Canteen in Madison

Amazing happy hour specials that are available every day make this a great place to chill and have some tacos and margaritas

Okay ish tacos, but really good margaritas! Cool place as well.

Great food. Chips and salsa werent complimentary but worth getting as the it came with three different flavors and had some zip! Enchaladas were 10/10 and she couldnt finish her burrito it was so big. I didnt have their margs but she enjoyed her frozen one. Not overly priced either. Will be back.

Visiting Madison and this was near my hotel. Tacos are tasty and a reasonable price during happy hour. I had shrimp Diablo and Carne Fresca. Both were great but small street size with no sides. The canteen margarita is solid and also half price during happy hour. Great service. quirky decor. Overall good experience.

Do not go! Service is terrible. Been here 2x, first time was awesome tacos & margaritas, sat at the bar and service wasnt great but they were busy. Second time 2 of us sat down at a table, ordered chips and salsa, asked to have a moment to look at the margaritas on the menu and the server never came back. Someone else dropped off the chips and salsa. 45 minutes later when we walked out the host just looked at as and never said a word, even though him and 2 other servers walked all around the rest of the restaurant.

Love this place!! I was visiting on Friday and 1/2 tequila helped, the chicken pastor was very very good. The staff was friendly and nice.

Great tasting tacos. My favorite go-to is always the shrimp diablo. Always get flour tortillas - better than the corn that is doubled. Refreshing margaritas. Wonderful selection and variations. Staff is so friendly ALWAYS and the patio seating is so pleasant as its not by a busy area. Plus the inside has beautiful walls and really huge windows.

Absolutely delicious food and margaritas! This is one of my favorite week day late lunch spots. Quick service and friendly staff.

Came here for date night with girlfriend. 10/10 drinks got house and spicy. Best nachos I’ve ever had. Big portion with great toppings. Tacos. Street corn. All fantastic. Happy hour after 9 half price margs and tacos. Only con is really small seating but overall great food and drinks

This was a fantastic find for a breakfast spot. My burrito bowl was more than enough to start the day, the service was great, and the house made chips were so unique! Would definitely return.

Food has definitely changed in quality since I was last here with my wife. It was still good but not as good as expected. We had a reservation for 9pm for the half priced food and drinks until 10pm. We didnt get our food until after 9:30pm or so and put in our order, but apparently missed this cut off by 8 minutes when we got our bill. We expressed our confusion to the waitress and she didnt even attempt to remedy the issue, simply said tell the waiter or waitress next time since we got seated at 8:52pm even after I explained we told the hostess we knew were a little early but were here for the deal. She followed up with well sorry have a goodnight and left. This was after we waited 20 minutes for our bill. Despite this experience, following this post the owner made it right and we will definitely return because of the amazing professionalism to make it right!

Went for a late brunch on a Saturday! Sat at the bar. Excellent margaritas. The guacamole was very tasty, with a little cojita on too. The steak and egg burrito was delicious and ranchero tacos were great. Service was responsive and helpful.

Good food friendly staff. Good menu. Good atmosphere. Decent parking spots close by.

Overrated. Had grilled fish tacos and chicken enchiladas. The enchiladas were acceptable. Low 3-star food. The fish tacos were bad. The fish had zero flavor and the tacos had an overly strong lime taste.

I ordered the Diablo shrimp which were supposed to contain chipotle marinated shrimp but I could not taste a hint of chipotle and the tacos were certainly not deserving of the name Diablo which I assume spicy or hot. And addition the shrimp were tiny which is not what I expected. we were quite impressed with the sauces that came with the chips so I was not completely disappointed with my meal.

Super awesome place for tacos in Madison! I love all the food here and it’s fun going during happy hour for some well priced tacos and margs!

I have come here several times and always leave disappointed. I think Im finally calling it. The tacos are not that good. The meat tacos are generally flavorless meat with a heap of spice on top. The kicker was getting charged another $2.25 for soda gun iced tea when I asked for a refill with no warning. This was a very unsatisfying $28 meal.Belair Cantina is just around the corner with better tacos (that are only $2 in Tuesdays AND Thursdaysand the best tacos in town are at Arods. (East side global food market or westside in woodmans parking lot)

What I noticed most about this place is the colors; colorful walls, interior, and food. Everything tasted fresh and healthy. Didn’t think the two fish tacos would fill me up but that paired with the chips and guacamole left me satiated. Cool place!

This place has the absolutely worst customer service ive ever experienced. Me and my group of friends were there for a total of 2hrs. It took 45 mins to get a pitcher or margaritas and in that time the waiter never came over to ask if we would like anything else. After the sub par margaritas was dropped off it took another 30 mins for our waiter to ask if we would like anything else and at that time he informed us the kitchen had closed. There was no prior warning and we came when the kitchen was open, not busy but it took the waiter a ridiculously long to acknowledge us and help us if you can even call it that. I was unable to get the check from our waiter so i had to go to the front of house which saw no problem with our horrendous experience. This is not the first time Ive had a bad experience here. Shame that Food Fight has an other loser.

taco-about fun! very fun decor + fun menus !! i can see myself coming back again !!

Not the best tacos ever, but solid.The service, on the other hand, was poor. There was water dropped off almost immediately. I placed my order right away because I already knew what I was going to order before going. However, I never saw my server again. It was not like they left because they were still working.My food arrived in a completely reasonable time. I would have ordered more if I was not treated as if I did not exist.I will not recommend this place given there are far too many competitors that provide far better service than this establishment in the area.

We got the breakfast burrito bowl, carne fresco taco and pork belly tacos. Absolutely out of the world food! Will definitely come back here! We also got the strawberry and the el jefe margarita and those were really good too. Ended up paying $65 for the brunch but definitely worth the money. Lovely food!

The half off tacos deal here is BOMB. I’ve been here twice now and the only minor issue that I’ve experienced is that wait time is long, but it makes sense since they’re always busy during happy hour. I really recommend the mexican street corn, carne asada/pork belly/fish tacos, and churros ☺️

Growing up, Ive always had the "spicy wheelchips" which is exactly what you get served in this place when you sit down to read your menus. They are calling it Durritos, but I will still call it wheelchips. Delicious. The nachos was very tasty and my friend and I shared it. It was my friends first ever time eating Mexican or Mexican inspired food. They loved it too. We also had the mushroom tacos and the cauliflower tacos. The mushroom tacos were amazing. The cauliflower tacos was good but could use some seasoning. We had fun dining in as non-alcoholic vegetarians. Mexican coke and Agua fresca de Jamaica were cherries on the top!

DELICIOUS!!!! Staff were so respectful and nice. Food was fast and fresh

A delicious and reliable place for great tacos, enchiladas, and more. The barbacoa brisket is awesome, chicken pastor excellent, and the enchiladas a classic. Also, for a great family meal, their taco platter is such a great deal, with plenty of sides.

You HAVE to stop here! The food was incredible and the atmosphere was creatively delightful. I tried the brussel sprouts tacos...umm where have these been my whole life?! Absolutely amazing! And the strawberry margarita was dangerously good.

One of my FAVORITE Mexican places to eat in downtown Madison! Fair warning the nachos are enormous, and the duritos are addicting! If you order pickup they go the extra mile to separately package different ingredients so that your food doesnt get soggy, I love this place!

The place was small but they were serving up great food. They start you off with duritos which is their homemade chips and I had the chips and homemade guacamole which was delicious. I also had the elote and it had great flavor. For those of you on a budget and have a yearning for tacos everyday they have happy hour every day from 2-5 and that includes half price tacos and I feel what sets them apart from other places is that when you order a taco you get 2 in the order instead of just one which goes to show you that they know they tacos good so they gonna hook you up with another one. For those of you that are vegan they got you covered to however your food might be on the same surface as meat and fish but just talk to them and they will get you right. Check them out next time your in madison.. im glad my daughter told me about it and took me there

A must in Madison! Decor and atmosphere are bright and cheerful. Stopped in for weekend brunch and it was incredible. Spicy marg is to die for. Seriously, best margarita in town. The Chilaquiles could feed 2 people for sure and the churros are soft and delicious.

Wow! Yummy tacos! Great street corn (in bowl, not on cob, but is like everyone else now..., but still good...). We Loved the fried cauliflower tacos!!! Carnitas were our second favorite. Also tried the chicken El pastor which was good too. We liked flour tortillas better than corn. Note.....Two tacos will Not be enough for most people!!! Plan on ordering plenty for the table so that each person has at least three unless they are seriously restricting calories.Great vibe! Lively after the Badger game but not too loud. Very enjoyable!!! Prices were also Extremely reasonable during happy hour!

Love the place. We went during happy hour. Our server was so friendly. We tried all vegetarian tacos and enjoyed them all. Spicy margarita and churros are an absolute must.

The best ever Mexican so far in Madison. Menu was simple not overwhelming with dishes and just enough to choose from.As usual Nachos with Guacamole is freshly prepared, and the dish tasted great. It had right mount of onions, black beans and jalapenos. Street corn had more butter in it, initially my it was delicious but in last 3 bites the butter was overpowering. Tacos - Yummy.Baja burrito was huge and for me it was more on sour side when I ate all chicken and have to eat the cabbages. It was juicy. The chicken was juicy and I got it grilled. Overall it was a good dish.My 2nd margarita was disappointing as it was watery. I understand it was Friday night but could have finished with good drink.I would recommend this place and I will return for sure.

Pretty good modern Mexican restaurant. Drinks were great but my fish tacos were very spicy with not much flavor.

On line Delivery order.Enchilada was not good. Chicken in it was extremely dry, impossible to chew, not seasoned at all, seems like it sat overnight on a countertop. Zero flavor just a bit of spice added. Rice was hard as a rock. I didnt receive Duritos. Tres salsas isnt salsa, its 2 liquid taco sauces and some finely chopped green salsa, chips were very stale.Fish tacos were decent, probably would be better if it came with something other than cilantro and cabbage.**edit, after eating the 1st taco. I went to eat the 2nd one and it was not cooked all the way through.I spent almost $35 for 1 taco. Changing my 2 star to 1 star

Tacos during happy hour are an extremely good deal, and delicious food. Outdoor seating is a must during the pandemic, and Canteen has plenty of indoor and outdoor seating. The carnitas tacos are my favorite, and I would highly reccomend going here from 2-5 any day of the week.

Canteen was the first restaurant i ordered from when i moved to madison, and since i’m blessed to be thy neighbor, i’ve been back plenty of times since. they have the best tacos ever ( brussel sprout my personal fav). i think every experience i have here gets better and better. shoutout to canteen. i love yal

Canteen was fantastic! Went here for some food when I got back to campus and WOW. The grilled burrito was so delicious being able to fill and be so tasty. The street corn was to die for. The blackberry mojito was so good I had 2 and the views?? You can’t beat that price and quality in downtown Madison!

Stopped in for happy hour and to get 1/2 tacos and $2 tecate can. Was able to sit outside on a beautiful afternoon with views of the Capitol building and plenty of people walking around the downtown area. I ordered the pork belly tacos. They were overflowing with tender pork belly and it was seasoned just right. Service was good, not extraordinary. I would definitely return again.

Quench Your Thirst at Canteen - Specialty Margaritas are what I expect at a trendy restaurant serving Mexican fare and I was not disappointed. While quenching our thirst with the margaritas we ordered small plate tacos that can easily be shared - the plates come with two tacos per serving, we ordered three different types (chicken, carnitas and fishwhich resulted in six tacos for two to share. Our server, Adele provided great service. She was attentive when needed but also gave us time and space to talk and enjoy the evening. We finished with the Flan con Caramel - Muy Delicioso!!

Great atmosphere, friendly and helpful staff, and delicious food. Got two types of tacos and loved them both. I enjoyed the unique chips too. Highly recommend for lunch with friends and coworkers.

Went there for outdoor seating, which was great. Food was average, the appetizers were good the main course was okay. The question is, is it reasonable to expect great Mexican in Wisconsin? Maybe I am unreasonable.

Tacos were ok. I wish the tortillas were warm like how mom used to serve em. They came cold and non browned. I shouldve asked them to brown em but I thought thats just how you cook em.The horchata was AMAZING.They make you pay and tip before even sitting down which was weird.The street rice was kind of bitter.Otherwise its very clean and cooI setup. Service is excellent.$25 for4 Tacos (I ordered 2, they brought me 4)Street rice bowlHorchata glass

We had reservations for a Friday night. We ordered the Rock Shrimp tacos, Carnitas, and the chicken tacos. All tasted great, although the carnitas are my favorite. Both of us were not a fan of the durrito pin wheels they give for free. However the tres salsa was good, (especially the chipsand so were the margaritas. I prefer the canteen marg over the spicy marg. If you sign up for their email list, you get a free margarita as well! It took a little bit to get our food, but it was a Friday night so thats understandable. Waiter was friendly and checked on us when needed. Overall I really enjoyed our first time there.

Loved this cute, quirky restaurant. We visited on Saturday, which is market day on the square. Wait staff was SUPER friendly and very prompt. Was fun trying the complimentary "wagon wheels". Fabulous, house margarita is a must order! We ordered guacamole & chips, tacos and a skillet type meal. All were really good. Chips are a bit greasy for my taste and know that you are only ordering single tacos. Great location just off the square in Madison. Smaller, narrow dining room, so I can see how you could potentially have to wait during busy times.

We stopped in today for lunch. Service was great. They bring a bag of yummy Duritos when you are seated. The margarita I had was very good. The chips and guacamole are really great. I had a chicken burrito with queso sauce. The burrito had refried black beans and avacado pieces in it. It was fabulous. The queso sauce I had added was very good. We enjoyed our meal and would definitely eat here again. 5 stars

I like the salty lime chips they serve to all the tables. I wish I knew what these were called! Perfect bar snack. Awesome deals going on at this place on the daily! It’s hard to find a frozen Margarita around the square but Canteen is definitely the place to go if that is what you’re looking for!

Another amazing Food Fight restaurant. Their margaritas are amazing! Strawberry is my go to, but you cant go wrong with any margarita. Their guac is delicious, tacos are amazing, and the flan is on point. The service is also great. The managers, the bartenders, and the wait staff are friendly and attentive.

Wanted to try someplace new and this place won. The service was great and everyone was very nice. The drinks were a bit expensive but they were pretty good. I had the chicken burrito and it was alright. A bit dry for my taste and I had to use all of the salsa they gave me on it. It was not bad for the price but it could be better. I tried some of my girlfriends enchiladas and they were pretty good.

In any restaurant that has only been open a month, room for improvement is to be expected. Canteen is no exception, in both service and fare. Though a few items, like "duritos" and churros were delightful, the ceviche was incoherent and the tacos forgettable. Im optimistic, and will be back... eventually.Update 8/3: Crossfit Games-inspired tacos were a little better, and the service vastly improved, but not enough to raise the rating. Ive come to expect more from a Food Fight Restaraunt Group establishment.