Urban Cantina

I have called Urban Cantina 17 times with no ability to leave a message. I am walking to order a burrito now, and really hope the wait time isn’t too long seeing as I just wanted to order in advance before walking in –1 degree weather.
Can you hear me now?
Good —

Wish I had read reviews first. Sat at the bar. Terrible service, by the time we finished our menus were still sitting next to us. Good took forever and then we had to walk up and ask to pay even though we were the only people in the whole restaurant. Our food was not great either. Disappointing after you spend $ 40 on breakfast!

The nachos are amazing. Even though they were closed for lunch the wonderful waitress accommodated us… Great drinks. Great service… Marvelous food…

Food is bad. Service was bad. Don’t go.
You may be like my roommate and I and assume that a $ 2 taco Tuesday extravaganza sounds like a good deal. If you are, and you find yourself considering attending said taco Tuesday at urban cantina, simply don’t. Instead head on down to Tenoch Mexican restaurant (also in the North End) and pay full price for a set of tacos there.
Let me start from the beginning. We live in the North End, and were delighted to learn that we could get tacos for $ 2 in what appears to be a trendy Mexican restaurant steps from our apartment. What I thought was *trendy* is merely a poorly re-​purposed Italian restaurant decorated with what looks like on sale and out of season cinco de mayo decorations.
The first thing to greet us was a line of people and a complete lack of hostess to aid us in our journey to enjoy some tacos. I did have some time to chat with another patron who informed us to «not expect much» from the $ 2 tacos. I was determined to give the tacos a chance, thinking «they’re $ 2, I’m not expecting them to be that great.» We then found a spot at the bar where the service was sluggish and lacking attentiveness. After waiting a considerable amount of time our server took our order. Somehow, the waiter forgot out order, and returned to take it again 10 minutes later.
Now to the food. I write this understanding that these tacos cost $ 2, and I truly did not expect a whole lot. They were flat out terrible. I ordered 5 (I’m a hungry dude) including the fish, chicken, and beef tacos. The chicken tacos came with 3 small strips of cut chicken breast and were accompanied by a mayonnaise sauce that was less than appetizing. In my experience a taco consists of more than a strip of unseasoned chicken slathered with some mayo. Beef was ok, but only had beef on it. Fish tacos did not taste fresh, and accompanying slaw was poorly done.
A few details that also didn’t jive with me. Bucket of corona came with 4 beers, not 6. Cost $ 16. Pitcher of margarita was $ 32. Free chips + Salsa were not good.
Bad experience, will not return. Hopefully this place goes out of business so something better can take its place. I’m guessing it will shortly.

I am a huge fan of Mexican however this place did not live up to my expectations. Lesson learned: When in Boston’s North End stick with Pizza, Pasta, or Pastries. I ordered a patron margarita, but they didn’t have patron. They brought me this super toxic drink that I could barely drink there was so much booze in it. I apparently went on wing night so I went with a plate of 20. When they came out 10 minutes later half were raw and I couldn’t get the waitress to come back to swap it out. Overall not the best experience. There are many other Mexican places in the area I will patronize first. I hear the nachos are alright though if you’re into the runny queso kind.

Taco Tuesday, awesome. Stayed at apartment directly across the street and handled done mixed reviews. Great friendly service, tried all tacos and liked each one. Good drinks. Dinner for two adults and two kids plus drinks was $ 69 before tip. Can’t beat it. Plus got to watch yanks beat sox!

I’ve come here a few times, and the food is pretty good! I’m not a serious Mexican eater, but I’m not a fan of the chain Mexican places.
The chips and salsa are a nice start. Warm chips, zesty salsa. Wish they gave plates or something at the beginning, so I don’t spill salsa everywhere, small suggestion.
I’ve had the Chicken Tacos, and last night I tried the Taco Salad. The chicken tacos have a great like spicy cream sauce on them which is very good and different. And the taco salad was great! Big portion and very tasty. I opted out of their dressing and chose some sour cream on top instead.

Atmosphere is laid back but you still feel you’re in a nice, well-​kept restaurant. The staff was friendly, attentive, and accommodating. I think I just ordered the absolute wrong thing.
The taco salad was not spicy, the tastes weren’t exciting, and I just wanted to finish it so I didn’t feel as if I wasted my money. The table next to me looked like they ordered exactly what I wanted. I’ll be going back for the tacos – the looked delicious.

I can’t give it 2 because I didn’t try the food. The salsa was pretty good though. The service, or lack there of, and margaritas deserve 1 star. Won’t be back.

Great mexican food… (in the the north end of all places) the manager, Lisa, is not just great at customer service, but genuinely friendly and welcoming. Being from So Cal, I was shocked to find something that was authentic. Plus, they have Chulula… impossible to find here in Boston!

Love the margaritas, chips and salsa, but being from Austin Texas we expected more southern hospitality. The Bartender was to busy hanging out with a guy to tend to us. Highly recommended for the food but not for the service.

Probably the least Mexican «Mexican» I’ve ever had. Party of 3 for breakfast. Food took 40 minutes. I had the breakfast burrito requesting no eggs, it arrived with eggs and I had to wait an additional 15 minutes for them to make a new one.
Vegan — no options as everything is cooked in butter.
2 stars for the friendly staff.

Bad not recommended, this is not Mexican food and lousy service…
Este Restaurante lo único que tiene de Mexicano es el nombre, mala la comida, malo el servicio y aparte se molesta la mesera si le dices que se equivoco. Si quieren unos buenos desayunos Americanos les recomiendo Theo’s y si quieren una buena y real comida Mexicana en el North end está (Tenoch).
This is not a Mexican restaurant: S our experience:
Today we decide to change our favorite breakfast restaurant in the North End (Theo’s) for this restaurant (Cantina) and we were very uncomfortable. First started the waitress gave us very bad service, she asked if we want coffee and I said no and she gives to me coffee, my order of eggs over hard and finally I had to eat scrambled
:(she never service the beacon for my husband and worst asked pancakes and was first served and what we eat sweet to last not at first. She is upset because I tell here the inconvenience and she forgot we are the costumer.
Simple we not return and not recommend.

Hidden Gem in the North End! Refreshing break from all the touristy Italian restaurants the neighborhood is so famous for. I’ve been here for brunch and dinner several times and they never disappoint! Nutella waffles are my favorite for brunch and for dinner the steak fajita just melts in your mouth! Staff is friendly and professional. I’ll be back!

Great change of pace for the North End which is predominately Italian. Get a cucumber Mojito and be prepared for the best salsa and homemade chips you can find. This place is a hidden gem with fresh Mexican that will knock your socks off. Everything is reasonably priced and the service is great. Listen to the haters and you’ll miss out. People who rated this less than great more than likely can’t be pleased by anything. Check it out… you’ll be glad you did!

There are a few times in life when expectations vs. actual experience clash, which results in an amazing or terrible meal. Unfortunately for Urban Cantina, they fall in the terrible meal category.
The Pros:
Location, window seats.
The Cons:
The food was terrible. The Chicken and Waffles were dry, smelly and overlooked. The omelet was pricey and not tasty. The home fries were moist and flavorless. It was the worst food I’ve ever had in the North End, by a significant margin.
Our waitress was also rude and refused to refill our coffee during brunch. Her demeanor did not help.
We’ve lived in the North End for four years and enjoy supporting local businesses, but this experience was so bad I had to tell it. I always feel lousy leaving a negative Unilocal review, but not as lousy as my experience at Urban Cantina. Bad food and bad service equals a 1.
PS: Hanging a few Cinco de Mayo decorations from the party store doesn’t renovate a bar into a Mexican restaurant.

We came here after a Boston by Foot tour. We were going to stay for dinner, but the service was so slow.
They ran out of Sam Adams beer (how is this possible in Boston???)
The waitress came to our table once after being seated for thirty minutes and seemed displeased that we asked for the check after the lobster cake, which was very good.
We may have stayed longer but the waitress and bartender were too busy chatting with people at the bar and not really paying attention to us (we were the only table at the time).

Really, Really, Really bad.
Everything seemed reheated, the margaritas tasted like a Bud Light Limearita… salsa was bland, chips stale, guacamole had zero flavor.
Server was in their own world, and inattentive.
I live in the North End, and was super stoked to have another option besides Italian — but this place was just a turd.

Nice location, the shrimp appetizer was amazing with the sauce it came with. Out waitress was new (Camilla) but very nice and attentive. I had a Gilt deal and they were very accomadating. We each got tacos for entrees– One fried fish and the other steak. They were good, not great, lacked some flavor. Had wine and a mango mojito. The mojito wasnt a mojito though, no mint and very fruity and sweet. I gave 4 stars for the app, the service and the music/​atmosphere.
Oh and the rice and beans should be taken off the menu or seasoned MUCH better.
I almost forgot– they give you warm fresh tortolls chips with fresh salsa FREE. They were really good and a great start to any meal!

This place is a great new spot in the North end. Drinks are delicious and food is amazing! I tried the blackberry margarita and it was a great choice. Very smooth and fresh tasting. The menu was very authentic and also fresh tasting. I loved the Papas Con Queso and the South of the Border Shrimp. These are great appetizers to try! With Mexican being my favorite food type, I had to go with a Burrito. The combination of meat and veggies in the Carne burrito delicious.
I have to comment on the service. The two waitresses were very attentive and made the night very enjoyable. I would recommend this new spot for anyone looking for a great local hangout with a fun atmosphere.

I just tried Urban Cantina for the first time this weekend and it was great! They had a lobster and crab tostada special which was amazing. The flavors blended really well and it was a great appetizer to share. Everything that we had was super fresh and not too heavy. The tacos were also awesome– We had the carnitas and the special grilled salmon tacos.
Also, they have multiple different flavored margaritas which were delicious! I can’t wait to try Urban Cantina for brunch! It’s a great option if you are looking for something other than Italian food in the North End!

Breakfast was delicious: Sunny Side UP Eggs, Smoked Salmon, Brown Delicious bread (not wheat) and the most Delicious Tender house potatoes. It was YUMMY! Slightly pricey…
Champagne — For the price of a small glass, I should have received a complimentary refill OR it should have been included with the breakfast.
The appearance of a place is important. It needs a little TLC to attract the appetite; it has tremendous potential. If they added warmth and kept it a little cleaner, I believe it would attract a variety of customers (other than just college kids.)
I would have given it a 4 star but all other factors matter, so I had to rate it a 4.