Cantina 76

This is a solid restaurant! It's not my favorite Mexican place, but I like this one a lot better than the Cantina on Devine street. I sat at the bar and got a margarita and some chips, which is pretty basic, but which was good nonetheless. The only thing that.I found a little bit odd about the restaurant is that there were a lot of employees there, but only 1.5 of them were working. I don't really know why they were there just to stand around and do nothing. Nevertheless, I would recommend!

Phenomenal experience! Long story short...must do Chips Trio! Salsa, Guacamole, and Queso were perfect as a starter and extremely and uniquely flavorful. We ordered 5 different tacos to share - Surf and Turf was our favorite, but we loved the Peruvian, Brisket, Buffalo (little spicy), and blackened Shrimp. I can't say enough about the quality and flavor. Each taco was $4.50 - $5.00 and Trio Chips was $13.00. So 5 tacos, trio and 2 beers was $56.00 without tip. EXTREMELY worth it. In downtown Columbia and plenty to do within just a few blocks. Must visit! Our waitress, Emma was like a hawk and fulfilled every need!

Me and a few co workers decided on this place for our monthly get together. This was my first time at this location. I had two of the Jalapeño Shrimp Tacos, and two of the Buffalo Shrimp Tacos. Both of the Tacos had plenty of flavor. I also tried their Tots with Queso, which were delicious. The service at the bar was exceptional.

Dined here last night with colleagues and the food came out fast and fresh. I had the Chicken Pimento Cheese Taco and the Barbacoa Birria Tacos. My fav was definitely the chicken taco. Wasn’t too crowded and we got a table as soon as we arrived.

This is an outstanding restaurant with modern taco flair. Thanks to a great friendly wait staff. Mitch was awesome and very attentive. The flavor on the Surf and Turf taco was amazing. Absolutely be back again.

The food is great, had the beef nachos and liked it. The atmosphere is a little loud with music, but we did come on a busy day. Spent less than $20 for my own food.

Pleasant dining experience. Sat at the bar and was greeted by the bartender within 3 mins. Nice place, good people, good food. They have tons of different tacos. I tried the shrimp tacos and terryaki chicken. Both were delicious.

Sat at the bar and Katie made us some awesome margaritas! Food came out timed perfectly, and the tacos were perfection. Definitely a nice place to visit for the great vibes and great food

The food is amazing! We went here on a Saturday night with a dog in tow, so we needed to sit in a specific area. We did not mind waiting since we had 6 people and a dog on a Saturday night. With a convenient text to notify you your table is ready, we were able to walk around downtown with the dog for a bit and see the beautiful state house 2 or 3 blocks away from the restaurant. It was a little cold on a February night at an outdoor table, but the restaurant has heaters over the tables to help that. My roasted chicken taco might be the best taco I've ever had. My husband raved about the surf and turf taco. Quesadillas were awesome. Kids even enjoyed the traditional tacos. Service was above average. Prices were way lower than expected for the quality of the food and Main St ambiance.

The ambiance is fine. There's music that can't quite determine what genre it wants to be (and comically it's not censored). Our waiter wasn't as attentive as we would have liked, but he was by no means a bad waiter. The food was bland. It all blended together after several bites. I three tacos ($4 each); the chicken teriyaki, the fried chicken, and the traditional. The fried chicken tasted like something you could get at Taco Bell, the chicken teriyaki was so unlike chicken teriyaki that I thought I was eating the pork taco instead, and the traditional was so bad I probably could have gotten a better one at Taco Bell. The beef didn't even taste like beef. My mother got a chimichanga ($13) and it tasted mediocre. It was kind of sweet with the sauce, and she swore that the rice served was box "Hispanic" ricearoni. The chimichanga came in a big lump rather than an elongated barrito style. The sangria was pretty good. We both got that as well as chips and salsa ($4). Over all: Chips & salsa: 7.5/10 Sangria: 7/10 Fried chicken taco: 6/10 Chicken teriyaki taco: 5/10 Traditional taco: 3.5/10 Chimichanga: 4/10 Total: $47.30

The food was beyond amazing!! I love the selections. I sat at the bar which can get a lil bust. But my server was on top of me once he noticed I was there. Everything came out pretty fast. I can not complain about anything but...... the dust and cleanliness. I did ask the server they said they are responsible for the restaurant's cleaning. Which is a reason its not as clean ad it should be. Dont ask the servers to work all day then still clean a restaurant. As a server for 17 yrs and an owner of a cleaning company I see things that most would pass

As a visitor, I had fantastic tacos at Cantina 76. Wow. So good. Seriously delicious. Our table had the Peruvian, blackened shrimp, jalapeño shrimp, pesto chicken, and surf and turf tacos. They were all fantastic. I even looked up the website just to see if they might be open early so we could have lunch there before we left town!

The downtown location is always interesting! Getting seated took about 20 minutes. The inside is a small area, so it's understandable why there's always a wait to get seated or a watch for open bar space. Customer service is pretty good as well. We ordered a pitcher of the strawberry basil flavored margarita. The flavor was good, but as with all of their margaritas, I wish they were served with a little more hit of tequila. Especially because of the way they base their prices on the tequila and highlight it as their specialty. Their margaritas are more juicy than cocktail-based.  The dirty queso was pretty tasty, but some of the chips were stale. My husband ordered the quesadillas, and he enjoyed them. He liked the barbecue sauce that comes with the quesadillas. It had a sweet honey barbecue taste. I ordered the fiesta steak taco, the buffalo chicken taco, and the Peruvian shrimp taco. The Peruvian shrimp taco is a classic. It's always delicious! The buffalo chicken is good as well; it's just that sometimes the heavy amount of buffalo sauce on the taco can be overwhelming. The fiesta steak taco was delicious. The fried onion straws went well with the flavor-filled steak and sriracha sauce.  Overall, it was an enjoyable evening with a good vibe.

Went to Cantina 76 for dinner on a Thurdsay night around 6:30 and were sat immediately. It seemed to be busy upon arrival and only continued to get busier; but seemed that they continued to seat people rapidly so A+ to the hosting staff! Its cute inside, LOVED the music, and great sitting options for indoor and outdoor! We ordered the fall spice margarita and a blackberry cider, both were good. Our server was okay, he told us he was fairly new. It took a while to get our check but that was the only thing. We ordered a total of 6 tacos, the tres hombres appetizer and the mexican corn. The tres hombres, quest, guac and salsa, was good but next time ill skip the guac. The queso and salsa were AMAZING! We got chicken teriyaki, fish, steak chimmichuri (special), bbq brisket, fried chicken tacos. Those are ranked most favorite to least favorite (in our opinion). Everyone hyped up the fried chicken taco but to us it was pretty much a mcdonalds snack wrap with a special sauce. The steak and brisket were both dry and lacking flavor. Although the corn dip was pretty gooood! they should do a special taco with that on there! Overall I'd go back and probably recommend this place to someone.

Went here for lunch. I just can't resist a good taco and they were good! The atmosphere was just right to relax a bit before heading back to work. I sat down to take the load off, ordered my food, and then I quickly knocked down 3 tacos like bowling pins! BAM!!! I can't lie I thought about getting more. Can you say gluttony? Lol . They make it hard on you but I resist the urge and came back to the office. So in short... Everything was so lovely. Try them out.

We always come to Cantina 76 when we come to Columbia. It's our pre-show ritual at this point. It was beautiful outside so all the tables were occupied. We settled in at the bar. I had the blood Orange Margarita, a prickly pear Margarita, and a strawberry basil margarita. Every one was delicious but that blood orange one needs to be a stable. It was superb. I had shrimp po boy tacos and rice for dinner and again, those should be a staple. 10/10! We can't wait to come back.

Nice Mexican spot in downtown area. Its a busy part of town so get there early, and pack your patience, because parking and seating is limited. The server was very friendly and the food came out faster than anticipated considering the lunch rush. The tacos were very flavorful and the garbage queso is a must try starter.

Food good, nice place for young people in a college ambience.. my serve at the bar very proper and with good recommendations, thank you! ("556 Bar")

I went here with a large group and the service was great. The restaurant is pretty spacious. The tacos were pretty average. I got the jalapeño shrimp and the blackened shrimp which were good and can't go wrong with them but the verde enchiladas were not very good that, the sauce was a little weird. Their shredded chicken in a lot of their dishes is very dry as well. Overall would not go again.

Cantina is ALWAYS a go-to spot for me. Since I couldn't have the type of taco party I wanted for my birthday, I decided to go here and have a taco party for 1! ¡Feliz cumpleaños a mi! I had the Devine margarita especially since it was Happy Hour, guacamole which is always amazing, Mexican rice with no queso (an absolute must and fave), the Roasted Chicken taco (not pictured), and my all-time fave here which is the Fried Chicken taco. I tried the Chicken Teriyaki taco for the first time and it was pretty good; nothing what I would expect. The Chimicheesecake is HEAVEN!!! I LOVE it! The fried wrap with the cheesecake filling topped with cinnamon and drizzled with caramel sauce...do I need to say more? It's the perfect infusion of goodness! The only "downside" to Cantina 76 on Main St. is the wait starting at 5p especially on weekdays, however it's worth it! This location is my fave. I love the laid back yet upbeat, contemporary vibe of this spot. Haven't had a bad experience yet.

I was in Columbia for work and needed lunch, so decided to try this place. It was VERY crowded, their lunch rush is nothing to joke about. I sat at the bar, ordered the nachos with chicken and a beer. Beer was a Stella, I was not feeling draft beers that day, but they had a great selection to choose from. Tequila drink options looked very tasty, if I didnt have to drive home, I would have tried one. The people next to me knocked back about 6 so I think that says they thought the drinks were great. The nachos came out and I immediately was in shock - the portion is HUGE. It could feed 2-3 people easily. I tore into it, and tried to do my best damage, alas I still had enough leftovers for dinner (hahha). But hands down, it was one of the best plate of nachos I have had in a while. Fresh chips, great ratio of warm gooey cheese and chicken. That is basically how I judge my nachos. So they definitely won my vote. if you are going for lunch (and i would assume dinner as well) they are pretty busy so go with the foreknowledge there will probably be a wait. But you get great service and food and drinks, so definitely worth the wait.

Quesadilla was definitely ! Margarita was great ! Typically crowded but I did sit at the bar.

Food was amazing and our bartender Andrew was freaking awesome. This became my go-to spot when I visit Columbia. The ambiance is amazing andnhas.a.chill fell the people are chill and friendly. I definitely will come back again

Hi! I use to eat @ Cantina 76 every day! I loved their veggie taco! Their nachos are yummy also! I like it all! Their habanero sauce is on fire!!! Drinks are good. They have a happy hour also. Atmosphere is urban professional. Overall the staff are courteous & helpful!

I had the Strawberry Basil margarita. Was good and went well with the gyro tacos. 10 out 10 would recommend. Staff was courteous and quick with everything. I've been here a few times and will be back.

So yummy and service is always amazing and on top of it. Can get super busy on weekends so prepare for that but I love it. My fav is the shrimp tacos!

What a treat! I loved the quick and attentive service along with the tasty food. A girlfriend and I visited this spot and I was pleasantly pleased. Going at around 4:30pm we missed a lot of the heavy crowds which was great and didn't have to worry about parking. We both ordered the barbecue chicken quesadilla. I really enjoyed. The quesadilla had the perfect crunch and cheese to meat ratio. The sauce on top was bomb and really made the quesadilla complete. I would order again with no hesitation. The margarita was okay. Nothing too special and needed more liquor to me but still enjoyable.

Not impressed. The food was bland and not good. We had 1 taco, beef nachos, bean and cheese dip, and salsa. The beans in the cheese dip tasted funny and the cheese dip was bland. The salsa was good but the chips were stale. The nachos were a plate of chips with a little beef and cheese and lots of jalapeños. The drinks had little to no alcohol. Definitely not worth $60! Will go to Taco Bell next time. I am sure it will be better than this place. On a good note, the staff was very friendly and attentive.

My girlfriends and I had a great time at Cantina 76! We all enjoyed the chimichanga & some chips with salsa. The chimichanga was a great size and the flavorful rice with queso really set it off. We had such a sweet waiter so we will be retuning!

Great food, ambiance is typical college hangout, love it! Wait staff always good! Highly recommend.

Great place to get a quick bite to eat down town Columbia, SC. They have seating inside and out, if you would rather sit outside. Service is normally on point and professional during my visit, great staff. They are pretty busy with USC students, so timing is a plus also. I've never had a issue with seating, but on the weekends it can get fairly busy quickly. My food was seasoned well and drinks are always flavorful. If you are ever in town, try them out. You wont be disappointed... I dont remember the name of my drink but it was very good, Lol!! Tip: show the bartender this pic, may be they will remember

yummy food, very nice portions service was amazing, our waiter was very sweet ambience was amazing, in a beautiful location, nice photo ops

Cantina is really good but I wish they had more vegetarian options on their menu. I always get the veggie nachos, which are very tasty. They also have a good drink menu and make great margaritas.

I am not sure why this place has a 4 star rating. Maybe because it's a college town. But this food is not good. The drinks are not good. There is not one redeemable thing we had here that would make me even consider coming back here. Our server was kind, but that's the only takeaway here.

We went to lunch yesterday at Cantina 76 and I was so pleased!! For background, there was the normal Soda City market business, plus 100+ crazy teams running amuck trying to save Alice from the Queen of Hearts (kind of a geo-caching riddle-fest)and just for Sh&ts and giggles let's throw in a parade for Benedict College's Homecoming.. downtown Cola was a busy place!! We 3 walked in and were seated immediately. The server came quickly and was very present during our entire visit. I'm sorry I don't remember his name but it was his first day serving on his own and he did a bang-up job for sure!! We had the sampler trio, queso, guacamole and salsa with chips, very yummy! Also tried the strawberry basil margarita and I could have stayed all day drinking those. Main course for me was the Peruvian shrimp taco with sweet chili sauce and cabbage and the special of the day, chopped brisket with smoked Gouda and fried banana peppers taco.. I have no words!! Both were so good, but the brisket!! So so so lovely!! I'm still thinking about it! Can't wait to go back!! 10/10 for me!

My husband got a fish taco which consisted of 2 fry looking like fish and 5 jalapeños and sauce which tasted like mostly bread! (Fish Taco). Oh and no one came by to ask how everything was!

Hard to believe the good reviews. Sweet salsa, barely warmed queso, stale cold chips for our starters. I had the roasted chicken and blackened shrimp taco with corn tortillas. The first bite was a horrible one. The corn tortillas were stale and the big piece of rubbery cold tasteless chicken fat was so offensive it had to spit it out. Not a good experience and will not be back.

I love this place. I've eaten here 3 times (lunch) and each time I have left so happy with my meal. Flavorful, quick, good service, unusual offerings and filling! We have always been seated quickly as well, even during lunch rush. I highly recommend!!

Went here last night for dinner. Staff was friendly and food was good. Only 1problem, I scanned the QR code for the menu and on the menu it states ALL DRINKS $1 off during happy hour. I was there for happy hour but my 2 draft beers were not discounted by a dollar each. When I questioned the server about this, she went to check with someone and came back with the answer that ALL DRINKS did not include draft beer ‍‍. If it is not truly for ALL DRINKS, do not put it on your menu as such!

In town on business and was in the mood for tacos. Located in the downtown area on the corner of Main Street, it's very visible and in a walkable area. Upon entering I was glad to see the staff wearing mask and hand sanitizer located at the front. Being opted to sit at the bar being that there was plenty of room. Due to COVID, they will not physically hand you a menu, as you have to use your phone and scan the barcode, which I like. Really didn't care for the fact that I had to pay for chips and salsa, but once I tasted it I didn't mind. Medium heat on its on, but I asked for spicy hence the side of habanero mix on the side. I ordered one fried chicken and one Peruvian shrimp taco. Both were good, but nothing to ride home about. For me the star of the show was the margarita and chips and salsa. Totally fine with that. I would definitely go back again. By the way, I sat at the bar...

Authentic! Fresh! Delicious! I honestly can't say anything else. My husband and I went to South Carolina to visit friends and we decided to drive to Columbia. We were hungry so my husband said why not try here and I am so glad we did. We started with the Pulled Chicken Nachos. SOME OF THE BEST NACHOS WE EVER HAD!! Then my husband had a shrimp taco and a fried chicken taco salad and he said both were great. I had the pulled chicken taco salad and that was good as well. Our friends had a beef nachos, fried chicken taco salad, and pulled chicken tacos and they really enjoy their food. Overall I will def come back and if you are in downtown Columbia,SC, give them a try.

Dined on a Friday night before going to a show. Restaurant was fairly busy. The food was great, chips and queso weren't anything special. But the tacos and chicken quesadilla were on point. The service could've been a little bit better as we saw our waiter maybe 3 times the entire time we were there. But do understand that it was busy. Will definitely come back!

Good but not better Ingredients Food Presentation Staff All college bar orientated Worth a visit but calibrate your expectations accordingly

Yesterday I went here and got some nachos, which were okay, not great. Today I came back when they opened and they immediately told me they "weren't serving food yet" (?????) but I could sit down. When I sat down, someone came up to me and said "How many are gonna be in your party?" i.e., move somewhere else. The food isn't good enough to bother with being treated like an annoyance, especially with other good places so close.

Looking for a cool joint to stop in and get some good food. Give this place a try! My fiancé on the other hand was little scared because it was like Tex-Mex food. He is not into trying new kinds of food, but I think he enjoyed it more than myself!! We had salsa and mild queso. A nice little appetizer but you do have to pay for it.. He ordered the brisket taco, and a teriyaki chicken taco, which he loved both!! I really thought the brisket was delicious. It was packed with flavor. His favorite was the teriyaki. I chose the Peruvian shrimp taco and fish taco. The shrimp taco was perfectly delicious. Had plenty of filling in it, including shrimp. On the other hand,I usually like some spiciness. But the fish taco needed a coleslaw or something else in it other then 3 skimpy pieces of fish ,to many jalapeños and sauce. I did order a drink, I think it had peaches in it or something.. I really didn't enjoy it. It wasn't memorable to me.. But my fiancé did like it,so he drank it. The hostess and the sever were on top of their jobs. Very friendly. The atmosphere of the place was young college kids everywhere, a little bit loud inside of the restaurant. I did have my baby with me, she didn't mind all the noise though. They sat us in front of the TV and she watched basketball. Would return to try other food!! I did not get pictures because we were so hungry but the presentation of the food minus the fish taco was pleasant.

As someone who works and lives downtown, I'm a regular customer at both Cantina 76 locations (Main and Devine). Recently every experience I've had at the Main St. location has soured me on ever going to either location again. This evening I was meeting two friends after work at Main. I went in around 5 and walked around the bar looking for three seats together. A group of older customers were spread out at the bar and I was able to find three by them, but they told me they had a group of 8 coming (if you have 8 people in your group you should have to get a table, but that's a whole other discussion), I asked if they could move down so we 3 could sit together but was interrupted by who I assume was the manager (big guy with a ball cap and a beard) who told me there were other seats on the other side of the bar. Since I had already looked I knew there weren't any other seats. There was a couple beside me with seats next to them and I POLITELY asked if they could move down and again was interrupted by the guy behind the bar who snapped "Y'all don't have to move down. She can find other seats." A group left and we were able to find seats, but then were ignored by the staff. We ended up leaving and going next door to Kao. I don't understand being rude to customers. Now not only will I never return to the Main Street location but I no longer feel welcome at the Devine location either (a place that I love). If you're not an affluent 60 year old or sorority girl/frat boythis location will completely ignore you.

Yum!!! We had chips and salsa, a peach mule, chimichanga, surf and turf taco, and chicken taco and everything was delicious! Service was good and everyone was very friendly. My tummy is so happy right now! Ps- we just got the check--and they charge for chips and salsa. Just a heads up. We weren't expecting that.

Cantina? More like Can't Even! Fish tacos looked like a fish stick from a vending machine. Not even close. Also dumb clueless white chick servers. Why are they even attempting Mexican? I'm white, but these bitches couldn't operate a microwave.

Fun, festive, affordable and shareable Tex Mex. my daughter loves the queso and the fact you can order it as a sauce on enchiladas. Individual nachos also a fav. Peruvian shrimp tacos are hard not to order every time. Margs are good not great. Service and music set a fun tone to the time here.

We went on a Sunday. We were greeted by a large wrap around bar and good music. After we were sat by the "blah" staff to a dirty table that we had to wait to be cleaned and forgetting our crystal balls, we had to remind the waitress we can't order with our menus, of which a party of 4 was given 1 lol....We were surprisingly very pleased with the presentation and tastes of our food and drinks. Coming from NY we had high expectations. We had chips & salsa, quesadillas and an array of their tacos. We also tried quite a few of the margarita choices and all were delicious. I especially enjoyed the fresh squeezed lime vs a super sweet sour margarita. It's a nice place, perfectly located with great drinks, food and music. I would certainly go back and hope next time we have a smiling waitress to make it a 100% perfect visit.

This is a great place for socializing with friends and family (if Covid free of course). The restaurant/bar is clean and has fantastic food. We ordered a roasted chicken soft taco, a refried bean soft taco, a cheese enchilada with verde sauce, and Mexican rice all for less than $16.00. It was all delicious and super cheesy. The rice was different because it had pico and shredded cheese but it was really great! They played a good variety of music (70's and 80's) and they have multiple televisions in the bar area. Only complaint we have about this place is the bar service was a little slow but they were a little busy. The food was filling and inexpensive.

Tacos are budget friendly and delicious. Drinks were also excellent. (get a Paloma. Trust me.) This is exactly what you inspect it to be, and it's great. Definitely recommend. But I'm gonna be honest. I typically don't leave reviews, but I saw an insufferable man in his 50s asking to see a manager because they wouldn't let him smoke. I already know he's about to drop a one star review because that's what those types do, so I'm leaving this to counter whatever that awful man has to say.

Quick lunch in between classes in Columbia. This place was rated high on Yelp, was suggested by our local colleagues and was conveniently located directly across the street from the office. Good choice. Chips and queso to start and my colleague got a black bean quesadilla which looked tasty and I got 4 tacos; beef brisket, Peruvian shrimps, fish, and pesto chicken. Each taco averaged $3.25 each. The tacos could have had more filling but they all tasted good except the beef brisket. The sauce on the beef brisket was not what I expected and was not to my liking. The atmosphere was warm and inviting. Our server was very friendly and offered her advice on the food when asked. She did not suggest the beef brisket. I own that choice. Overall, good meal for a quick lunch. Next time I will get the quesadilla instead of tacos. Cheers!

In the past, i have not had the best experiences at Cantina. However, my server Amanda changed my mind. Returned for the first time in awhile and had the brisket tacos and dirty queso and they were delicious. I have a shellfish allergy and my server Amanda went above and beyond to make sure I was safe and shellfish did not come in contact with any of my food. Amanda was caring, personable, and overall a great person. All because of Amanda, I WILL BE RETURNING!

Absolutely amazing! Great tacos, flavors were creative and expanded the taste buds. Service was fast and friendly, chill atmosphere with great music!

I love Cantina! The food is all a la carte and still reasonably priced for the quality. It's usually busy, so just keep that in mind, but it is worth a try especially if you are in the area or already walking downtown!

The service at Cantina 76 was great! Our server was a very nice young lady... that was attentive, offered suggestions, and was fast! For appetizers I ordered the Tres Hombres dip sampler with Tortilla chips. The cheese dip was a little salty but paired well with the Guacamole. The guac was pretty good as was the salsa! It was taco Tuesday so I ordered 1 traditional taco which came with ground beef topped with cheese,lettuce and tomato- this was a yummy traditional taco! I also ordered the special which was 2 smoked brisket tacos served birria style with a consommé dipping sauce. I was not impressed with this taco as it had no taco or birria flair. The dip was more of a thicker pastier spread. The brisket has great flavor but a little fatty. Overall the taco was mediocre. With dinner I also enjoyed some margarita's and I must say the Prickly Pear Margarita is a must try! That also offer a $1 off all cocktails as happy hour special.

My friend took me here for lunch as people in Columbia say this is the go to place to get some Mexican food that's not Taco Bell. I must say, the place does live up to their name. Parking has to be street, so pending time of day, it can be a little rough. We ended up parking about 3 blocks down and walked over. There was also a wait time, go figure for s popular place; wasn't too bad though, we waited about 20 minutes and we're immediately seated. The staff were friendly and the facilities were clean. Covid mitigations are definitely in place, so I felt comfortable dining here. Their menu is very broad, quite the selection. Loved the chips and salsa, almost had myself full on those before my entree came out! I don't remember my dish name, but there was a lot of flavors on my plate and it was really good. Needless to say, the experience was similar to any Mexican restaurant, but what stood out to me was the attentiveness of our waitress and the quality of the food. My friend and I enjoyed our lunch, definitely will be back. Do recommend this place to my fellow Colombians looking for a great Mexican meal.