Cantón Regio
Mexican restaurant · Pilsen ·
Authentic Mexican fare, BYOB, cash-only, grilled meats
Authentic Mexican fare, BYOB, cash-only, grilled meats
"A Pilsen tribute to Norteño cooking that wears its heritage with pride, this Western-style eatery channels the meat-centric cuisine of northern Mexico—think beef, goat, and lamb with flour tortillas that can resemble lavash and a Monterrey mindset where food and memory are tied to heat from the grill. Build a breakfast taco with machacado and scrambled eggs with smoky, jerky-like shredded beef, or go heartier with huevos al albañil, scrambled eggs in a light tomato sauce topped with soft, mild panela. For dinner, start with queso fundido (add chorizo for a pleasant kick), then don’t miss the sabinas, a highlight of three tacos made with skirt steak, onions, jalapeños, and Chihuahua cheese on soft, chewy flour tortillas. Share a kilo or half-kilo of skirt steak arrachera with a friend or two—the platter arrives in an old-fashioned scale with roasted peppers and charro beans (a pinto bean, onion, and bacon soup)—or, if you prefer a more tender cut, go for the rib-eye skewers. Corn or flour tortillas are available; order both. On weekends it feels like a neighborhood party, casual and lively, with Mexican hits from regional and cumbia to pop, and it’s great for groups of all sizes and ages since most dishes are shareable. It’s cash-only and BYOB, and if you forget your wallet there’s an ATM inside." - Brenda Storch
"Owners of famed Nuevo Leon opened their Mexican restaurant shortly after Nuevo was decimated in a fire last year. Open flames and mesquite grilled meats rule here, and as an added bonus the staff was brought over from the previous restaurant." - Faust
"Cantón Regio offers a taste of Monterrey’s norteño flavors with a rustic atmosphere complemented by ‘90s Mexican hits. Regio means “royal,” but it’s also shorthand for someone from the city of Monterrey, and this cash-only place wears its heritage proudly. Here, breakfast is served daily and visitors can choose a breakfast plate and build your own from generous servings of northern Mexican staples like machaca con huevo — tender, chewy dried shredded beef scrambled with eggs — alongside other favorites such as eggs with migas (crispy fried tortilla bits), chorizo, or bacon, to name a few. Flour or corn tortillas? Your call. Don’t settle, get both." - Brenda Storch
"When the meal begins with the server asking “Can I start you out with an appetizer?” instead of suggesting that you download the “How Our Menu Works” app, you probably won’t have the small plates conversation. This is the case at Canton Regio. Get some queso fundido or guacamole for the table, followed by something just for you, like perfectly cooked carne asada, chicken fajitas, or shrimp brochetas served dangling from medieval-looking hooks. Just make sure their fantastic housemade flour tortillas are on the table, and if someone tries to hog those, it’s reasonable/understandable/acceptable to threaten them with a brocheta skewer." - adrian kane
"During dinner, this Pilsen spot focuses on grilled meat, but it does a fantastic all-day Mexican breakfast, too. Order the chilaquiles (we like adding the well-seasoned and perfectly cooked carne asada) or the chicharrones with scrambled eggs, both of which come with delicious rice and beans. The space looks like a hybrid of a rustic barn and an old church, with vaulted ceilings and saddles on the wall. And if your weekdays generally involve eight hours of sitting in a cubicle, the atmosphere here will be a nice change of pace." - sam faye, adrian kane, john ringor, veda kilaru
