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Joses Cantina image

Joses Cantina

Restaurant Bar Bar and grill Mexican restaurant Taco restaurant

👍👍 Jose's Cantina gave me a familiar vibe of some favorite locations back at home in the US. And the food fits the bill too! We ordered the papas fritas, a chicken chimichanga and beef tacos. All nicely presented and tasty! Service and timing were all pretty good for first impression as well. Next ti... People often mention Mexican, chicken, time, menu, staff, great, good, Jose, nachos,


Address

12-14 Birkenhead Avenue, Birkenhead, Auckland 0626, New Zealand

Rating on Google Maps

4.50 (227 reviews)

Open on Google Maps

Working Hours

Permanently closed.

Featured Reviews


Frequently mentioned in reviews: Mexican (9) chicken (8) time (8) menu (7) staff (7) great (7) good (6) Jose (6) nachos (6)
Reviews are sorted by relevance, prioritizing the most helpful and insightful feedback at the top for easier reference.
  • 5/5 Jen C. 1 year ago on Google
    Jose's Cantina gave me a familiar vibe of some favorite locations back at home in the US. And the food fits the bill too! We ordered the papas fritas, a chicken chimichanga and beef tacos. All nicely presented and tasty! Service and timing were all pretty good for first impression as well. Next time I'm in NZ, I'd come back again to try out more of their menu and maybe stay longer to have a few shots or a sangria 😄 Thanks!
    6 people found this review helpful 👍

  • 5/5 Hamish D. 1 year ago on Google
    What an awesome spot! Jose’s Cantinas brings back a lot of memories of living in SoCal, where we would go to Taco Tuesday spots religiously. Really cool setup/atmosphere, super friendly staff and a fantastic range of Mexican food options. The perfect spot for a jovial weeknight. Thanks Jose, love your work! Hamish Dorrington Kakapo Business Sales
    3 people found this review helpful 👍

  • 5/5 Israel R. 4 years ago on Google
    Joses Cantina is hands down the best Mexican restaurant in Auckland. They're also doing Turkish, Argentinian, and food from a few other cultures. The staff are amazing and very helpful, and the bar is also pretty damn good! I recommend the spicy cheese as a starter, and the chicken nachos are always a solid classic for a main. For the drinks I'd recommend the frozen margaritas.
    2 people found this review helpful 👍

  • 5/5 Clare A. 1 year ago on Google
    Went here tonight after wanting to go for a long time. It was absolutely worth it. The service was friendly and the food was absolutely delicious. Wish my tummy had room for more!
    1 person found this review helpful 👍

  • 5/5 Cara J. 2 years ago on Google
    I went here last night with my partner. We had the chicken quesadilla, corn chips & guacamole, wings. I can not recommend this place enough, 5 stars is underselling it. The food was fantastic to say the least, fresh & authentic. The service was incredible, me being a very picky eater they accommodated to each and all of my needs. I will definitely be back here again, might be the best Mexican place i have ever been too!
    1 person found this review helpful 👍

  • 5/5 Sean A. 1 year ago on Google
    …Amazing Takeaway’s. A group of us were wanting something different for dinner the other night and weren’t to keen on the usual burger or Indian so we decided on Jose’s Cantina. Man did it not disappoint. The beef quesadillas were so tender and melted in the mouth. We also had a chicken nachos which was a banging. We also got 1 of each of the sides (sauces). Salsa roja was the pick of the group but loved Jose’s spicy chilli sauce as the heat was a creeper. Highly recommend this place for tasty takeaway. 👏👏
    1 person found this review helpful 👍

  • 5/5 P A. 1 year ago on Google
    Such a consistently great place to eat. We tend to get delivery, and although we live quite close, it always gets there piping hot and fresh. Great food!!

  • 5/5 Raghav A. 6 months ago on Google
    A nice little Mexican restaurant in the busy Birkenhead shops precinct. The food is nicely prepared and great in taste. The menu contains ample choice for vegetarians as well, however there is a scope for more options to be included. The ambience and the Mexican hats which anyone can wear while being here are unique which make the experience memorable. The staff are nice and helpful in explaining the cuisine to customers. The location is easily accessible by road and public transport. There is no parking available on the premises, however one can easily park in the Highbury shopping centre and walk for a couple of minutes to reach here easily. Well recommended overall.

  • 3/5 Fern M. 7 months ago on Google
    Came here with a friend for dinner and unfortunately won't be returning. The staff were very attentive but the food was ridiculously overpriced for the quality. Probably the worse Margherita I've ever had and the nachos and tacos weren't very flavorsome. Dissapointing as I was expecting better for the price. $8 for a tiny serving of salsa/guacamole? What a rip off.

  • 5/5 Sima S. 8 months ago on Google
    This place is excellent! Ambience is chill and relaxed, with really friendly staff. Food is amazing, wine is perfect, and the Music is wonderful. Oh, desert… mouth melting. Do yourself a favour and visit this lovely place.

  • 5/5 Lokesh K. 8 months ago on Google
    Amazing experience from the service to the food! We played some pool while we waited for our food, and when it came out, everything was presented beautifully and tasted even better (enchiladas and nachos, both with beef cheek instead of mince)! Definitely recommended!

  • 2/5 Jarrod M. 8 months ago on Google
    I ordered through deliver easy. The beef quesadilla was the best I’ve ever had, so good! Unfortunately the second and most expensive of the two items I ordered (chicken nachos) were insanely salty. The nachos were nice with the guacamole but the chicken mix was so salty it was inedible, second to this I found a thick short black hair in the chicken mix.

  • 5/5 Andrew D. 10 months ago on Google
    Great local spot. Good supply of hats to don while you chow down on some tasty food. Tortilla sharing plate with 4 sauces was a great start for the 4 of us. Followed up with 6x tacos and churros for dessert.

  • 5/5 Zigma Z. 9 months ago on Google
    Finally had Mexican food after a long time and Jose’s Cantina was all I was looking for ❤️ much love to the staff for being so generous and Jose specially for serving the best Mexican food in Auckland ❤️❤️ This place never gets old 🙌

  • 5/5 Kelvin H. 1 year ago on Google
    Embarrassed to say that I was not aware of such a great Mexican restaurant so close to home. The owner is so pleasant to chat to about the menu and struggles of businesses in recent years. We always dine out with first table half price discounts. This visit is the first time for years we have paid full price and intend to do the same many times in future. There is no bigger recommendation I can make. Looking forward to times when a more expansive menu is posible. But currently love what is on offer. A big thumbs up.

  • 5/5 Dawn A. 1 year ago on Google
    Fabulous place, tortilla chips with spicy guacamole and spicy cheese. Just yum the tortilla chips are so light and come out piping hot. Beef tacos and chicken enchiladas very good. And the churros, crispy but soft... Perfect! Keep up the good work.

  • 3/5 Ritesh P. 1 year ago on Google
    G8 service and atmosphere. Food not so great. I am vegetarian and I understand it's difficult to match the taste against meat for similar dishes. Overall good experience.

  • 4/5 Kitty O. 1 year ago on Google
    Had the best time here! Stumbled across this place while looking for dinner and glad we did. Got the spicy margarita jugs and they were great! Also the homemade corn chips with dips which my friends and I loved!! We were also given sombreros to wear which was really fun! Only thing is it is a little expensive and there isn't heaps of food to choose from on the menu.

  • 5/5 Olivia M. 3 years ago on Google
    Yuuuummmm! If you want legit Mexican look no further. Came here with a group for a birthday. Christina our waitress was lovely and so accommodating! Not a large menu but this means they do the food so well! Paired with Jose's beer, Sangria and margarita jugs we were in heaven. Would be a fab venue to hire out! Meals were so big, next time I'll share so I can eat more churros 😋

  • 5/5 Michael G. 3 years ago on Google
    Visited for the first time last night. Great! Would definitely recommend for the food, the value, the drinks (jug of Margarita, anyone?) the atmosphere, but above all, for the awesome friendly service. The staff were attentive, knowledgeable about the menu and extremely welcoming. Joined the loyalty club and will definitely return. 😊

  • 5/5 Kyle G. 1 year ago on Google
    Ordered a takeout this evening for my family and everything was perfect. Although a little pricier than other places, the portion sizes and quality was superb. Next time I’ll definitely dine in and try some margaritas 😊

  • 5/5 loki t. 1 year ago on Google
    Amazing. We were in Auckland and ended up at Joses. It is brilliant, the kids loved it. The food was brilliant and the kids are it all. There are sombreros available to eat and nothing makes dinner more fun than a massive red hat! They look great in the photos. The chef is lovely, smiles a lot and actually looks happy as well as caring about the food. Everything was perfect.


Open on Google Maps

Amenities


  • Payments
    • ✓️ Debit cards
    • ✓️ Credit cards
    • ✓️ NFC mobile payments
  • Offerings
    • ✓️ Beer
    • ✓️ Wine
    • ✓️ Coffee
    • ✓️ Alcohol
    • ✓️ Spirits
    • ✓️ Cocktails
    • ✓️ Halal food
    • ✓️ Small plates
    • ✓️ Late-night food
    • ✓️ Vegetarian options
  • Accessibility
    • ✓️ Wheelchair-accessible toilet
    • ✓️ Wheelchair-accessible seating
    • ✓️ Wheelchair-accessible car park
    • ✓️ Wheelchair-accessible entrance
  • Dining options
    • ✓️ Lunch
    • ✓️ Dinner
    • ✓️ Dessert
    • ✓️ Seating
  • Service options
    • ✓️ Dine-in
    • ✓️ Delivery
    • ✓️ Takeaway
    • ✓️ Outdoor seating

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