Cantina No. 1 offers a modern take of a "traditional" Mexican cantina. It used to be a "regular" cantina back in the days, but nowadays is a family friendly restaurant that offers a wide variety of mexican dishes, with a few fan favorites from Spanish cuisine suchs as "paella" and "callos a la madrileña", along with seafood and a well-stoked bar.
The venue has three main saloons with a lot of tables and seating space, great for huge parties. It also has a child's area with games. Unfortunately, this also means that the place is usually packed to capacity, and the staff struggles to meet the demand. So, service is not the best. You may have to ask a few times for something before you get it, and end up waiting longer for your food and check.
The food offers a very good sample of local cuisine. Even though the quality of ingredients are just ok, they manage to deliver well ensambles dishes, packed with authentic flavors, and for a very reasonable price. Great for families!
I think this is an ideal place for tourist looking to have a more authentic local food experience but do not what to risk much, either on food safety, money or having to go to smaller restaurants or mercados. Although, I'm not quite sure if they can offer english speaking service. Therefore, it's a great opportunity to practice your Spanish!
Finally, the restaurant is in the edge of a very trendy are in Mexico City (Roma neighborhood), a lot of expats live here. But keep in mind that it also sits at the beginning of "doctores neighborhood", wich has bad rep regarding petty crime, grand thef auto, and other crimes. So be careful, use common sense (especially if drinking alcohol) and avoid going further east. The venue has a private garage and valet parking. Your car is safe here!
Overall, is a great plan for weekends! However, if you are looking for upscale service, great food quality and fine dinning this is not the place. read more