Ok, so I've neglected Cantina 76 for a while. Looked like a chain. Corner of Lady & Main. Stopped in while I was on the bicycle. Decided I would only stop at a place with a bike rack. Wow. Great happy hour. Wonderful service. Some of the margs are a little too crafty for my taste but the one I settled on was delicious. Loved the music and everyone looked to be having a good time. Yeah, I Yelp, and I Yelp hard but this was a good spot. Happy hour, 2 tacos, chips and salsa OR queso for $11 read more

Came here for dinner and really liked the seating--there are plenty of TVs, which makes it a great spot to watch sports. I started with the chips and salsa, which were fantastic and full of flavor. Our waiter was very friendly, attentive, and checked on us often, which made for a great experience. I ordered the steak nachos--they were pretty good overall. The chips were fresh and the cheese was tasty, but there was a bit too much lettuce, and the steak had a slightly jerky-like texture. It wasn't terrible, but not the best either. Overall, it was a good experience, and I would definitely come back. read more

This location is located in the heart of downtown Main Street. This establishment is very cute and cozy. The atmosphere is great for dinner, after work gathering, or just grabbing a quick bite before going home. This location was ran by college age students who were all smiling, working, not playing on their phones and enjoying their job, which is a great sight to see. Our server, Vincent, came over immediately when we sat down. He was very attentive and was great on the suggestions for their Happy Hour menu. He never let our glasses go empty without asking if we wanted another. When coming back to check on our meal, he kept our area tidy by removing dinnerware without being prompt. Service was top notch! Good job young man. The food was very appealing and delicious. The buffalo chicken quesadillas appeared to be small but it was enough and had a nice taste. It was not too spicy and was not messy for being a two layered quesadilla. The drinks were festive for the Christmas holiday and they were yummy. We had a hot spiked apple cider with bourbon and it hit the spot in this cold weather. Overall, this is a place to go to when visiting Columbia. Also take the time to walk down the street to the Capitol building. read more

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People absolutely love this cantina and location. Personally the drinks are my favorite, specifically their margaritas are so yummy. As for tacos they are pretty basic in my opinion. I do like the trio dip for an appetizer. It's in a great spot on Main Street if you're looking for something quick. Service is quick and everyone super friendly. read more

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Adam was an awesome server. We sat outside and it was a beautiful evening. Queso and chip came out super fast, like it was already on deck, but came to the table hit while Adam, our server, was still standing at the table. We had the Chimichanga, dirty queso, chips & salsa, margaritas, roasted chicken taco, jalapeño shrimp taco. Cantina 76 on Main St has been consistent for years. Will always recommend. read more

Cantina 76 - Chimichanga, dirty queso, chips & salsa, margaritas, roasted chicken taco, jalapeño shrimp taco. - Tex-Mex Near Me - Columbia, South Carolina

I love cantina but this is my first time going to this location. It was Friday so they had $5 red sangria which was so good, sweet and right amount of alcohol. I also got the tostada nacho special with a side of Poblano tartar sauce. The shells were a little burnt but overall it was good and the poblano sauce is chefs kiss. It makes everything taste better. read more

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Sangria was delicious. Be wary the pitcher is mostly ice - would be curious to know how many ounces overall are in a pitcher. Servers were attentive and the vibes were upbeat with good music read more

Cantina 76 - Sangria - Tex-Mex Near Me - Columbia, South Carolina

Good variety of unique items and interesting specials. The drinks and food are consistent and service is always good. A local favorite!

Stumbled upon this nice little Mexican restaurant. We ate here two days in a row. Great service and great food. I had the chicken enchilada and fish taco they were both excellent. read more

Cantina 76 - Chicken enchilada and fish taco - Tex-Mex Near Me - Columbia, South Carolina

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This place was okay. I had the quesadilla with BBQ sauce on it. It was different but it was actually pretty good. Very dog friendly outside. The server we had was amazing. read more

Heyyyyyy you guysssssss!!! Stopped in for a drink, looks like lots of folks like the spot. Didn't have the pleasure of eating but the spicy margarita was not lacking spicy! Cheers read more

Cantina 76 - Spicy Margarita - Tex-Mex Near Me - Columbia, South Carolina

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Was in town visiting and decided to check this place out for Cinco de Mayo. Found seats at the bar pretty quickly. First of all I didn't get the bartender's name but she was amazing. We were sitting on the side of the bar closest to the musician who had a really good vibe, we enjoyed his modern take on 80s hits. We ordered the delicious salsa & huge portion of chips, and 3 tacos, 2 shrimp and one brisket. VERY tasty. Margaritas were on point and as I mentioned really wonderful service from the bartender & bar back. Would definitely recommend this place and will return if I visit Columbia again. read more

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Came to have dinner and drinks with a few friends and it was ok. The food was 7/10. I had the chimichanga it was small and the meat was cold inside. The chips with guacamole was nice and fresh. The margaritas were 8/10 lots of ice in them, but strong. Over the service was super fast and the server was great. read more

Initial service was quite horrible. We were seated and it took 15 minutes to get a waitress to come to our table after multiple walks by. Eventually she by and took our orders. I got the Nashville, fish, shrimp, and beef and cheddar taco($20). Nothing outstanding, but they were mostly solid tacos. The Nashville was just chicken tender with hot sauce. The beef and cheddar was my only favorite out of the four total tacos. Drinks were good once they came out. Overall the service was lacking and the tacos felt average. Food(50%): 6.4 Staff/service(25%): 3.0 Value(25%): 6.5 Overall: 5.5/10 read more

Cantina 76 - Strawberry Margaritas - Tex-Mex Near Me - Columbia, South Carolina

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This is a solid restaurant! It's not my favorite Mexican place, but I like this one a lot better than the Cantina on Devine street. I sat at the bar and got a margarita and some chips, which is pretty basic, but which was good nonetheless. The only thing that.I found a little bit odd about the restaurant is that there were a lot of employees there, but only 1.5 of them were working. I don't really know why they were there just to stand around and do nothing. Nevertheless, I would recommend! read more

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Enjoyed our meals and drinks! Nice variety of tacos to choose from. My husband and I both enjoyed the kinds we picked! The guacamole appetizer was on the smaller side, but delicious nonetheless! read more

Cantina 76 - Tex-Mex Near Me - Columbia, South Carolina

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My husband ordered the fried chimichanga and my daughter and I had tacos, for what we got I feel it was a little pricey and did not taste that great. We were seated super fast and our server was excellent. read more

Peruvian shrimp was awesome. Connor made great suggestions and provided excellent service!!!

I wasn't very hungry and I didn't want to spend much either, so I got the nachos and their honeysuckle cocktail. What I loved about the nachos were the thinly sliced fresh jalapeños! The ground beef was also well seasoned. I will definitely try them again read more

Cantina 76 - Beef nachos and honeysuckle cocktail - Tex-Mex Near Me - Columbia, South Carolina

Food was amazing. Had the brisket and the Peruvian shrimp tacos. Killer! Sat at the bar, as usual, and the crew was always on point. Great vibe at the bar. Great crowd. read more

Connor our server was awesome! Peruvian shrimp and roasted chicken tacos were delish!

It's amazing food even though it is al a cart. Servers are always really great. We have tried several dishes from here over the times coming for dinner or lunch and the service and food are always never disappointing! Definitely a fav place to go when in the area read more

Amazing tacos, quick service, and solid micro beer list. I will 100% be back if back in the area.

The food was beyond amazing!! I love the selections. I sat at the bar which can get a lil bust. But my server was on top of me once he noticed I was there. Everything came out pretty fast. I can not complain about anything but...... the dust and cleanliness. I did ask the server they said they are responsible for the restaurant's cleaning. Which is a reason its not as clean ad it should be. Dont ask the servers to work all day then still clean a restaurant. As a server for 17 yrs and an owner of a cleaning company I see things that most would pass read more

Cantina 76 - Dusty and greasy restaurant fixtures. Bathroom too - Tex-Mex Near Me - Columbia, South Carolina

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The downtown location is always interesting! Getting seated took about 20 minutes. The inside is a small area, so it's understandable why there's always a wait to get seated or a watch for open bar space. Customer service is pretty good as well. We ordered a pitcher of the strawberry basil flavored margarita. The flavor was good, but as with all of their margaritas, I wish they were served with a little more hit of tequila. Especially because of the way they base their prices on the tequila and highlight it as their specialty. Their margaritas are more juicy than cocktail-based.  The dirty queso was pretty tasty, but some of the chips were stale. My husband ordered the quesadillas, and he enjoyed them. He liked the barbecue sauce that comes with the quesadillas. It had a sweet honey barbecue taste. I ordered the fiesta steak taco, the buffalo chicken taco, and the Peruvian shrimp taco. The Peruvian shrimp taco is a classic. It's always delicious! The buffalo chicken is good as well; it's just that sometimes the heavy amount of buffalo sauce on the taco can be overwhelming. The fiesta steak taco was delicious. The fried onion straws went well with the flavor-filled steak and sriracha sauce.  Overall, it was an enjoyable evening with a good vibe. read more

The menu (Mexican) was varied and the food was excellent. The service was above par and polite and considerate. The ambiance was low key and relatively quiet with good lighting and a comfortable temperature on a frigid day. It's not a huge place so it had a cozy atmosphere. read more

Cantina 76 - Chimichanga - Tex-Mex Near Me - Columbia, South Carolina

Based off the owners sense of humor I'm giving them 2 more stars, the service was great, and everyone was friendly! read more

Cantina 76 - Tex-Mex Near Me - Columbia, South Carolina

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The ambiance is fine. There's music that can't quite determine what genre it wants to be (and comically it's not censored). Our waiter wasn't as attentive as we would have liked, but he was by no means a bad waiter. The food was bland. It all blended together after several bites. I three tacos ($4 each); the chicken teriyaki, the fried chicken, and the traditional. The fried chicken tasted like something you could get at Taco Bell, the chicken teriyaki was so unlike chicken teriyaki that I thought I was eating the pork taco instead, and the traditional was so bad I probably could have gotten a better one at Taco Bell. The beef didn't even taste like beef. My mother got a chimichanga ($13) and it tasted mediocre. It was kind of sweet with the sauce, and she swore that the rice served was box "Hispanic" ricearoni. The chimichanga came in a big lump rather than an elongated barrito style. The sangria was pretty good. We both got that as well as chips and salsa ($4). Over all: Chips & salsa: 7.5/10 Sangria: 7/10 Fried chicken taco: 6/10 Chicken teriyaki taco: 5/10 Traditional taco: 3.5/10 Chimichanga: 4/10 Total: $47.30 read more

Cantina 76 - Chips & salsa, fried chicken taco, chicken teriyaki taco, traditional taco, chimichanga, sangria. - Tex-Mex Near Me - Columbia, South Carolina

Stopped by to grab a quick bite; however the hostesses couldn't bother to greet or check-in with us as they were too busy and engrossed in the cell phones. Rude hostesses; we left and got some great food next door. read more

Good spot on Main St. Didn't order actual food, just snacked on the dip trio which was great for the table. The salsa and queso were really good but the guac was a bit too citrusy. Almost seemed like they used lemon inside of lime to keep it fresh. Anyways, the margarita I had was also good but you always need a few to really feel something. Pretty lively on the weekend and they were showing all the olympic events which was great. Overall, a good place to get your mexican food fill. read more

Great location - food is inedible. Chimichanga was burnt/inedible. Ordered chicken taco bowl. Got pork. Terrible.

Cantina is ALWAYS a go-to spot for me. Since I couldn't have the type of taco party I wanted for my birthday, I decided to go here and have a taco party for 1! ¡Feliz cumpleaños a mi! I had the Devine margarita especially since it was Happy Hour, guacamole which is always amazing, Mexican rice with no queso (an absolute must and fave), the Roasted Chicken taco (not pictured), and my all-time fave here which is the Fried Chicken taco. I tried the Chicken Teriyaki taco for the first time and it was pretty good; nothing what I would expect. The Chimicheesecake is HEAVEN!!! I LOVE it! The fried wrap with the cheesecake filling topped with cinnamon and drizzled with caramel sauce...do I need to say more? It's the perfect infusion of goodness! The only "downside" to Cantina 76 on Main St. is the wait starting at 5p especially on weekdays, however it's worth it! This location is my fave. I love the laid back yet upbeat, contemporary vibe of this spot. Haven't had a bad experience yet. read more

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I liked the food but I felt the menu didn't have much of a variety. I got the chips with queso, guac and salsa which were fine. Also the shrimp tacos were delicious but quite small. I loved the roasted chicken quesadilla. The place was a tad too loud for 6pm on a Saturday for my liking. Our Server was super nice, I think her name was Nina. read more

Nice Mexican spot in downtown area. Its a busy part of town so get there early, and pack your patience, because parking and seating is limited. The server was very friendly and the food came out faster than anticipated considering the lunch rush. The tacos were very flavorful and the garbage queso is a must try starter. read more

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Great place to get a quick bite to eat down town Columbia, SC. They have seating inside and out, if you would rather sit outside. Service is normally on point and professional during my visit, great staff. They are pretty busy with USC students, so timing is a plus also. I've never had a issue with seating, but on the weekends it can get fairly busy quickly. My food was seasoned well and drinks are always flavorful. If you are ever in town, try them out. You wont be disappointed... I dont remember the name of my drink but it was very good, Lol!! Tip: show the bartender this pic, may be they will remember read more

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They're okay, you'll get more tortilla than filling... very overpriced for mediocracy. Drink specials and atmosphere are great as they're usually pretty busy, but folks love their "tex-mex" out here, so that should be a given. read more

Got there right before it closed to grab some food to go. Staff were very nice, place was a little loud for me, but the bar was very busy. Tacos were great! Pork taco and a fried chicken taco. Fried chicken taco was fire! Guacamole was fresh and delicious. Definitely will go again. read more

I went here with a large group and the service was great. The restaurant is pretty spacious. The tacos were pretty average. I got the jalapeño shrimp and the blackened shrimp which were good and can't go wrong with them but the verde enchiladas were not very good that, the sauce was a little weird. Their shredded chicken in a lot of their dishes is very dry as well. Overall would not go again. read more

Went to Cantina 76 for dinner on a Thurdsay night around 6:30 and were sat immediately. It seemed to be busy upon arrival and only continued to get busier; but seemed that they continued to seat people rapidly so A+ to the hosting staff! Its cute inside, LOVED the music, and great sitting options for indoor and outdoor! We ordered the fall spice margarita and a blackberry cider, both were good. Our server was okay, he told us he was fairly new. It took a while to get our check but that was the only thing. We ordered a total of 6 tacos, the tres hombres appetizer and the mexican corn. The tres hombres, quest, guac and salsa, was good but next time ill skip the guac. The queso and salsa were AMAZING! We got chicken teriyaki, fish, steak chimmichuri (special), bbq brisket, fried chicken tacos. Those are ranked most favorite to least favorite (in our opinion). Everyone hyped up the fried chicken taco but to us it was pretty much a mcdonalds snack wrap with a special sauce. The steak and brisket were both dry and lacking flavor. Although the corn dip was pretty gooood! they should do a special taco with that on there! Overall I'd go back and probably recommend this place to someone. read more

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Excellent food, great margaritas, and really friendly waitstaff. Had been staying down the road and gave this a shot for cocktails in the afternoon and was impressed, so came back for dinner later that evening. read more