Review Cantina St Kilda - St Kilda

We love Mexican food and we were pretty excited when we found this place. We had soft tacos which were packed with flavour and had the perfect amount of spice. The bar is pretty spectacular to look at and the bench seat/couch made the place feel really cosy. Next time we're in St Kilda, we will be back for sure.

Visited before a show at the Prince Band room and really enjoyed the experience. Really good food (the fish and chicken tacos were standouts), and thoroughly decent classic margaritas. It isn't super authentic Mexican, but it is really tasty.

Positioned in a dark basement type of room in the heart of the Prince of Wales - great ambience. Good taco selection. $17 Margaritas which is a little overpriced or $35 by the jug (about 4 glasses to a jug) which is a bit of a no- brainer if there are a few of you.

This is one of my FAVOURITE MEXICANS. The food is just delicious 😋 cocktails are also awesome. Next time your in Melbourne this is a must for all Mexican lovers! 10/10

Excellent food but punchy prices, fish taco was excellent, and the blood orange jalapeño margarita were the highlights.

Must try their burger!!! Huge meal but one of the best I’ve ever had and I’ve ate at two burger restaurants by Gordon Ramsey! The meat the pickles the sauces on it are so delicious! Awesome little hole in the wall. Service was just okay as to why the 4 stars, could have refilled our water and asked us if we wanted more cocktails.

Used to be great. Don’t know what happened. Maybe a new chef or new owner? The portion sizes have halved and the pretentiousness has doubled. Cantina’s old tofu tacos used to taste authentically Mexican with all those amazing flavours, today it just tasted like canned corn. The pork taco tasted like a mojito and the nacho chips were insanely over salted! $65 for an incredibly disappointing meal that didn’t even begin to fill us up.

Went down to enjoy happy hour and were greeted by a disgruntled employee who abruptly told us the menus were out of date and they no longer had a happy hour. Even though there were multiple menus in the venue including on the bar which said there in fact was a Sunday happy hour. Not surprised we were the only ones in the venue. You don’t have to print new menus, but at least indicate on the existing ones that the offer is no longer valid.

Wow! Thanks Emily for your wonderful service! I booked the private room for 12 and it was great, the food was amazing - the prawn tacos were particularly delish, such well cooked food, nobody left hungry. Think its almost the best TexMex I've had in Melbourne. The margarita's were great, so yup, we tried the Coconut Margarita, traditional Margarita, the Shipwreck cocktail and the Dusk to Dawn, along with the tempranillo wine, and we all went back for seconds. And truly the staff were great, asking if we wanted the next course, or pauses between courses in the set menu as we were being served. This must be hard to handle for the kitchen, but it seemed no hassle. We always had drinks, and appreciated the relaxed atmosphere.

Absolutely disappointed! Firstly we couldn't make a group booking for 11, it took 3 phone calls, trying the online system with no contact and being told "they were too busy to take my booking" to finally writing a FB message where the Operations Manager organised this for us. This person however was extremely helpful. We should've given up then, but it was a request for a birthday so I decided to go anyway. We all paid for the set menu. Overall service was terrible, extremely slow and getting both food and drinks. Overall it took 3 hours to receive guacamole, corn, chicken tacos, ribs, meatballs, pork with rice, fries?! and two deserts! At one point we had to ask 4 times if anymore food was coming as we waited for over an hour after the first three starters, we were told we would get fish tacos, but they never came, some dishes were lovely, while others were over cooked and crinkle cut frozen chips?! If I wanted chips I wouldn't have visited a Mexican restaurant I would've went to McDonalds! The deserts were awful so we ate our cake, gave up on waiting for anymore food and left very dissatisfied! Overall a horrible experience where the birthday girl was left upset as she had chosen the place and set menu which everyone paid for. The sangria was nice, but we brought several cocktail jugs, all of which were full of sugary syrup and some tasted bad. I wouldn't recommend this place ever again, for a spend of $150/person we could've spent our money in a much nicer place!

If you have a larger group you are only allowed to order the set menu. Given our experience and that if other reviewers on here, I think this place is best for small groups of say no more than six? Anything bigger they can't seem to manage it smoothly. Some amazing food with delicious smoky sauces and flavoursome spices - and some less interesting food such as plain corn bread sliders. The set menu ran smoothly except for us vegetarians down the end experienced lengthy delays between the rest of the table being served and us. On the penultimate course we weren't sure if we were meant to make do with the mixed basket taco or if ours was coming. The vegetarian quesadillas we ended up with were lovely! I think part of the problem is that one of the wait staff didn't seem to notice we had a dietary requirement because he also served our veggie option to the other guests down the table who had to pass it down to us once we had figured out what happened. We got tiramisu for dessert with a ball of chocolate icecream on top. We didn't understand until we asked that we were supposed to share between two rather than get individual servings. We all thought this was strange for a bowl dessert, let alone a set menu dessert. I have never encountered intentionally served to be shared desserts before. A plate dessert like a tart or cake is better to share and easy to separate into two even serves. This was quite awkward! The other way around this would be smaller serves.

A big shout out to Emily from Acland St Cantina for truly making my friend and I truly enjoy the first experience of what will soon to be many at Acland St Cantina. Amazing service and the food was off the charts to die for. I've already recommended to many friends this place and I love the New York style setting that it has about it. A big kudos tho this place and I'm already thinking of planning my birthday here. The food is highly amazing as well as the kick ass cocktails infused with jalapeños. Yum, yum, bubblegum delicious. Thanks to all the staff for making not only the amazing food, but the outstanding service.

The food the service the drinks -all good!!! Even catered for a vegan diner of our party of four. I've eaten here many times and have never been disappointed. They make a kick arse margarita too which will win me over any day. Happy returning customer again.

Thank you for the amazing night I had. The food was great, thank you chef Joul and Jorge for the hospitality! I will definitely recommend you guys! Cheers !!

This is a hidden gem! Love the Mexican style food :D Highly recommend for a good time !

Terrible service and long waits between food! Waited a half hour plus for a beer

Was in and out pre seeing a show and loved everything. Service was amazing, had all of the tacos some we went back for seconds and finished with a chocolate banana cazuela which was incredible. Would highly recommend and will definitely be back

No idea how this place gets any reviews, food was cold or scalding.. service was horrific and slow.. had to ask multiple times for anything

can't go past Cantina's specials - make sure you try the fish tacos they are super tasty!! Delish cocktails with great staff too :)

This hidden little gem is an amazing bar with awesome music - the mink bar memories are still present in the vibe of the room !!

Food is amazing and the staff are great, definitely recommended �

Been coming for a while and used to enjoy the food here. Last night was left very disappointed! Food portion sizes, flavour and quality was no where near usual standard, and not enjoyable at all...something had changed unfortunately

Came here with a big crew of guys unsure what to expect. The venue is extremely extrovert and something I haven't seen before. Would recommend in a heartbeat in terms of knowledgable alcohol intake (guilty) aside from that if like to review the sickest of sick Mexican food on offer but my mouth is full.........

Best tacos! And the Burger is a must. Great deals all week too

Great food and music with awesome private booths to hang out in.

I’ve been to rural Mexico and had Mole made by locals. This is the best I have ever tasted outside of there. The menu is original and authentic. The flavors are fresh and delicious. Great value for money and lovely service. The cocktails are worth a try during happy hour. Unexpected delight

Visited last night, first impressions of venue were good but all went a little down hill after that. Ordered the first 5 tacos, corn, potatoes Brava and chicken gorditas. Corn - good but hard to stuff up. Tacos, ehhhhh. Everyone does them today so can’t say they were anything special. All of them were covered in fresh coriander and mint, way too much. Mint isn’t even a Mexican herb why is it on everything? Gorditas - same again mine was inebidle, covered in herbs and for the pita they used cardboard. What the dishes were lacking were fresh ingredients like tomato, red onion and lettuce which are commonly found in mex food such as salsa. Beyond this the service was average. Sat for 20 minutes at the start without being able to order because the staff were nowhere to be seen. Their menu knowledge wasn’t good as they didn’t know about gluten info regarding gorditas and then didn’t know what was on the potatoes (aioli btw but doesn’t state on the menu). Music was rubbish, tiny cocktails were $20 each. Not worth the trip sorry. There’s too many good Mexican places around. Lay off the mint.

We had the cerviche, corn, nachos and tacos - everything was just soooooo good! Make sure you get the fish tacos. They had a deal for locals so flashing your id showing your postcode gave us a pretty decent savings.

Got recommended by a friend to check this place out. The vibe was great, the service was also good.. food was average, the pork taco had no flavour. Probably wouldn’t come back. There are plenty of better Mexican style restaurants in Melb.

A group of 12 of us went here last night for a birthday dinner. The service was great and the amount of food adequate for the Chef's Selection @$45 pp. One of our group was lactose intolerant and the staff were able to work around that. The drawback was that the Chef's Selection was served as plates for two so her partner had no choice on some dishes that were inseparable.<br/><br/>For example the desert was churros for two. They received mango sorbet for two. You would think that for the $800+ we spent they could make an extra churro for him.

Food was tasteless and either scalding or cold. Service was slow and inattentive. Waited half an hour to open a beer and bring it to the table.. only received it after we asked twice. Not worth it.

Timing of the food was way off. Our burgers arrived 30 minutes after others on our table had finished eating. They said that food here doesn't come out all at the same time.<br/><br/>To their credit thet did give us the burgers on the house and a free tequila shot.<br/><br/>Still an overall bad experience.

We used to go here quite a bit but the last few times have gotten worse and worse. We were the only ones in the place on our last visit, I went to order drinks, nachos and a few tacos. <br/><br/>They bought water to the table 10 minutes later but forgot the drinks so I had to go and ask, they then asked me what drinks I'd ordered. 10 minutes later the drinks arrived. <br/><br/>About 30 minutes later the tacos arrived but no nachos, I'd asked for them to come first but oh well, they went off to make them and they arrived once we finished. <br/><br/>We won't be back, it's impressive to get it so wrong when there's so many staff and only 1 table sat..

Great decor and vibe, but that’s about it. The service was slow and inattentive, and the food is very average. We tried five of the different tacos and found none of them tasty or well balanced. Definitely not worth the price. <br/><br/>Come here for a drink, but don’t bother with the food.

Used to go to this place heaps a couple of years ago and it was tasty, creative and delicious. Couldnt even get a seat sometimes. Customer service was outstanding. Now unfortunately its gone the other way. Customer service was poor, only having one guy on the floor. He didnt know much about the menu. Then the food...nachos very hot but prob the best thing we had. The tacos looked better than they tasted. The enchilada was boring and just tasted like burnt cheese. When it came time to pay i stood at the register 5 mins before i had to call someone over while there was only 2 tables of people. They really need to go back in time and get that buzz back...however they have lost us.

Love the Mexican food here.<br/>We have had the set chefs menu twice and always amazing... and always so much food!<br/>The cocktails are so good especially the bold orange & jalapeño margarita 😍<br/>Fish tacos are also a fav here!<br/>Will be back again soon!

Crap food and the people are really rude. The food tastes like nothing and not worth the price AT ALL. Spent $23 and I'm still starving for proper food.

I love the ambiance of this restaurant, the low lighting and candles made a relaxing atmosphere. I ordered the tacos and lamb enchilada, they were delicious. The Margaritas were great too and packed a punch! The only negative was my friend had the BBQ corn but said it was watery and tasteless. Other than that, everything was great and the staff were very helpful. Laura Bartholomeusz

My boyfriend and I have visited Cantina several times, two of those times being anniversaries. <br/>The food (especially the lamb ribs) bursts with flavours. As do the cocktails (we are a little sad though that on our most recent visit, sangria was no longer on the list).<br/>The seating it great for groups and couples. We always choose the side room, which is closed off from the main seating area.<br/>The staff are wonderful! They always keep check on you, and are always up for a chat. They definitely make us feel at home, even though home is around 45 minutes away. <br/>

Went there yesterday for dinner because last time we only had dessert. The place is huge and the first section is bar then restaurant at the back. They are normally not that busy but yesterday there were two big tables and it was quite loud. Had lamb enchiladas and quesadilla, both were good but not really special. The churros came out in a ring shape and topped with peanut praline and salted caramel ice cream, it's good but a bit sweet.

Had dinner here last night and the food was amazing! I had the tacos and enchilada, they were too good I couldn't event wait to take a photo. The cocktails were yum too! Will definitely be returning.<br/>

Hello 911 I can't stop eating. That chipotle chicken taco is life. Was also loving the lime rice in the chicken burrito (how you get that tortilla so fluffy?) and the three cheese in the lamb enchilada. They've got a serious drinks menu and make a mean margarita. It's difficult to find a park on a Saturday night but the atmosphere more than makes up for the struggle. I adored the space with its little hidden enclaves and being a little off the main streets means you can avoid the tourists. This is beautiful sophisticated polished food not that food court fast food rubbish you will find in a lot of other Mexican restaurants

Ordered BBQ Corn and Mixed Bean Nacho- the Corn arrived naked, no cumin crema or lime, and the nachos had hardly any cheese and the spice was over powering, overall terrible.

Yeah not too bad. Pork belly taco and a tecate. Pretty sweet. Although wouldn't mind a bigger taco. Flavours were spot on pork belly was brilliant but the taco is only about 1.5 bites. Need something more substantial. Servers were sweet.

We were really happy to have chosen this place. Casual dining but down to earth and nice atmosphere. Light music and candles. The service is exceptional. Take you to your table, seat you, your jacket, refill your water, and no pressure. If you're not sure about what wine to choose they will give you a taste. The lamb enchiladas are fantastic. Spicy, but not too hot. Have the sweet potato salad - it's cool, tasty, and compliments the spiciness of the other food. Fish and chicken tacos are wonderful. If you want this for a main, have at least three or four (if you're really hungry). Highly recommended.

We visited three years ago and had a fantastic meal then and decided to check it out again. Food was full fantastic. We enjoyed the chilli fries, chilli beef nachos and lamb enchilada and the most amazing chilli choc mousse! Excellent waitress. Worth the second trip three years after!

Been here a few times now, we get the Chefs Special each time so we can try a variety of things. It's usually different dishes each time, have never had a bad dish yet. Every dish was as tasty as the last

Visited on a Thursday night seeking some light eating and perhaps a Margarita or two. Left with a very full stomach and, wel,l definitely having consumed more than a Margarita or two.<br/><br/>Great food - ranging from the Guacamole dip to the various Tacos and the Lamb Enchiladas. The spicier dishes are excellent but as a warning to the feint of heart - use care if you dont like things too spicy (silly you). The Lamb enchiladas were much milder but still an excellent dish.<br/><br/>Must also make a special mention of the service. Brilliant friendly and excellent service from a waiter/server on her 1st or second night there and ably supported by the other staff members.<br/><br/>Great atmosphere although a little quiet for this visit. The entrance from Ackland St doesn't do credit to the restaurant. Don't let the "pub side door bar entrance" approach put you off visiting a great Mexican restaurant and bar!

My friend and I went for dinner here before a show at Palais. They serve great mexican food and drinks and service quality is top notch. We ordered the enchilada and chilli beef nachos and a jug of margarita. We really enjoyed our meal and will be coming back again!

I really like this hidden little gem of a place. I must admit I have only ever had drinks here, but I always know the staff will be very pleasant and accommodating and the drinks will be great. No only yummy, but very innovate and new school. It's nice to go out for a drink and see a menu with a bit of a difference, such as a popcorn cocktail. Love your work!!

I could not fault this place at all!!! The food was amazing!! So much flavour. The service impeccable and the cocktails to die for!<br/>Will defiantly be back! You guys rock, thanks for a wicked experience!

Aclnd St Cantina serves fantastic Mexican food with impeccable service. Must try the mushrooms quesadilla, mexican pepper fajitas, potato bravas and mixed bean nachos. They're bloody awesome.

A sexy, gritty space devoted to the worship of Mexican food and drinks, combined with tunes, means Acland Street Cantina (ASC) presents a seductive dining proposition. Acland St Cantina's red mole of slow braised lamb shoulder was delicious. Beautifully slow braised lamb drizzled with decadent red mole sauce and topped with aromatic green rice - all encased within fluffy masa tortillas.

My favorite place in st kilda. food is amazing menu changes witch keeps me coming back staff are 10/10 highly recommend to anybody that likes mexican

Came here a while back and enjoyed it, unfortunately not the case last night. Made a booking early in the day and was told a table had been reserved. They obviously over booked as they tried sitting us at the bar which wasn't comfortable at all. The menu looked ok, little pricy but was still keen to try. Got moved to a booth in another room where we were forgotten about, didn't get to eat- walked out 😔

A big shout out to Emily from Acland St Cantina for truly making my friend and I truly enjoy the first experience of what will soon to be many at Acland St Cantina. Amazing service and the food was off the charts to die for. I've already recommended to many friends this place and I love the New York style setting that it has about it. A big kudos tho this place and I'm already thinking of planning my birthday here. The food is highly amazing as well as the kick ass cocktails infused with jalapeños. Yum, yum, bubblegum delicious. Thanks to all the staff for making not only the amazing food, but the outstanding service. Update. I came here last night on the 6/8/2016 in a group of 8 people for our friends birthday. Everyone one was blown away by the high quality Mexican food and experience here. Keep up the great work guys.

Highly recommend the Barbecue Meats, meat cooked very well and comes with delicious side of guacamole and little breads. Approx $70 for two adults (ex drinks) will get you enough food to fill you up. Happy Hour from 5pm to 7pm - take advantage of this and get cocktails!

We come to Ackland St cantina alot but last night wasn't great. The service was slow took about 5 min to even be seated. The twice cooked lamb ribs (which are usually fantastic) where tuff and chewy. The paloma jug was full of ice we got 1.5 glasses each that's all. One of the fish tacos tasted like it was rolled in salt. I love this place but I think last night was just one of those miss* nights

My partner and I used to absolutely love this place and frequented it often however recently the quality has dropped. The margarita's no longer have any black salt on the rim (this has been a little while now but still disappointing) but even worse was the quality of the tequila that was put in it, it tasted like some really cheap white tequila and was not good. My boyfriend and I would always order a jug or two each time we went and I was just thankful that on this occasion he wasn't drinking so I only ordered a glass. The fish taco was also disappointing as it lacked the chipotle mayo and it was a dish we ordered every time, the other taco's we ordered were just a bit meh too. I really hope this place lifts it's game again and can come back to the previous standard as it used to be one of my favourite places.

Went with a group of five and we were squashed into a booth that was too small for us to be comfortable. Service was a tad cool and condescending, and the volume of the music and the talking/shouting of other patrons made it near impossible to hear each other. <br/><br/>Tacos were great, the soft shell crab was a standout. Unfortunately the sides we ordered were a miss. The chopped avocado and apple was anything but, mostly lettuce, tomatoes, cucumbers, drowned in horrible creamy dressing, with the occasional bit of apple - we didn't get any avocado. The cos salad was full of non cos leaves and covered in another creamy dressing, and the bravas potatoes were ok but given they were roasted and covered in rosemary, not overly Mexican. If we'd known half the ingredients in the dishes would be there, we wouldn't have ordered them. Clearer and more descriptive menus might be a idea. <br/><br/>Disappointing and noisy experience.

One of my favourite Mexicans saved for special occasions due to it being a bit pricey. Awesome drinks, Margaritas are a must. Lots of variety on the menu and a fabulous atmosphere. Definitely beats a lot of other Mexicans in the area. My only complaint is that they took the Pulled Pork off the menu, it was my favourite!

Authentic and delicious , wicked staff and a pure delight to be here :) . Here lies a hidden gem in st kilda and more people need to know about it !

Good quality Mexican food, a little bit over-priced, especially the tacos. But definitely somewhere I would return if in the area. Could so with better signage, I walked past it twice!

Hidden away underground this place has a great atmosphere. The lamb ribs were amazing and tender and went well with a couple of tacos as entrée. Soft shell crab taco was really great and they let us order a serve of three as we had three ppl. We can never go past the carne Asada which is great for sharing.

I came here with group friends for dinner. We experienced good service and good food.  For entree we had, Baja fried fish tacos with carrot daikon slaw & lime and chorizo fundido, chile de agua & dark beer sauce with warm tortillas or tortilla chips and those were delicious and as for the rest of the meal, they were demolished with gusto! I had also been taking away some of their delicious sandwiches. This place is highly recommended for both dining in and takeway.

Recently headed here for a birthday with 8 girls. We ordered the set menu for $45 a head... and we were all stuffed full of delicious food by the end. They did an amazing job of accommodating our group with 2 food requirements and replaced items with equally Delish goodies. Service was good and would come back again.

Decided to try out Acland St Cantina for my birthday. Although we had a little trouble finding the entrance we had a fantastic time! Great food, friendly (and fast) service- all reasonably priced. Highlights were the fish and soft shell crab tacos, quinoa salad, potato bravas and the beef DIY tacos (forgot the name of the dish). Cocktails were divine to boot! Will be going there again soon!

I was hoping for a great night with yummy food, but what I got at A.S.C. was average overpriced Mexican food that came out so staggered and all over the place. The service was pretty average too and most of the night was spent waving down waitresses to order drinks! The fish and soft shell crab tacos were yummy, i did enjoy them, I would not order the pork neck again or the Cos side salad which was a literally a lettuce chopped in half and drizzled in dressing with a few croutons and chorizo thrown on top, I could have made that at home. Am disappointed as i had high hopes. Wasn't terrible, but I'd rather go to Pacos Tacos and spend less and get better food.

Went to this restaurant last night, the food was very good. Favourite thing on the menu was the fish tacos. Served by a lovely young lady called Emily who was very polite and helpful with the menu which was much appreciated. Would highly recommend.

Mussel Monday! I have fond memories eating mussels back home as a child with an uncle. To boost traffic on Mondays, Acland St Cantina has a Mussel Monday special, $20 for bottomless pots (bowls?) of well, mussels.

Overpriced for what it was.  4 servings chips with guacamolie for table of 8 came to $56 but really tiny serving sizes and fairly standard quality.  Shouldnt have cost more than $6 a serve.  Beer is served in a "schooner" which is no bigger than a pot.  Need a bigger option than this because I just wanted to have a drink to sit on at dinner, but had to bother waiters for refills because it was just so tiny!  My main was a good serve but others not happy with serving size - too much variety in the portion sizes for the different mains.

Acland st Cantina is a popular Mexican street food eatery for all to enjoy. It is in the beachy town of St Kilda which is popular with tourists and locals alike. It is near the quiet st of Canterbury road where all the trams go past. They do a busy night trade and are not opened during the day. They also have a bottle shop right next door for those that are looking for the booze.

Love the atmosphere and the decoration ! The foods were really good especially the pork ribs! Mmmmmm ... Apparently they make the best margheritta in Melbourne ? Im no expert on margheritta, but it sure tasted good!

Great atmosphere and delicious food. I really enjoyed the chef's special with the variety of tastes and textures. Definitely recommend a visit if you like Mexican food!

Great food! Drinks were sensational. But when your waitress does not write down your order, don't expect to get what you ask for. I even said to her "should you write this down" and she responds "if I don't get it right, I'll come ask you". It's not a huge deal but don't try and impress us with your memory (or there lack of), impress us with correct meals and how well it's made. <br/>

This place is tucked away and hard to find not being in the hustle and bustle of Acland Street, but what a find. The Food and service were amazing. I had the potato as my entree , chorizo tortillas as main and topped the night off with churros. Will be back for sure.

I have been here twice and I looooved it. Never have I had a better steak (grilled skirt flank). It was sad - we were too full for dessert! I feel like it's a bit on the expensive side (portions are smallish so you need to order a few dishes) but you know if you go the food is going to be amazing, which makes it hurt a little less. Staff are okay, one girl was super happy when she served us initially, but it was hard to get noticed, even though it wasn't packed.. Long waits and awkward arm waving to get someones attention which makes you feel a bit sad and like you're not worth their time. You're kind of sat down and left to your own devices until finally, after a lot trying to catch a staff member's eye, someone comes over and asks if you want to order a drink. Which we did, and then I proceeded to get the wrong one, but by the time we had received them I couldn't be bothered asking to swap it. <br/><br/>I'm looking forward to getting back there (hopefully their service has improved!), but now I have Paul Wilson's cookbook I'll be able to make my own Cantina magic at home.

i lived in mexico for a few months and eating here brought back memories... the tortillas and lime, chilly, and tomatillo sauce are exactly what you'd eat if you were in mexico city. place has a nice vibe. real fireplace makes it nice and cozy for dinner. highly recommend.

I real Gem. At first you don't even know the place is here as its hidden out the back behind the wine bar. But the food is top class albeit a little on the expensive side for Mexican food. The staff are relaxed and very helpful with choosing the right meal. I highly recommend this place

Great food and excellent service!. We started off our meal with the Pumpkin Guacamole, which were served with awesome vegetable chips. Our favourites were also the Baja Style Fried Fish Tacos, Bravas Potatoes with adobo sauce (crispy on the outside and fluffy inside!), and the Salted Caramel Ice Cream Churros Taco (must have!). <br/><br/>The staff were friendly and attentive. Our waitress was quick to notice when our water jug was empty and constantly cleared our empty plates. We'll be back for sure!

This was possibly one of the worst dining experiences I have had in Melbourne. Took some friends here to show them St Kilda is a great place with great food and I was simply embarrassed. They have an extensive cocktail lost but half of them were unavailable. The food was inedible and was not served correctly. We ordered 3 serves of the pork. Got two plates so 2 people ate them. We were waiting on the third and they told us that 3 serves were on two plates. How were we meant to know that if we didn't get told?! They had then run out of the pork so couldn't order another one. Service was slow. Waiters were rude. An absolute disaster.

Highly rate it. First time at Acland St Cantina and what a lovely experience! The place has a great atmosphere, and the waiters were all lovely and very helpful. We had the chef's special and LOVED every single meal. We will definitely be back! Make sure you save room for dessert, it was amazing

Well.... Honestly, I think the food is OK at best, but it's quite expensive for what it is. Some things I found were quite ridiculously overpriced - especially their lamb ribs which was $20 for four small little ribs. Their skirt steak with chorizo and condiments was also standard, but seriously, it was $29 for a few small pieces of meat and some sparse condiments. It was not worth the price tag.<br/>I have to say though, their pine mushroom quesadilla was probably the standout dish for me, as was the arepas and empanada - a nice twist on some classics.<br/>Their fish taco that night wasn't as good as a few other places, and lacked any real flavour which was a real disappointment. <br/>I guess it didnt help that staff were a little distant and disinterested, as it was a slow night and not very busy. There was a lot of arm waving to bring attention as they weren't really looking our way to receive any subtle eye contact. The breakfast martini cocktail for $10 was quite nice - and cheap for what it is.<br/>Probably wouldn't return as there are many better tapas bars out there, but we were seeing David Gray and, at the time, it seemed like a good option.

First time here and loved it. Food was so tasty, service fast and great atmosphere in a hidden away corner of Acland. Will definitely be back

Try it, you won't be disappointed! !. Great food

Mucho grande. Real mole, real chorizo, real BIG flavours! Great creative Mexican dining south of the equator! I'll be back for the al pastor tacos.

This is about the fourth time I have walked down the narrow stairs to the Cantina, sat myself down and ordered their dessert taco. The Salted Caramel Ice Cream Churros Taco ($14) is a dessert I’d travel for, and there are only a few things I’d travel for (read: Beatrix and Messina). The last few times I've been to Cantina I have shared this deceivingly small dessert with others, and it has always been fantastic. I am sure I could smash this down by myself, but would definitely feel sickeningly sweet-ified afterwards. This dessert is good for you in all the bad places. Fantastic salted caramel ice-cream, churros done right – soft on the inside, crunchy fried on the outside (just cooked in a circle shape thus the ‘taco’) and caramel bits and crushed peanuts to chew on happily. Damn I love this dish.

So you are in St Kilda, you think “mmm…lunch” so what should you do next? Try the Acland Street Cantina. NOW. I did, and today I’m heading there for about the tenth time in the past 6 months. Where: Since I moved to Melbourne in 2012, my fastest emerging cuisine affair is with Mexican food. I have bought books about real Mexican food, made 40-plus ingredient moles as a two-day process, discovered tomatillos and about 8 varieties of chilli previously strangers to me, ordered a tortilla press and cast iron skillet (so far just for looks, I really have to get to grips with this stuff) and found the slightest excuse to wallow in chipotle en adobo, tinga de pollo and pork pibil. But today it is super hot in Melbourne, so I am letting someone else stand over a stove instead of me. I’m off to a local for lunch – the Acland St. Cantina in St Kilda. So far as I can discover, Acland St. Cantina (or ASC on the small and elusive signage down near the Fitzroy Street end of Acland Street) is relativ

Dessert wise, this place was absolutely delectable.

Mexcellent. Had a fantastic dinner here on Friday night! The food was fantastic, service was superb (our waitress was so friendly, attentive and accomodating) and the cocktails were AMAZING! Will definitely be coming back on a regular basis! We love our new local!!!

Just OK, if not slightly disappointing.. The decor is fantastic and the service is excellent. This place came highly recommended to us so we were really looking forward to our meal. We ordered the chef's special tasting plate. The amount of food was huge - we were so full at the end. However I can't say even one of the dishes really blew me away. The flavours weren't there and I must say, I found each course really quite boring with the possible exception of the salted caramel churros - these were quite nice. The white wine was awful and wasn't serviced very cold at all. Wouldn't go there again - uninspiring.

Phenomenal. Brilliant food, could not fault anything. The peanut mole braised beef is a thing of beauty. Chefs special tacos amazing. Complimented by a great drinks list and attentive service. Will be back...

Sensational mexican food with a twist, my partner and I dined there last night and the staff were so accommodating, Justin our waiter exceptional. We shared the pumpkin guacamole with vegetable chips and the chips were amazing, the soft shell tacos a delight and fgresh and flavoursome, the calamari and snapper could have had more calamari on it but what we did have was lightly dusted with crumbs and so so tender, the peppers I loved. The beef mole was so tender and melted in your mouth. <br/>Dont expect taditional mexican here, it has an amazing twist. The cocktails to die for and simply presented . Always a drink in front of us and tables cleared promptly

Amazing. We dined the last night and the food was absolutely amazing, this tucked away little place in the bowels of the Prince hotel. <br/>The soft shell tacos so delicate and flavoursome, my parnter had the cocktails and presentation was awesome and the calamari and snapper was so tender maybe more calamari the only critique. <br/>Service was awesome, Justin our waiter always attentive

I took my American friends .... I thought I would impress my American friends with our local Mexican by taking them to ASC. I had not been to before but had heard some good reports so I was very interested in their expert opinion. And after our previous successful ventures over the last week into Melbourne's burgeoning food culture, they were interested too!<br/><br/>Well the Americans were very interested in the nachos ... the fajitas .... the enchiladas ... the tostadas ... the taquitos ...the hard tacos ... and the burritos that were NOT on the menu. We commented that every other Mexican always throws corn chips and salsa onto the table to get taste buds tuned. Sadly ... no hot salsa & corn chips! To give ASC credit ... great ribs!<br/><br/>The Americans were very interested in ASC's great decor ... but as with the famously plain decor of the Supper Inn in the city ... decor means nothing as long as the culinary matters are in order.<br/><br/>The smiling service didn't quite cover the clearing of plates whilst people are still eating! I was literally taking my hands down from my mouth as the plate was whisked from beneath me. Rick had to borrow a nearby plate to finish his meal. Is it just me or is this up there with one of the most important issues a good restaurant manager would instruct their staff to NOT do! <br/><br/>Great selection of Mexican beers but please give me my beer at least 10 minutes after I have ordered it ... twice! One benefit was that my American friends happily learnt how to get over their customary need to tip ...

Great Service! Delicious Food! and Tasty Cocktails!. Traditional Mexican gets a twist! and a great one at that! Delicious inventive Food, Service was impeccable, 2 waiters always on hand and were more than happy to go out of their way for us. Will be Back!

Biggest let down here is the staff. No idea what anything means on the menu, not very attentive and if you are sitting at one of the tables to the left and not in the main section of the restaurant, you can forget about decent service.<br/>This place used to have a fun, up beat feel, but something has definitely changed here. Won't be hurrying back.

No vibe!

Amazing. The food is truely amazing. Flavour of each dish and presentation is just divine. Absolutely loved the restaurant setup and prompt service. I would and will be recommending this restaurant to anyone without any hesitation. MUST go and try for yourself.

Great restaurant and setup. Service was prompt and quality of food was fantastic. Not sure how authentic the menu is but in terms of taste you can't go wrong! Double<br/>Check your bill as they tried to overcharge us for drinks we never had!

JUST WOW. Hi guys I would like to say this place really surprised me . Over last 2 night I have been to this amazing restaurant and both time.100% happy.<br/>food was to die for ...we had the chefs selection and we got to try most everything on the menu. They cater for all dietary needs "I am allergic to fish" also a friend of ours came the first time and he was a vegetarian and he was happy and catered for aswell.<br/>The service was awesome tonight was busy and we were not expecting to go there cause we thought they will be to busy to give us the service I had the first night but NOT THE CASE. <br/>Drinks were flowing food was coming th the table in a timely manner. .<br/>JUSTIN AND ELLE were some of the best servers I have had the pleasure to meet.. <br/>MANAGEMENT give them a raise.<br/><br/>so in conclusion 10/10 see u next week at Acland st cantina

This place is great! Love the REAL representations of Mexican food, outside of the standard burrito and taco. (Although they're fish tacos are the best in Melbourne in my opinion!) Make sure you try the quinoa side salad. I'm really not a quinoa person but this changed my mind completely. Pretty sure I get take-out from this place a few times a month, it's so good. Great local restaurant, definitely go!

What a waste of money! The Chef Selection @ $45pp is a ripoff; the pitcher of margaritas was watered down, the vegetarian food I edible and the desserts tasted like soap.

What a great experience, got in early just before 7pm..we each had the $45 taste experience all three of us, besides a short interruption when it got very busy, I was more than happy with the frequency and amount of delicious tasting plates of genuine full flavoured Mexican treats. ( for the slight delay we received a complimentary round of margaritas )Bree was our person and she did a fantastic job, very attentive and gave great suggestions on options.. the $5 margaritas went down a treat,,pity they don't have that special year round. ( Hint, Hint ).. If you're just starting your night and drop in for a drink and a small tapas style serving or if you're there for the full shebang, I'd highly recommend trying this authentic mexican experience. Will definitely be back to the hidden gem.. 8/10

Terrible service. Seated for 2 hours before served corn chips. Ran out of cocktails. 45 mins for bottle of champagne to be served.

Two tiny tacos - takeaway - for $14. You must be kidding. Very nice tacos, mind you - I ordered the fish - but exorbitantly overpriced for what you get. As someone who has made similar tacos at home from scratch, I know how much they cost to make and how much ASL are charging is actually insulting. A pity, as the decor, atmosphere and service are all very good, but I wasn't paying for that, ordering takeaway as I was. You're taking us for a ride, A.S.C. You're taking the piss out of Mexican food's legacy: rustic, hearty and delicious food that is inexpensive.

Apart from the Fish Taco's; a bit of a sinker. The few things that were great (ie: Service, Cocktails) don't justify a re-visit. I would say at it's best, the overall food experience at (Acland Street Cantina) A.S.C can be remembered in the same 3 letter acronym, Average. Service and Cocktails. Food was Average- if I was being brutally honest, I'd say below average, Service was good (but how much weight do you place on service if the food's uhmmm O-K) and Cocktails great. Other than that you'd be better having better Mex/ Tex- Mex elsewhere... <br/>Tip: Come here for a quick unwind after work for the cocktails and some of the nibbles (Fish Taco's).

Always thought Mink Bar would make a good restaurant- well I was right. Ambiance and buzz just right for at KIlda. Menu ticked all the boxes for those wanting a bit more than the tex mex emperience. Overall the food was tasty however maybe more tasting that hearty would suit me. Negative being too fast with delivery- no one really wants all their food sitting on the table at once. Service was fun, under cuts galore and always with a smile. Not sure id go back on a date however definitely fun with a group.

Best Mexican in Melbourne. My absolute favourite Mexican place in Melbourne - the staff are friendly and fantastic, the food is amazing and the atmosphere is fun... and the cocktails are potent but awesome.

Fantastic food. Great service. If you love Mexican, you must try this place out.

Awesome!. What an awesome venue!! The place was dim, dark and funky; the perfect place to have a few drinks! The menu was pretty good, and the food was fantastic! The guacamole was honestly the best i've ever had, and the fish tacos were crispy and delicious. I had the Bulldog cocktail and then the classic margarita and they were both perfect. The staff was friendly, laid back and it made us totally comfortable at the table. I would recommend this place to anyone looking for a chill place to eat. It's a bit hard to find, but that adds to it's charm! A total St. Kilda gem.

Love it. Must try the pork arepas! Loud but vibrant atmosphere; probably the best mex in Melbourne

Disappointing. Nice venue but below par food and margaritas..shame

Amazing food and atmosphere. Every dish we had was beautiful. Somewhat expensive for Mexican but delicious food

Rubbish. Staff seem to ha.... Rubbish.<br/><br/>Staff seem to have no clue. Dude with the misshaped beard (owner?) didn't give half a sh*t about how our meal was. It was *actually* rubbish. <br/><br/>Got the mex burger and the Brekky tacos. Burger was so-so. Tacos were putrid. And tiny. They were supposed to have chopped churizo in them? But all we got was a bunch of fried mince and egg.<br/><br/>The place tried pretty hard to be hip. Doesn't quite pull it off. Overall feel was very ordinary.<br/><br/>Mostly disappointed about the fact we had to wait ages for a crap meal and didn't get a second glance from staff regarding how everything was.

Delicious food and great service. We booked a birthday dinner at ASC for 18 people and were not disappointed! <br/><br/>i was a bit concerned that we had so many people but the wait staff were amazing at taking our orders and getting them to the kitchen asap. they even recommended items on the menu that wouldn't take very long to cook vs ones that would (not that we minded either way)<br/><br/>the food was delicious and came out so quickly. it was some of the best mexican food i've had in ages and we all agreed.<br/><br/>the 'bulldog' cocktails are a must- yummy drink and great conversation starter!<br/><br/>the staff were really helpful and put up with us when we were trying to work out the bill <br/><br/>would go back anytime and highly recommend for a big group :)

Sadly disappointed... I love that they sell the masa i can use to make real tortillas .. It's a shame they don't use it themselves

NOISE. The staff were excellent. The atmosphere is horrible. It is about the noisiest restaurant I have ever been to, and yet they insist on playing music with strong bass speakers. It's so noisy from voices that you can't actually hear the music, but you just get this constant bass THUMP THUMP THUMP in the background. It drives you crazy. The food is sort of modern Mexican fusion, which often does not really work.

Best mex in melbs!!!. After spending alot of time in mex i find it hard to part with my cash in australia for poor rip offs. HOWEVER, this is good quality mex food, carne asada took me back to the meat markets in oaxaca.... sooo good. It is the most authentic mexican food that i have had in australia, whoever wrote that its like a american bbq is so very wrong. Its a cool space and the staff are great. They have a pretty mean michelada aswell. Buen provecho!

PIT STOP TO LONG AFTERNOON - PERFECT!!. An accidental adventure down Acland Street, and in need of pit stop, I discovered a little gem! Lovely place just to hang out, love the interior guys!!! And as for the menu, stuck for what to choose, the breakie items - OMG - but decided on the salad and some extra little naughty things! What was meant to be a pit stop became a lovely long afternoon of Strawberry & Rose Margaritas. I would keep coming back just for these, but I just cant say how wonderful the team were there, so helpful with all my questions and annoying wishes!!! Thank you to Teddy for being extra helpful and I can't wait to return when next in Melbourne - See you in December....

Come in for breakfast. Try Hoevos Racheros or a breakfast burrito - spiked with green chilli. And the coffee ain't bad either.

I heard mixed reviews and being a Mexican fan, I had to check it out. The ambience is ok, service is good but the food is below par. Very average Mexican food for above average prices. <br/><br/>With better alternatives nearby, the standard really needs lifting.