas...

    Ordered the chimichangas...

    Los Pinguinos - #TacoTuesdays

    See all

    #TacoTuesdays

    The Grand Cantina - mexican - Updated May 2026

    Loading...
    Loading...
    Loading...