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El Cantarito Mexican Restaurant

4.2 (101 reviews)
InexpensiveMexican
Closed 11:00 am - 9:00 pm

El Cantarito Mexican Restaurant Photos

Business Info

EL CANTARITO MEXICAN RESTAURANT ATMOSPHERE

What's the vibe?
Very loud
Casual
Good for kids
Good for groups

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Recommended Reviews - El Cantarito Mexican Restaurant

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salad with carnitas dinner
Lindsay H.

Speedy and affordable. This spot was hoppin,' even on a Monday night. Our to-go order was ready within 10 minutes of ordering and was packed well. When we got home, the order was not only correct (rare prize for to-go orders) and was hot and fresh. We ordered a carnitas dinner, a combo with tamale and chicken enchilada, a ground beef taco, and queso, salsa and chips. All of that was $25 (Oct. 2022)! This food definitely has a tex mex vibe, but was still tasty and both meals came with rice and beans. The ground beef taco was a good deal and they put a ton of meat and cheese in it. I was hoping for a homemade tortilla, but that wasn't the case. The tamale was good and had a meat (chicken?) inside and was topped with beef. Meat feast! The chicken enchilada was not my thing, as it was mostly big chunks of green peppers and onions. The carnitas was very tender. We did wish it had a touch more flavor but we would order it again. Hard to top La Casita Charra's carnitas down the street. The queso was good (with a few chunks) and the salsa was fantastic. Restaurant-style salsa, blended with the perfect amount of spice. We will be back to try other goodies!

Kethwr W.

would come again next time we visit Oakridge. Good service, excellent prices and tasty food. The chips and salsa are some of our favorites! The menu has a great variety. My husband enjoyed the enchiladas supreme, and said the beef was his favorite. His only complaint was that part of the chicken was a little over cooked. I ordered from the a la carte menu and enjoyed the crispy taco, guacamole chalupa and large plate of brocolli - glad to add some nutrition to our filling meal!

Enchiladas Suizas
K R.

You could easily drive right past this place because the exterior is nondescript! However, once you park and enter the restaurant you will see it is packed and that's for a reason. The decor is average but the staff is welcoming and fast! I sat at the bar next to two men who said the come once a week and that everything was good! They ordered fajitas for two and it looked delicious! I saw another customer order the garlic shrimp and he said it was excellent and the shrimp were huge!! I decided on the enchiladas suizas. The chicken was legit grilled and the toppings were plentiful and so so so flavorful. You get complimentary chips and salsa. I liked the salsa but the chips were average. The prices were super cheap/reasonable. I'm definitely coming back to this place!!!

Lunch menu
Meg M.

I ate here for lunch on Monday and Tuesday this past week. This place is FAST and DELICIOUS! Service was on point and friendly. We ordered off the lunch menu and were eating within 5 minutes. They include house-made chips and salsa. The Chile Relleno was huge and on point; The taco beef is perfectly seasoned; the Tostaguac lunch entree included delicious guacamole and a generous scoop of sour cream. The refried beans are excellent. My only minor quibble is that they could add a little more cheese to some of the lunch entrees. With sodas, chips & salsa and our entrees, plus tax and a generous tip, we paid about as much as we would have for two fast food meals. Why would you drive through McDonalds when you can have fast, hot, delicious Mexican food? I'd rather support the small local business than the corporate chain restaurant every day of the week. Next time I'm in town I'm aiming to try their happy hour margaritas.

Fajitas and burrito

Excellent service food and quaint lounge. Small restaurant not far from downtown. Food is excellent.

Taco salad was good. I was really looking forward to the sopapilla and was highly disappointed with it. In the description,it should say that it's a flat tortilla fried, then cut into triangles, THEN drizzled w honey and cinnamon. Here I was expecting a huge air filled sopapilla like I get everywhere else and ended up w this.

Sad plate with weak mole.
Andrew P.

After working the last 15 years in Texas, and very close to "the valley ", I found this to be a weak imitation of Mexican food. The mole was thin, pale, and not house made. Guacamole was 80% tomatoes and filler. Rice was just so-so. And the lunch was served with store bought flour tortillas. Abuello would have turned his nose up at this. And so the search continues, for true Mexican food in Tennessee.

Chimichanga  Shredded Chicken
Charlotte B.

Best Mexican I've had in awhile. Had the lunch chimichanga. $6.49 and what a deal! First time here, came with friends and definitely will return.

I highly recommend this place.

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11 months ago

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11 months ago

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4 years ago

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3 years ago

Awesome food, excellent service! Thanks! Comfortable seating , wide variety of selections

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2 years ago

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4 years ago

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2 years ago

Food always a plus some of the service is trash. Always a good time overall tho. Quick lunch spot

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7 years ago

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3 years ago

Other than the salsa being a touch too spicy for me (and i do mean just a touch), the food is outstanding!!!!!!!!!!

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3 years ago

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4 years ago

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2 years ago

The food not very good . Doesn't taste fresh . The water is terrible. I would not recommend. The service is slow and not friendly.

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6 years ago

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3 years ago

This is one of the best Mexican places around. I love the staff and the food. Highly recommend.

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4 years ago

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2 years ago

The food is amazing and perfect. The price is right and the staff is amazing . I always go there with my family

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2 years ago

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3 years ago

Great food, lots of options and good service. El Cantaritos food is very good and it's not break the bank cost.

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2 years ago

The only reason I left a one star review is because It wouldn't let me leave any lower, the service from the younger guy is horrible.

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La Casita Charra

La Casita Charra

4.6
(34 reviews)
1.1 mi
$

What happened? I am crossing fingers the usual chef is simply on vacation because our meal tonight…read morewas terrible. Carnitas Guacamole special is always my go-to. Tonight, the meat was sparse, dry (yet fatty), and bones were left in. There was undercooked rice and underseasoned beans (which are usually amazing). Probably the worst part of the meal? The guacamole had literally no avocado in it. They instead chopped tomato, cilantro, and onion and tried to pass it off as guacamole. My husband was also missing avocado that was supposed to come with his meal, so they must have been out. If so, we would have loved a phone call to let us choose an alternative or give a discount, given that guac was a main part of my meal. My husband ordered the beef rib plate and said it was perhaps the worst meal he's had all year. It was served with tortillas but the meat was so incredibly chewy and inedible, served as a long strip with bones intact. He felt the same as me about the rice and beans. We DID like the cojita cheese with the beans, the homemade tortillas, and the tortilla chips with salsa verde. We normally love the queso with its tasty, somewhat runny consistency, but today, it was congealed with a hard film covering the top. We microwaved it thinking it would help, but it was still so chunky that we couldn't dribble it over our meals. It got tossed. Because of previously amazing experiences, we will try it again (and hopefully update review) but if it is the same lacking quality, we will probably find a new spot.

I just ran in to get some tamales to go. They had a warmer right by the cash register full of…read moretamales!! I got 2 packs of 4 each (2 pork snd 2 chicken) and was thrilled!! I've just now heated them up and they were delicious!! My grandparents lived in South Texas so I grew up having authentic Mexican food at times and I'm very partial to tamales!! Glad to find my go to tamale place!!

Photos
Inside
Inside
Eggs and chorizo
Eggs and chorizo
La Casita Charra

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Gallo Loco

Gallo Loco

4.1
(92 reviews)
1.5 mi
$

Tl;Dr service is crap now and it reeks of human waste and has for at least six months…read more Look, the good is...pretty much on par with the area, there's better but it's not the absolute worst either. Years ago the price, quality and service couldn't be beat for town. Years ago. Whatever. Quality went down but portions, pricing and service remained better than the rest around four years back. Two years ago quality/flavor continued to tank, but service was okay and prices still okay. This past year? Gross. They're charging almost as much or the same as places in town that are much better in all fields: taste, quality, service, pricing, ambiance. Price creep came first. Then quality and flavor. Then came service and ambiance. Honestly, I hesitate to even brush it off as ambiance, it's closer to a health issue now and has been for at least six months. The area near the rest room absolutely reeks of sewage and human waste. I went to use the rest room and I genuinely vomited. When the smell hit me I was going to just...not use the bathroom, but my body had other plans and I was forced to use it because I had to vomit. I held my breath but then I tasted it in my mouth and vomited again, and then one last time. It was that bad. I don't know why I went back to this place, honestly. Dumb old me assumed twice now they would have this disgusting issue under control. "Surely by now" I said. It's not even that good, the only thing I can think of that possessed me to give this place a try the past two times and now this final time is that I have memories of this place. My family is close to the (previous) owners and waitstaff, we had my mother's wake here when she passed, things like that, and the make my margaritas strong because of that relationship. But that staff has been leaving over the past year, and the service shows the loss. Last time we were here we stood there for ten minutes to be seated. It wasn't anywhere near close, four hours to go actually, a weekend, and pretty dead. I understand why now. The guy in the kitchen just kept looking at us. Some other guy was in the office/kitchen just talking in the phone. The poor BOH kept ringing their little bell and couldn't even get any of the staff to come run food, it was ridiculous honestly. The mod food isn't even consistent anymore, it's like they can't even keep a cook so you order something and it comes out complete different every time, down to the salsa. One day spicy no cilantro, next day not spicy at all heaps of cilantro, one day no spice no cilantro etc. Avocado salad is the same way. So are other items. At this point, and it really hurts me to say it due to nostalgia, there is no point at all in visiting this place unless you like poor to mid food priced the same as better places in town, awful service, and the literal smell of human feces. RIP Gallo Loco.

Very inviting atmosphere with kind and helpful staff. We were seated immediately but I bet this…read moreplace can be quite busy. The food was excellent. We all enjoyed the beans that they served with the chips, a nice surprise. All the meat was cooked expertly and everyone liked their meals. We will be back.

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Gallo Loco
Tacos Locos
Tacos Locos
Interior

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Interior
Barrios Mexican Cantina

Barrios Mexican Cantina

4.3
(60 reviews)
1.4 mi
$$

We were coming home from a long day of driving and found this place along the way. To say it is…read morethe best Mexican restaurant food I've ever had would be an understatement. Everything was epic. We started with chips and salsa and beer. I wish I could remember the name of the young man who served us because he was a very good bartender and server. I ordered three different tacos and man, oh man! The cauliflower taco was hands down the best taco I've ever eaten. The lengua taco was just as good. The seasoning and accompanying veggies were the perfect ingredients for these tacos. The Baja shrimp tacos were good too, but not off the charts like the other two. The street corn was seasoned nicely and I enjoyed each and every bite My husband, who doesn't really like or eat Mexican food ordered the Philly Steak and Cheese burrito with rice and beans. He ate all of it, so I know it had to be good. We are already making plans to return, although it's over an hour away from our house. I'm excited to try other items. Barrios, thank you for the great food, the clean bar, and the excellent food. We look forward to seeing you again! And, we were aware of the upcharge for using a credit card, so there were no surprises as mentioned in other reviews.

It's time to update my review from 2 years ago! Yes, Barrios, you have a dedicated fan now! Since…read moremy last review, lots has changed about this place and only in a good way! They added an outdoor, dog-friendly patio and a new bar inside. Each time I've come now, that place has been clean and inviting! The service has been great - prompt, attentive, and friendly. But as a taco-loving Texan who now resides in TN, I have to say this is the BEST Mexican food in town. They have the best salsa, margaritas, and everything I've ordered, from tacos to brunch items to green chili has been yummy! While the salsa has been toned down for the 'can't handle the heat' locals - just ask your server for something else with more spice. They will accommodate you. There's some salsa Verde and tomatillo salsa that has a bit more kick and is my go-to! And they have corn tortillas too - you can just ask them to swap them out for the flour if that is your preference. I promise, my partner and I have hit just about every Mexican place in OR - and he even agrees, Barrios is where it's at!

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Barrios Mexican Cantina
Birria Queso Dip
Birria Queso Dip
New seasonal cocktails

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New seasonal cocktails

El Cantarito Mexican Restaurant - mexican - Updated July 2026

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