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    Side Street Cantina

    3.9 (397 reviews)
    ModerateMexican, Bars, Seafood
    Open 12:00 pm - 11:00 PM
    Updated 1 month ago

    Side Street Cantina Photos

    SIDE STREET CANTINA ATMOSPHERE

    What's the vibe?
    Casual
    Moderate noise
    Happy hour specials
    Good for kids

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    Recommended Reviews - Side Street Cantina

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    Seafood Enchiladas
    Gary D.

    Authentic food. So much to choose from and the place smells so good when you walk in. I'm not a local but a local recommended this place and I will definitely be back when I am here again. The service was quick and efficient. I had a margarita to wash down my seafood enchiladas, which were so good. Too much food, really. Definitely recommend.

    Steak Mexicana

    My husband and I were SO impressed with this place!! We are on vacation from AZ and I was craving some Mexican food. Hubby wanted seafood and this place delivered for both of us! The table side mango sea dip is a must-have! Beautifully melded flavors that did not disappoint! My husband got the steak, chicken, and shrimp fajitas and I got the Steak Mexicano. Both were excellent! Highly recommend!

    Service was great. Very friendly and helpful. Food was excellent. Drinks were tasty. Fun place to hang with friends and family.

    Valeri S.

    So much fun. I have been here a few times. Today I ordered some taquitos. They were so yum. Talk about hitting the spot. Especially with a nice big margarita to wash it down. They had a nice selection of tequila. Including Clase Azul. Which yes we all had a shot of that. I sat at the bar with friends and we had a blast. The servers were attentive even thou my friend broke a glass. Oops. This place is located at the oceanfront. So if ever walking around hit the side streets. You will find them there. There is only metered street parking and parking buildings so don't forget to feed the meters. There is a one bathroom stale. Was pretty clean. No complaints there. I liked the bar set up. Felt cozy.

    Mango daiquiri
    Kandace-Ma'at B.

    During our vacation in VA Beach my fiancé and I went here for cena. We weren't greeted at the door but the vibe was fun and cute. We were seated within 2 minutes and given something in drink within 2 minutes as well. Unfortunately my drink has a small, dead gnat in it and my fiancés water had no ice and tasted like sink water. The chips weren't hot/fresh and needed salt. Aside from the waters, our alcoholic drinks were OK! My fiancé ordered the añejo old fashion and I the mango daiquiri. It wasn't a strong drink. I ordered the taco salad and my fiancé, 5 different tacos (shrimp, fish, tuna, puerco, and carne asada). The taco salad was yummies and my fiancé only really complained about the carne asada taco being a little dry. The shrimp taco was our favorite. Definitely coming back when we're in VA Beach!

    Quesadilla Supreme
    Lisa G.

    Stopped here on the way to our Airbnb from the Something in the Water festival. Great location, two blocks from the beach. Prompt service from Allys S. We ordered a margarita and blueberry lemonade drink, both of which were tasty. I got a Mexi-Jap roll which wasn't what I expected but wasn't bad. My friend for a quesadilla supreme which she enjoyed. Would try again and likely reommend.

    Fish tacos
    Tyra G.

    It here is a happy crowd here tonight. Great smells coming from the kitchen. Ordered the table side guacamole. So good and fresh tasting. I ordered chori pollo and it was great. My husband loved the fish tacos and his uncle loved the arroz con pollo. Our server was underage and couldn't bring our alcoholic beverages and the bar accidentally sent the drinks to someone else. So he was able to get them for us for free. My husband still tipped him like we were charged. Thank you for making it right and for a great evening before the Shamrock marathon with family.

    Leche de tigre
    Dmitriy A.

    Have you heard of a dish called leche de tigre? Until I went here I had heard of it but never had the chance to try it. So ordered the smaller portion, the cup as an appetizer. Figured I'd get a martini glass with 3 pieces of fish in the sauce for the price. Boy was I shocked when the waiter arrived with a goblet! It was delicious. The line with mint flavor and the cured fish. Just amazing. For the price of $9.99 it is worth every penny! For the main course had the fish tacos. Those came with side of beans and rice. Ahi tuna tacos. Nothing really amazing there but were yummy. The prices at this place are very affordable. The food awesome so really get the best for your money. Try the leche de tigre! Oh almost forgot the free nachos to start. Spicy salsa is dynamite, the other white sauce they give you no idea what it is but great as well. Who doesn't love free nachos!

    Cassandra T.

    Excellent and attentive service. Yummy drinks (we got a margarita and a daiquiri both were great). Fun vibe. Cheese dip had good flavor but a little on the runny side. Fajitas were piled high with chicken. Great portion sizes for lunch.

    Pollo Fundido
    Donna M.

    The Pollo Fundido!!!! Love love it! Looks a little different than the ones I've had in the past... This is more of a burrito that was just deep fried, but it's not closed at the end... But it's fabulous!! The cheese sauce is amazing... Highly recommend..

    Mexican Parilla for two.  It's amazing!!  Feels like I'm family!!
    Kristopher S.

    The food is amazing, quality is top notch. The chef brings the dish to the table, it's an amazing experience. You definitely know you are in a good environment, immediately feel welcomed, like you're family!!

    Rice and beans side

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    1 year ago

    Food is fire! Service A+! Been here 3 days and ate here twice it's so good. Try the Taco salad or any of the dinners... enjoy!

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    11 months ago

    This place is fantastic. Food, service, all were perfect. Amazing authentic Mexican cuisine. Would recommend to anyone.

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    3 years ago

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    2 years ago

    Always good. Great tacos. Nice folks. Good margaritas. We've been coming here for a couple years and they are always consistent.

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    3 years ago

    Good Mexican food and drink and they made a separate table side guacamole for our 10 year old. Attentive service, large portions

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    Ask the Community - Side Street Cantina

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    Well worth a little jaunt off of the main strip, Taqueria Jessy's has authentic Mexican food that…read morewill make you want to come back for more. Here's the deal: Jessy's is located in a small shopping strip. While the building is a little older I did not think l it run down or in a part of town that I would consider questionable at all. I saw at least one review that noted this- could not disagree more., nothing to fear here. Plenty of parking and it's free! Once inside the restaurant is medium sized with seating for at least 15 parties and tables that can accommodative larger parties, 10+ people. There are two order stations at either side of the restaurant - one for hot food the other for ice cream and desserts. Service was friendly and attentive. You can choose to self order for takeout or be waited on. While staff wait on and bring you food and drink, pay is self pay at the food order counter. The menu is larger and has something for everyone. Proteins are optional for nearly every dish. The food here is authentic with lots of protections including some of my favorites- Al pastor and chicken tinga. Chips and salsa are scratch made and fresh- very good. We had street tacos which were very flavorful and also scratch cooked including the corn tortillas. Served with traditional hot sauces to add that little extra heat- awesome. The Al pastor was not grilled to get that char that some Al pastor dishes have but was otherwise spot on. Chicken tinga was perfect. If you are looking for authentic Mexican at reasonable prices, this is your place and absolutely worth a few minutes drive over. Hope to see you there sometime- happy eating!

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    Jose Tequilas

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    ¡Muy bueno! From the Margaritas to the Carnitas, I was super impressed. The meats were all…read moremarinated and seasoned perfectly. They were cooked just right - moist and flavorful. The staff had a great attitude - they were having fun and made our dinner special. Best Mexican food we've had in Norfolk!

    If you're looking for a fun, lively spot with huge margaritas and great vibes, Jose Tequila's…read moreabsolutely delivers. We came here to celebrate a birthday, and it ended up being one of those meals where everything just hit. First off, those margaritas are no joke. Massive, flavorful, and strong in the best way. Bonus: they do $2 off specialty margs on Mondays, which is dangerous knowledge now that I have it. I went with the Coco Loco Margarita (1800 coconut tequila, coconut milk, triple sec, and sweetened flaked coconut), and WOW. It was creamy, refreshing, and honestly tasted like a tropical vacation. My friends ordered the House Marg, Peach Sangria Marg and the Spicy Pineapple & Cilantro Marg, all were just as impressive. The spicy one had a great kick without being overwhelming, and the peach option was super smooth and fruity. Before we even ordered, the complimentary chips, salsa, and that famous white sauce came out ... and let me tell you, that white sauce is to die for. I could've eaten that all night. For my dinner, I had the asada enchiladas, and I'm still thinking about them. Perfectly cooked grilled steak laid over cheesy enchiladas with verde sauce, plus rice and black beans. I loved that the steak was on top because once I got full, I could still pick at the protein (elite move). My friends got arroz con pollo, carne asada tacos, and the wildest dish on the table ... the El Molcajete. It came out sizzling in a stone bowl loaded with shrimp, beef, chicken, chorizo, cactus, and all the fixings. We all shared bites and it was unreal. We ended the night with the staff singing happy birthday and completely embarrassing my friend with a sombrero and a candle in his shot. Incredible. Definitely will be coming back, especially for that margarita deal and birthdays!

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    Margarita Grill

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    Ambiance is nice but the food & the prices are unbelievable…read more You have to try their nachos & tacos. Happy hours are great too. You will leave Happy. Delicious food! My opinion : Best Nachos in Virginia Beach.

    My sister and I decided to try this spot because we saw that they had special's and it was taco…read moreTuesday. When we walked in we were greeted by the bartender. Happy hour was 3-6pm I think, and there were 2 taco specials on the board. I'm not sure if it was valid or not.. There was one person at the bar taking orders, serving drinks, and pretty much running the place. She was very busy. The anxiety of watching her try to handle everything made me a little uncomfortable. She was doing her best, and kuddos to her for not flipping a table and walking out. She was nice, but she asked us every 3-4 minutes if we knew what we were ordering. It was very aggravating. I don't think she realized after several times we were over it. The inside is pretty much a bar setting with a few booths. It's very dated and low-key kind of gloomy inside. I'd say this is a bar for locals, not really a restaurant. It's definitely the kind of food you could eat if you had a few drinks, maybe. But sober, heck no!! Lol. Ugh. I was excited to try them because they have some 5 star reviews, but it wasn't what I expected. When it was time to eat she went and got the cook from outside. We ordered 2 burgers and fries, and chicken nachos. We left and came back to pick up our order and the seats at the bar was packed at this point. The waitress met us as we walked in, with our food. I was hungry, so I tried the food in the car. The burger was definitely a frozen patty and thick as heck. It looked decent kinda sorta, in a way, maybe, just a little bit. Idk what to say. The fries were crispy but awkwardly greasy!! There was one tiny tomato on my burger and a huge onion that was a little moldy. I've never seen someone use a slice of onion this big on a burger. The burger definitely needed seasoning. I think if it had flavor it would have been decent. I'll give the burger a 4/10. My sister got the chicken nachos and she was not happy. Whatever mystery beans they had made were disgusting. They tasted old or something was off about them. The guacamole was a little sour tasting also, and the chicken was flavorless. She tried so hard to make it work, she even re-cooked the beans and it just didn't help. 2/10!!! She spent $25 and felt it was the worse decision she made all day. I wish I was exaggerating or something, but this is actual factual. The prices are reasonable, I'll say that. But it's definitely certain things to stay away from on the menu. I don't think we'd ever return. Maybe the tacos are better than what we had ordered. If you're looking for a drink maybe things would be better. I think they specialize in drinks over food!?

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    Tequila Jalisco Mexican Grill

    Tequila Jalisco Mexican Grill

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    Went here for cinco de mayo and it was packed. Waited 30 minutes for a table but were able to sit…read moreat the bar and wait. They were very good at refilling the chips and salsa/white sauce while we waited. Not pictured since I devoured everything and forgot to take a picture but the food was really delicious. I got the deluxe burrito which came with two large burritos and also had a birria taco. Not the best birria I've ever had but was still pretty good 4/5. I did get a picture of the reason I came here which was the soft serve margarita. It was pineapple flavored so tasted exactly like a dope whip with alcohol 10/10. Was pretty loud in there with a birthday, multiple large parties and the o all round business of cinco de mayo. Overall I would recommend this location but mainly for the soft serve margarita which I haven't been able to find this side of the water.

    Stopped in for dinner on a Tuesday. Had to try the tacos. The staff really stood out as they were…read morequick, friendly and attentive. There were three birthdays that the crew went over and sang an enthusiastic happy birthday for, so it may be a popular place to host a birthday party (not sure if the shots of tequila were free for the b-day guest). The menu had something for everyone, but was easy to choose from. The tacos and margarita weren't anything crazy (not quite a Cali street taco) but I asked for fresh jalapeños and hot sauce (made in house) and it put the finishing touches on my dinner. I'll try a few other places while I'm in town, but Jalisco is my front runner so far.

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    Pelon's Baja Grill

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    We ordered online and were given a pickup time, but when we arrived our food wasn't quite ready and…read morewe ended up waiting about another 20 minutes. To be fair, the restaurant was extremely busy, so it was understandable, but it would have been nice if the pickup estimate had been a little more accurate. I ordered the California burrito, and it was decent. Ever since having authentic California burritos in California, I've been on the hunt for one that compares, and this one didn't quite hit the mark for me. The real star of the meal was the chips and guacamole. They were fresh, flavorful, and easily the best part of our order. Overall, it was a solid experience with some great items, even if the wait and burrito didn't completely live up to expectations.

    If you haven't been to Pelon's you are missing out my friend! The vibes are definitely here, laid…read moreback surfer feel with some incredible food with awesome service. We had the plain Jane carne burrito, trio appetizer, shrimp quesadilla & carne tacos- there weren't any left overs. The carne asada is so tender and juicy it basically melts in your mouth. The shrimp in the quesadilla was grilled to perfection smothered in delicious queso with a perfect crunch of the toasted tortilla. The trio appetizers was a great balance and a sure hit even if you just come in to grab a beer and snack while enjoying the awesome music and upbeat crowd! Our servers were super helpful in picking menu items and taking care of us! This place is a 10/10 highly recommend! It's our new spot!

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    Side Street Cantina - mexican - Updated June 2026

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