Best Mexican food outside Mexico. You better believe that Matt and the team are top notch. Booyaa!
Bella Woollams
First Mexican Adventure!I’ve never really tried Mexican food other than a chilli at home, but on recommendation my husband and I decided to dine at the Cantina Carnitas for a date night treat. We could smell the delicious aromas before we even stepped inside. On entering, the restaurant was vibrant and welcoming and we were seated immediately. We ordered a jug of classic Margarita to share which was divine, with plenty of Tequila. I’m not great with spice, but our server was amazing and helped me choose the perfect dish. I had the chicken quesadillas with smoked garlic mayo and my husband had the steak burrito with a side of the dirty fries. The food came out really quick. I was so pleasantly surprised, the flavours were fresh, tasty with the perfect amount of heat. The staff are a massive credit to the restaurant, super attentive and making sure we had everything we needed. We don’t usually stay for dessert but after a couple more drinks and watching the other diners enjoy theirs, we opted for two plates of churros. These are to die for!We enjoyed this restaurant so much that we have rebooked for an upcoming family celebration.
Lara Galliford
First time at Cantina Carnitas and I will definitely be returning! Service was extremely good, friendly and helpful staff which is hard to find these days. Great selection of authentic Mexican food, fresh and full of flavour, I enjoyed every single element of the dish. Looking forward to trying other dishes on the menu next time.
Jack tomson
The food was cold and bad the service was awful overall bad experience would not recommend to
Illuminate Intelligence
Very authentic Mexican food. Friendly staff. Vintage ambience. Overall, a lovely experience.
N
Eaten here a sufficient amount of times to warrant a review, probably one of the best Mexican restaurants in uk if not the world ?, absolutely gem of tasty food with clever combinations and fabulous execution! Having read the other reviews though I would agree the service needs to be better and more friendly, website is out of date with new menu and phone calls barely get answered sometimes
Fakhr Ul Islam
I have visited the place twice in the last few weeks as the food is very nice. the customer service not so much.Last time I ordered food and once done asked for the reciept, the lady on the counter said its alright, when the food is ready they will call us. When the food was ready my daughter went in to pay and out of courtesy she asked if it had been paid for. the same girl on the counter said no and my daughter was charged again. i went in to ask, the lady said her manager can only arrange refunds so he will be in touch. it has been 3 weeks. Matt hasnt contacted me. Twice I happened to be in area so walked in to ask for the refund, both times Matt hasnt been there and he hasnt made contact.Its not about the money, its not alot but its the respect for the customers which seems to bee non existant in the establishemnt.Disappointed to say the least.By the way the food is nice therefore this is not a criticism of the chef.22/12/2023 Update:After the owners response below, I sent them an email. Silence since then. My issue is still not resolved and my money is still not refunded.14/01/2024 Update:I have sent Matt several emails. But no response at all.
Coastal27447166659
I have visited the place a few times las year as the food is very nice. the customer service not so much. Last time I ordered food and once done asked for the reciept, the lady on the counter said its alright, when the food is ready they will call us. When the food was ready my daughter went in to pay and out of courtesy she asked if it had been paid for. the same girl on the counter said no and my daughter was charged again. i went in to ask, the lady said her manager can only arrange refunds so he will be in touch. it has been 3 weeks. Matt hasnt contacted me. Twice I happened to be in area so walked in to ask for the refund, both times Matt hasnt been there and he hasnt made contact. Its not about the money, its not alot but its the respect for the customers which seems to bee non existant in the establishemnt. Disappointed to say the least. By the way the food is nice therefore this is not a criticism of the chef. My previous review was responded but no solution has been reached. the owners dont respond and my issue is nto resolved. its been months now that extra money charged has not been refunded.
Kate Bundock
2nd time we've been recently.Incredible food, brilliant service and lovely intimate atmosphere.Highly recommended.Can we please have one in Chelmsford!
Rebecca Riches-Duit
We really enjoyed our last visit to Cantina Carnitas. Good food, and they managed to fit us in with little notice. We also have a 10% off code for our next visit: CC2310
As we approached the restaurant there was a sign on the door indicating to use a different door. Having not visited Hitchin before or this restaurant, we tried to find the right entrance. Two members of staff saw us through the kitchen window but didn't help us. My partner opened another door and there was no one there to greet us as we entered. Then a waitress walked up to us, not even looking at me and told my partner all the tables were reserved and they were fully booked. There was no 'bye, thanks anyway'..For me, the service should be part of the experience when eating out and I left there thinking even if they had seated us, I wouldn't have wanted to spend money there. We would have left anyway.
LC Mackinnon
This place was amazing!!! We booked a table and were running quite late but they made sure to accommodate us even though they were booked up and busy. The staff were lovely and warm. The food was exceptional and the special margaritas were also amazing. The interior is cute and quirky and has a homely feel. Nothing to fault. Will definitely be back! X
wilf b
Amazing, delicious food - staff were very friendly and frozen margaritas were amazing, So many flavours! I would recommend it if you are hungry. for some great food!
Gee 1996
After having previously reviewed this restaurant for takeaways positively, I am now disappointed that I have to leave a bad review. I have never ever left a restaurant without tipping in my life but last night I felt I had to.We regularly get cantina carnitas for dinner as a takeaway and yesterday we thought we would eat in for my boyfriend’s birthday as a special occasion. We were seated by front door and I asked if we could change this and was told “there are others coming” by the waitress. This meant that every time the door opened we were in the way and had people barging past us. I understand it’s a small restaurant so it was what it was.The waitresses were not friendly and when our food finally arrived after 40 mins of waiting (and a large table getting their food before us) the waitress pretty much dumped it on the table whilst facing away from us without saying anything.Our drinks were also finished and had been for 10 mins and when the food was bought there was no time for us to ask for more drinks as the waitress dumped it on the table and left.We finished our food and still no one came over, and instead of getting another drink we went home and made our own margheritas.The food was still good as always but it’s just a shame that we would have been better off getting it as a take away.Very very disappointed in the service provided and it ruined the whole experience.
Global47039341370
We’ve been to many Mexican restaurants and was excited to come here. We arrived on time for our booking, however our table wasn’t ready and we had to sit up on the high chairs opposite the window. We found this place on Instagram and the food looked SO good, however what we got looked nothing like the photos. Nachos were dry and tacos had hardly any cheese in them. We drove 35 minutes to get here so we probably wouldn’t return. Really disappointed!
Best Mexican food outside Mexico. You better believe that Matt and the team are top notch. Booyaa!
First Mexican Adventure!I’ve never really tried Mexican food other than a chilli at home, but on recommendation my husband and I decided to dine at the Cantina Carnitas for a date night treat. We could smell the delicious aromas before we even stepped inside. On entering, the restaurant was vibrant and welcoming and we were seated immediately. We ordered a jug of classic Margarita to share which was divine, with plenty of Tequila. I’m not great with spice, but our server was amazing and helped me choose the perfect dish. I had the chicken quesadillas with smoked garlic mayo and my husband had the steak burrito with a side of the dirty fries. The food came out really quick. I was so pleasantly surprised, the flavours were fresh, tasty with the perfect amount of heat. The staff are a massive credit to the restaurant, super attentive and making sure we had everything we needed. We don’t usually stay for dessert but after a couple more drinks and watching the other diners enjoy theirs, we opted for two plates of churros. These are to die for!We enjoyed this restaurant so much that we have rebooked for an upcoming family celebration.
First time at Cantina Carnitas and I will definitely be returning! Service was extremely good, friendly and helpful staff which is hard to find these days. Great selection of authentic Mexican food, fresh and full of flavour, I enjoyed every single element of the dish. Looking forward to trying other dishes on the menu next time.
The food was cold and bad the service was awful overall bad experience would not recommend to
Very authentic Mexican food. Friendly staff. Vintage ambience. Overall, a lovely experience.
Eaten here a sufficient amount of times to warrant a review, probably one of the best Mexican restaurants in uk if not the world ?, absolutely gem of tasty food with clever combinations and fabulous execution! Having read the other reviews though I would agree the service needs to be better and more friendly, website is out of date with new menu and phone calls barely get answered sometimes
I have visited the place twice in the last few weeks as the food is very nice. the customer service not so much.Last time I ordered food and once done asked for the reciept, the lady on the counter said its alright, when the food is ready they will call us. When the food was ready my daughter went in to pay and out of courtesy she asked if it had been paid for. the same girl on the counter said no and my daughter was charged again. i went in to ask, the lady said her manager can only arrange refunds so he will be in touch. it has been 3 weeks. Matt hasnt contacted me. Twice I happened to be in area so walked in to ask for the refund, both times Matt hasnt been there and he hasnt made contact.Its not about the money, its not alot but its the respect for the customers which seems to bee non existant in the establishemnt.Disappointed to say the least.By the way the food is nice therefore this is not a criticism of the chef.22/12/2023 Update:After the owners response below, I sent them an email. Silence since then. My issue is still not resolved and my money is still not refunded.14/01/2024 Update:I have sent Matt several emails. But no response at all.
I have visited the place a few times las year as the food is very nice. the customer service not so much. Last time I ordered food and once done asked for the reciept, the lady on the counter said its alright, when the food is ready they will call us. When the food was ready my daughter went in to pay and out of courtesy she asked if it had been paid for. the same girl on the counter said no and my daughter was charged again. i went in to ask, the lady said her manager can only arrange refunds so he will be in touch. it has been 3 weeks. Matt hasnt contacted me. Twice I happened to be in area so walked in to ask for the refund, both times Matt hasnt been there and he hasnt made contact. Its not about the money, its not alot but its the respect for the customers which seems to bee non existant in the establishemnt. Disappointed to say the least. By the way the food is nice therefore this is not a criticism of the chef. My previous review was responded but no solution has been reached. the owners dont respond and my issue is nto resolved. its been months now that extra money charged has not been refunded.
2nd time we've been recently.Incredible food, brilliant service and lovely intimate atmosphere.Highly recommended.Can we please have one in Chelmsford!
We really enjoyed our last visit to Cantina Carnitas. Good food, and they managed to fit us in with little notice. We also have a 10% off code for our next visit: CC2310
Restaurantji Recommends
As we approached the restaurant there was a sign on the door indicating to use a different door. Having not visited Hitchin before or this restaurant, we tried to find the right entrance. Two members of staff saw us through the kitchen window but didn't help us. My partner opened another door and there was no one there to greet us as we entered. Then a waitress walked up to us, not even looking at me and told my partner all the tables were reserved and they were fully booked. There was no 'bye, thanks anyway'..For me, the service should be part of the experience when eating out and I left there thinking even if they had seated us, I wouldn't have wanted to spend money there. We would have left anyway.
This place was amazing!!! We booked a table and were running quite late but they made sure to accommodate us even though they were booked up and busy. The staff were lovely and warm. The food was exceptional and the special margaritas were also amazing. The interior is cute and quirky and has a homely feel. Nothing to fault. Will definitely be back! X
Amazing, delicious food - staff were very friendly and frozen margaritas were amazing, So many flavours! I would recommend it if you are hungry. for some great food!
After having previously reviewed this restaurant for takeaways positively, I am now disappointed that I have to leave a bad review. I have never ever left a restaurant without tipping in my life but last night I felt I had to.We regularly get cantina carnitas for dinner as a takeaway and yesterday we thought we would eat in for my boyfriend’s birthday as a special occasion. We were seated by front door and I asked if we could change this and was told “there are others coming” by the waitress. This meant that every time the door opened we were in the way and had people barging past us. I understand it’s a small restaurant so it was what it was.The waitresses were not friendly and when our food finally arrived after 40 mins of waiting (and a large table getting their food before us) the waitress pretty much dumped it on the table whilst facing away from us without saying anything.Our drinks were also finished and had been for 10 mins and when the food was bought there was no time for us to ask for more drinks as the waitress dumped it on the table and left.We finished our food and still no one came over, and instead of getting another drink we went home and made our own margheritas.The food was still good as always but it’s just a shame that we would have been better off getting it as a take away.Very very disappointed in the service provided and it ruined the whole experience.
We’ve been to many Mexican restaurants and was excited to come here. We arrived on time for our booking, however our table wasn’t ready and we had to sit up on the high chairs opposite the window. We found this place on Instagram and the food looked SO good, however what we got looked nothing like the photos. Nachos were dry and tacos had hardly any cheese in them. We drove 35 minutes to get here so we probably wouldn’t return. Really disappointed!