Cantina

The Laughing Buddha - man this drink is freakin' amazing!!

We loved this place because it's chill vibe..we arrived a little before 10pm and it wasn't crowded at all, it was just perfect to hang out, have drinks and talk!

After a nearby bar closed at 11pm, we were on the hunt for one final drink. Cantina came to the rescue!

The interior is dark and intimate. It was a rainy Wednesday night, so we easily found a table in the back. I had never been here, but Peter L spoke highly of their drinks.

*Carmen amaya ($13): 1776 rye whiskey, curacao, fresh citrus & mulled basil, amontillado sherry
*Blue ribbon sour ($15): campo de encanto pisco with fresh citrus, double down on the egg whites, add sherry & a nip of sugar
*Laughing buddha ($11): citron vodka, lime, crushed ginger & serrano chiles, five spice secret sauce, ginger brew

My drink was the Blue ribbon sour. After having numerous beers and apps earlier, I wanted something light and easy to drink. This was the perfect drink! I also took some sips of the Laughing buddha as well. This definitely has a spicy kick. Not for those who can't handle spice. It was a little too much for me as a last drink of the night. But I definitely see myself liking this drink if it started my night.

Remember to check in to get $2 off your cocktail. It only works on one cocktail, so if you're really trying to save money, everyone should buy their own and get $2 off each.

I'd definitely come back here to try their other cocktails! Next time, I'll start my night here!

Never underestimate the power of suggestion.

I have weak skills when it comes to convincing people. But I can be sweet as pie when I want to. Of course I used that to my advantage and "suggested" to a fellow Yelper that we grab a drink at the Cantina because I was itching to get a cocktail crossed off on my Big Eat SF list:

#30 Laughing Buddha cocktail at Cantina

My throat was parched from the rare 86 degree weather last night. I was delighted that the bar wasn't crowded yet so we were able to park ourselves at the first barstools that became available.

Here at Cantina, gone are the days when your bartender took 5 seconds to make your drink. You'd be waiting with bated breath as the master measures the magic liquid, mixes and adorns it with a garnish.

My laughing buddha cocktail is made with ginger brew, Hangar One Buddha's hand citron vodka, fresh squeezed lime juice, agave nectar, muddled ginger and Serrano chilis. A unique drink that's incredibly refreshing with a subtle kick in end.

The already hot night made even hotter, thanks to my cocktail, my friend and the power of suggestion.

UPDATE: Closed and re-opened as PCH (http://www.yelp.com/biz/pacific-cocktail-haven-san-francisco-2).

If you're a casual drinker, or one who never drinks different types of alcohols, or one who knows little about mixology/craft cocktails, then this is the type of place to start. This was one of the OG spots that bridged my drinking from just beers/wines to cocktails and brown alcohols.

If you like bars then you should feel comfortable since Cantina has that bar vibe. If you don't like bars then you should feel comfortable since it is not divey and there are seatings (albeit a small section) with sofa, chairs, and tables in the back.

So, the Laughing Buddha was the gateway drink for me. It is nice refreshing drink and I had liked the clearness of vodka, and ginger (Asian), and chile (Asian). Combined, the drink was a fobby, lightweight drinker, Asian-glowing masterpiece. I could drink a lot and seemed hip doing it! I still think it's one of the best cocktails ever. Anyway, pick any two cocktails and you can't go wrong on both. A few more visits afterward and you'll hit all the drinking establishments like a pro.

Cantina used to be my favorite drinking lounge in the city and I return once in a while when convenient. No, not because the place went downhill or had some fault but other similar lounges opened closer to work, and to BART.

Good riddance, terrible service and even worse drinks out of this place. Came here and the staff was rude and didn't seem to care to serve you. Probably why this dump closed down.

Explore new things Saturday night! While I love the fact that this place is hidden away and has a super interesting take on a shot-gun-bar vibe, I'm not sure it blew me away.

The cocktail list was ok, but nothing particularly inspired me. Even less inspiring were the staff. Never have I been in a pretty full bar and there be absolutely no energy in the whole place. Nobody was friendly. Nobody looked enthused about serving or making drinks. They seemed reluctant to even answer my questions about a few of the cocktails. I think the crowd picked up on their zombie-like state and was equivalently lack luster. Kinda weird. Maybe all the staff were hung over? That might explain it. The skeletal art on the walls really did mirror the dead-ness of the place, despite being full of bodies.

That being said, if you want somewhere off the beaten path, yet still in the heart of Union Square, you might want to check it out. If you love tequila based cocktails, this should also be your jam...if the vibe can get better than it was on my Saturday night.

The BEST COCKTAIL ever.
Blackberry and Cabernet caipirinha: smells good, tastes good.
Blackberry and basil cooler: it is very delicious,
Smells heavenly and quite high on alcohol. After a few glasses, I felt quite drunk.
I genuinely liked this bar. Highly recommend this place.

Mixology is up there with slow drip coffee and microbreweries in the list of things that I'm always disoriented by when someone offers a really strong opinion. Like, there's an earth-shaking difference between barley beer and wheat beer? I'm sure I couldn't cobble a bunch of seemingly random ingredients together and come up with a drink that I could hawk for $10-15, but I don't know. I just can't take mixology all that seriously.

I would go back to Cantina. I may need to bring night-vision goggles, though, because the place, especially the larger seating area in the back, was almost pitch-black. I could barely make out anyone's faces, which I suppose could come in handy for date night. There was a zombie-fied Marilyn Monroe painting hanging right above the bar that I wanted for my apartment.

I didn't notice any of the aforementioned rudeness in the bartender, but I did think it was impressive that he was working an entire bar by himself on a relatively busy late Sunday night. Although he didn't seem like the type to walk me through the menu or even to rattle off a list of pre-selected "favorites" if I bothered to ask for a recommendation, he remembered my name when I went to order a second drink and made an excellent blackberry and cabernet caipirinha.

And to be frank, after a day of non-stop gluttony on a trip marked out by Periods of Eating and Periods of Recovering from Eating, it was nice to finally stop at a place that served just drinks. An older gentleman threw a fit because the place did not have its own food menu, but it's not as though you need to trek five miles into the wildness to get some sustenance in this area. Take a chill pill.

Cantina sucks

Terrible service.. we went on a Friday night and that wasn't even busy. But still, nobody bothered to take our orders. Plus they were supposed to close at 2 but they kicked us out at 1:30, with an unfriendly attitude

Inside was old with ripped couched

Not sure about the quality of drinks, we ordered bottles of wine and bubbly

I don't come out often, but Cantina impressed me. My friends recommend coming here before we goto Ruby Sky. As a result, I swung by with the group to grab some drinks before the show.

Upon arrival, the bar was already packed with people. The vibe was very relaxing due to the fact that they had a DJ playing live.

My friend ordered me a couple of the mix drinks which I still don't remember what it is called. But, it was very good and strong!!! All I remembered was it had a nice lemon and berry flavor to it. Been a while since I had a good mix drink.

Give it a try!! Worst case scenario, you won't remember a thing haha.