Ate at Catalina Cantina yesterday- Service was so-so.. But it's understandable because its a Saturday and they were busy. The waitress was nice and checked in with us frequently. I ordered the ceviche and chips, very good! To top it off, an original margarita. After two of those bad boys, i was buzzing.. Good thing! :)
Review Source:Take a pass on this over priced restaurant without a clear culinary direction. Unless you are in desperate need for the view and it is the only seat on the "strip", move on to much better food and service. Of the many, many places on Catalina, this is the only stop with less than friendly, put off service.
Review Source:Good location for people watching. 5 of us sat at the counter directly facing the beach. We were waiting for our 4:30 boat and were pretty much out of stuff to do, so we thought we'd just relax and have some drinks for a hour or so while we waited.
My husband got 2 of the signature Buffalo Milk drinks and really enjoyed them apparently since he ordered a second one. I didn't care for it much, but hey, he liked it. I ordered the Corona-rita. Wasn't the best one I've ever had, but it was okay. We also got an order of chips, guac, and salsa. With tip it cost me $40...a bit pricey.
Our friend got the Lava Flow drink with raspberry and it was delicious! Our other friend got a burger and fries and the fries were so good that our other friends ordered a side of them after tasting his LOL. The burger was okay, not great but not bad according to our friend. It looked pretty good though.
The waitress was friendly and pretty good about refills and bringing out waters.
I will probably return here for drinks and a snack again at some point if I can get that same counter that faces out to the beach because it's a great spot.
We went inside because there was counter space that overlooks the courtyard on the harbor. Â Food was as expected---edible, but not that great. Â A super cold beer and a pitcher of water, fish tacos that were bland.
What can I say? Â We were tired of being on the island, sunburned hungry and waiting for our boat at 4:30. Â It worked out fine and the breeze and view made it worthwhile.
Food was average and service was horrible. Took forever to get a menu. My friend ordered her combo meal with no rice all beans. She gets it with all rice no beans. Server said ill take it back. She was hungry so she asked if she could just get a side of beans. Twenty minutes later after her food is done her beans come. And at that point she didn't want them. Also what Mexican restaurant charges for chips and salsa???
Review Source:Went here for a quick dinner and everything was horrible.
Unlike most Mexican restaurants, we were charged for the chips and salsa.
All the food was microwaved, my burrito wasn't even warm on the inside.
The beans and rice and enchilada sauce were clearly from a can, the fish in the fish sandwich were frozen fish sticks.
They forgot to put in the order of one of the girls in our party blaming the kitchen for being "behind".
Prices were extremely high for the quality of food. This is the worst Mexican food I have ever had.
Food made me sick. Environment and atmosphere awful. Should have known not to eat here when I saw the place was absolutely empty and everything else on the island had at least an hour wait. I would have rather gone hungry. Don't eat here.
stopped in here for a snack and a few drinks when we arrived to catalina island. Â Started off with 2 buffalo milks. Â pretty good but next went with the lava flow!! Â Must try this! Â Great drink! Â Bartender was nice and even offered to drive us around to see the island when he got off work. Â for snacks had guac, salsa, cerviche and a fish taco.
i can't rate the guac or cerviche since i don't care for either buy my friend liked both. Â
love, love, loved the salsa. fish taco was just okay. Â very bland and battered. Â but would go back for the bartender's service and drinks!
I'll start with my girlfriend and I only decided to eat at Catalina Cantina because all the other restaurants such as The Grill down the block and more were closed.
Catalina Cantina's exterior is not very appetizing, however, their happy hour and availability makes it appealing.
The Food:
We shared a large fajita steak platter. While it was enough to kill our hunger, we had to order an additional order of tortillas (not happy about this). The taste was pretty good. The downside was not having the infamous fajita served on a sizzling hot plate.
Drinks:
The mango margarita was delicious! Cantina is known for having a wide selection of tequilas, however, I was not able to taste it in my drink (not happy about this). Â The other drink we decided to try was the Coronita which in a way made up for the margarita (although more of a smoothie than an alcoholic drink). Â If you have a drink, have the Coronita.
Atmosphere:
Not appealing at all. I caught a couple of flies, odd smell, old carpet, need I say more? Â The Catalina Cantina definitely does not give the island feel most aspire to when coming to the infamous Catalina Island.
The Catalina Cantina receives 2 stars from us only because it was open when everything else was closed, the yummy fajita platter, and the Coronita (nice buzz).
-Reviewing a little buzzed,
Kat & Jon
Couldn't decide what to do for dinner -- had 2 hours left on the island before we had to catch our ride back. Â Wanted to do El Galleon, but their drinks were few and pricey. Â Decided to head back to the Cantina - they're prices looked fair and they had a versatile menu. Â
Went in, got seated right away, water served. Â Our hostess/waitress took our orders for drinks, food, and hastily got our orders back to us. Â I had the Buffalo Milk, my boyfriend had the Catalina Mai-Tai -- both were excellent. Â The Milk had the flavor of cream and banana with the licquor not being tasted till after the swallow. Â I ordered the Calamari and fries, boyfriend had Double Cheeseburger with fries. Â Now...I tend to judge a place harshly if their fries are not up to snuff. Â Not said for this place. Â Steak fries (fat fries) well seasoned and soft enough to melt in your mouth, warm enough to enjoy. Â Our waitress was amazing -- she handled our requests and comments with aplomb and when we get back to the island for another mini-vacation, we'll be stopping here for lunch or dinner. Â Price for drinks, and food came to about $45.00 (which is fair considering it was dinner).
I am almost positive the food here gave me food poisoning. Â The fish was chewy and a little weird, but I'm on an island and just shelled out 12 bucks, what am I going to do? Â So I poured on some vinegar and ate it. Â Actually based on how long it took to develop, I think the tartar sauce may have been the culprit. Â My boyfriend ate some of my fries and he was fine. Â I've never been so sick in my life, started to feel like I was going to die about 3-4 hours later, just in time for the boat ride home. Â If you've never had food poisoning while on a boat, try it some time in your life just to see what pure hell is. Â Thanks for ruining my birthday, a$$holes. Â I hope you get wiped out in a tsunami.
Review Source:We should have known better when chips and salsa had to be ordered for $3.50 instead of just being included like most Mexican restaurants. The fish tacos and the tacos al carbon were not bad, but I've certainly had better. The refried beans tasted and felt like overcooked Rosarita beans from a can.
Review Source:Nice drink selection, with some exciting drinks, on the main drag fronting the harbor. Got a chicken enchilada, which was fine, nothing special, not much flavor, and e rice and beans were sort of crusty, so not ideal. Good for groups, with lots of space and some big tables. I'd definitely say the drinks are worth coming for, and the food is sort Oran afterthought, if you want to be here anyway.
Review Source:Not too bad.
Not too great.
There's another place that is a little better if you head south on the main strip and then make a right onto the last side street before the turn (I think it's called Esmerelda's or something... I don't know, but it was better)
I got the nachos and then was completely forgotten about.
BUT their margaritas were awesome and the bartender sure did have a heavy pour.
they DO have happy hour. You'll have to check the times though-- def ends before 6p
This place is classic "Meh-xican" cuisine. Should have checked Yelp before going here, but you can't win 'em all.
I had the carne asada burrito, and wife the carne asada tacos, and everything was just alright. The beans on the side were canned, the rice was blah, and there was just no imagination or passion going on in the preparation or presentation. Forgive the racism, but it's definitely "gringoized".
But if I was so unimpressed, why am I'm giving them 3 instead of 2 stars? They actually use a few excellent ingredients. The steak was flavorful and had a great texture and the avocado in the  guacamole was fresh and fruity and some of the best I've tasted. I think amazing ingredients may be a Catalina thing, but why doesn't Catalina Cantina do anything interesting with them?
However, if you kind of like your Mexican food more plain or bland, and if you want what seems to be a decent bar, this may be your place.
Someone from the restaurant sent me a nasty note about how I should eat at McDonalds if I want freshness. They also told me to stop wasting my time complaining about food. Newsflash: that's what Yelp is for: to praise or scold restaurants. They have continuously harassed me about my review. I am writing this to reinforce my low rating. Crappy management, crappy food, crappy decor... Wow. Really classy.
Review Source:If I could give this place zero stars I would. The waitress took our drink order. Then a different waitress came over and rudely told us that a big party was coming in and we'd have to hurry and finish our drinks...before they even brought them to us! We couldn't have felt more unwelcome, and I'm embarrassed for them that they have that kind of service. There are too many other great places on the island to waste your time at Catalina Cantina.
Review Source:My husband and I loved this place. I see a lot of bad reviews but I think a lot of people are forgetting this place is a CANTINA. If you want chef style food go to a restaurant there are plenty of higher priced places around the island. I also haven't heard that Catalina is the "it" place for foodies.
As for the drinks they were great and they were made quite strong WITH tequila in the ritas too. The staff was super friendly and I wish I remembered our waitress's name but she was a nice, blond woman who was very accommodating. We had the fajita steak quesadilla and it came with tons of steak and the right amount of peppers and was really tasty. Again it's a cantina so looking at food to supplement the drinking that was occurring as we relaxed on our vacation. The prices were fine...don't forget this food needs to arrive by boat, unlike food on the mainland and the demand is higher so if that's a problem you could bring your own food in a cooler and BBQ next time.
We liked the old seaside drinkin' place feel to the cantina and really all in all we had a good time here. When you are in good company the bells and whistles aren't needed.
They Mix a Mean Strong Drink! NICE :)
We had a lot of fun here. The service was sooo much better than the Mi Casita Mexican place down the street.
Buffalo milk was strong :) Just how any drink should be. The food was okay. I would say your common bar food. Not the best as everything is from the can.
My husband got the buffalo burger. It was on the thin side not substantial at all. I got a wet burrito. Meh...it was okay.
ALL IN ALL: It's a nice place to relax and have a beer or spirits.
Most of you guys are idiots. This place is great. As with most any bar, order your drinks straight from the bartender if you want heavy ones...tip him well on the first round and ---Viola, you are getting some service. If you order a foo foo drink, then you will most likely get a foo foo drink. There can be a little more to it, but those secret saucer tips cost. What, is this, your first time going out or something?
As for the food, it is much better priced than most places in Avalon and is just fine. It is not your 5 star establishment, but a tasty combo plate is 12 bucks and that aint bad. I think the nachos are under 10 bucks and are great. If you want value, then bring some peanut butter and jelly ashore and make your own sandwiches. There is always Pete's, where a good hamburger can be had for 5 bucks, but the Catalina Cantina has great ambiance and you can smoke and drink at the street side table.
There is a reason why there isn't any starbucks on the island and that is to keep you people in check.
I love Mexican food. I love Margaritas. I love views of the ocean while I eat and drink said items. But, I don't love Catalina Cantina, despite the fact that if offers all three things I mentioned I love. Let me explain.
The boy and I came here for an early dinner Saturday (around 5:30pm) I asked if we could sit at the long table facing the ocean and harbor, and they said sure. The view here is stunning and it makes sipping your drink that much more fun. But, the fun stops here.
My Cadillac Margarita was watered down. I didn't like that. I didn't even get a slight buzz off of it, bummer! My chicken burrito was bland and not memorable. I didn't even eat all of it, which is so unlike me in any Mexican place. To me, the food and drinks were just "meh". Only redeeming qualities was great service and a great view!
Save your calories and go somewhere else to chow down on the island! Cheers!
My husband and I stopped at this place because it's got a cool open faced bar that looks out onto the main strip and you can people watch while enjoying the harbor view. Â We walked by one day and saw people drinking Coronaritas, yes, it's a Margarita with a corona beer turned upside down in it, half beer half Margarita and we thought it was so cool we must do that. Â
We ended up NOT doing it, which is lame on our part, but we had a 28oz rum punch which is literally served in a bowl with straws. Â It was yummy but weak, however the pictures of us drinking from a bowl were fun. The service was OK, but the food not so much. Â I had a Santa Fe Steak sandwich that was OVERLOADED with bell peppers and cheese and I could hardly find the so called steak (little chunks that looked like carne asada meat scraps)
it was fun to sit outside and people watch, but I would only recommend this place for happy hour and the seating (did I mention the chairs out in front look like preschooler chairs?) It's in a prime location but it's not worth the price in my opinion and the food wasn't good. Â Drinks and nachos I'm sure would have been fine.
This has got to be the worst restaurant on the island. Â Seriously. It's bad. Â Had the enchilada plate -- disgusting. Â Refried beans from a can; the worst concept of spanish rice. Â All served lukewarm for your displeasure. Â Service is... well ... what you expect -- they could care less. Â
I totally understand that this is a tourist trap -- hoping that you visit once because it looks fun, but please do you self a favor and go find the decent restaurants.
This place SUCKED.
The shrimp tacos were terrible. Seriously the tiniest shrimp I had ever seen... I'm pretty sure they were krill. I had one bite of the tasteless taco and politely asked the server if I could have the steak tacos instead.
My mother's buffalo burger had a super thin patty and was bland. The fries were bad... how do you mess up fries?
Our requests were water were only acknowledged after having asked 3 times (and two different servers).
When I finally received my steak tacos, they too were tasteless...
What crap! Oh, and before I forget: I GOT FOOD POISONING!
Please do yourself a favor and avoid this place!
Catalina Cantina is a busy place during the day time but once everyone leaves the island at the end of the day, this place is dead.
The bf and I rolled in here at around 8pm and there were only a handful of people there. After we were seated, we noticed that the group across from us were all drinking from bowls at their table. At first I thought it must be a really good soup or something. I was wrong.
It was a margarita in a bowl. 28oz of margarita on the rocks in a bowl. It is a pretty good idea. They also have two other drink options you can get in a bowl. It costs about 12 bucks and could have been stronger.
For food, I ordered a two taco plate that came with rice and beans. My steak tacos were overcooked and chewy. I am not sure if I would come back here again because there are a other places to check out on the island.
Unfortunately, I'm sad to report that the Piña Colada tasted weak.  I don't like alcohol so I can easily taste it and I was like "Where's the alcohol taste?"
I'm also a light-weight, so I was also like "Why am I not even a little bit woooooooooooosy?" Â I don't recall ordering it virgin. Â I love virgin drinks but I also like to get my money's worth and if I'm paying for alcohol, I want it.
Still, I'm giving it 3 stars.
We ordered nachos and it was pretty good.  The portions are big and satisfied the three of us as an afternoon snack while waiting for the Zip Line Eco Tour (<a href="http://www.yelp.com/biz/catalina-zip-line-eco-tour-avalon#hrid:LzmPswzXBFxB4P5YrlQfbg/src:self">http://www.yelp.com/biz/…</a> ).  The price wasn't bad.  We were expecting to be ripped-off bad in Catalina.
Also, there is a nice surfer-beach vibe to the place because of the openness of the space (<a href="http://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/anfQydyppXMR_1B5zPveiQ?select=hf8_C9qm9KP7Mq_G5lGMsg">http://www.yelp.com/biz_…</a> )--and due to the fact that it's next to the beach.
Please read and save yourself! Don't eat here!
I work in food service industry, so this isn't just some grumbly person who doesn't know what she's talking about. Also, I've never written a review on here, so this is definitely warranting my first one.
- The floor smelled of vomit, so we moved tables. No big deal. It's a bar.
- Chips and salsa weren't included and for the price, they should've been.
- The margaritas didn't taste good and were low in alcohol.
- The service was fine at first and got progressively slower, even at 2pm with a nearly empty restaurant (Javier was our server).
- The food was fine, but definitely nothing special. I'm a margarita and Mexican food fan all the way, and this wasn't nearly as satisfying as I had hoped.
- MY CREDIT CARD WAS OVERCHARGED BY $5 (I just realized on my online account after looking at my transaction history from last night).
My friends and I were all out to have a good time, so no one piped up in complaint to each other, except about the service and the margaritas. Later talking about it, we all agreed how dissatisfied we were with the food and the place overall. Sorry Catalina Cantina, but you need a refresher course in customer service.
It's rad because you're on an island and having a great day. They have a tables facing the ocean if you're lucky but they were full when we stepped in for lunch. If you slapped this place down in your home town, lets face it you wouldn't eat here.
I ordered a fish burger which came with steak fries. The burger was good, looked kind of thrown together, not a lot of love went into the process I'll say that much. The fries were mushy ... bummer...i spent a while trying to find a crunchy one but gave up after awhile. My Margarita was a little sweet...but i threw some salt in it and he was ready to roll.
It's a good place to enjoy lunch..but it's a tourist place and they know there isn't much food to pick from so it's kinda just whatevez. I liked it but I think I was on Catalina cloud 9.
Bacon Cheeseburger + Enchiladas  + maitai's, buffalo milk, and margaritas = ehh. I've had better.
Its nice to enjoy the bar view of the harbor, but there was only 2 waitresses, and tons of people. All in all, its good if you're super hungry and don't care where you want to eat and you just want strong drinks.
I have two fears when eating. Â One is at middle eastern places that have belly dancers. Â Take that flabby, oddly sexy, collection of rolls and bug someone else. Â The other fear is with mariachi at Mexican places. Â You act like listening to La Bamba while hung over and drinking stale orange juice on a Sunday morning is a good thing.
Much like avoiding the hookers in a Chinese bar, just avoid eye contact and both the belly dancer and the mariachi will go away.
Lucky for me Catalina Cantina has neither. Â I only had 3 (or 6) drinks and the ceviche which was epic. Â Huge props for the awesome service and the super nice waitress that gave us chocolate covered strawberries from next door for free. Â She would've made a hot belly dancer.
We visited this restaurant right after we first arrived to Avalon by boat. The location was absolutely amazing- waterfront, really romantic, warm, inviting...
But everything else went wrong... the service was unreasonably, tediously slow... the food was soggy, greasy and unhealthy- definitely below the typical fast food level... Not even one single healthy choice on the menu.
For example, to avoid bad meats, I ordered their Veggie Burger.. it tasted like grass mixed with old hash-browns & raw corn- a manure-like substance so appalling that I wouldn't even feed a pig with it... Posed "nicely" on top of a really dry & plasticky bun, oxidized vintage, at least a week old...
Even their salads, heavy on oil, tasted dry and fiber-y: old letuce or cheap cabbage, with big chunks of ordinary supermarket quality cheese & heavy mayo-based dressing...
This restaurant calls itself "Mexican" but it has NOTHING TO DO with Mexico, except the slow, lazy dialect the employees spoke to each other. Oh, and they serve Mexican beer. Maybe it is safe to visit for a drink (Corona with lime) in the afternoon hours, to enjoy the location. But remember- I warned you... visit at your own risk. One of the worst restaurants in California, without any exageration. I hope that one day a good businessman or woman will purchase this fantastic property, and will convert it into something tasteful, memorable, meaningful!
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