First Look: 3rd Street’s Milwaukee Cantina Reviewed

Restaurant Name: Cantina
Restaurant Address: 1110 N. Old World 3rd St, Milwaukee, WI 53203
Phone Number: 414-897-8137
Business Hours: M-F 4:00pm – 2:00am | Saturday 11:00am – 2:30am | Sunday: 11:00am – 2:00am Cuisine Type: Mexican & Tapas
Price Per Entrée: $2 – $20
Attire: Casual
Reservations: Yes
Payment: Credit Card, Cash

Service: 6 Mmm’s
Setting: 7 Mmm’s
Food: 5 Mmm’s
Value: 4 Mmm’s
Overall: 5 Mmm’s

I’m the type of person that loves going out to eat, but will deliberate for hours over which restaurant is worth of my dollar. Two of the most important things that make or break a restaurant for me are value and atmosphere. I’m simply not a fan of spending $20 on a meal that won’t leave a lasting impression on me. As a result, I often attend restaurants on the nights they offer specials or promotions. This allows me to be somewhat adventurous with my tight budget. Last Tuesday I received a text from a friend asking me when I was off work. He wanted to get tacos, but was feeling something different than the routine Bel Air or Vagabond $2 taco ritual. I mentioned that a new place had opened on 3^rd Street which is within walking distance from me. Now, the newly opened Cantina on 3^rd Street isn’t necessarily new. Cantina is a rebranded version of the Matador taco and tequila bar that was open for mere months at the same location. Matador closed suddenly and Cantina was promptly announced. The latter establishment opted to keep all the existing decor, furniture and kitchen equipment of the original and attempt to better market it to the downtown dining market. I was skeptical to try it, but considering it was within walking distance and we’d likely be seated immediately, we made plans to meet there at 7:00pm.

Cantina is located on 3^rd Street in downtown Milwaukee. It resides in the midst of crowded weekend bars and clubs, making it an ideal location for late night grub. Cantina primarily markets itself as a taco bar, but has a full menu with appetizers and alternative entrees. Nothing out of the ordinary, but a decent selection. The location is owned and operated by partners of the Who’s on Third restaurant group. The head chef of the dinery is Zach Zarling, also of Who’s on Third. The space was opened in late October after Cantina closed in early October.

Cantina attempts to break into booming cuisine market, but fails to shake the reputation of a quick rebrand. Upon first entering, I felt welcomed by the airy space and unique lighting. Neon colors reflected against natural wood and made for a terrific ambience. Perfect atmosphere for a restaurant in a historical district of town turned popular night life destination. It does have a monopoly as the only food-first establishment on the strip, but is directly across the Milwaukee River from an eerily similar eatery. Vagabond, a mere 3-minute walk from Cantina, has a similar aesthetic. Neon lights providing the main lighting, a club themed atmosphere at later hours and similar menus are just some of the parallels between the two.

I had beaten my friend to Cantina and immediately tried to navigate to the host stand. It is a fairly large, open space, but I couldn’t locate the stand. This was possibly because there was no host present at the podium when I finally found it, but there was virtually no signage instructing you to seat yourself or wait to be seated. I stood awkwardly in the nearly empty restaurant for several minutes until somebody emerged from a back door and offered to seat me. I was guided to the center of the restaurant, populated by four-top tables. The table had sufficient space and was clean with plenty of amenities in the caddy. I felt comfortable waiting for my friend as I perused the menu.

When my friend arrived the waiter took notice and immediately approached us to take our drink order. This was ideal, as I was trying to get some margarita in me. Minutes later he returned with a brimming basket of homemade chips and a good helping of salsa. We snacked away and were presented our pitcher of margaritas in record time. Upon the delivery, they took our order. Prompt service and attentiveness were apparent while we were at the table, a deviation from the attentiveness when I first arrived.

Like Bel Air and Vagabond, Cantina offers a very appealing deal. If you buy three tacos, you receive a complimentary side of rice and beans. Coupled with the fact that a selection of unique tacos are only $2 on Tuesday, it makes going out to eat a pretty obvious choice. I made the choice to order a traditional steak taco, a traditional chorizo taco and a unique brown sugar chicken taco. I usually am not keen on sugary variations, but my curiosity demanded satisfaction. My friend ordered the exact same, cramping my style as per usual.

The food came to our table soon after ordering.  This could have been because of the sparse attendance that night, but it was still thrilling to get it so soon. The plating was basic, but well done. Tacos seemed to have more content than competing restaurants, but the rice and bean scenario was weak. I took one bite of each to start. The steak was traditional, garnished with cilantro and lime. It was well seasoned and rich, but didn’t have a flavor profile worth describing. Next was the chicken. It was shredded and juicier than its predecessor. After my first bite, it was immediately clear this would need hot sauce to spice up the flavor. Finally I bit into the brown sugar chicken taco and fell in love. Terrific. Packed with flavor and garnished to perfection. I washed down my first impressions with a pretty standard margarita (dubbed the cheap marg on the menu). I could not in good faith recommend the margaritas. Either order a premium drink or have something at home. $7 was disappointing for something that tasted worse than what I’d make at home.

We were hungry and cleared our plates in under 15 minutes. Our waiter took notice and immediately offered to take our plates and get us our check, ensuring to ask if we wanted to split it. This was highly appreciated due to the time-consuming process of sending them back to split it or figure it out on our own. When we sent the bill back, technical difficulties appeared to be occurring at the host stand. We waited for over ten minutes until our waiter came back with the bill, apologizing for the wait and informing us our drinks were on the house.

Overall, we left fully fed at a good price. The service was lackluster but the effort was apparent. If there is a clear vibe of negligence and rudeness in the air, this would be a deal breaker for me. However, the problems seemed out of the staff’s control yet they still remained courteous and apologetic. These staff would be stellar given a fully functional working environment free of internal problems. The food was appropriate for the price and certainly is tailored to the clientele that come for the deal nights. Come here to try it out, but unless you find a menu item that you’re absolutely in love with, Cantina doesn’t really seem to beckon you back. If you’re in the area, it could be a great place to sit down with friends to have a quick and cheap bite before a night out. Overall, it’s disappointing that Cantina’s rebrand seemed so uninspired. It would have been a thrill to see a taqueria taking the best parts of Milwaukee’s existing establishments and incorporating them into a prime location, but maybe that’s a few rebrands away.

Final Rating: 5 Mmm’s / 10 Mmm’s