Among the other restaurants lining Colley Avenue, Colley Cantina stands apart, but not necessarily in a good way.. No, it;s not the most mind-blowing meal you will ever have, but it's a good place to unwind and grab a bite of eat after a long day. Colley Cantina is where I prefer to kick up my heels and relax but still be in the midst of everything. Their menu has Mexican and American influences that give it an interesting mix. Even so, the dishes I've had fall short of amazing. Their Boca burger tastes only a tad better than when I nuke one at home, so the food isn't my personal favorite. The appetizers such as fried avocados or chips and salsa are sludgy, leaving me with little energy for the rest of the night. I would recommend Colley Cantina for drinks and food, but only if you're really hungry. read more

Colley Cantina - In the heart of Colley - Bars Near Me - Norfolk, Virginia

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Best shrimp Quesadilla every, I am hard to please! Service Top notch. A real treat! Great prices! Cold beer! Life is good! Thank you CC! read more

The food was decent but the waitress was pretty rude. We stopped by just to get 2 rounds of drinks and an appetizer. When the waitress discovered we weren't ordering an entree, her mood quickly shifted and she did not care afterwards. Very unfortunate because it seems like a nice spot read more

All good things must come to an end, and so it was with our Ghent Bar Crawl. Colley Cantina was the final stop, but that is a good thing. It is like Duke playing the final game of the season at Cameron Indoor Arena, it is the home court. Again, outside seating rules the day on Colley Ave, the Cantina is no exception. Vibe is why you come here, especially late at night. Vibe and the fact that the late night staff seems to have a good sense of humour and much patience for the type of people that show up 30 minutes before Last Call. Like almost every place in Ghent, if you make any effort at all, you will meet a new friend while you are tossing back liquids that Kill Brain Cells. New and interesting friends at that! The prices are fair, the service is what it is for this time of night. It is your fellow Cantina Patrons that make the night for you, though. So sit back and let the conversation fly...and don't care if you really have no idea what you are talking about because at CC, it just doesn't matter.... read more

I have eaten at the new Colley Cantina several times since it reopened under its new management. In spite of its mixed and often less than stellar reviews, it has managed to earn a spot in my Ghent dining repertoire. After ordering a martini at the bar, I usually start off with their Dip Duo appetizer, which consists of a basket of tortilla chips, guacamole, and a salsa of your choice. I can only eat a fraction of the chips, but I like to have something to munch on while waiting for my main order to arrive. The chips are nice and crispy. The guacamole is decent. For my choice of salsa, I always ask for their hottest, which they tell me is the Mango Habanero. Although it is tasty, it is much too mild and way too sweet for my tastes. They usually have a bottle of a commercial hot sauce available if you ask for it, but it isn't very hot either. My suggestion is to purchase and keep a few bottles of Endorphin Rush on hand. This is my favorite commercial hot sauce and it always delivers a nice dose of heat and flavor at the same time. This hot sauce was always available at San Antonio Sam's back when they in business on Colley Avenue. I usually order a second martini and their Fresh Fish Platter for my main meal. I always order the fish blackened and choose the spinach for my side. The presentation of this platter is very plain and straightforward without any gourmet frills. But it always manages to hit the spot. The bar staff has always been friendly and accommodating. I have had excellent service from three of their bartenders in particular, one of whom is an old friend. But one of their other bartenders could use a little more training. One night I caught her squirting soda water in my martini glass in order to fill it closer to the rim. Please don't do that. If you want to fill my martini glass closer to the rim, then simply add more alcohol. You will never get an argument from me about that. Maybe it's my old age, but the Baja menu theme does not work all that well for me. The loud and spashy "Tokyo by night" menu is a bit of a turn off. Nor am I turned on by the items listed in the "Surfer Chow" section of their menu. Speaking from my own personal biases, I would like to see the Colley Cantina lose the Baja theme and return to more of a nitty gritty Tex-Mex theme, but with a higher quality than it did before when it was under its previous management. On the positive side, I see dishes coming out of their kitchen which I would have never seen from the old Colley Cantina. Watching the chefs in action from the bar, I can honestly say that they are putting forth a great effort. I admire their attempt to be more innovative. In addition, I have definitely noted a positive uptick in the personal vibe of this restaurant. When I ate here years ago under their old management, they never asked me how I wanted my tuna cooked. As a result, it almost always came out dry and overcooked. Under their new management, they always ask me how I want it cooked. During my last visit, I ordered my tuna medium rare, and it came out perfectly. On balance, I find the new Colley Cantina to be a cut above the old Colley Cantina. And overall, I see them trending in a positive direction. There is still room for improvement, but this is true for any restaurant. In any event, I will continue to return whenever I am struck with the urge for some chips and guacamole and a slice of fresh blackened fish. read more

Went last night with friends for dinner. The food was fantastic and fresh with large portions. I had the chimichanga with shrimp and it was fantastic! The Monday night special was 1/2 price chimichanga's. The special included a large shrimp chimichanga, chips and salsa for $7.50 (what a great deal)! The gauc was fresh and delicious. The staff was awesome! Cannot wait to go back. read more

I've had better Mexican food. Don't go for the food, go for the atmosphere, the beer, and the people. Staff and service is great too. Virginia finally restricted smoking indoors so the air is clean a fresh. Overall a GREAT experience. Crowd is FANTASTIC! Comparable to San Francisco's South of Market or Castro; New York's Greenwich Village or Alphabet City; Seattle's Broadway/U-District; Houston's Montros District; Wash DC's Dupont Circle. read more

Been going here as long as I can remember. I love the eclectic crowd, regional beer (Genesee) and zesty well crafted food. Pretty Funky blend of music usually coming off the Juke Box too. Coming from VB Oceanfront - which is a fair car ride. Kudos to the Cantina for knowing who they are and sticking to it! read more

Colley Cantina - Bars Near Me - Norfolk, Virginia

Inside of the building is poorly lit and appears dingy. However, the service was nice and the food was good.

Service was good, but my tacos came in stale shells that were clearly from a box, and the filing in one had soaked through the shell before it came out, implying that it had been made a while before I ordered. read more

Colley Cantina is my favorite dive bar in all of Virginia. Its so easy to make friends here....Colley Cantina Can Tina Can Tina Can Tina Christine... Anyway, like I was typing before Virginia has the friendliest people and the friendliest of them place are right here on Colley Ave in Norfolk at the Tina Cantina, i mean Colley Cantina. Have you ever noticed how tough it is to type when you hsve hsd a few too msny drinks its like the keys on your iphone get smaller snd blurier. The drinks here are goiod snd the peeps really frendly. Have a drink s colorfil one Yeah!!!! I love this ! read more

Colley Cantina - Colley Cantina Can Tina Can Tina! - Bars Near Me - Norfolk, Virginia

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Honestly the best cantina style restaurant/bar I've ever been to! The no moo nachos are a must try!

Another case of Overly priced tacos. The drinks were good tho. Would not return for food

This was my first visit back to Colley Catina since the menu change. This has been my favorite place to go to for the past 7-8 years for Cali style Mexican food. I stopped in for lunch on Saturday afternoon and found it odd that the restaurant only had two people eating. The patio was empty! On my bike ride over I was really looking forward to the Kogi beef tacos just to get there and discover there's a new menu and they were no longer available. No problem! I've been here so many times there was nothing on the menu I couldn't enjoy. I went with the beef burrito and Mexican street corn. The corn was good. No complaints. However the burrito was rather dry and flavorless. I asked for a small side up of queso to pour over the burrito and my waiter informed me it was an extra $4! At that point I didn't care I just wanted my food to be better. So he brought me my condiment cup size of queso which was so runny and had no flavor. It was more like a cup of heavy cream. I ate about half the burrito and polished off both pieces of corn. The margarita was good. Service was prompt and friendly. I spent $35 for disappointment. I don't think i will be returning again. read more

Colley Cantina - Mexican Street Corn, Beef Burrito, Strawberry Margarita - Bars Near Me - Norfolk, Virginia

Food is trash you will get better Mexican at Taco Bell. The service is trash. If you want the dirty feel of a Virginia Beach college bar but non of the good views this is the place for you. Hopefully due to new ownership they will close soon. Don't waist your time or money. Unless if that's what you like, they would be much better in a trailer park instead of Ghent. read more

Excellent food! Chips were crunchy and had no grease! Meat dishes were very tasty and the portions were perfect!

Soooo, you all know how big i am on customer service. I came here once and the service (from one lady) was very poor. HOWEVER, THE FOOD AND DRINKS WERE GREAT. I went on a Wednesday night which is wing night. Also margarita specials. I did call and give a slight complaint about one of the servers, but that's only because i feel like we could have gotten better service. After calling the manager did everything in her power to make sure we are taken care of the next time we visit. read more

Got charged $2.29 for tap water coz I can't have coke and I don't wanna drink&drive. We've been here multiple times for taco Tuesday and were never charged for water. They might argue that the $1 taco comes with a drink purchase but that wasn't advertised on their board nor were we informed the few times we ate there. Never had problems before except for that night. Tacos & margaritas were good. It's just disappointing that they charge for tap water. We've recommended this place to family and friends. We might not come back after this. read more

Colley Cantina - $2.29 for tap water. - Bars Near Me - Norfolk, Virginia

I wanted Mexican food and was sadly lied to this was far from authentic and dare I say not good, like the tacos are like taco Tuesday tacos and the elote (street corn) was so bad I didn't even finish my first one and I normally finish elotes in 2 seconds. read more

Stopped in for Taco Tuesday! Friendly folk and great service. May have to make it a regular stop read more

Colley Cantina - Bars Near Me - Norfolk, Virginia

Horrible service!!! Unadvertised "rules" If you don't want to sell your food, don't say it's a special.... read more

Colley Cantina - Bars Near Me - Norfolk, Virginia

Are you coming here? We waited over 45 mins, for fish tacos. (Maybe they were catching fresh fish?) Crazy thing is this place had very few patrons, if you have the time this is your place, I don't. Headed to another restaurant. Never again! read more

3 servers working and only one other couple in the bar. Male server working took our order, had someone else bring us food, didn't refill our drinks and took him 30 minutes after requesting bill to bring us the check. Also watched him take our baskets and just put them with the other baskets to use for customers no cleaning or wiping them down. NEVER COMING BACK read more

I ordered fish tacos with hard shells on accident they were good but I recommend them on flour tortilla. The fries were also good, they weren't completely generic. My boyfriend ordered the southwest burger he also enjoyed his meal. Lastly we had $3 left from our Groupon voucher and the server recommended getting some dessert. We got the key lime pie. IT WAS SO DELICIOUS! read more

Super blasting AC inside, that's good if you are hot by nature bring a sweater Cute as hell outside. Seems like lower Manhattan sitting out there. Some waitresses are kind of twatty, but the two I had were great. Kind of a crapshoot I guess. Tacos rule. So good, I got beef and a ceaser salad. It had avocado in it and the sangria was really delicious! It was only $3.00! My whole bill was only 16! I really love this place. read more

Boyfriend and I came here one night when the restaurant next door was packed and didn't feel like waiting. So glad we did! The food was great, drinks were great, and had a chill atmosphere. The prices are reasonable. Our waitress was kind and welcoming. read more

Visited Colley Cantina for a drink and appetizer, read a few reviews where ppl talked about how great the Nachos where. I seriously don't know why, my nachos where really dried, and not much flavors to it. Had to ask for salsa . My husband order a burger and said it was food, food took long to get, which we understood because there was only one cook, but I feel like they left my nachos under heat while they cooked the burger, it was the worst nachos I ever got. The service : waitress was nice, but she was not very attentive. Had to ask for water refill, and waited for ever to get and pay bill. Drinks where good price, margarita was good. The place was cute, and enough siting area, love the outside patio. I would prob not go back, I was not impressed at all e the food. read more

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Ok foodie frat here's the facts : DEFINITELY A NO GO WITH THESE GUYS AND TO THINK I WAS GIVING THEM FREE PROMO ON IG WITH MY TACO TUESDAY VIDEO !!! Not a big fan of being told they have somen just for the waitress to come back and say "oooo sorry were out" not once but 4 times you guys cmon !!! *insert prof X meme* y'all I also asked for a shot of fireball chilled , I'm thinking chilled liquor or shot glass right ? Why ask me if I want a chaser and I tell you no then you put my shot in a glass with ice and shake it around diluting it regardless !?!? I used to be fond of this place until this very visit today smh. With all the lackadaisical chaos with the waiters I'm terrified to see what's the out come of the tacos smh really upset about this and idk if the owner reads these but THIS WAS NOT IT COACH !! Not to mention how sarcastic the waiter was but I'm over , typing this was peasant service to say the least. Just when I thought I was done the waitress ain't write down my order just to put it in wrong woooow right ? Like cmon this PLACE IS CRAP!!! read more

Doesn't taste good, but at least it's expensive. CC used to be a dump with cheap chips and beer, and crappy food. It is now very nice inside with a SoCal vibe. The chips and beer cost more, and the food is still crappy. I don't know who came up with the menu but its a poor imitation of whatever "fusion" style it is they are going for. The burrito I ordered sounded fantastic on the menu, and I was excited to try it. I told the server it must be the wrong burrito since I couldn't taste any of the flavors the menu described. The manager came out and argued with me instead of trying to make it right. Another chance for ghent to get one right, flushed down the tubes. Sucks. read more

I went back here about less than a month ago to enjoy some drinks and a meal to share. The person accompanying me and I couldn't decide on the appetizers, we were stuck on two options. She suggested the Jerk Chicken Nachos that was a special at the time. I have to say - they need to add this to the menu! It was pretty tasty. (hint: add to menu!) I think I need to try the food more... I still stand by the fact that their Mojitos are awesome. It was the lady's first time, and she was pretty satisfied with the Mojitos as well. read more

This is a great place to walk to, bike to, and stumble home from. The atmosphere is fantastic! One of my favorite things about it is the bathrooms. They're set up similar to taphouse or cogans, but the difference is.... They're CLEAN! Clean bathrooms are so important. We will keep coming back. Fo sho read more

Went for taco night! Tacos were greatt! I have been back multiple times!! The restaurant has a doggie door for outside seating! Super cool!

I've been coming here for six years. It says cantina but is a dive place. If you're bot wanting dive this is the wrong place for you. No tea no shade but shitty servers great bartenders and kitchen staff. read more

I'm a BIG fan of the new menu. I went with my boyfriend and some friends this summer the last weekend the old Colley Cantina was open, and understood why it was closing their doors. I didn't think that I would ever go back; when I saw that there was a Groupon for it, I mentioned to the boy what a shame it was that the place had been so gross over the summer. I guess he had dropped in at one point and said that the updated menu was actually pretty good, nothing like the dive we walked into this summer. Skeptical, I purchased the Groupon. And I was very pleased with my purchase! The new owners have done a fantastic job overhauling the menu and making the place a bit cleaner. There are lots of great options on the menu, too - we recently went with a friend who can't eat carbs, and while she usually hates resigning to just ordering salad whenever we go out to eat, she was also very happy with the choice to go there! The Kobe short rib quesadilla was really good, as were the pork tacos that I had. If you get the tacos on the three corn tortillas, you'll discover that the tacos are actually each wrapped in two tortillas, making them much easier to eat. The presentation was really beautiful, too, which was admittedly a nice touch. I can't comment much on the drink specials or anything else, but it looks like they have a trivia night, karaoke night, and a few other specials throughout the week. I'm excited to go back soon! read more

New Colley Cantina is delightful. We had a bunch of people in town due to a family funeral. It had been a really long day for everyone and we needed a place to grab a drink and relax. This was a hit. The Good: 1. $4 local brews. They have a wide selection of beer including several locals. 2. The food was tasty. Get the tacos or burrito. 3. Service was great. 4. There is a wall of hot sauces. Only thing I would change is the lack of music. I would go back! read more

We dropped into this little joint in search of some food to much on while continuing our bar hopping escapade. The food (late night menu) isn't anything close to fantastic. Their fish tacos were extremely dry (I had to eat a spoonful of salsa to lubricate the mass of fish in my mouth). The grande nachos were a bit subpar, not for a lack of preparation, just not the best ingredients. Whatever, we were half drunk, we ate it anyway. Oh, their margaritas have some punch and our waitress was really cool. Too bad it was her last day there. It's a cool little place to hangout....just keep drinking while you eat. read more

Nothing beats a giant pile of nachos at 1am when you've been drinking. Especially when that said pile feeds three hungry men and a hungry me. :) It's nothing to write home about, but the nachos were pretty decent, especially with the seasoned beef. Mmm, I love me some loaded nachos! Service was good, even though it was our server's last night working there. I mean, she could have totally been a jerk and given us lackluster service, but she took good care of us. What a champ. read more

I was happy that this restaurant reopened, because I never managed to eat here before it closed a few months back. I came here a few nights ago with my parents. It has a good selection of local and esoteric beers. The waitstaff has more of the grungy look to them; but don't let that appearance fool you, because our waitress was awesome. My mom got the korean BBQ tacos, I got the pork burrito, and my dad got the fresh catch of the day fish jerked style. There is also 4 or 5 varieties of salsa that you can choose with your dish. The ingredients were fresh, our food was quickly prepared and hot. The prices are cheap ($8.99ish). I liked my mom's korean BBQ tacos better than my burrito. You don't get any side dishes with your entree (e.g. rice), but you will be able to eat your entire dish and feel satisfied. The ambience is laid-back. There are different areas to sit at: outside, underneath an open window porch, or inside. There's also a bar area with high stools and tables for the people wanting to just drink. Overall a cool place to hang out and lounge. My mother, who normally doesn't like this kind of food, wants to come back here again. And I'm all for it as well. read more

Very sad to see one of my favorite establishments change so much under new ownership! My friends and I used to love Colley cantina, their wings, $5 margaritas, and the atmosphere of the place. The food, service, and clientele have really changed in the past year or so and not for the better. read more

It was a quaint little place. We went on a Tuesday at around 6:30 and there was plenty of available seating. Despite it being a beautiful day, we choose to sit inside thanks to VAs new smoking laws. The fish tacos were amazing as expected and the margaritas were the perfect balance of strength and taste (this coming from someone with a LOT of margarita knowledge). The best part though was the guacamole - it was literally addictive. The sides left much to be desired... The tacos came with re-fried beans and rice and neither were worth a second bite. However, this wouldnt keep me from suggesting Colley Cantina to a friend... I would simply give them a heads-up on the sides. Will definitely visit again in the future. read more