WENT TO CANTINA 1511 THE OTHER DAY, SATURDAY ABOUT 5:30. PLACE WAS MOSTLY EMPTY, IT WAS EARLY, THE HOSTESS WITH NO PERSONALITY SITS US RIGHT NEXT TO ANOTHER COUPLE WHEN THE PLACE IS EMPTY, ONLY GOT WORSE FROM THERE.SERVER ARRIVED , NO SMILE REALLY DIDN’T WANT TO BE THERE. FOOD WAS JUST OK.ASKED FOR A FEW TO GO BOXES, AND THE SERVER BRINGS THE BILL IN THE DIRTY CHECK HOLDER INSIDE OUR TO GO BOXES. EXCUSE ME, MY FOOD GOES IN THERE. WON’T BE GOING BACK. TO MANY OTHER REALLY GOOD RESTAURANTS THAT WANT YOUR BUSINESS WITH GOOD FOOD AND GOOD SERVICE.
Frank
First time I went here it was amazing. 2nd time I came here it was awful. Terrible. The servers are so bad at their jobs and they weren’t even busy at all but they took like half an hour every time to see us. It’s like our server forgot we were there. We had to wait forever on a day where they weren’t even busy. I’m forgetting this place exists the same way the servers forgot I exist
BaileyT
What a sad day that Cantina 1511 is no longer a reliable Mexican fav in Charlotte. :( The service was awful (minus the manager who was very helpful at the end of the night) and my food was undercooked, took at least 10 minutes to get it recooked and then the same piece of fish was charred and given back to me. The queso we got was not heated up and as we were eating it, they brought the meat to put into it as it wasn't even mixed in. I was more disappointed at how poor the whole experience was as Cantina used to be a favorite of ours. We hadn't been in about a year and unfortunately, things had decreased significantly since then.
Emily Whitaker
Wow, what a hidden gem! The sangria was amazing and the fish taco with the mango dressing was so good I could have eaten 3. A perfect spice! The whole table of 5 enjoyed sharing the loaded fries though, yum and yum ?. Great service and we will be back!
Husband ordered the pastelitos and when the food came he took one bite and the inside was cold. They took it back and instead of firing a new dish, they microwaved it and brought it back out. We know this because the one pastelito had the bite taken out of it. Microwaving it made the dough go from crispy to soggy. I ordered three tacos and one of the tacos I got was the wrong one. I just ate it. Waitress was inattentive and the bartender noticed and came over to check on us and got the check for us. Overall a bad experience and will be going to the park road location from now on instead.
Todd Breton
Pretty disappointed with my dinner. The margarita was mostly lime and my enchiladas were super bland. I didn't eat most of my dinner, just chips. The service was ok.Your restaurant was recommended by my hotel.
Jamie H.
Food has no flavor. Staff was nice, but not good. We had to finally go to hostess stand to checkout, as could not get sever to come back. Do not recommend.
Sean S.
Big step down for this once lived staple of Charlotte food scene, Mexi-style or not. So the first thing I notice are the prices. Huge increases across the board. Two tacos now $15+ at lunch is steep and just under $20 for three tacos seems ridiculous. But OK I get it inflation is bad and wage costs have increased etc. the food's always been good .... Chips have changed. These seem - baked. Cardboardy. Service was non existent while we waited. Ate a whole basket of chips before we were served water. After ordering it was another long wait. With an empty section (photo). The tacos once served were hot and tasty. Although the barbacoa tasted like it could have (May have?) come from their sister restaurant across the parking lot. It wasn't soaked in the usual barbacoa spicy "broth". Disappointing based on a standard one is used to from this place.
Joan R.
First time to try this restaurant with friends. Nice atmosphere, friendly waiter, interesting menu. We ordered a cheese appetizer with smoked chicken that was pricey called queso fundido Just melted cheese in a small crock heated by a candle , a few pieces of smoked chicken ( didn't taste any smoked flavor in the chicken ) with a side of chips costing about $14. However the taco salad and chicken chimichanga we ordered was plentiful, plated nicely, reasonably priced and all came out hot. Our other dining mates were satisfied with their food. Chips and salsa on the table, fresh and tasty. We would return again to try something different.
Marie
Noticed the prices have gone up quite a bit. We usually get the tables I guacamole but it was $15 as opposed to 995. It seems like everything has gone up at least four or five dollars.
Since they moved to this new location, my friends and I absolutely love the food. We come in for a couple of house margaritas and then get some nachos made special by Ramon which are ridiculously fantastic! Even if you don't get those, there's a ton of excellent stuff on the menu and the staff are great.
Service was pretty slow for being a fairly empty restaurant. I also haven't been to Cantina in so long I didn't realize they made their menu smaller. Food was still awesome though.
ins4me
We did not stay- the restaurant's dining room was full of dirty dishes at empty tables- tables hadn't been cleared- just didn't give us a good vibe for our first visit. No one wants to sit and eat surrounded by dirty dishes.
Chuck S.
Good place. Fair atmosphere. Decent food. Consistent. Not cheap but not insanely expensive. The long and short of it is that it's OK. We used to go to the location on East Blvd once a month or so. Fun, festive, lively. The food was pretty good. Service was usually very good and very consistent. Like many other restaurants, the second location has never lived up to the first. Haven't been back to the first in a long time but after several visits to the new location we rarely return.
Patrick Garcia
Cantina 1511 has a great selection of food and also great customer service. My food was very fresh and very delicious. Parking was very easy. You may have long waiting lines at certain times during the day. So, make sure to have a reservation in advance.
WENT TO CANTINA 1511 THE OTHER DAY, SATURDAY ABOUT 5:30. PLACE WAS MOSTLY EMPTY, IT WAS EARLY, THE HOSTESS WITH NO PERSONALITY SITS US RIGHT NEXT TO ANOTHER COUPLE WHEN THE PLACE IS EMPTY, ONLY GOT WORSE FROM THERE.SERVER ARRIVED , NO SMILE REALLY DIDN’T WANT TO BE THERE. FOOD WAS JUST OK.ASKED FOR A FEW TO GO BOXES, AND THE SERVER BRINGS THE BILL IN THE DIRTY CHECK HOLDER INSIDE OUR TO GO BOXES. EXCUSE ME, MY FOOD GOES IN THERE. WON’T BE GOING BACK. TO MANY OTHER REALLY GOOD RESTAURANTS THAT WANT YOUR BUSINESS WITH GOOD FOOD AND GOOD SERVICE.
First time I went here it was amazing. 2nd time I came here it was awful. Terrible. The servers are so bad at their jobs and they weren’t even busy at all but they took like half an hour every time to see us. It’s like our server forgot we were there. We had to wait forever on a day where they weren’t even busy. I’m forgetting this place exists the same way the servers forgot I exist
What a sad day that Cantina 1511 is no longer a reliable Mexican fav in Charlotte. :( The service was awful (minus the manager who was very helpful at the end of the night) and my food was undercooked, took at least 10 minutes to get it recooked and then the same piece of fish was charred and given back to me. The queso we got was not heated up and as we were eating it, they brought the meat to put into it as it wasn't even mixed in. I was more disappointed at how poor the whole experience was as Cantina used to be a favorite of ours. We hadn't been in about a year and unfortunately, things had decreased significantly since then.
Wow, what a hidden gem! The sangria was amazing and the fish taco with the mango dressing was so good I could have eaten 3. A perfect spice! The whole table of 5 enjoyed sharing the loaded fries though, yum and yum ?. Great service and we will be back!
Husband ordered the pastelitos and when the food came he took one bite and the inside was cold. They took it back and instead of firing a new dish, they microwaved it and brought it back out. We know this because the one pastelito had the bite taken out of it. Microwaving it made the dough go from crispy to soggy. I ordered three tacos and one of the tacos I got was the wrong one. I just ate it. Waitress was inattentive and the bartender noticed and came over to check on us and got the check for us. Overall a bad experience and will be going to the park road location from now on instead.
Pretty disappointed with my dinner. The margarita was mostly lime and my enchiladas were super bland. I didn't eat most of my dinner, just chips. The service was ok.Your restaurant was recommended by my hotel.
Food has no flavor. Staff was nice, but not good. We had to finally go to hostess stand to checkout, as could not get sever to come back. Do not recommend.
Big step down for this once lived staple of Charlotte food scene, Mexi-style or not. So the first thing I notice are the prices. Huge increases across the board. Two tacos now $15+ at lunch is steep and just under $20 for three tacos seems ridiculous. But OK I get it inflation is bad and wage costs have increased etc. the food's always been good .... Chips have changed. These seem - baked. Cardboardy. Service was non existent while we waited. Ate a whole basket of chips before we were served water. After ordering it was another long wait. With an empty section (photo). The tacos once served were hot and tasty. Although the barbacoa tasted like it could have (May have?) come from their sister restaurant across the parking lot. It wasn't soaked in the usual barbacoa spicy "broth". Disappointing based on a standard one is used to from this place.
First time to try this restaurant with friends. Nice atmosphere, friendly waiter, interesting menu. We ordered a cheese appetizer with smoked chicken that was pricey called queso fundido Just melted cheese in a small crock heated by a candle , a few pieces of smoked chicken ( didn't taste any smoked flavor in the chicken ) with a side of chips costing about $14. However the taco salad and chicken chimichanga we ordered was plentiful, plated nicely, reasonably priced and all came out hot. Our other dining mates were satisfied with their food. Chips and salsa on the table, fresh and tasty. We would return again to try something different.
Noticed the prices have gone up quite a bit. We usually get the tables I guacamole but it was $15 as opposed to 995. It seems like everything has gone up at least four or five dollars.
Restaurantji Recommends
Since they moved to this new location, my friends and I absolutely love the food. We come in for a couple of house margaritas and then get some nachos made special by Ramon which are ridiculously fantastic! Even if you don't get those, there's a ton of excellent stuff on the menu and the staff are great.
Service was pretty slow for being a fairly empty restaurant. I also haven't been to Cantina in so long I didn't realize they made their menu smaller. Food was still awesome though.
We did not stay- the restaurant's dining room was full of dirty dishes at empty tables- tables hadn't been cleared- just didn't give us a good vibe for our first visit. No one wants to sit and eat surrounded by dirty dishes.
Good place. Fair atmosphere. Decent food. Consistent. Not cheap but not insanely expensive. The long and short of it is that it's OK. We used to go to the location on East Blvd once a month or so. Fun, festive, lively. The food was pretty good. Service was usually very good and very consistent. Like many other restaurants, the second location has never lived up to the first. Haven't been back to the first in a long time but after several visits to the new location we rarely return.
Cantina 1511 has a great selection of food and also great customer service. My food was very fresh and very delicious. Parking was very easy. You may have long waiting lines at certain times during the day. So, make sure to have a reservation in advance.