Sanchez Cantina

Absolutely amazing restaurant. It is truly an authentic Mexican restaurant! I'm only sad that I won't be able to eat here again since I stopped here while passing through on the Alaska Highway. We were lucky to grab a table without a reservation, 100% recommend a reservation! They were accommodating since they had the space and were very clear about when we needed to be done. But it was 90 minutes! That was more than enough time to enjoy our meal. Limited days and hours (especially for lunch), so make sure to check that.

Both the food, and the service were perfect. We do not have anything to say other than please come eat here if you come to Whitehorse 😅

If you are craving for some authentic Mexican cuisine, this is the place! The staffs were friendly and helpful. Food was more enjoyable out in the patio. A sparrow was trying to snatch our nachos. Their portions weren’t generous but just enough to feel stuffed. They have specials written on the whiteboard, so make sure you check it out. They do not take Amex.

Had a very nice dinner here. Love the atmosphere and all the decorations. The staff are super nice as well. Food was really good! Recommend the ceviche!

The best Mexican restaurant north of 60. The atmosphere is quaint, the food is authentic and delicious. A neat vibe and absolutely delicious. One of the must places to eat in Yukon. They close in December for the season

Service was very good, fresh food at very reasonable prices. I had the “Gringa” with steak and the enchiladas with chicken, sauces were full of flavour and the food was very delicious. A “ must try” if you come to Whitehorse for a visit. I picked up dessert from the restaurant today, I tried the Flan which was very good. It wasn’t too sweet just perfect.

What a delight. The staff was beyond curious and attentive. The decor brought me right back to Mexico. The food was perfect. No strange infusions. No re-vamped menus. Classic, authentic and GOOD mexican food. Don't mess with a good thing. Highly recommend.

The best mexican food north of British Columbia! This authentic Mexican spot stands out for their traditional dishes and daily house specials (quite hard to find in this latitude). What I admired the most is the attention to detail for the best experience: beautiful decor and atmosphere, maximum sanitary measures (cleanest washroom in Whitehorse!) and top notch customer service! Thank you for an excellent evening!

TDLR: a very weird experience with the owner and service. The only redeeming thing about this place was the refried beans. Got drinks right away, but waited 45 min for our appetizer, and over an hour for our main food and our server was nowhere to be seen. Who I believe is the owner stopped by our table to check in and we were honest in (kindly) saying we were waiting awhile for our food. She then proceeded to argue with us telling us we had only been waiting 20 minutes. It was clear our server forgot to put the order in, but she kept insisting we weren't waiting that long and wouldn't just let it go. Honestly was just an overall weird encounter. Bad vibes. Food was okay. Beans were good.

While the servers were good, when we walked in the bartender was quite rude. Bear in mind we are of couple in our sixties, clean and polite. The food was only fair and over priced, I asked for salsa and was Informed it would come with a charge, alas no chips, no salsa. And they gave us a piece of bubble gum with our bill We don't recommend

Food was excellent, service was slow. Think they made out pico de gallo and guacamole after we ordered them. The Mexican vegetables were yummy, pork tacos asados, unique and very tasty. Nice outdoor seating.

Best meal I had in Whitehorse! First the service is fast and super friendly. Also it actually feels like a dinner in Mexico. All the food was amazing. Fyi hot isnt really hot so go for medium hot! Price is decent not insane but not cheap! For sure I would try here again! Want to try the patio in summer!!

Food was great Ordered a quasadilla but only got half of one and lots of salad. Disappointing

When you arrive, the place looks like it needs work.... Don't let the exterior fool you! You best have a reservation because inside it will be full of locals that know a good thing! We were visiting town and looking for interesting local places. Now Whitehorse doesn't scream "Mexican!" but the place comes up on many favourite lists. Alright, we like Mexican, why not! Inside it has that Mexican look, rustic but comfortable with all kinds of bright shiny Mexican decorations. Very cheerful. So you can't have Mexican without a nice frozen Lime Margarita and Nachos. Margarita... pretty good, check! Nachos... well... where are they? All I can see is a pile of cheese! Okay, a little exaggeration, but these were probably some of the best Nachos I have had in years. Main course, Enchiladas. Many different options here. Wasn't exactly the way I was expecting but none the less, it was NOT a struggle getting through them! Very good! I did notice lots of different plates going by and based on what I saw, there was some tasty looking foods going by! Service was good, almost overly attentive, but rather that than ignored! Very positive vibe from everyone. Recommend the place highly. One of several places in Whitehorse that will be on my list when I visit!

Not impressed. Drinks over priced, margaritas are over priced with no taste of alcohol. The food wanted to be like a fancy Mexican restaurant, overpriced and not impressed. Ordered chips and salsa we received 10 chips and pico.

I loved the food it has amazing service and the chefs were so fast at making the food

Hands down the best black beans I've ever had and really authentic enchiladas perfectly cooked and flavorful. Seriously the best Mexican food I've had outside California. Loved that the owner was even cooking in the back and we personally thanked her for such a wonderful meal. Will definitely stop by on our way back through there in the Fall.

This is the only real Mexican restaurant in the territory, or so the receipt claims. It's expensive for the amount of food you get, but there's no question that it's authentic. They've got the best salsa verde I've had in Canada, and are also the only Mexican joint I've seen up here serving Jumex (not to mention every flavour of Jarritos). Servers were friendly and social distancing measures are strictly followed: menus posted on the walls, staff wearing masks, etc. I'd come back for sure!

Great food! Loved the guacamole and salsa appetizer. The pico was perfect at medium spicy. My dad got the halibut, it was $29 (market price) which seemed a little much for the small portion of fish but the flavor was there. My mom's chile relleno with beef was excellent, there was a lot of beef in the chile. I enjoyed my simple, but good chicken salad. The chicken was not over cooked and the added guacamole made the dish stand out from just an ordinary chicken salad. It was a little curious as to why it took 45 minutes to get our food after watching 3 other tables, who were seated after us, get their food before us. Therefore a star was taken away for service. There are hard workers at this restaurant but it was a little disappointing to watch our table go unnoticed for so long. Reservations recommended between 5-6:30.

Absolutely fabulous and authentic Mexican food. A nice surprise for our group of 11 coming from as far south as Florida. Our waitress was delightful the beers cold and the margaritas fantastic. Highly recommend

To the people who have written negative reviews, what restaurant did you visit? The Sanchez Cantina serves authentic Mexican food - every tomato is chopped by hand, every dish is fresh, hot and served with a smile. If you have to wait to get a table that's because the place is very popular. If you have to wait more than a New York minute for your food that's cuz it's made to order. From the salsa to the Tres Leches, from the guacamole to the hot chocolate, everything was delicious. If you're in Whitehorse and crave good Mexican food definitely head to Sanchez Cantina! Complainers in a rush should head for a drive-thru elsewhere.

Not inexpensive, but worth every penny. The service was excellent. The food was great. I'm not a spicy person and medium was everything I wanted, but they go to extra hot. Best service I have had in Whitehorse. I would wholly recommend this restaurant. Shrimp cocktail was great and perfectly large enough for two to share. Can't say enough.

I love this place every time I come to Whitehorse I have to eat here. If you want the authentic taste I recommend Sanchez, their beans are the best I've had, and everything is flavored so well. Love everything they have!

Yes, winter is over the Cantina is open again! Had a delicious chorizo quesadilla. Beans very good. Great atmosphere, packed at lunch

Yukon? Mexican food? Great cozy family run (apparently) restaurant near downtown Whitehorse. Busy place. Got a reservation for 8 pm on a Thursday evening. Good food: enchiladas, burrito. Nice presentation of salad, guacamole, rice. Chef- like dish. Not usual blob of frijoles and rice and obligatory fill your gut with chips before your order arrives stuff. Beer and wine. Attentive service. Entertainment - singer, too. Good choice near Coast High Country Hotel. Two & a half block walk.

Great food. When the waitress asked how spicy I wanted my black bean soup and burrito, it was a pleasant surprise. I don't think I've had that question before. Often I need specify. Anyway I wanted it as hot as the chef would eat ... and it came perfect - very spicy! Both dishes were delicious. A small complaint - the appetizer and entree came one right after the other so the burrito had cooled a little. But that's admittedly nit picky. Overall a nice lunch - would dine here again.

This restaurant claimed to be the only authentic Mexican restaurant in the Yukon... Yet has no horchata No churros I paid over five dollars for 12 chips and a few scoops of salsa And my quesadilla was basically a soft taco. I have to conclude that there is no authentic Mexican food in the Yukon. The service was really good at least.

Authentic flavour in a great Mexican ambiance. Great food, excellent drinks, good service.

Closed on a Saturday evening. What's up with that? I heard this was the good Mexican food place in Whitehorse but I never got the chance to find out. Now I'm just filling in more words to make the minimum review length.

This was one of the absolute worst restaurant experiences my family and I have ever had. I only recommend coming here if you have a minimum of two hours to spare and want awful restaurant service. My party of four and I arrived in the evening at a semi-busy time but many parties left within twenty minutes of our arrival. We ordered four regular entrees from the menu with no special requests. During our extremely long wait, despite there being five waitresses in a small half empty restaurant, not one of them apologized or offered any sort of consolation. About after an hour of waiting, one of the waitresses brought a small cup of chips to our table which we thought was for our long wait, but she promptly came back and snatched it away without saying anything. We watched a party of a similar size who arrived long after us receive their food before us. Most of the time all of the waitresses simply stood behind the register, lacking any sort of customer attentiveness. Our waitress never came back to check on us after taking our order. We were finally about to leave after twenty more minutes of waiting when two out of four dishes came to the table. The other two dishes came five minutes later. We have come here in the past and the portions used to be significantly bigger. My quesadilla (18 CAD + gst) was too small, slightly burnt, and way too overpriced. The other food wasn't much better - slightly greasy and stale. After I asked for the bill, the waitress was rather rude when I calmly told her that our food took way too long and asked why. She got extremely defensive and offered no reasonable explanation, let alone a simple apology for the long wait. My family used to look forward to coming here when passing through town, but after this awful experience we definitely won't be back. Please go anywhere but here when choosing where to eat in Whitehorse! We've had great experiences at every other restaurant we've eaten at.

Amazing, little Mexican restaurant located in Whitehorse! Don't get turned off by the way the restaurant looks from the outside. Just go in and check out the great Mexican decor they have. Very welcoming and friendly! I had the chance to speak to the owner; she's super friendly and outgoing (she was cooking and trying to have a small chat with me) much appreciated. Try the food and cold beer! I will totally come back again once I'm in Whitehorse next time.

This was the first time I had ordered food here. I ordered the enchiladas with both red and green sauce. My order was for takeout so I didn't notice there was no sauce on the enchilada until I got home. The food was tasty, The beans and rice were delicious but the enchiladas were dry. I had bottled salsa at home so i used that. I was disappointed that it wasn't what I ordered and had a high cost. Oh well. Won't be ordering from there again.

Went for lunch not realizing they close in between lunch and dinner for a few hours so we made it just in time. The atmosphere is very welcoming and employees are all very lovely! It's a little cramped inside but they have a nice deck for summer. The food was PHENOMENAL, Had the chicken burrito and black beans with tossed salad and oh damn I almost got on my knees and prayed it was so good. Only one downside I found a small hair in my salad but I just flicked it out because lordy was this meal ever making me happy. I was so damn full afterwards I could just sense the food coma coming on. Prices are kind of high, for my meal it was $21 but I think it's been noted that I'll accept anything because I was so satisfied. Will definitely be back for more Sanchez Cantina!!!!!!!

I really want to like this place but it's just the pits. The food is acceptable even good by Whitehorse standards (that's not saying much) but every time I walk in there is some issue. The first time I was told there was no way I could be sat for 90 minutes so I make reservation for 90 minutes later and when I walk in its dead, I was literally the only table in the restaurant. The second time I called to make a reservation and they couldn't accommodate my time so I had to arrive two hours after I wanted and this time I was 1 of only 2 tables. Third time, tonight, I walked in and it was maybe 60% full inside (40% if you include the patio that had guests) and I was told it was a minimum 45 minute wait for food. I'll just say this about the food: sauces are watery, serving size generous, seasoning level was correct, spice levels were designed to accommodate a 3 year olds palate, and they don't think to bring chips and salsa to your table to start you off (supposing considering it's not cheap). If you want good Mexican food? Buy a cookbook. If you want passable Mexican food, crap service, and being hungry (yeah even when your the only table it's dead slow) then this is your place.

Make sure to call and make a reservation beforehand if you want to eat here. The wait is long because everything is made in-house. My friends and I like to come here before a night out for the piña coladas. Most of the food menu doesn't really interest me but I love ordering nachos for the fresh homemade guac and salsa.

We heard this was a great place, but we were deeply disappointed. The food was mediocre at best, and the waitress was awful. Will not go back.

Authentic Mexican food. I am from Mexico City, and this place is like been home. Starting from decoration, warm, furniture, lots of colors and mexican handcrafts all over the place just as traditional homes, till the homemade food which you can customize your own level of spice, for those who can't stand hot chili. Flavorful big plates and imported Mexican soda!. The service is slow and I think it's a little bit expensive than other restaurants in the zone but the owner know how to take care of her customers. So try to go with some extra time and enjoy a taste of Mexico!

Please understand that this is a really good Mexican restaurant in a small town which keeps its locals well taken care of. You'd want the same treatment in your home town right. City slickers aside. The food was good for 3000 miles north of the border. Black beans spiced right and thick. Chicken enchiladas divorseadas. (Red and green) was good. The little extra guacamole on every plate. Very welcome. Your waiting for the but. But. Running out of mole. Very sad. It's my favorite. And there for I have no real basis for comparison. But my enchiladas were good and filling after a long drive and I'll come back earlier for the mole. Thank you Sanchez family

I'm from Los Angeles so I was missing some Mexican food. The people are nice, but there is not enough staff so service takes a long time. Servers are always in a panic. Food was ok but very expensive. I've never been in a Mexican place that didn't offer free chips and salsa. Here it's around $10cdn Honestly not sure if I would eat here again

Really not that interesting, beans from a can and uncle ben's perverted rice. Salsa was okay if not a little too salty. Thoroughly unimpressed.

if you like very small portions at high prices, this is the place for you. Good food, but if you leave hungry after spending 35 bucks for an appy, main and a beer, that's not a place I will frequent.

Had the enchiladas rancheros and they hit the spot! The food was delicious but the service was awful. Since when does the customer get shunned for the waiter getting their order wrong? When my plate came I took it back inside (as I didn't want it to get cold) bc they gave me a side salad instead of beans. I didn't care, I just wanted it fixed. The young gentleman then brought my plate back out plopped it in front of me and said 'here ya go'. He seemed upset that I wanted what I ordered? Sorry bro... Check your attitude--you are in the hospitality industry. He proceeded to not look at us and give our table to the other nice girl bc he didn't want to deal with us anymore?

Five of us had dinner the other night. Wow. I love Mexican food and was really impressed with the meal. The nachos as an appetizer were delicious and had lots of cheddar and the enchilada were perfectly spicy and tasted great. Quite a filling meal but couldn't help but order a slice of sponge cake. The cake was made in house by the server and was delicious. I don't generally eat sponge cake as it's usually too dry but this was perfectly moist due to a secret ingredient that the server declined to share with us. All in all, pretty great Mexican food.

Excellent enchiladas. Small so you may want more than one. Really good rice. Charge for chips and salsa verde but very worth it. Sweet family help. Pretty decor just like a cantina down south!

Sanchez is a small owner/operated restaurant offering up pretty authentic Mexican food in Whitehorse. The restaurant and the kitchen are small so don't plan on eating here if you are in a hurry but the food is good, the ambiance is warm and welcoming (particularly on a cold winter's night) and there is outside seating in the summer. Sanchez is one of the few good restaurants we have and if you like Mexican food it is worth a visit.

The go-to location north of 60 for authentic Mexican cuisine. I enjoyed it so much that I had lunch here every day I was in Whitehorse. Service and price were both good as well, so if you are in the great white north, give it a try.

The food was good but the experience, not so much. Waited 20 mins for a table, which is fine but when seated, we were informed many items were out. It took an hour to get our food, once we ordered. We wondered why we had the only kid in the place; not kid friendly to take an hour for food. If they would have informed us about the timing, we could have ordered an appetizer. Chips or something would have been nice.

July 2013 a group of 3 couples just happened on this tiny restaurant. The special for that evening was "meatballs"! Two of us had this special and loved it. Very friendly staff. Neat authentic decor. We all come from different areas--San Francisco, Seattle & Punta Gorda Florida.

Ordered the chicken taco (taco frito). Portion was small. Nice fresh salad and rice. The spicy sauce was HOT! The restaurant was busy, the host wasn't the most friendly person. Other staff were more welcoming.

I'm a huge fan of Mexican food and go out of my way to try the different Mexican restaurants in every town I visit. Having grown up in AZ I have consumed my share of great Mexican food and I can usually tell by the salsa as to how the rest of the meal will turnout. From the outside the Sanchez Cantina appeared to be another typical "dive joint" so I was excited to try the food! The seating was packed with locals so we waited about 30 min for a table to open up. The waitstaff was friendly and warned us that "she makes every dish by hand" so expect a little wait for our food. We found out later that the "She" they were referring to was the owner herself making sure every plate was perfect. We ordered drinks and appetizers with our meals so the 20 min was not noticed. The salsa was great! The chips were house made and excellent! The michilada was great! The plates of food arrived and all 9 members of my party came to the same conclusion that the food was the best we had ever had. To have this food in the Yukon is a real gift and I wish I would have discovered it sooner in my trip. I'm looking forward to eating here next year!!

Way overpriced for the size of the meals and the quality... my meal was mostly black beans and one very small burrito, not worth the price. And I said dairy allergy and there was cheese in my black beans side. Ended up with a migraine and getting sick when I got home. Great environment and friendly service, but long wait for food and slow service (20 minutes to get my margarita). Wouldn't recommend eating here.

The albondingas (meatballs) and chicken taco were tasty, though the taco seemed a bit small and my black beans were lukewarm. We liked the margaritas, which were nice and tart and not too sweet. The service was good. We ate outside on the patio and never really saw what the inside of the restaurant was like. The biggest negative: the prices were higher than we expected. One small taco with black beans and salad to fill the plate cost over $14, and there were many menu items costing $21-23. The margaritas cost $8.95 each.

Very good food!!! Fast and courteous. High chairs and booster seats available too. The best food we've had in Whitehorse.

The Sanchez Cantina is the hidden treasure of Mexican food in Whitehorse! The prices are very decent for the amount food you get. It has a small and comfortable atmosphere. I've tried several different meal at this restaurant and have to say it is all delicious!!! I guarantee if you go once, you will go back again. Only downfall is if your in a rush, you may want to make reservations. But if your planning on going out for a nice dinner, some drinking and catching up it's a great place to go! They also have a nice deck so you can eat and enjoy by sitting in the sun. Really try it once and then go from there! It is absolutely one of my favorite places to dine!!!

Mexican food in the Yukon... what you get is pretty much what you would imagine! We were told by the locals that it's surprisingly good--but in our taste, it was not. The decor is very Mexican, but the spot where we sat was too dark. (And there were some Christmas and Valentine's day decorations here and there!) There were boxes of stuff down on the floor in the middle of the place, so that's why we did not sit in a better spot. I did not like the smell when I walked in. I ordered a burrito with mild salsa (sometimes the medium salsa is too spicy for me), but it turned out not to be very flavorful. I would have asked for spicier sauce on the side if the waitress had come back shortly after I started my meal, but I was already halfway through when she came back to check. I can understand that local people may want to go there to get something exotic from time to time. But if you are only visiting here, there are several better places to eat in town, so I would advise that you wait until you are in a city where they have good Mexican food, and just go eat somewhere else while you are in Whitehorse.

The photos and other people's reviews look so wonderful, too bad we weren't able to find out on our own. On Friday, June 3, 2016, our party of three waited for half an hour for a table outside. One of us was only staying a short time, he ordered a beer. Together, the three of us shared a plate of chips and salsa. After putting our order for an appetizer (ceviche) and a burrito at 7:30p.m. we settled in for table talk. Our friend left at 7:55pm (possibly to return) and we continued to wait. After 30 minutes all three water glasses were emptied, I hadn't seen our server for half an hour. Our busser never returned to check on us and we were beginning to get impatient. I brought two empty glasses to the front door and apologetically asked for more water and asked if our food order had been forgotten. It was 8:10p.m. Our waters were refilled by our busser and he told us that the kitchen was "just really busy." (The restaurant had done at least one turn). Our server was seen outside taking other people's orders - and bringing them food (?!?!) and she sheepishly looked our way but never addressed us or made eye contact. Finally our friend returned and was dumbfounded that we'd not been served- he's a well known person in Whitehorse and we'd gone there at his suggestion. (The hostess knew him by name). At 8:26p.m. our server told us that the kitchen had run out of vegetables and that we should make a substitute choice. At that point, I told her that we just needed the check for the beer our friend drank and the chips and salsa. She assured us that our "food was almost ready," but I told her that an app and an entree up together wasn't that big of a challenge for any busy kitchen - and that an hour waiting was too long. Her attitude wasn't contrite or conciliatory - she treated us as though we were the one's who were being unreasonable. Helpful suggestion to the staff: cover the garbage dumpster. it smells when the wind blows it right across the patio. That's my review - because that was our experience. I'm going back to Antoinette's.

The restaurant was very nice and the food was great. I am from Texas and considered the food very good. It was fair prices and the portion was good. The place was also very clean and the People were nice.