Nueva Cantina is my neighborhood Mexican restaurant. The service is quick and the food is scrumptious. My favorite is the burrito (carne asada or chicken) deep friend and topped with cheese. They are the most festive restaurant that comes to mind, and they always have creative drinks to go with the season. If there was a drawback, it would be parking, but I don't think it's bad enough to warrant diminishing the rating. Big shout out to Sheila who has served me and my fiancee a few times. She always takes great care of us, is so funny, and a warm spirit. read more

Five stars for the food, four stars for the service. We came at around 6 PM on a Saturday, we were one of the only tables there, still the service was extremely slow. Whenever our waitress came by, we essentially had to order everything we could think of because we wouldn't see her again for a while. That meant that we were often without water. However, the food is great so I would still recommend this place as long as you have time to spare. My sister got the secret margarita my husband got a skinny margarita and I got a mango margarita. I wouldn't get the mango margarita again, it was way too sweet. My sister said her secret margarita wasn't too sweet, and my husband's skinny margarita was quite good. We started with the chips and three dip trio. If I'm coming with just the kids and my husband, I would probably stick to the queso only, because my son loved the queso. I found the guacamole just OK, so I wouldn't order it again. I'm not sure if any of us loved the salsa. The chips were pretty good though. My husband loves the Birria taco. Both kids like the quesadillas, but one son really likes the waffle fries so next time we should ask for two cheese quesadillas one with Spanish rice for my younger son and the other with waffle fries for my older son. He wasn't a fan of the chicken nuggets that they come with. We also got the taco platter which came with a choice of four different proteins, you get three tacos each. So we got the beef Barbacoa, the steak, the grilled chicken, and the grilled shrimp. I only tried the steak and the grilled shrimp and both were delicious. The grilled shrimp was a little spicy. We walked out stuffed and brought home five tacos and a ton of chips. I definitely will continue to recommend for the food and we will probably be back as long as we have enough time. They decorate like crazy for each holiday. I really enjoy the decor. Also they have a large parking lot around back so parking is a breeze. read more

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Waitress kept apologising that they were slammed. But she never scanned to see whether customers were trying to catch her eye. Then when the bill came I had the option of tipping either 20, 22 or 30 percent. Who comes up with these numbers?? I gave her 15 percent (which was over generous) and got a curt thank you with zero sincerity behind it. That's my second bad experience there and I'm not coming back. Life's too short read more

Looks are deceiving. The atmosphere wasn't as pictured. We had the guac and chips which were delicious but it took forever to put in our main entree order, almost like the waitress forgot about us. We had the Street corn which was good just wished it had more spice to it. We were so excited about the cilantro lime rice but if I could explain the taste I would say it gave off pine tree. Tacos were small for 5$. Can't say it was great but not the worst. The quesabrilla was good but no cheese pull so maybe it sat for a while before being delivered, also it was pretty small, the piece in the picture is one of the (3) pieces it comes with which are all about that size, i'd say like a 10" tortilla folded in half. I had a regular watermelon margarita which was honestly delicious gave a real watermelon taste, wasn't very strong but that's pretty standard. Overall the experience wasn't terrible but i'll probably never be back unless it was so drinks, it seems cute for a cocktail vibe. read more

Nueva Cantina - QUESABIRRIA - Mexican Near Me - St Petersburg, Florida

I definitely get the hype here! They still had Valentine's decorations up and they were so fun! Had food and drink specials for it too, I got the heart birria taco and the consume was on point. The queso was amazing and came with 3 salsas although they were pretty spicy. They also gave us a rubber duck in our drinks which was a nice touch. Our server was so friendly and everything came out so fast! Would definitely come back, they have indoor and outdoor patio seating too. read more

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Came here for the first time with my best friend for their valentines special. The quesadillas were ahhhmaazing!!! And the drinks were so good and super cute. They decorated the place so well. I can't wait for them to open one in Palm harbor! read more

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During my first visit I tried their Bowlrito that includes a protein choice (I had the pork carnitas), black beans, Spanish rice, shredded cheese, Pico, poblano crema & Guacamole. The server brought 3 bottles of salsa to put on the bowl. I went with the spicy one and it had plenty of heat. I could only finish half and opted to bring the rest home. It was delightful and I'll be back to try other menu items. read more

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We had a good meal at Nueva Cantina. It was so cozy and decorated so beautifully for Christmas! The upside-down Christmas tree was particularly cool We were a group of 5 and had courteous, attentive service despite the restaurant being quite busy the week before Christmas. We ordered pozole, quesabirria quesadilla, al pastor, birria and a variety of other tacos. They were good, but something missing -- sp disappointing was the birria consome, as it barely had flavor / was watered down. The star of the show though was the POZOLE! BOMB of flavor! That's what we wanted from the birria but was lacking. Some of us started dipping our birria in her pozole - it was so much better than what came with the birria Not sure if I'd be back for a full meal, but we did have a good experience - just something missing in the tacos. Would def go again *just* to order the pozole, though! read more

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This is a super adorable Mexican restaurant with indoor and outdoor seated Always decorated cute for the holidays. They have excellent Margarita flights that change seasonally and are so much fun to try. Great place to bring friends and celebrate! read more

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Nueva Cantina is an awesome spot we stumbled across in St Pete Fla. The decor is over the top amazing. The wait staff is super friendly & on top of it! We sipped on some delicious margaritas while smashing some amazing tacos. The ambiance brings me back to Mexico. Lots of photo ops. A "must try!" read more

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Loved it! The margaritas were superb. And they had very cute little ducks in them. Who doesn't like little ducks? The tacos were good, too. Excellent service. I'll go back. read more

Came here for dinner with friends. The location and parking is good. The ambiance of the spot is great for conversation and sharing in some laughs. The food was good. The birria pizza was good. Rich in flavor. My asada bowlrito was very good. The asada was tender and rich in flavor. The salsa and guacamole were fresh. Where this spot fell apart was the service. Sadly, the bad service started from the moment we arrived. It was busy, and we didn't have an appointment. However the receptionist was just telling us to stay in line but wait inside. This lasted for 20 mins until they realized taking group names and numbers down would be better. So everyone didn't have to huddle near the front door. We waited a total of about 40 mins. Not bad. The receptionist certainly seemed overwhelmed. Then food service took a long time and was erratic. We all ordered at the same time, but some meals came earlier than others. Two of my friend had to leave 30 mins after ordering and their quesadilla did not arrive before they could leave. The bowlrito's arrived quickly and at least 25 mins before others received their fajitas. Our server was very nice and apologized for all the errors all night. I'd be willing to give this place another try. read more

Nueva Cantina - Bowlrito - Mexican Near Me - St Petersburg, Florida

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I ordered takeout so I can't speak to the service or restaurant, but for takeout tacos I have no complaints! Quality, authentic tacos on delicious, fresh tortillas, and they definitely don't skimp on the filling. Would definitely order again. The grilled chicken taco was a bit simple in terms of flavor but to be expected. If you're looking for something a bit heavier or with more flavor go with the Al pastor or the birria. read more

Nueva Cantina - Grilled chicken taco - Mexican Near Me - St Petersburg, Florida

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Came here on Christmas Eve, and I don't think there was a more decorated place in all of St. Pete. The restaurant was busy so the service was a bit off in the beginning, but got better as people started finishing meals and leaving. Plus, our waitress more than made up for it by bringing a bowl full of rubber duckies for the kids we were with. But I have to admit, I took a few home also. As for the food, the star of the night was the Birria Pizza. So so good! The carne asada and chicken tacos were a bit dry. The Spanish rice and black bean were good, but everyone agreed that the cilantro rice wasn't really worth eating. I don't eat cilantro so I didn't even try it. We ended the meal with churros that were hot and crispy. Overall a good meal and I would definitely return for the Birria Pizza. read more

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Nueva Cantina was... okay. We stopped by for an early lunch and the place was smaller than I expected... definitely more of a cozy neighborhood vibe than a buzzing cantina feel. We started with the queso, which honestly missed the mark. It was overly salty and formed that unappetizing hard layer on top way too fast. Texture and taste just didn't vibe. I ordered two tacos: shrimp and steak on corn tortillas. The steak was cut into cubes (not my fav), but to be fair, both tacos were seasoned well. Flavor was there, just not anything I'd rave about. I was most excited for the blackberry margarita, but it didn't deliver that punch I was hoping for. It was cute, but not strong or bold, kind of like a cocktail that forgot its purpose. Our waitress was super friendly, attentive, and kept things moving without hovering. read more

Amazing spot! I've only come a few times to the bar but the staff has always been super friendly & provided amazing service! Shoutout Carmen & AJ!!! They've made me feel welcomed & like I want to keep coming back If you like tequilla, margaritas or dope vibes, pull up to the bar so they can take care of you!! read more

The food is amazing first off before you get distracted by the decorations! Fajitas, queso, birra quesadilla, everything was delicious! Great atmosphere inside and out. It is decked out for Christmas! The Grinch margarita and the pear margarita.....must haves! Excellent service and FAST too read more

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Decent tacos. Good drinks. Great service. I've been living in St Pete for three years. How have I slept on this place. I'll definitely return. read more

Nueva Cantina - Mexican Near Me - St Petersburg, Florida

The food is great I've never had an issue with my food or drinks. I love getting a mango margarita with Tajin on the rim and my go to meal is the chicken burrito with queso on top . I've tried other things as well and literally I've never ate anything from there I didn't like. Only suggestion I wish the tables were cleaner I usually go and have to ask for them to be wiped down again. Other than that staff is nice, food is great and comes out QUICK and I love the decorations that they change with the seasons . read more

Nueva Cantina - Mexican Near Me - St Petersburg, Florida

Worst service ever and food is trash!!! Took 15 min to get drinks took another 15 min to get a refill on our water!! The food was Not it! It had no taste! Food was very bland. Our order was wrong! Took another 20 min to close out. Wouldn't recommend this place. read more

Fun outdoor atmosphere with super cheap prices. The pitchers are really fun and delicious, a great way to celebrate any occasion! Queso was bomb, highly recommend. The bowl was filling and hit the spot but nothing special. Tacos were fine but needed some freshness, like crema or veggies -- some were just meat and tortilla. Staff was friendly. Good place for casual eats at a decent price. read more

Nueva Cantina - Mexican Near Me - St Petersburg, Florida

Overall Great Mexican restaurant, not exactly authentic but close enough. The ambiance fills in nicely with this location, reminds me of growing up in a small mexican town near ruskin,fl. The service is nice, also love that the workers are speak Spanish helps so much. Food is great for the price, well maybe not for the tacos but everything else for sure. Will continue to visit this restaurant. (Also if you don't like a POPULAR place, don't come. Otherwise don't complain about the wait time) read more

It's not traditional Mexican but I love this place. They have amazing queso and guac. The drinks come with rubber ducks in them... so cute. All of the tacos are great- especially the chorizo and the el pastor. The servers and bartenders are some of the nicest people too. read more

We ordered the $50 taco tour (Twelve tacos with up to four different choices of protein). We picked 6 chicken, 3 barbacoa, and 3 fish tacos. The tacos were ok...but definitely under seasoned. The chicken was cold and all of the tacos really needed the lime and table sauces to give them flavor. These are small soft corn tortilla tacos...some call it street taco style. These size of the tacos made even 12 of them not worth $50. We also purchased a pitcher of margaritas...which were good and an ok value at $36. BTW: it took 20 minutes from ordering to receiving our drinks. The high top seating outside has crevices between the table top boards...where food collects :(. The server was friendly and did a good job. The entire restaurant looks nice and festive. My overall take is that the tacos are too small for the price and they are very UNDER-SEASONED. read more

Nueva Cantina - Food stuck in table top - Mexican Near Me - St Petersburg, Florida

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Wow the Cadillac margarita pitcher was phenomenal. Also enjoyed the pork carnitas taco (which had a generous amount of pork) and birria taco...both were quite greasy though. The cilantro rice side was good with the table squeeze bottle salsas. read more

Nueva Cantina - Trio - Mexican Near Me - St Petersburg, Florida

What am amazing ambiance and festive atmosphere and Lucia was as amazing with her addictive smile and professional service. Daniel is another that was very helpful and service with a smile. The food very very flavorful. A great place to come and party and drink and eat and be merry. Remember to support your local grubberies so we both don't starve... read more

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Our server Sheila was a delight and I can't wait to come back for more tacos and margs! My friends and I had a fantastic time at Nueva Cantina's St. Pete location. We split a margarita pitcher between 3 of us as well as the taco tour, all for a great price! We each got 3 tacos and we got to pick the proteins of choice as well. The tacos were delicious and packed with toppings. My personal favorite was the al pastor. We also got a kick out of the little duckies that came in our drink glasses. So cute! read more

My friends and I went for Galentines, the decor and ambiance was truly amazing! The servers were friendly and the food was delicious, but we definitely waited over an hour for our food. To be fair we were a party of 8 so I get it, the did bring us free shots at the end! We will be back! The outside patio seemed to be just as fun as the inside! read more

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Went for their valentines pop up decor! It was so cute inside. The food was really good and their specialty drinks were good. The service was friendly, it did take about an hour for them to bring the food out but it was a busy Friday night. read more

Nueva Cantina - Mexican Near Me - St Petersburg, Florida

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My cousin and I stopped by for a weekend wine down before the start of our busy week. They are still having their valentine pop up theme which I had been saying I want to stop by and try some of the drinks let say we thought we were ready for the Cupid margarita pitcher but we barely made it through. They were so good with the watermelon puree I hope they consider keeping that flavor on the menu. We also had the Nueva Sampler which includes guacamole, queso, salsa, and tortilla chips. This was a nice start to an epic night of food and a huge pitcher we could not finish. Then we also got the elote which we were both not a fan of because the corn was overcooked, making it too soft where we like our corn on the cob to be a little bit more on the crunchy side. Then finally, we order the taco tour which included shrimp, steak,, and chicken taco. we absolutely loved the shrimp tacos. I will be back to get just shrimp tacos. I don't eat steak but my cousin enjoyed the steak tacos very much that were on the platter. The chicken was very dry so it really wasn't a hit for us, but overall we had excellent service and the drinks were so delicious. So we will definitely be back for drinks, nueva sampler, and shrimp tacos because they were the absolute best. read more

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Wanted to check this place out because of the Valentine's decorations, and sadly didn't make it when they were decorated for Christmas. We got seated in the back room because we wanted a regular table and not a high-top table. Once it got full in that room, it was extremely loud. The restaurant uses QR code for looking at the menu, instead of giving out menus. I am not a fan of this at all because then everyone is looking at their phones and it takes longer to read through it. Service was extremely slow, but it wasn't the server's fault because he had tables inside and outside. We were there for almost 2 hours because it took so long for everything. The Nueva salad was really good, and I really liked the lime vinaigrette dressing. The chips were really salty. I would definitely try more things next time. read more

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This place was adorbs! My girls and I were looking for a cute restaurant to kick off our Valentine's Day celebrations and this was the perfect place! They completely decorated the inside (even their restrooms) with valentines inspired decorations. The food was also delicious. I had the Mexican rice bowl with steak and was very happy. The sauces on top really made the dish amazing. I also tried their esquites appetizer and it was a 3/5 - I enjoyed their trio dip a lot more (guac, salsa and queso). They also gave us Valentines inspired shots and it came out in such a cute presentation with the tastiest gummies. The food did take a while to come out, but we were a larger party and the restaurant was pretty packed so be prepared to hang out for a while when you go. Overall, it was a great experience! read more

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My husband and I enjoy the food and atmosphere. Very professional and friendly staff. We enjoy the vegetarian options as well as a Hindu vegetarian family read more

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I can't wait to go back to Nueva Cantina and try some of the other food on the menu. My friends and I went for some drinks, I ordered the Paloma and it was probably one of the best Paloma's I've had in a while! The skinny marg was also really refreshing, and I LOVE that they use fresh lime juice instead of a mix. Our server was so attentive, she was putting down new drinks before we finished the ones we had. The restaurant itself is pretty large, but all of the seating is spread out into different rooms and the outside patio, so it never felt crowded. read more

Nueva Cantina - Trio - Mexican Near Me - St Petersburg, Florida

Good food, the dip trio is excellent! Loved the Christmas decor which made the patio have a fun and festive party vibe. Service was friendly and accommodating. Highly recommend. read more

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Cute Mexican spot all done up for the holidays! Drink specials and cute decor. The food and drinks were solid and service was great! The chip sampler with guac, queso and salsa is a must-order. We enjoyed the tacos and enchiladas, although I was sad the tofu options were no longer available :( read more

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We stopped for dinner - my first time and the bf had been there years before. We were wowed by the friendly staff (Kenzie was our waitress - she was amazing) the beautiful decorations and perfect Christmas music being played. We each ordered a beer, the trio of dips w/chips and shared beef (3) tacos. We came to St. Pete for a concert at Duke Energy and will definitely make this our destination for dinner before every concert! Highly recommend Nueva Cantina! read more

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Carol and Shauna were the best, she really took care of us during a happy hour rush! We will back.

Since the new ownership this place has gone down in food quality and the service is just awful Went for dinner - weekday - 30 minutes for server to show up - 20 minutes to get the drink order and another 20 minutes to get appetiser. By this time of 70 minutes the server informed that we can not order dinner as kitchen is backed up and no dinner Reached out to the owner and he just shrugged his shoulders and did not care a bit So sad to see such a nice place go down so quickly read more

Stopped in to catch up with a friend and had a wonderful experience! First I wanted to compliment the staff, the waitress was personable, helpful and even told us how mich she enjoyed working there! We only had drinks and the triple dip but everything was excellent! Great flavor, refreshing and really need to come back for dinner again soon its been too long! read more