Best place in downtown Crystal Lake for hipster Mexican food. Cantina 52 isn't a big place so it's not good for big groups. It has a bar area and a few tables. For certain the name implies it's like a hangout. There's a pretty casual atmosphere along with a few TVs for watching games or something. Amazing it wasn't too busy. It's really not a big place so there's not much room. There were a few seats at the bar so we sat there. Pretty impressive menu. So many choices for vegans and vegetarians. It's about $6 for the cocktail specials, so check the menu board. The best of these is the Long Island 52, which is a pretty standard one. It's about $6 for tacos, which are the small street style you can eat in a few bites. We got some of the Herbivore Tacos. Has black beans, roasted corn, and vegan versions of chorizo and sriracha aioli. It's about $12 for nachos. These are loaded with tons of toppings. For sure it's got a lot to choose from. It's located on Brink Street close to the Metra station. There's lots of things for vegans and vegetarians. read more

Cantina 52 - Long Island 52 And Herbivore Tacos - Dance Clubs Near Me - Crystal Lake, Illinois

Went again and this time was much better. We had received recommendations and my meal was so delicious. The server was friendly and easy to work with. There was 4 people and no was unhappy. The please was a nice and easy to get out on a cold night and warm up with good food. I was very impressed with the bowl. It was a unique flavor and we can't wait to head back. They also do some fun events on occasion. Check it out read more

See all

First time trying this place and they have an event every night. Drag shows on Sundays and Karaoke on Wednesday and Saturday. Food was great! We ordered the Walking Taco, and Nachos. Loved it! Super tasty! Service was great as well. If you are in the area check them out! It is worth a try or just go for drinks and the show! Happy eating! read more

See all

So apparently if you comment on a facebook group and leave a bad review you trespassed I ordered food with a friend 4 months ago food tasted like it was microwaved, service is horrible owner treats his employees so bad that hes always posting now hiring. Ambiance is ehh. Been to better tequila bars that arent over priced and food doesnt taste like reheated leftovers. Owner is a POS. NO ONE WANTS TO WORK FOR HIM OR WITH HIM. WAS a customer there for 5 yrs but i get trespassed all because i got bad food. read more

The bad: The chips are terrible. They taste stale, but when used in the nachos, they're totally fine. The fries are good, but the price feels excessive. The good: The staff is awesome, though there is a bit of a high turnover (higher than average). Unfortunately this means that staff you love may not be there the next time you're there. Considering people like Jade and Sara are awesome, you want to see them everything you go in! The drinks are tasty, and I have enjoyed all the margaritas that I've had. They have a ton of fun events there, and it's always great to come out and support local performers! read more

The staff treat you with the utmost respect, and kindness. It is a very warm, and friendly environment where everyone is welcome. The food and drinks have yet to disappoint. I also love their themed nights, especially Drag Bingo. read more

Service is very nice but food is terrible. We order combo fajitas and lobster quesadilla. Food was so grease , fajitas have had so much oil I didn't know I eat fajitas or soup . Quesadillas the same more like cheese than lobster . Lobster mushy and salty also so greasy disgusting. First time never coming back . Wait time was 40 minutes and we were only one there. We pay 80$ for two entries , two alcoholic drinks and guacamole . Good advice for chef use low fat cheese for quesadillas not Colby Jack when grease is dripping. read more

Had a fun time at the drag show! Great specials. Nice atmosphere. Attentive servers. Show up early or make reservations.

Ambiance is fun here, especially on drag bingo night! We had a blast and loved all their dips.

Food: Street corn guac was great; good portion and flavor. Not a fan of the chips, tasted stale like they were fried in the morning and just too much oil left on them. Flavor on everything was great (Mississippi Pot Roast, Baja Fish, Thai Pork, Texan) but a bit pricey for $5-8/taco 11-15/bowl as they were kind of small portions for the price. Margarita Flight was definitely a nice variation but again smaller. Vegan options made known for those who need/want it. 4 out of 5. Service: felt forgotten a few different times. Put in order for drinks and he came back 5 minutes later asking if we wanted to put in an order (hadn't gotten the first one yet). Asked for a refill and had to remind on the "need anything" check in. Server and others seemed nice enough though. 2 out of 5. Ambiance: Cool little place downtown. Plenty of events to keep it moving around. Clean. read more

Jimmy and company simply rock!!! Great food and drink. Never know what to expect when heading over to Catina 52!!! read more

You call that Mexican style food? Yuk! Your queso dip tasted like it came out of an expired Tostito jar. And the topping? That is not Pico De Gallo! And clean your place up. Get rid of the flies and greasy counters. One thing this place taught me, check reviews! read more

We brought our employees here for lunch. Everything was super salty. Not accommodating at all. They can do steak fajitas but not steak burritos?? read more

I had the pleasure of meeting Jimmy (the owner) and loved the vibes! Music is on point, the people are super friendly, fun place to eat and play or even sit around with friends enjoying the amazingly created foods. read more

Prices are high and quality is ok. Owner took care of birthday drinks and friendly, but food needs a big overhaul. We will not be back to establishment and will find an authentic Mexican restaurant. Food felt like it came out of a bag and not fresh which is unfortunate since restaurant decor is amazing. read more

See all

I'm VERY disappointed after someone on social media stated that it was an outstanding menu. I ordered the combo fajitas...came out in a bowl with liquid...steak & chicken looked boiled not GRILLED, rice was cold. I know sometimes it's busy in the kitchen, but it wasn't even busy. Service wasn't that great either. Waitresses didn't even come check up on us, forgot fries on an order, came brought the corn/elote way after our food came. Waitress should know what goes on each plate. Anyway, four of us got reeeaaally disappointed, paying for this meal. Wouldn't recommend this non-Mexican restaurant. read more

Cantina 52 - Don't call this fajitas...it's SOUP. - Dance Clubs Near Me - Crystal Lake, Illinois

Was pleasantly surprised how nice this new restaurant location was. We're finding it hard to find good places to eat in Crystal Lake and we're excited to add this to our favorites. The staff were amazing and provided details regarding the menu. They suggested the Greek guacamole which was amazing. I had the taco special which was cajun. All around good atmosphere and food. A+. read more

Cantina 52 - Bar - Dance Clubs Near Me - Crystal Lake, Illinois

See all

Was celebrating my birthday with friends decided to do a crystal lake pub crawl. We started here. Everything was awesome. Drinks. Food. Staff. read more

I wanted to like it, but I just couldn't. I' love tacos but not these! The service was attentive. The atmosphere great. The highlight was the margarita flight which was pretty good too. However, the rest wasn't good. The salsa was bland and consisted of large chunks of unseasoned tomatoes with no flavor or heat. The skillet queso was bland. Mostly sour cream. No flavor or meat. The brisket tacos and pizza were fatty and bland. If they seasoned their food just a little more I feel it could be so much better. They need to work on better tasting , flavorful , quality food. read more

We just got there before the rush and was in the mood for Mexican food. Met the owner Jimmy and he is very friendly. Every recommendation was on par, and we both enjoyed his company alon with the food. Have the Mahi Mahi Fish tacos, (very good!) and the Nashville Chicken bowl (recommended by Jimmy), also had the lobster roll nachos, (decent- slightly salty, but the lobster meat was excellent) no matter, the service was good, and we are at the bar which we enjoyed. There is a very good array of alcohol, and we stuck with Jimmy's recommendations on the mescals. We both had his smoked old fashioned, and to finish, we both (wife) shared the rainbow cake which was moist. Overall, we really enjoyed everything, but we knew they were short staffed due two people who couldn't show up because of emergency issues. So though it was slightly chaotic- Jimmy's help busted tail to make things happen. We'll be back, and if you're back up to full staff Jimmy, you have an extra star coming your way. Thanks again Jimmy! T&V. read more

Food and service were fantastic! We had street corn sliders, tequila like wings and elote! Plus the Paloma's were outstanding! We will def be back very soon! So happy we stumbled across the gem of a place read more

Cantina 52 - Street Corn Sliders - Dance Clubs Near Me - Crystal Lake, Illinois

Oh My Gosh! Tuesday is the day to try this place! 3 tacos for $13.99 every single one was amazing! Tuesday nights they have Drag Queen Bingo & the last Sunday of every month they have Drag Queen Brunch! Hopefully we'll see you there!! read more

Cantina 52 - Dance Clubs Near Me - Crystal Lake, Illinois

A little high priced but the food, atmosphere, and crowd are amazing!!! Not sure why I see a lower star count on this place....maybe because it's a gay/transgender bar? So what....get over yourselves and give it a try!!! It's an awesome place....just sayin'!!!! read more

Made a reservation on Friday morning for Saturday night at 7 on their website. Got there; no record of the reservation. Hostess said sometimes they don't come through; they should probably not have the option on their website if it doesn't work. read more

The street corn guacamole was good. Taco salad was meh. My husband liked his rice bowl. Service was terrible. We were initially sat at a table with the sun blinding our eyes so we moved without asking which we should have done. Nothing was said about us moving tables until after we got our drinks and appetizer. Then they asked us to move because they had a big table coming in, fine. We moved and then were forgotten about. It took forever to get service after that and then to top it off, our new server came and took our high chair and muttered something about how people were waiting for tables as if she wanted us to get up. I still had half a drink and we had barely been sitting for an hour. Also if we had gotten better service maybe we would have been done but we waited forever. Very rude. Overall it just didn't seem like anyone knew what was going on and that comment really rubbed me the wrong way. Would not recommend. read more

Wow , its a no return. Stale corn, stale buns , just a bad cramped experience. Sorry guys. And please all staff everywhere stop saying I gotch you after every sentence read more

Went for bingo, ordered an espresso martini that was awful and got charged $14 after I sent it back. Do not recommend.

Went here with my good friend to catch up and this place was delicious! The server was very sweet and helpful with everything. The restaurant was clean and comfortable, it'd be fun for a night out with friends. We got the elote guacamole, a spicy shrimp, Louisiana Cajun crawfish, and the Texan for tacos. All of it was delicious and I think the shrimp was my favorite! The margarita flights were great for those who can't decide what they want like myself, it gives you a little taste of a few options. Overall it was a great experience I would highly recommend if you are looking for some fun tacos! read more

See all

Tapas Thursdays at half price. Stop reading and just come down here and eat. Fantastic food, had the Pineapple Pork tacos and Mahi Mahi. The tequila wall is impressive and Richelle my bartender was perfect. Bringing my family here tomorrow. read more

See all

Had the Full Monty Bloody Mary and Chicago Style Artisan Guac. Very good. Fun atmosphere and amazing service. Will be back read more

Cantina 52 - Full Monty Blood Mary and Chicago Style Artisan Guacamole - Dance Clubs Near Me - Crystal Lake, Illinois

To echo one of the previous posters, I wanted to like this place but I couldn't. If I had to sum up the experience, it would be confusing. The cuisine lends itself to Mexican but few things actually tanslated to Mexican. All of the main entrees could come as a taco, quesadilla, pizza or rice bowl(?). I thought that was interesting but when it came to execution, unfortunately, the interest waned. I had the Nashville Hot Agave Tacos and I can honestly say they were pretty good. I ordered the flight of House Margaritas and was disappointed as although the presentation was top notch, I honestly couldn't tell one drink from the other and struggled to call them margaritas. My wife had the steak fajita that came out in a little caldron that they lit on fire at the table. Again, nice presentation, but the steak had no grill marks and didn't taste grilled (tasted boiled) and only one of the vegetables had any traces of being grilled. The rice was good but it wasn't mexican rice; almost tasted like Chinese Fried Rice. Even the Pepsi that we ordered tasted like generic cola from the late 70's/early 80's. The staff was friendly but service was very slow and the pricing (for the food that we had) was absurdly high. As I said, I really wanted to like this place but it just wasn't in the cards and safe to say, we will not be returning. I would not recommend this restaurant, even out of curiousity. read more

one of the greatest places in crystal lake. friendly staff and great service... will definitely be back. food was great. and the atmosphere was beyond fun........ read more

The aesthetic and music was very millennial coded which I appreciated. The menu is a bit eclectic with unique fusion dishes. I got the Texan BBQ rice bowl. With the complimentary chips and salsa, I felt full after the meal. But the rice bowl itself might not be enough to fill you up. I thought the prices were fair. Service was good, too. I probably wouldn't go out of my way to come back, up it's decent! read more

Great food, pretty good service. Our waitress was nice a little bit flustered and the high top tables were very small. I asked for an order of chips to go and even after reminder the waitress twice, she still forgot. We would return because the food was delish read more

Let me start by saying that if you've never been to downtown Crystal Lake, you're missing out. There are so many restaurants and shops to explore. Cantina 52 should definitely be on the list. This cozy restaurant with a great, big city vibe checks all the boxes. We were greeted with chips and salsa that were a perfect starter. For dinner I had the basic elote which was served on the cob and tasted fresh and done perfectly crunchy. For dinner I ordered the apple and pork street tacos that were on special this month. There were 4 street tacos in an order. The pork was pulled and tender. The apple pico was fresh and crunchy. My only small disappointment was I wished the pico was more like a warm apple salsa with cinnamon to give that fall apple and pork comfort food feel. However the crunch made up for the lack of zest. Don't pass up the tequila punch, full of tequila and fruit, the flavors are delicious. Our server was great and really attentive and the owner is always there and accessible. He is a pleasure to talk to as well. read more

See all

We've eaten here a couple of times and the food, service, and ambiance are all awesome! The owner, Jimmy, is a very welcoming individual and knows what he is doing to make this place a great success! read more

Been to this location twice. After the first time the drinks were good but the food is absolutely terrible. At the tables it advertised Christmas drinks but they were not available for purchase...Decided to give this restaurant another try and regret it. Drinks and food are not worth it. Ordered a pina colada and it tasted nothing like a pina colada. Decided to order margarita flight and it was not good either. None of them. Other people that I went with ordered tacos and they were not impressed. Also attended karaoke and 40 minutes in and it haven't started. Will not be revisiting. read more

Very unimpressed. Drove by looking for a place to eat and saw this place recently opened. This is NOT an authentic Mexican establishment. More like a tapas type menu. Various types of meats that are not Mexican. BBQ, Indian, Mediterranean, etc put in either a taco, nachos, "pizza". Everything this is ala cart. If you want rice and beans it's $4. Chips and salsa seem to be from a Costco or Sysco. I can be wrong but I've tasted this salsa before in Costcos big container for when I have parties. At least the first round of chips are complimentary but they're nothing special at all. I really wanted authentic Mexican and was disappointed as soon as I sat down. The waitress was trying to sell me on some Mediterranean taco but if I wanted Mediterranean food I'd go to Pita Pita or Pita Inn. I ordered two ground beef tacos (closest to Mexican on their limited menu). They came out very dry, very bland and barely any toppings on it. See photographs. There was a light sprinkle of white queso or mozzarella and cheddar cheese. Obviously out of a bag. I've had better tacos when I was in high school 30 something years ago. I don't like giving negative reviews to independent businesses but this place is really not worth it. The hype is alcohol. If you want to come here for drinks that's probably what this place was established for. It's a trendy bar. read more

Cantina 52 - Very very dry and bland ground beef tacos. Not even seasoned. Five bucks each à la carte - Dance Clubs Near Me - Crystal Lake, Illinois

See all

classic elote corn tasted like old corn. brisket taco was really chewy. Baja taco was the best tasting. Pot roast taco really wasn't flavorful at all. Margaritas bloody were good. Service was okay. Ambience was fun. I wouldn't return. read more

Okay okay place. Sat outdoors. Very small table. Could not fit even drinks and fries. And rest was supposed to still come out. Server was friendly. Fries and salsa was market bought and were boxed. Which is something i can eat anytime. Jack fruit quesadilla was very yummy.. unique and awesome and takes all the stars. read more

See all