Cantina Mexican Bar & Restaurant brings
a little sizzle and a lot of flare to the gentle streets of Park
Slope. Having opened in early June, it is quickly becoming a
neighborhood favorite with its nightly margarita happy hours
and home-style Mexican cooking.
The menu is laden with south of the border favorites – fajitas,
enchiladas, empanadas and nachos – as well as several departures
from the usual, such as the huachinago al ajillo, red snapper
served with a garlic sauce, black beans and rice.
Cantina’s soups are luxuriously rich and creamy. For a real treat,
try chef Agustin Garcia’s sopa de frijol negro, a black bean
soup that will leave you wondering if this restaurant doesn’t
belong in SoHo.
"Some of our dishes are cooked with white tequila to add
extra flavor," says owner Esteban Chauca, who boasts a cache
of more than 26 different kinds of tequila behind the bar. With
18 years of restaurant experience, Chauca, also a co-owner of
Manhattan’s La Margarita, knows how to make customers happy.
"Some of the customers ask for special brands of tequila
and we try to stock them," he says.
Those that come for the food are usually tempted to stay for
drinks. With 12 flavors of margaritas, all half-price during
happy hour from 4:30 pm to 7:30 pm daily, patrons often stay
to sit at the bar and admire the sleek, modern decor or lounge
outside on the sidewalk patio. And one shouldn’t miss the mariachi
band on Friday nights. The romantic Mexican serenades befit this
elegant, candlelit bistro.
Cantina, 494 Fourth Ave. between 11th and 12th streets in Park
Slope, accepts American Express, Discover, MasterCard and Visa.
Cantina is open daily, from noon to 1 am. Entrees: $6.95-$14.95.
For more information, call (718) 369-5850.
