a few of my favourite things

mexican food

When you have access to something 24/7 you take it for granted. Two things were completely stolen from me when we came to CZ, Japanese and Mexican food. In Hluboká as well as in České Budějovice, there are no Mexican or Japanese restaurants. A Spanish tapas restaurant just opened up in CB but, as you know, Spanish food and Mexican food are very different. I prefer Mexican. We have already found a great sushi bar in Prague (it costs an arm and a leg so it is for once a year special occasions), but this time in Prague with Chris we happened upon a Mexican restaurant called Cantina. It was amazing, like Mexican food from the best hole-in-the-wall joint in Salinas, CA or from the great taco truck in Los Lunas, NM. The prices were great, big portions, mariachi on the radio, food...amazing. They even have freshly made salsas and mole!!! We also loved their quirky but fantastic homemade sparkling lemonade. MAN!!!

Here is an excerpt from a review of the restaurant:

Cantina - a Mexican name for a pub - was founded in 1996 by Mr. Carlos Garcia Lozano Cortes, who, while passing through Prague, happened to end up in Malá Strana. The interior of Cantina has the homely but distinctive style of a real Mexican eatery and bar - but you definitely won't find any stuffed chickens or plastic corn ears there. Instead, wooden chairs, colorful tablecloths, walls decorated with black-and-white photographs, and a cellar lined with sacks of coffee beans all evoke a genuine Mexican barroom atmosphere. You'll be surrounded by Mexican music, colors and cactuses. The menu offers plenty of classic Mexican items, including unusual starters and desserts, and Tex-Mex food is also featured. And while the portions in Cantina might seem big enough to feed a regiment, they won't empty your wallet. Among the more exotic items available are Chicken in Honey and Turkey in Chocolate. If you're not feeling quite so adventurous, you can try the spicy corn soup, Tex-Mex salad with marinated chicken, and finish with baked pear in chocolate. The drinks menu contains a wide range of Mexican beers, but the main attractions are, of course, tequila and mescal. An inexhaustible variety of these classic Mexican spirits is served in authentic style. Draft Czech beer and a selection of cocktails are also available. Cantina has been around for eight years now, but even if you're visiting for the first time, leaving the place can feel like leaving home. And, if the mood is right, you can even feel the cactuses sweating…

http://www.restauracecantina.cz/