La Cantina Grill
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La Cantina Grill
We are La Cantina Grill, an authentic Mexican restaurant in Chicago's South Loop. We are located near Soldier Field and McCormick Place at 1911 S. Michigan Avenue. We have a full-service restaurant, bar, outdoor patio, and offer carryout, delivery, and catering. La Cantina is a South Loop staple serving high quality traditional Mexican food since 2006.

La Cantina has a full-service bar, fresh and inventive margaritas, an assortment of craft and Mexican beers served with genuine hospitality. Some of La Cantina's signature dishes include traditional enchiladas, a wide range of tacos, fajitas, nacho platters as well as traditional chicken, steak and seafood dishes such as Zamora, Tampiquea, Bistec a la Mexicana, Lomo Saltado (Lomo a la Cantina), Lomo en Salsa de Arbol and much more.
Services
La Cantina Bar & Grill serves authentic Mexican cuisine using traditional techniques and the freshest ingredients. In addition to our dining menu full of Mexican favorites from Nacho Platters to Lomo en Salsa de Arbol, we are proud to offer a full VEGAN menu with vegan proteins, cheeses, sour cream and other vegan ingredients.
La Cantina Catering offers your party guests the opportunity to enjoy authentic and delicious Mexican food while you enjoy professional and timely service at a great value. Catering items and packages are available for delivery or pick up. Please feel free to contact us if you have any questions whatsoever, or if you would like to place a custom catering order tailored to your specific needs.
Reviews (26)
Mindy
Mindy
Jan 19, 2022
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Very friendly and lovely staff. My group was in a hurry that day, and our food came out so quick which was so appreciated. Everything we ordered was delicious. We were so grateful for the amount of vegan options. I'm from a small town with no vegan restaurants, so this was so exciting. Thanks to the staff here we had a great time. I definitely plan on coming back next time I'm in Chicago! :)
Jeff G.
Jeff G.
Jan 16, 2022
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COVID HAZARD ZONE: We walked into this restaurant at 9:30 on a Saturday night (today) and the place was like a textbook example of how not to run a public establishment during an epidemic. We were never asked to produce a vaccine proof upon entering as required *by law* (attention, Chicago Department of Health!). At the long bar, people were shoulder to shoulder, maskless, and heavily mingling. Distancing? They don't do it here. We left immediately. Come for the food, stay for the covid.
Leela S.
Leela S.
Jan 10, 2022
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My friend and I came because of the vegan options and left very pleasantly surprised. A small and cute place with delicious margs and food. Has a whole separate vegan menu (a plus!!) and I got the vegan stuffed enchilada with vegan chorizo, vegan cheese, vegan guac, and veggies. The vegan menu is more expensive than the reg but the servings are huge. My friend got the lunch/student enchilada combo and loved it. The food hits the spot and is good but not like exceptional. The refried beans could use more salt and I dipped my quesadilla in the complementary salsa. The service was also not the greatest
Sarah Sbear
Sarah Sbear
Dec 22, 2021
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Ordered take out. It was prepared super fast, packaged nicely and came with extra salsas! The vegan burrito was massive and delicious. Even the "mini" quesadilla was literally 2 full size quesadillas. The guacamole and Pico were great too. Love that they have a full vegan menu!
Sk M.
Sk M.
Dec 22, 2021
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I went last Wednesday. The drinks were watery. The service was crappy. The food was dirt amd the place was way too crowded during a pandemic. No surprise my friend and I both tested positive a few days later. We both work from home. We each live alone and do not go out. We are ALWAYS masked up and vaccinated. I'm 99% certain this place is where we got it from. Holidays ruined! All because of some nasty tacos.
George H.
George H.
Dec 21, 2021
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If you are ever looking for a good restaurant that in the south loop that has authentic Mexican food then this is your place. Not on only is the food great but so are the drinks. La tampiqueña dish was my personal favorite. Best of all was the service. Oscar and Linda went above and beyond to make our experience here the best. Can't wait to come back and try other dishes from their menu.
Dalia D.
Dalia D.
Dec 17, 2021
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Came here last night. This place is SMALL. But cute. Nicely decorated and clean.

Our server was a little... weird. Nice and provided good service but just weird. Lmao didn't ruin the time though!

They have really good miches!!! I was eyeing some quesadillas to take home but maybe next time. The food everyone else around looked AMAZING and fresh.
Ashli Giles
Ashli Giles
Nov 30, 2021
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Intimate spot with friendly service and extremely swift service. I appreciated that they had the game on mute with traditional music on as well. Food was hot and delicious. We ordered a sangria pitcher and that was it!!! Definitely recommend.
Malea White
Malea White
Oct 28, 2021
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Great service, food is good and reasonable.
The Chicago Marathon is going on today and I was pleased that they allowed the spectators use their bathroom. I was out and decided to come down and watch The Bears game and get a bite to eat, the owner tried to accommodate me by looking for that game but it starts at 3:30 instead so I watch the Packers and Bengals until half time, while enjoying my meal .
They have plenty of Monitors to watch at any seating position. I've eaten here before and the service has always been great.
The food is good also. It was the letting the spectators use the washrooms
David M.
David M.
Oct 17, 2021
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We came on a very busy Saturday night with no reservations, but other than the wait for a table we had a great meal, service was good, and it is a great atmosphere.

Would definitely come back!!!
Alyssa B.
Alyssa B.
Sep 18, 2021
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Good neighborhood spot. Was in town visiting and didn't want to go far from the hotel. Our food was good and we enjoyed the tequila flights!
Trina S.
Trina S.
Sep 13, 2021
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Stumbled across this gem while visiting South Loop. They have an entire vegan menu, including amazing chimichangas! I also recommend the tequila pear spritzer 😎
We had the patio to ourselves, which is on a quiet sidewalk. The inside is small, but newly remodeled and very welcoming.
Dee P.
Dee P.
Sep 04, 2021
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Vey cool place to have lunch and dinner. My fav close it close to my job. They have both in and outdoor seating. Mini chimichanga are my go to (steak). The meat has so much flavor. Today i decided to be bold and try something else. This was the chicken flunta. So crispy and soft at the same time. Gauc taste like it’s missing lime but not bad. The chips and salsa is also my fav. The chips are the perfect texture. Crispy but not hard to the point where they hurt the roof of your mouth.
Lynette H.
Lynette H.
Sep 01, 2021
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We ordered for dinner tonight and loved everything we ordered. I can't believe we have lived in SL for almost two years and have just now ordered!

I ordered the flautas and an al pastor taco and my husband ordered the chicken chimichanga and a steak taco. We loved it all. So flavorful and cooked to perfection. The salsa and guacamole on the side was a nice addition. Most places will have salsa but not guacamole also!

We ordered for delivery and it arrived super quickly. We for sure will order from here regularly.
Alvin H.
Alvin H.
Sep 01, 2021
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The food was great I ordered chicken quesadillas and Malibu rum martini. I only gave 3 stars because we waited at least 15 mins before a waitress approached us. We had outdoor dining and it was extremely hot too, with no fan.
Ally C.
Ally C.
Aug 09, 2021
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I recently ordered from here again (from the link on their own website) and waited for my food for close to 1.5 hours and then called for an update. They stated their wifi is down and they hadn't received any online orders so my food had not even been made yet. She barely even attempted to apologize and then stated that I would have to contact their website servicer (ChowNow) myself to request a refund. I asked if I could still get the food and she said she would have to charge me again and that it would be at least another hour wait.

This is not the first time that I waited more than an
Tessie E.
Tessie E.
Jul 01, 2021
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Very busy and packed. If you still want to experience some sort of social distance then asked to be seated outside. Otherwise, it's not happening. The frozen mango margarita was not to my liking. Lots of chunks of ice. I could barely drink the margarita. The quesadilla were VERY good!!! I'll go back for those. I also got guac. It was okay.
Louise P.
Louise P.
May 25, 2021
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Got take out tonight..... Flauta Dinner. It was absolutely delicious as usual! Customer service was excellent and the employees are just great!
Big Shout Out for La Cantina South Loop !!!! They always please with fantastic service and great quality food! LOVE THEM ALL !!!!!
Heather R.
Heather R.
May 11, 2021
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Finally a Mexican restaurant with a Vegan Menu!

This small, intimate restaurant is very unassuming and pleasantly surprising! For starters, the service is great which is the most important component of my reviews. The food was so yummy! The vegan ground beef enchiladas were on point with no mistake! Only thing I would've loved more is melted cheese on the top. The guac is large and good :)
Stefanie C.
Stefanie C.
May 06, 2021
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The great service started with the host. He was very attentive and managed the 5 De Mayo crowd like a freaking pro! The wait time was on point from the estimated wait time. Our waiter Al was AMAZING! The food outstanding! Margaritas delicious!! They have chicken pozole UNHEARD of!!! 10/10 great everything!
Carole Sorensen
Carole Sorensen
Mar 17, 2021
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Had the best experience here!!! Cannot wait to come back.... first off the BEST tamales I have EVER had at a restaurant, they were much larger than the ones you generally get and the flavor was incredible! We had two meals, two margs and an app and the bill was $55! Great prices, great service and a perfect neighborhood spot. Can’t say enough about this spot and will be back to try more!
Megan C.
Megan C.
Feb 19, 2021
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Loved our meal here - delicious chimichanga and beans. The margarita I got had great flavor - jalapeño cucumber on the rocks. And the free chips and salsa were a lovely offer. Great casual vibes and hopping bar churching out margs. My hubs got the enchiladas with green mole sauce, which had a great kick.
Layla K.
Layla K.
Feb 18, 2021
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A hidden gem in the south loop with extremely quick delivery. Highly recommend the chorizo tacos and the mini chimichangas. They also have a big selection of margaritas. The only caveat is the restaurant itself is very small and crowded. I used to love going before covid, haven't been there since just because it is a small venue.
Aakruti M.
Aakruti M.
Jan 24, 2021
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We wanted to support a local restaurant on our Anniversary and loved their food.
Since it was super cold, went in with their delivery rather than pick up. Food was delivered on time and was fresh & still warm!
This was our first time, so wanted to try a little of a few dishes. Ordered 2 appetizers: Mayan Tamales (chicken) & Sopes. 3 entrees: Chicken enchiladas, Chile rellenos & Tilapia al mojo de ajo con diabla. Loved everything. The green and red sauces were good. Even the sides: rice and beans were tasty.
Highly recommend this restaurant for anyone looking to have good Mexican food
Veronica A.
Veronica A.
Sep 14, 2020
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I ordered pick up from here for the first time and the food was ready when I arrived. Got the Carne Asada a La Tampiquena and it was very tasty. I am not a fan of corn tortillas so would have ordered the flour for the cheese enchilada. The guacamole portion was small and they forgot the sour cream which was a bummer, but it's ok.
The meat was seasoned very well and the grilled baby onions were a nice bonus.
I should have ordered a margarita to go with my order! Next time.
Marissa G.
Marissa G.
Jul 14, 2020
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Ok I've been here more than anyone needs to go anywhere in two weeks, but I haven't been disappointed! My favorite thing on the menu is the grapefruit margarita, it's stronger than it sounds. I have been able to dine with no reservations during off peak times but it does get busy in the afternoons so would recommend calling ahead. The burrito is very filling I couldn't finish it in one sitting. They also have a patio with outdoor seating which is nice during the summer.