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

Worst experience, I love to support local business and this spot seemed like a very nice spot. Me and my husband stop to get some tacos before we headed out back to the city WORST MISTAKE EVER!! We ordered 4 tacos nothing crazy we arrived at 1:40 and at 2:45 still no tacos we just kept being told the food was coming out soon. Since we had a show to attend we told the waiter we'll take it to go .. another 15 mins later she brings the food... we tried it WAS COLD and just threw it away ... if you wish to waste some time during your day then go ahead and eat here. Great customer service Horrible food Horrible time management read more

Cantina 52 - Our view for over an hour - Dance Clubs Near Me - Crystal Lake, Illinois

See all

Always great service and the food is the bomb! Best tacos in Crystal Lake to say the least. Love the daily specials and most of all.... karaoke nights are the best! read more

The food, drinks, atmosphere, experience and staff were excellent! Everyone was kind and very hospitable! We went on a Sunday and the vibes were still high and the guy handling the trivia game was very entertaining and kicked ass! Food was great! I would definitely recommend this place! We ordered the wings, flight of tacos, 2 kinds of guac.... All were phenomenal! read more

I just recently just found this hidden gem a few weeks ago. It's a small location, but the vibe is great. The staff is super welcoming. The food definitely has a kick to it, but it's hard to just stop at one Taco! The drink menu has soo many options, all of which as well...don't go light on the liquor read more

Cantina 52 - Drink - Tito's and Red Bull Taco to the Left - Spicy Shrimp Taco to the Right- The Texan Regular Guacamole- has a kick to it! - Dance Clubs Near Me - Crystal Lake, Illinois

Well - I'll start off with the food and our waitress which was very good. It's nice to have a new place in town but there's some kinks that need to be worked out. So what wasn't so good? Went on a Saturday night - they were sold out of a couple beers - Voodoo Ranger & Modelo. The waitress was hustling (she looked like she was the only waitress for the whole place) but it took forever to get our drinks - we polished off the chips and salsa and still didn't have our drinks. The sangria tasted watered down - maybe it sat awhile in a warm glass with melted ice? Ordered our dinner and they had no rice. What? It's a Mexican place - how do you run out of rice? The lights flickered every time the bartender ran the blender. Maybe they need to get an electrician in to check that out. When we got our food which again took a long time - the only thing hot about it was the spice. Temperature wise it was not hot. The food was good but we would have preferred it to be hot. The bill is presented on the waitress's handheld device that she places your order in. Oh - how I hate those things! So much time is spent by the waitress inputting the order. :/ Then when the bill arrives it is on the screen of her device. And guess what? Can't get a printed copy cause "the printer isn't working" so they will text or email it to you. Sorry - I don't want anyone having that info and emailing or texting me more spam. So give the place a try - it is new so they've got some kinks to work out - one being hire more waitresses & kitchen help. read more

I'd like to start by saying that the waitresses and the staff were extremely nice. However, we ordered three entrées and we had to send all three back. We ordered the fried pickles and the southwest egg rolls and both of those meals were undercooked and cold. Legit soggy pickles. Sometimes it be like that though. Then we sent that back, and then we received some tacos that we had ordered specifically without cheese, and yet, they came with cheese. Unfortunately we had to send that back as well. But once we received the food as it was supposed it to be, it was so yummy! There was also a hair in the corkscrew on the bottle the water comes in, kinda unhygienic tbh. We got a discount for the trouble, extremely kind staff, food was just off. read more

See all

We are here last weekend before a show at Raue. Good was good, waitress was nice and attentive

The food was amazing and the atmosphere was so fun and welcoming! My daughter and I were in town to shop for prom dresses and this stop was such a pleasant surprise! read more

I so wanted to love this place. Vegan options on the menu, fun vibe and tequilla. How could you go wrong?! Oh you can and they do. It looks so fun and vibrant. But..... there wasn't a single redeeming factor to our visit. I'm guessing 1/2 the staff didn't show up bc there was 1 person who was the hostess, wait person and bar tender. There was a person behind the bar but the wait person made all the drinks for her food orders. They explained there was also only 1 cook so the wait was very long. The screen in the room shows lots of events during the week but I honestly don't know where they would be. Very cramped. Oh, food was terrible!!! Our burritos were filled with rice and served with bad frozen fries. So disappointed. read more

LOVE coming here for drag queen bingo on Tuesday. Delicious food, great margaritas, amazing people! I am so thankful to have an LGBTQ+ inclusive/proud place to hang out in Mchenry County. Also, side note, the first time we ever came was actually by accident --we were trying to grab lunch on a random Thursday with my kiddo and SO and the bartender made my daughter a special strawberry smoothie decorated in strawberries and our tacos and taco pizza were SOOOOOO good also amazing margaritas read more

Service is poor.. 8 mins now sitting at the bar and the bartender told me he'd be right with me about 6 mins ago.. but continues to take orders from the tables behind me. I am a minute from walking away.. read more

Food was good. I had an avocado salad served with no avocado. Martina was tiny poor. Sevice was weird. The salsa portion with the chips was like 2 tablespoons for 4 people. When we asked for more he didn't bring it. read more

Service is consistently slow and the way they push cocktails is annoying. Food is average at best with small portions across the board. Minimal chips and salsa and they seem reluctant to refill. The ranch dressing is terrible. $20 for sliders that are dry and 13 French fries. (Yes, I counted) You can do better. The competition in the area is solid with excellent service, tasty food and good prices. Try improving the food and service versus creating more drinking punch cards. read more

Extremely unique food that take boring dishes and twist them into something exciting. They are a little short staff so keep yourself patient when waiting for service. We chose to sit outside, but did venture in quickly to check out the inside of the restaurant. Really unique decorating and cool usage of every day household items. Cool artwork all over and really welcoming. read more

My partner and I have been coming to Cantina 52 since October of 2023, we love Drag Queen Bing with Krystal Ball!!! The food is amazing, signature drinks and a fabulous atmosphere!!! You must try!! read more

Had another amazing *** NOT AUTHENTIC *** Mexican food experience here today. Popped in for the 2 tacos and house margarita lunch special. And it was simply fantastic. The fusion of flavors and different cultures in Mexican cuisine works so well. Also the format is so cool. Format, you ask? You can get your fav flavor combo done as tacos, nachos, street pizza, or quesadillas. How fantastic is that?! Something to think about.... Not everything should be piping hot on different plates. So when people are complaining of cold food.... I'm guessing they have limited cultural/culinary experiences. It's incredibly common in fresh ingredients with fusion to have a mix of temperatures- for example, the Baja pineapple fish tacos.... The hot ingredient on that is the fish. Everything else will be more room temperature to a bit cold (not uncomfortable cold but not hot). It adds to the flavor profile. Please keep in mind when reading reviews that not everyone has experienced or may be familiar with Michelin Stars or master sommeliers. Some of the more limited or narrow reviews may be the palates of the Randy's & Nancy's of the area, loving their Chili's/Applebees/Olive Garden. Cantina 52 may be just progressive in food, flavor, atmosphere and fun for that kinda group. And that's ok. While Cantina 52 welcomes all to enjoy their food, drinks and atmosphere, they also respect those that are like, yup this isn't my flavor. That's how cool Cantina 52 is y'all. read more

We were very hopeful about this restaurant. It had a good feel walking in, the greeters and server were very nice. The atmosphere was pleasant and the bar was full of customers and top shelf booze. Then everything went downhill. We ordered a few Paloma's to get going, they tasted like they just poured them from a premixed can, however the grapefruit salted rim was a nice touch. We then ordered standard guacamole and chips for an appetizer. The presentation was nice (ice cream scooped into a metal dish), but the taste was bland and forgettable. My wife and I ordered the shrimp tacos, bbq pork taco and quesadilla. Again the presentation was nice, but the shrimp seemed under cooked and the sriracha aioli sauce that came with the bbq pork tasted like 1000 island dressing from the bottle. We would probably come back for chips and to sip tequila, but that's about it. Total bummer. read more

Drinks were superior and fantastic. Food- tacos are super expensive and boring. Ground beef quesadillas are something my 15 ye old daughter can make. Jackfruit taco tasted like a cleaner for windows. Gourmet taco prices for mehhh food. Salsa is also out of a jar!!! read more

Went to cantina 52 on recommendation of a local food critic page, and we really should have read into the negative reviews a little more. After we were sat, we ordered one of the specialty salsas - avocado & cucumber salsa, which was just store bought salsa with a dollop of avocado and sprinkling of cucumber squares in a small cup. Not worth the $8, just stick with the free salsa. It's literally the same thing. Then we ordered actual food. They were out of 3 types of tacos and out of rice (how?), So I had to modify my order right from the get go. After placing our order we waited for about 40 minutes for 3 tacos and a quesadilla. What really got me was the table of 2 that was sat behind us after we arrived had ordered, got their food, ate, shot the shit, and left before our food came out. Should I mention that they were maybe at 50% capacity? While we waited for our food I ordered a michelada. Not only was it watered down with the most minimum about of mixer, it was a comical $14 (no pricing on their drink menu, so if you want something you'll need to ask for a price to make sure you aren't getting railroaded). What a fucking joke. Finally our food came out and everything was stone cold. Not even lukewarm. I guess in the 40 minutes we waited for food, it sat out in the open for 25 of those minutes. Texan taco: 1 slice of brisket, BBQ sauce, and a ton of fried onions. Its what you would expect at a Tex Mex restaurant in San Antonio and still underwhelming. Crawfish taco: was of cold crawfish in some type of sauce with a spicy sauce topping. Would have been great if it were served hot. Mediterranean lamb taco: it was just a miniature gyro. No really, I could add another $1.50 to the cost of this one taco and go elsewhere to get a full sized gyro. It was good, but I felt double crossed. Wife took one bite of her quesadilla and she just decided to take it home (so she could warm it up). After grumbling to the wife about our experience we concluded this restaurant may have been opened by someone that has never had experience with Mexican/Hispanic restaurants. We didn't bother combining there. It wouldn't have made a difference. Save yourself a trip here. There's a couple authentic Mexican place around the area that are more worth your dollar. read more

We live in Crystal lake and were so excited to try this place. I probably should've payed more attention to the reviews. I ordered the margarita 52. If it's your specialty margarita I expect good tequila and fresh squeezed lime and not much else. What I got was bottled sweet and sour and not much else. I've sent back 3 things in my life and that was the third. Elotes was disappointing, canned corn and Mayo. The spicy shrimp taco was super sweet, the fish taco had gummy breading and was overly sweet. The lamb taco was a hunk of aldi gyro meat-microwaved, the brisket taco was dry and super sweet. The only good one out of the bunch was the ground beef and potato taco. Presentation left a lot to be desired as well. Wait staff was super nice and when I sent my marg back gave me a complimentary drink. But can't make up for the food read more

Came from nyc, found this spot however got there at 8:50pm... on google it said closing @10:00pm. We got there and was told it was closed!!! Disappointing! read more

Wonderful service and the shrimp was cooked perfect. Would highly recommend and something different to try. Tacos and guacamole excellent!! read more

Cantina 52 - Ramen noodles, Veggies, Spicy Shrimp Bowl with Broth - Dance Clubs Near Me - Crystal Lake, Illinois

I was all excited to finally see a tequila/ taqueria focused bar open up in Crystal Lake. Long time overdue. My first experience was mixed. Service was great. One of the Mezcals I selected was not available that day, however the waitress selected an alternative that was perfect. Further the service was speedy as I didn't have to wait long. I had the fish tacos which were good as the cod was done perfectly. But way too much slaw. With regards to the slaw there was way too much Mayo involved! Finally please, please remember to heat the tortillas before serving a taco. The tortillas were served cold and immediately fell apart and bland....a tragedy. I look forward to trying it again and seeing the improvements. read more

The tacos and food are absolutely amazing. Super creative and really really good and perfectly executed. All that said, service is really slow (painfully at some parts) and my experience in terms of what felt like a lack of awareness and EQ is the reason for this review. We had a larger party and I had ordered some food to share - again, food is delicious! When it came time to order food for my kids and myself, that's where the issue came in. Kids order was fine but when I mentioned "for me, I'll have the sliders" that's where this entire experience became really negative with seemingly could have been an easy fix. The deception of the menu lead me to believe I can pick 3 sliders. Spoiler alert - NOPE, not the case. Thinking that was ok, I ordered 3 different types of sliders. Again, nothing on the menu said it has to be the same and the waitress absolutely did nothing here to tell me differently. Out comes the food, and to my surprise, I am now the patron with 9 sliders. When I said I apologized and was confused since the menu didn't state differently, food was placed on the table and that was that. Hoping that this place had some business acumen and social awareness, I believed they would have taken 2 of the 3 $20 slider towers off, given the clear misunderstanding. Not the case at all. Charged for all 3, $20 slider towers. This place has ZERO awareness or is desperate for that $40, clearly. Sad because the food is good but the fact that they allowed this to happen when they had two moments to change it and didn't, means I won't come here again. $40 or a simple statement like "oh, sorry, those slides all are the same type" would have saved them this review and not cost them future business. read more

Opening day. They need to iron out some of the kinks.... The drinks were ok. Pineapple jalapeño and traditional were a lot of mix and little tequila. The pork belly taco was great. Two corn tortillas to support the taco is recommended so it doesn't crumble as you pick it up. The tortilla was served cold right out of the packaging. The salsa is very tomatoey and the specialty $8 mango habanero salsa was just mangos added to the salsa. The salsa is similar to a jar of chi-chi's salsa! The atmosphere is great. Open, airy and trendy. This place has potential. More staff, fine tuning the timing of food/drink delivery, developing a fresh authentic salsa etc. will help this place be successful. read more

Cantina 52 - Spicy Shrimp and pork belly tacos - Dance Clubs Near Me - Crystal Lake, Illinois

From San Francisco to New York, I've enjoyed Mexican food. Never have I seen lettuce put on nacho servings. From New York to San Francisco, I've enjoyed Mexican food. Never have I experienced a restaurant putting American cheese on nachos. I wish it were a joke. It was just Cantina 52. Avoid. read more

I've lived in downtown Crystal Lake for years and watched this former laundromat reopen as a restaurant in a very short period of time during the tail end of the pandemic and during a very difficult labor shortage. As I sit here pondering the transition from a torn up empty space to a fully operational restaurant, I'm more than impressed by the effort and the investment to the community to fill a vacancy with a hip new business. So thank you for that. Also, I requested a mocktail and my bartender friend made me something special...I loved it. I watched the drink flights go out and they were adorbs. Things like this take time. The menu is well crafted. I wish them all the success for years to come. Loved it! read more

See all

Great food and the best prickly pear margarita! Space is a little small, but able to get out table of 6 seated in about 15 minutes. Worth the wait. read more

Was hoping for great flavor from the Tikka chicken tacos. Bland aside from cilantro and one bite that had a hint of cumin. The chicken was cooked wonderfully, but aside from that one bite, no tikka flavor. So bland. Partner had nachos and a taco that were fancy in name, but not taste. They get a point because the chips and elotes dip (the only thing with flavor) were ok. read more

If you are looking for your run of the mill mexican place, this isn't it. If you are looking for an exciting ambiance, great service, and delicious melds of amazing flavors then THIS IS THE PLACE! We eat meat but had some vegans with us and it was an amazing experience for both! If you are wondering if you should do - do it, you won't be sorry! read more

Great corn and tacos! Had the hot corn dip as well as the classic elite. The herbivore vegan tacos were delicious. Everybody at the table enjoyed their food. I really like the ambiance and open garage door format. read more

We loved it here!! The atmosphere and location are great and everyone super friendly. The BEST margaritas we have ever had, super fresh and loved all of the flavors. Also had really great meals- spicy shrimp quesadilla and Mediterranean street pizza. Loved that they had different types of guac too. One of our new favorites and excited to come back for some of the events! read more

Cantina 52 - Margarita flight (pineapple jalapeño, mango, ginger peach, & strawberry basil) - Dance Clubs Near Me - Crystal Lake, Illinois

Very cool vibe. Friendly and knowledgeable staff. Twist on the typical Mexican fare is interesting and delicious

Food is AMAZING, drinks are outstanding, and service is the best! Highly recommend the spicy shrimp tacos, pineapple fish tacos, and get the pulled pork nachos! Couldn't pick what we liked the most! read more

Very disturbing Sunday evening, I lost my appetite because Cantina 52 had drag queens talking about gay sex while I was trying to eat. Food was subpar anyway. Not enough meat in my entree. read more

Great time and wonderful food had by all. Jim and Bri are fantastic and made us feel welcomed and fed us well. you must try the jackfruit nachos and be ready to share. their vegan cheesecake was a treat. Thank you Cantina 52. We will be visiting again soon. read more

Great place we just discovered! Moira is THE BEST bartender!!! New twist on Mexican food- Great addition to Crystal Lake read more

Honestly the best food I've ever had, I highly recommend everyone to come try their fusion tacos!!!! Great service and very professional and positive attitude! Would definitely come again!!!! read more

I'll start with the good which is the ONLY the ambiance and drinks. The margarita flight was $22 which was reasonable considering everything else on the menu was incredibly overpriced. The other reviews are right in that the salsa tastes exactly like Tostitos and 90% of the chips in our basket were so stale it was inedible. The "dilla plate" was ok but you can't really mess up cheese in between a tortilla. Would not recommend and will not be back. read more

Cantina 52 - Margarita Flight Left to right: mango, pineapple jalapeño, strawberry, guava hibiscus - Dance Clubs Near Me - Crystal Lake, Illinois

See all