Possibly the best lengua tacos ever. They were moist and tender without being greasy and generous on the meat. Not pictured because we inhaled them. The chicken tamales and pork ones were great, I preferred the flavor of the chicken slightly. The spicy sauce on the side was a good complement. Also black bean tamale option but I think it needs more seasoning or some veggies to stand against the others. Salsa was flavorful, heavy on the garlic, smooth style vs chunky.
An ecclectic atmosphere with incredible food! We enjoyed our first dinner here yesterday and will certainly be back many times. The authentic margarita consisted of freshly squeezed orange juice, lime juice, and a refreshing chili salt rim. We split each type of their street tacos and loved every one of them. Each meat was packed with flavor and all the ingredients tasted fresh. If you like spice (and a lot of it), ask for their hot sauce.Dining here is a fun experience and the full bar/restaurant has plenty of seating for such a tiny venue.
*record scratch* authentic Oaxacan cuisine in Knoxville?! Since I don’t spend much time on the west side, I had no idea!With Sir Elton John in Town this weekend, I was forced out of my normally vacant SoKno-downtown area into the west side & while I hate this chain motel I’m in, discovering Cataleya Cantina is an unexpected treat.I was surprised to walk into a fresh, white, Baja California-industrial atmosphere. I went straight to the bar to order takeout. The bartender was simply fantastic. Quick. Attentive. Personable. She carded me for my to-go margarita, but I swear that’s not why this 40ish-year old patron is giving her an impeccable review!A 15-minute wait gave me time to make some calls & look forward to that margarita. So yeah…that margarita. They are squeezing FRESH JUICE into these monsters, y’all. (Giant marg pictured below!) It was/is amazing. *sips said margaritaI ordered the Pollo en Mole. I’m not an expert on mole (Cornbread: yes. Mole: not so much), but I am foodie & at-home cook who understands depth of flavor and flavor profiles. This sauce hit every note: toasty, sweet, savory, spicy…all the notes.It was excellent. Start to finish: excellent. And if I lived here, I’d be here every week.
Stopped in while we were traveling through TN. Amazing!! Leslie was our server and she was fabulous. The street tacos were absolutely delicious and I highly recommend the jumbo margarita. I don’t normally do reviews but this family run Cantina was so delicious and the staff so friendly that it deserved a 5 star review.
Wow! I must say this place is a must try. Best Mexican food in Knoxville hands down. From the drinks to the Chimichangas fresh and delicious salsa and fresh squeezed margaritas and bomb carne asada and our wonderful waitress Miriam, we literally had such an amazing experience. Check them out. You won’t be sorry I promise.
This is by far the greatest food and freshest food I've had in any cantina. The service was incredible and I learned at the end of our meal that they were short staffed! We ordered the guacamole and it was perfection.The atmosphere is relaxed and decorated nicely.
This is definitely one of our new favorite places in town. The food was so fresh and tasty. Service was friendly.Drinks were good but could be stronger.Salsa was some of the best we’ve had in Knoxville but you definitely have to ask for more as the serving size was quite small.Oysters were just ok. The habanero cocktail sauce that came with them had some kick to it which we loved.For entrees, we got the Quesabirrias which did not disappoint. So yummy and perfectly made. We also got the Camarones a la Diabla, which was very flavorful and spicy.We will definitely be back and recommend this place to others.
So good every time we come here!
What a wonderful treat! This is how it's done when it comes to Latino food. From street tacos to beef tongue to some of the fresh and interesting Hispanic dishes I've ever had. Plus the place is adorable and has wonderful atmosphere. The people there are super nice and helpful and I can't believe what a wonderful time we had there. I had the taquitos mexicanos also known as flautas and they were decorated with this beautiful flower on top. Right then I knew I was in a restaurant that didn't do things typically. I found everything so unorthodox and refreshing that I was surprised at everything that came to the table. We loved the cheese dip queso It was so different than other places and I'll definitely come back just for that. If you have time and make it over by this small little quaint restaurant you should definitely stop in and try it because they got it going on in bucket loads. I appreciated their dedication to good food.
Super delicious! We were going to go to the biscuit place next door, but it had a crazy line and this place had no wait so we figured we'd check it out instead. I'm glad we did! They have a ton of authentic Mexican foods that are impossible to find in the area - like mole and pozole. My husband kept repeating, "This is the best day of my life." ?