El Cantarito

El Cantarito is a Mexican restaurant in the heart of Placentia, CA. For all those CSUF students, we highly encourage this place if you are craving some authentic Mexican food, and not that watered-down Taco Bell or Del Taco or Chipotle. This is extremely close by the CSUF campus, less than a 10 minute drive. It is not a franchise place, so therefore it has that home, family atmosphere to it. The service is excellent, almost always, you get seated as soon as you walk in, and you are met with some delicious chips and salsa. The variety of the menu is insane, and the beverage menu is also filled with all sorts of options. The prices are fair and the portions, well lets just say, you are not paying enough for the quality and quantity of the food. This restaurant gets the ok from us, and is highly recommended if you are craving some authentic Mexican food, because you know it is authentic when they serve menudo.

Testimonials:

El Cantarito was a great experience, from the delicious chips and salsa, to the tender and flavorful menudo. Everything was authentic and delicious. El Cantarito is a little Mexican restaurant located in the heart of Placentia, where some  of the best Mexican restaurants are located. The restaurant feels like a dive, a whole in the wall, with one waitress, one cook, and one juke box playing old classics. The food was great, very reasonably priced, and good portions of it. I would definitely love to go again to try their tacos on Taco-Tuesday. 

-Ryan Moo

El Cantarito Restaurant was actually a good Mexican food restaurant. It's located in Placentia, so it has to be hand-made fresh Mexican food. I ordered two soft tacos and a taquito. Both were delicious and quite fulfilling. They first started giving you chips and salsa. The chips were pretty big and thick which is not bad or anything. I still ate all of the chips that were available. This place to me would be a nice place for lunch. It just seems to me its more of a lunch type restaurant rather than dinner. I wouldn't mind coming here for dinner, but I rather go to lunch there since its near CSUF campus. Try out this place and you won't be disappointed. 

-Kevin Nguyen

This restaurant was a place that I recommended we try before we wrapped up our OC food adventures. I frequently go to this restaurant with my friends and family. It is a small, but extremely cozy place. To start it off, the chips were perfectly crisp, salted, and warm, while the salsa was made with the perfect amount of spice and flavor. I have tried many different items on the menu, but my all time favorite here is the chimichanga. It is fairly inexpensive, but it is intensely huge. This is probably the best chimichanga I have ever tasted, and it always leaves me with a full stomach. However, even though I have tried different options for food when I come here, but one thing I always get is horchata. It is a Mexican cinnamon, rice beverage. I have tried many different horchatas from many different places, but none is as delicious as the one offered here at El Cantarito. All in all, this place is great.

-Robin Nguyen

Grading:

Food & Beverage: A-

Environment: B-

Service: B

Overall: B

Glass of Horchata and the Chips & Salsa

Our entrees