Food was good. Service kind of sucked, staff was friendly but took a while for our food to come out. I'll probably give it a second chance

Total bust. First of all, every seat in the house is smoky because the smoke wafts in when the door opens from outside. Not a "little bit" smoky. Like...legit smoky. I ordered the large $11.99 beef nachos with extra cheese and they had 2 spoons of beef and a spoon of cheese. 8 chips. I counted them. The bartender was loudly cussing and talking about how a customer had come in earlier and bounced a check and was mad at, "her and the restaurant" because they held it for too long without depositing it. She said they, "shouldn't have f$&king eaten out on Monday if they didn't plan to have money in the bank on Thursday". Super classy and professional since it was 6:30pm in a Thursday and I had my child with me. I sent the nachos back and asked the waiter to take them off my ticket. He was nice enough. 10/10 would NOT recommend and would certainly not go back with so many other options for this type of food locally. read more

I highly recommend the foie gras with a bottle of 1978 Montrachet.

My friends and I wanted to go out for Cinco de Mayo. Two of them called ahead to make sure we wouldn't need reservations for dinner (none of us had ever been here prior). Neither were forewarned that the kitchen was under-construction and that there was a limited menu. When we arrived we were carded at the door and immediately approached by a hostess who informed us that there was a "limited menu." (Why had neither person on the phone told us this in advance?) Their kitchen is apparently under-construction (a warning on the website would be helpful if the employees aren't). We asked what the "limited menu" was and we were told, "NO chicken and NO pork and we were shown a VERY limited menu of things they could make. We had cabbed it there (intending to have several margaritas) so we decided to stay. Once we were seated we realized the "No Pork and No Chicken" was an understatement. Try ON CINCO DE MAYO- No BEANS, No Chicken, No Mole, No Pork. Only Beef Tacos, Salad or Nachos. Oh, and a "large" margarita comes in a pint glass. One of my friends even received a glass much smaller than the rest of ours- same drink. All tacos were supposed to come with rice and beans so I asked our waitress (who took forever to even approach us, because she was busy talking with another guy who worked there) if we would be given anything in place of the beans and she said "NO. Just rice." I said, "Could I possibly get a little guacamole then, since I can't have beans?" She sighed- audibly- and said, "Yaa... I can give you a little dollop." REALLY?! You could be troubled to give me a "little dollop" of guac when you've made me sit here for over 10 minutes waiting for you to address us and you're out of many of the staple Mexican restaurant foods? I was in disbelief. When she brought the chips and salsa they were bagged chips and jar salsa... nasty. The website made it look like they made their own homemade chips. When our food came I had no guac and the waitress was frustrated when I reminded her that she said she would give me a "dollop." One of my friends ordered the guac and chips- she wasn't given any chips so she had to use what we had leftover from the chips and salsa. Her guac looked disgusting and as though it had been squeezed from a bag onto the little plate. The other three of us ordered tacos. My hard-shelled tacos were stale and the cheese on all of our meals tasted horrible. We were told their kitchen was under-construction and at one point our waitress said they were having food "catered in." I don't believe that for a minute. The food was horrible and I've had better tacos and fresher ingredients in my own home. Our glasses sat empty for the entire meal. When we finally were able to get our waitress back we requested the check. SHE CHARGED ME FOR THE GUAC! I was furious by this point. I showed her the receipt and reminded her again and she said, "No, I didn't say that." Now furious, I repeated our entire conversation word for word to her and she waved me off and said, "FINE, I'll take it off." When she returned I asked her if there was a manager on duty. Waitress: "Noooooooo....?" Me: "You mean to tell me there isn't a manager here tonight? No one is supervising?" Waitress: "The owner? No..." and acted confused. Me: "I didn't ask you about the owner. I asked you if there was a manager on duty." Waitress: "Yes... why? Do you want to speak to her?" Me: "YES! Yes, I really would." She disappeared and another woman showed up at our table a minute or two later and started apologizing... I hadn't even said anything yet. I explained the grievances my friends and I had with our experiences there that night and I told her how the waitress was rude and lied directly to my face. She said she was sorry and it's been like that all night and she's had trouble with this girl before. She said she wanted to offer me something- a coupon or voucher or something and disappeared for a minute and came back. She said she spoke to the owner and he said to offer us whatever we want and that we could come back when the kitchen is up and running and she will cover our tab. She didn't seem like she was gone long enough to have had that conversation, and I'm not sure I would ever step foot in that place again. The "manager" seemed nice, but very scattered and we left with nothing but her name and cell phone number on a scrap piece of paper and a promise to email us when the kitchen is open so she can pick up our tab. In my opinion, the owner needs to be more aware of how his/her business is being run. I would be embarrassed to have had that kind of food service and employee behavior on Cinco de Mayo especially! We should have been notified about the kitchen dilemma when we called earlier in the day. The extent of the "limited menu" should have been more clearly defined when we were at the door, and they should have never served bad food. It would have been better to close early and cut your losses than ruin your reputation. read more

Went there for the first time to celebrate my husband's first day at his new job. Chips were cold (); salsas were cold and fresh tasting (); lemonade cocktail was supposed to be sweetened with agave, but had sugar granules in it and was soooooo sweet (); steak grilled tacos were doused in some sugar sauce, corn tortillas were stale, and the meat tasted old and frozen, and the meat was served room temperature (). We sat outside and looking at the windowsill inside (right under their neon sign) you can easily see the place isn't regularly cleaned. Our server was great (), but I was so disappointed and the food was so far from being edible that I left without complaining... Some places aren't even worth the awkward interaction!! My husband and I were just happy we passed on the sashimi tacos-- likely would have ended in misery read more

Nachos were very good, along with the drinks. I ordered grilled fish tacos which were tasty. I liked that you could pick your own salsa and style of taco. Our server was prompt and friendly. read more

This place is fantastic! We came yesterday for lunch We got the double appetizer w/chips, guacamole & salsa, they have several different types of salsa to choose from and if you don't like the one you get they will gladly replace with one you like. I got the Conch & Shrimp balls w/ Red Sangria, Hubby got beef Tacos Baja Style w/ Margarita. (best margarita he ever had, not too sweet) Everything tasted super fresh food & drinks. Allie, our Bar Tender was a delight. I would recommend this place to anyone. :-) read more

terrible service. The margarita was disgustingly strong. The food took way too long and the server was very unapologetic. She acted as if we were jerks for leaving after waiting on our food for 45 minutes during LUNCH. The bathroom was filthy. The only reason I'm not giving this one star is because it's a tad bit better than say....fast food. read more

I've been to Colley Cantina a few times. Loved their food and service. however, today, it sucked!!!! My husband ordered a house salad and an extra order grilled shrimps. He wanted plain olive oil and vinegar on his salad. There was a bottle of oil on the table. We asked if it was olive oil and the server thought it may be. When my husband mixed it with the salad, it wasn't olive oil and the oil smelled stale!!! He asked for balsamic vinaigrette and the server said they do not have any. My husband hardly ate his salad. They offered another one but at that point we were done with lunch. I would have expected the salad to be removed from the tab. We got a 15% discount. Really??? It wasnt worth paying even a small discount because the garden salad was mixed with stale oil. And the manager did not even come to apologize. We are never going there again!!! read more

The first time we went there was in April and the blackened shrimp tacos were AMAZING. My mom and I decided to go back today and were so so so disappointed. They must have gotten a new cook or something because we got the same thing and they were absolutely disgusting. The shrimp wasn't even blackened nor did it have any blackened seasoning and they had a terrible fishy taste like they were just thawed from frozen and that's all they did to them. I ate only half of one taco and had pretty much a full plate of food when we left. I am not a picky eater and have never not been able to finish my food at a restaurant because of taste so this is a first for me. Worst $16 I ever spent and I will not be returning. read more

Had the fish tacos. Wasn't impressed with it. Very fishy tasting and dry. My spouse had the chicken fajitas the chicken was very dry for vegetables weren't done so tortillas for cold we asked for more tortillas and never brought to us. Service was very very slow. read more

This place is really cute. The food was really bland. The chicken taco is dry af even with salsa. The calamari was not spicy, it had fresh grilled or sautéed jalapeños in the basket. The beef taco was aight... I think this is a great place for drinks and convo. Nothing to write to my Mexican ancestors about. The atmosphere is really nice and the servers are ok, I think we sat for a while before she came back to acknowledge us initially and they weren't busy. I'll come back for drinks& update. read more

Have attempted to order from colley cantina multiple times only to be informed everything we ordered is unavailable..both before and after midnight. If you're not trying to make food over an hour before closing then why be open on the postmates app? read more

My beef with Colley Cantina is that they are not forthcoming about their prices. Let's start with well drinks. They are advertised as $2.00, but they don't tell you they charge you 50 cents for juice in a well drink. I know that's a small amount but I have never in my life seen a bar charge for juice. Just charge $2.50 for well drinks. No need to lie about the price. The bartender said all bars do this. I have never ever seen this. Next, they advertise happy hour from 5-9. What they don't tell you is that the price changes for happy hour from 7-9. It's not listed anywhere in the menu and the waitress didn't bother to tell us. I hate when establishments are not upfront about their prices and then their is a surprise when you get your check. On a positive note the Baja ta aren't bad for a buck, and karaoke is always fun. That's the only reason I decided to give them 2 stars instead of 4 read more

I went to Colley Cantina for the first time three years ago and vowed I would never go back. The food was way underseasoned but the drinks were good. Recently they revamped their menu and sent out a coupon so I figured I'd give it another try and I was slightly more impressed. The fajitas had some kick and the rice and beans weren't too bad. However the calamari tasted like they had burned something in the grease and didn't bother to change it. I'll probably go back for food if I get another coupon but otherwise I'd only go for the drinks. read more

The way I see it, the only excuse to go here is if you are out of other reasonable options. The food is not very good, though more it is more inspired than the food you'll get at the dime-a-dozen fresh out out of a can-slop mexican restaurants. The drinks here are way overpriced, my experience with a margarita was not good. $7.75 margaritas that were awful (oversweet, artificial, yuck). An attentive bartender or waitress would have noticed the abondoned half-consumed drinks and asked if there was a problem....maybe there was no need to question the obvious. The draft beer selection is pretty good, but an allagash white will set you back $7---a dingy establishment shouldn't charging premium prices. Colley Cantina has mediocre food, a dive-bar atmosphere, and a decent draft beer selection. read more

Just received my OrderUp order and ate it. Dip Duo - $7.99 Salsa Choice: Grilled Corn Salsa 1 Build It Your Way Bowls - $10.78 Protein Choice: Shrimp ($2.00) Veggie Choice: Tomatoes, Avocado, Lettuce Salsa Choice: Pico de Gallo Go All Out!: Make it Creamy - Sour Cream ($0.79) Special Instructions:No Hot Sauce please. So fresh. A lot of bang for our buck. I highly recommend. read more

decent tacos, wings are A-OK, not a bad choice if your walking by or in area but don't make it a point just to go here

Excellent food! Fast friendly service. Really interesting combinations of tacos and the burritos are enormous and delicious. I only took off a star because of accessibility issues in the bathrooms. Couldn't get my wheel chair in the bathroom at all. Love the habanero mango salsa. Mojito was pretty good too. read more

Probably one of my top 5 eateries in Norfolk! The patio is my favorite place to hang during the day - sometimes eating, usually drinking. Their food is solid - not mind blowing, but definitely better than chain mexican and some of the local mexican spots. I love their fish tacos - probably one of the first spots in Norfolk to offer fish tacos. The staff is super friendly and the owner very gracious, especially when it comes to fundraising. read more

Great place for a quick snack or drink with friends. not a lot of space in there, but it never seems to actually fill up. They have a variety of tex mex foods, but I get the sense that most people go there for drinks. read more

I'm a big fan of colley cantina. For the food, drinks, prices, atmosphere. Its very laid back and that includes the service. They're not always right on top of you, but not super inattentive either. Burritos are awesome and the fresh fried mozzarella is a fav! read more

It's like pseudo-mexican or something. Good food, really big portions so keep that in mind. I think I'd probably like this place more if I was a drinker - every time I go there is some obnoxious drunk patron that gets on my nerves. Nice murals inside but I'd rather sit outside cause it's super noisy. read more

Interesting atmosphere. Food is decent but a little pricy considering the quality and amount you get. Beer selection is decent.

Stopped in for lunch today 5-19-17 , the waitress was constantly handling her hair and then touching our food , also was digging her ear , not once did I see her wash her hands, on top of that our fries where cold and not cooked properly. Been here a couple times the food is good but service is poor and not cleanly read more

I usually come on a Thursday for shrimp night, shrimp is usually great but service and food sucked tonight, shrimp barely had any seasoning and my butter was spilled all over. My margarita was very weak compared to what I usually get. Was not impressed but I will be back next week fa sho ok ok. read more

Why did I eat here? 2 stars only because the drink were delicious. I ordered the jerk chicken tacos on a corn tortilla. I love west Indian food so I expected a lot of flavor and spice to accompany this dish. However, what I got was very bland chicken with no spice whatsoever. The jalapeños which were garnished on the taco to add some heat (I suppose) couldn't save this dish. The sirahchi slaw was bland and the plantains were shameful. I ate two bites of it and never touched it again. To make matters worst, I informed the waitress that my dinner mate's meal was missing avacados that she ordered. We suggested that they could just serve them on the side. Instead, they took her 1/3 meal BACK INTO THE KITCHEN and added the avacado and reheated it. Quite unsanitary! Aside from the drink specials, I would not recommend this restaurant to anyone. Eat at your own risk. read more

I have been hearing and reading about Colley Cantina since I moved to the Hampton Roads area, but hadn't convinced my husband to try it with me until a couple of weeks ago. I know I'm writing this review late, but I figured I needed to since the delicious food is still on my mind! The place is small, a very local-feeling place, and I bet it feels packed in the warm weather when everyone is out on their patio area and the inside is full as well. We went on a cold day in March for dinner and sat at one of the really small tables towards the back. I could tell my husband felt cramped but he seemed to be enjoying the atmosphere (AKA a few basketball games were playing on the TVs). It took a minute for a waitress to get our drink orders, but she was knowledgeable about the vast and ever-changing beer selection, and I ordered the beer on tap that she recommended to me, some kind of dark vanilla beer. It was yummy and was nice to sip on while we had chips and salsa (also very delicious!) Hubs had sweet tea as usual, and it was pre-sweetened (as he feels it should be in the South!). The menu isn't incredibly big, but you can certainly mix and match tacos and toppings enough to get what you want. I had the fish tacos baja style, so with shredded cabbage, cilantro and lime, and hubs ordered the jerked chicken meal. He was sweating so much because it was so spicy, but he clearly loved it and ate the entire plate. I tasted some and found it pretty good, even though I usually am not a fan of jerk chicken. My fish tacos were REALLY flavorful and not overly fishy. The only downside is that you get two of them unless you order corn tortillas, and it's not a particularly hefty meal to match the slightly expensive price. We had a good time and we'll likely go back, although we might try to go during a happy hour or some kind of special deal day, to avoid paying so much. I think for what we ordered we paid over $40 plus tip. I would be interested to know if they do take-out, as well, since I have friends who live really close in Ghent and it would be a good meal to eat outside on thier deck at their apartment instead of being concerned about being cramped or waiting in long lines at the restaurant. read more

Best mixed drinks in the area! Colley Cantina is a cool and cozy little bar/restaurant that offers a great variety of Cali-mex dishes and tasty frozen drinks. They also have a great selection of beers and other cocktails. They play decent background music (more along the alternative rock/new wave variety) and offer live music as well. Friendly staff too. I always make it a point to stop here when hanging out on Colley ave. read more

Terrible service. Terrible. Took our order then didn't give us time to finish our food. Place has gone downhill under new management

Atmosphere was chill and the food was yummy. I loved the chicken tenders rolled in crushed up tortilla chips. ;)

This is a bar first, restaurant second.. And you can tell. Food lacked seasoning/flavor and we all know Mexican food is anything but bland. Great atmosphere but if I come back it would only be for drinks and apps. read more

Colley Cantina is one of my favorite bar/restaurants around. Staff is always friendly and food is delicious. They have daily foods deals that are a an amazing deal.... 1$ tacos on Tuesday! Solid beer selection and and $5 margarita everyday. Really fun atmosphere, you won't be disappointed! read more

colley cantina holds a very special place in my heart. i used to work here for awhile and i learned quite a lot about serving, cooking, myself, and life here. the people were so fun, and the employees and customers alike become family if you are good to them in return. bridget makes sure her employees know they're cared for. it's buzzing with such a good energy, and attracts people from all walks of life. it's probably one of the most lgbt friendly spaces in the city, if not the most, in my opinion. the food never claims to be authentic mexican, but for what it is, it's good stuff made with fresh, quality ingredients. i mostly worked in the kitchen and despite it being a smaller space, everything was clean and organized. the drinks are tasty and affordable as well! bingo night is super fun, and i love how cantina always decorates/is open for most holidays. they're open more often than most places on this street, so you have a chance to get a drink, a bite, and have good conversation even if every other bar is closed. it makes sense why regulars have been coming here for years consistently. i haven't been here in a few months because i just had my baby, which actually, i owe her existence to this place. i met the love of my life while working here with him. it's crazy that a charming taco bar is what i owe my little family to. overall, colley cantina is quirky, special, lively, and a warm place that is open to all types of people. i've met some of the most wonderful souls here. i can't wait to go back soon. read more

The strength of this neighborhood restaurant is its hang-out factor. It's set up as a neighborhood restaurant where you can see who walks in the door and hang out on the patio in good weather. Staff seemed to know most people who came through the door, and most patrons lingered well after their meal was done. So there's an ambiance factor. However, if you are looking for amazing innovative Mexican food, this isn't the place. The food is solid, clean, and simple, but certainly standard. Portions are filling, and the build your own quesadillas makes for some yummy combinations. The chipotle cheese dip was delicious, though I'm not sure it's a regular menu item. However, other menu items are just so-so. I'm not sure how I feel about the margaritas. They claim to make their own mix from scratch, but I wasn't much of a fan. It had a powdery after-taste which masked the other flavors. The refried beans also have a strange after-taste. Perhaps sour cream mixed in? However, for some no frills, laid back Mexican food that's not a chain, it's a good place to go. read more

The Cantina is great. Happy hour deals are worth stopping by after work; tacos are about $1.50 a piece. The staff is very friendly and the atmosphere is equally enjoyable. The patio is great when the weather allows but inside is just fine. Make sure to check the calendar when you go inside on the left; they may have a band playing that night so just a heads up. read more

This place is really awesome. Not your normal heavy 5 pound burrito mexican place where you leave feeling like a brick. Its very well done mexican, street tacos, fish tacos, salads, etc and also a hand selected choice of craft beers which seems rare to me in Hampton Roads compared to where I am from in DC/MD area. This place is really good and I highly recommend. read more

Great food, huge portions and a great staff! Come with your A Game the servers will give you a run for your money if you try to put wit them

This place is nice and cozy my boyfriend loves it. I love the shrimp burritos and the nachos are a great portion. The prices are average the Bloody Mary is also a good choice. We go here on a regular basis. read more

The food was good. I had a southwest burger, many husband had a taco bowl. We came here with a Groupon to cover our meal, so for what we paid it was ok. The two meals took over 30 minutes to come, and there was one server for the entire place in a relatively packed Sunday afternoon. Also they were training a new cook which was another reason for delay read more