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| - Playa Cabana Cantina is the latest restaurant to open in Toronto to fuel our newfound taco addiction in the city. It's located in The Junction at 2883 Dundas St. West (at Keele).
Playa Cabana Cantina is the second location for Playa Cabana - with it's first location on Dupont (at Davenport). The Junction has accepted it well, considering there were absolutely no reservations available for the whole weekend - but they assured me that they keep the bar open for walk ins.
So we walked in. Right away I was impressed by the decor, there's plenty of neon-lit signs including a shout out to JUNCTION - WEST TORONTO, and an "Keep and Enforce Prohibition" sign at the bar - perhaps a little tongue in cheek reference to The Junction's past as a dry neighbourhood until 2000.
The menu here is set up a little differently than other taco favourites like Grand Electric or La Carnita. Instead of ordering tapas style - one taco at a time, Playa Cantina's menu includes everything from tacos and tostados to burritos and enchiladas along with a side of rice and black or pinto beans.
We started off the meal with guacamole and chips. The chips arrived warm to the table and were extra crispy and fresh. The guacamole was smooth and not too spicy for our tastes. The bartender replenished the chips free of charge too, which is a great touch.
Playa Cabana Cantina has a fresh oyster bar set up, and at $2 a shuck, we couldn't resist them. They were huge, no skimping here, and were served with horseradish and hot sauce. Then, we each ordered a set of tacos with a side of rice and black beans, after starting off with Amber Agave Margaritas.
The Ancho Braised Shortrib-Brisket Crispy Tacos were served on a corn tortilla with melted cheese, sour cream and pico de gallo. They came to the table piping hot, and the mix of brisket and cheese was perfect along with the extra crispy tortilla. They were reasonably priced at $14 for an entree.
Next up was the Tacos de Pescado (Baja-Style fish tacos) for $13 . They were a little underwhelming in comparison. The breaded tilapia didn't have the substance to stand up to the guacamole and shredded cabbage filling. Usually I'm a big fan of a good fish taco but this wasn't the best I've had lately.
Personally, I prefer picking and choosing different tacos to try instead of ordering them as a personal entree. The sides of yellow rice and beans were fresh and a great addition, but it would have been great to try a few different kinds of tacos instead of three of one kind.
With another round of drinks coming, we felt the need for some dessert... Unsure of what to get, the bartender recommended the Mexican Flan, so we gave it a shot. After waiting a little longer than necessary (I think the kitchen forgot about us), our bartender arrived with the flan, which was actually 2 mini flan served with whipped cream. He apologized for the delay and said the dessert was on the house.
Overall the personal service at the bar was great, the bartender gave us a lot of recommendations on what to order and was more than helpful. The atmosphere was comfortable and casual, it didn't have that 'too cool' vibe that many new restaurants are picking up on now.
We definitely will be returning to try out the burritos and other menu items along with the amazing guacamole again too. The tacos were flavourful, with fresh, house made ingredients but not the best of what the city has to offer right now.
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