Cantina 76

Stopped in and lunch at this location for the first time today. I’ve been to a few others so I had an idea of what to order. It’s Kiawah, so there shouldn’t be any surprises with how much things are here. I thought it was reasonable for the location. I had the fried chicken salad and house margaritas today and they were all good. Definitely a good spot to grab some lunch or quick dinner if you’re in the area.

Our visit to Cantina 76 at Kiawah Island with our twin boys, who usually enjoy Mexican-inspired food, unfortunately, fell short of our expectations. From start to finish, our dining experience left us feeling quite disappointed. I had high hopes when I ordered the blackened shrimp taco, but what arrived at our table was far from satisfying. The taco featured three tiny shrimp that were under-seasoned and failed to deliver the promised "blackened" flavor. To make matters worse, the Pico de Gallo accompanying the taco was dominated by an overwhelming amount of white onions, making it unpalatable and off-putting. To please my indecisive son, I also ordered three enchiladas: one chicken in red sauce, one inVerde, and one beef in red. Unfortunately, these enchiladas were a letdown. The red sauce enchiladas had a burnt cheese topping that resembled a pizza gone wrong, and the meat inside was disappointingly dry, making it difficult to enjoy. The Verde sauce seemed to have been reheated hastily, resulting in an unappetizing, bubbly texture akin to toothpaste. The meat in all three enchiladas suffered the same fate, lacking any juiciness or tenderness. It was a challenge to eat them without a refreshing beverage. Sadly, after a few initial bites, I abandoned the enchiladas altogether. Even the shrimp taco couldn't salvage the meal, as I found myself merely picking at the tiny shrimp and tortilla. The excessive use of white onions in the Pico de Gallo made it unappetizing and unpalatable. While our waitress was friendly, it was evident that she and other staff members were swamped and often appeared frantic, which added to the overall experience. In addition to our disappointments, my wife ordered the BBQ Brisket taco, hoping for a better experience. While she enjoyed the flavorful meat and the tortilla, she also encountered the same disappointment with the Pico de Gallo, which was inedible due to the overpowering white onions. Furthermore, our one son, who eventually settled on ordering the kids’ chicken tenders, unfortunately, fell violently ill shortly after our meal. It's difficult to pinpoint the exact cause, but it's concerning to think that his illness may have been related to the food. All in all, our experience at Cantina 76 at Kiawah Island was deeply unsatisfying. The underwhelming quality of the food, the unappetizing Pico de Gallo, and the overwhelming jalapeño in the Fish Taco left a lasting negative impression. Despite our friendly waitress, the overall busyness and occasional frantic atmosphere of the staff further added to our disappointment. With numerous dining options available, I would suggest exploring alternative venues that offer a more satisfying Mexican culinary experience. Your health and enjoyment should be the top priority when dining out, and unfortunately, Cantina 76 did not meet our expectations in either aspect.

Wonderful outdoor dining experience! The hostess told us it would be a 15-20 min wait for outdoor seating and exactly 15 minutes later we were sat at a very clean table. Our server’s recommendations were excellent and our drinks were never empty! We started with warm tortilla chips and salsa and our tacos were delicious. We’ll be back!

We stopped in for lunch before we rented bikes to ride around island. The atmosphere of the restaurant is lovely and we were seated promptly. Our server Jana was absolutely terrible. I asked about our chips and salsa appetizer taking some time and was snitted at by her. She never refreshed drinks or even returned until well after our food came. Main problem…….Daughter clearly stated she has a dairy allergy and ordered no cheese on taco as well as a corn tortilla. Order came with cheese and flour tortilla. Since Jana did not return to table until much later the food runner had to take care of order. Jana was rude and snippy and never acknowledged the error or apologized. We have NEVER not left a sizable tip for a server, we know how hard they work and Daughter server all during College…..Jana got 0……exactly what she deserved..