Not exactly authentic Mexican... But in a pinch it will suffice. Not bad prices for the food, decent portions. The server spoke English, a plus. I had enchiladas verdes, it was a little cold. The guac was delicious tho. I was going to order a Pisco sour but it didn't have any Pisco! So I passed. I would eat there again if I needed another Mexican food fix.

Cantina Agave has a brilliant atmosphere if you go in the eventing they have a great deals on margaritas as well as other drinks. There food is good Mexican food, not high end but if you want a snack and a drink with your friends this is the place to go. Make sure you book because it has very limited seating, and you could be waiting a while for a seat at the rush times.

A Scandinavian, An Asian, and A Mexican walk into a bar and order margaritas...

There is no punchline, that was me (the Asian) with some friends who have somehow convinced me to grab dinner there. So I quickly shoved some of those delicious muffins you can get at Alldays down my throat and ran out the door. I love my margaritas, so that was the selling point, but as for the food there - not worth it! After a glass or 2 of margarita, I was getting a bit hungry again. So I decided to flag down a fuwuyuan a few times, knowing that I'd probably be disappointed; just like all the other times I've been there.

Food is not worth the money - it's no where close to mediocre Mexican food like they serve back in the states; in fact Mexican food that comes out of a mobile trailer tastes WAY better 99% of the time. They're probably equally sanitary/unsanitary too.

The service is quite slow and unresponsive, so order your drinks early on and it will improve your experience, if only slightly.

Cantina would be good for dates if you just want to get them drunk off of margaritas pretty fast and it's alright if you want to sit around with friends outside and drink some margaritas (seems like that's what a lot of the expats are doing). But c'mon People (especially those who have had REAL Mexican cuisine), don't come here for the food - it's foolish. Muy loco!

Somebody, please HURRY UP & Open up a Taco Truck!

Tacos, nachos and margaritas were surprisingly decent - I know they are hard to mess up but still... Ambience was nice too. The service wasn't great but it wasn't a terrible experience after all because they were not rude - they just seemed very busy and forgetful. Dinner for three, with 8 glasses of margaritas was 480 RMB and we left with a total satisfaction of our Mexican cravings.

Overall this restaurant deserves a good four stars and my revisit when I crave for Mexican food next time.

Soooooooooooooo Sunday rolls around and that can only mean on thing for us foreigners.....BRUNCH TIME! My mates and I decided to mix it up a bit with some south of the border fare....oh no wait, i'm English....and that weren't French food they were serving...but you know what i mean.

Having a party of 8 I decided to make a reservation the day before....no problem. The lady was lovely and i'm guessing was Filipino as she spoke perfect English. Later in the day 2 more friends wanted to tag along so i called up again to change the booking. Again no problem.

So you know what's coming next.

Mei you. No reservation, no record of anything. Nada. Great i thought, as every time I walked past Cantina it is heaving. But today it was DEAD. It worked for us at first as we were seated no problem. But an empty restaurant is never fun. There were maybe us and two other tables occupied the whole time. Not exactly the buzzing atmosphere of a Mexican cantina!!

Anyways on to the food. The brunch menu was alright, nothing amazing and you can tag on all you can drink margartias for 95RMB. I got the impression they just added egg and potatoes to their regular menu dishes. Carnitas burrito...with egg. Beef burrito....with egg. Chorizo....with egg. All served with "breakfast/house" potatoes.

We ordered pretty much one of everything as the menu is quite concise, and the results were a mixed bag. The burritos went down well, the pork was juicy and the beef well spiced, but the chicken in salsa verde on some nachos was a definite flop.

Our impression of the food however was probably let down by the fact that it took 25 mins from the first person getting their meal, to the last. 25 mins? Not ok! Our whole party was British, so we don't like to make too much of a fuss, just lots of tutting and polite enquiries as to where the rest of the meals were but all we got were lots of apologies. And you can't eat those. The restaurant was by no means busy, so I dread to think what they're like on a full Saturday night.

The service was fine, one lovely guy who is one of the Filipino staff was a real gem, really attentive, friendly, got a bit of banter going etc and the first waiter impressed us all by managing to remember all our order without writing it down, special requests and 10 types of margaritas included!

ANOTHER issue came along when a friend only had one margarita and the request to replace her all you can drink price with a single margarita was stonewalled until we managed to get the manager and explain the logic.

I'd not been to eat there for a while....and i wont be back again. The general consensus was that is was resting on it's laurels...it's a shame because I think Shanghai does need a decent Mexican place people go to because they like it, not because it's there.

Went here for dinner with my girlfriend. Was our first time eating here, I've been before just for drinks outside which was good.

We were seated at a crappy table near the toilet, even though we had reservations. The wait staff was very inefficient and unprofessional.

The food was luke-warm instead of piping hot. Considering the prices they ask for these mundane foods the value for money is abysmal.

In the end, they even managed to bring us a bill which contained items we did not order. When we mentioned the above to the manager, she just said "we're busy" and walked away.

Never going back here.

Let me star off this bit of consturctive criticism by saying if it is late afternoon and I am trying to think of a place to get a good meal with friends, Cantina Agave is almost always suggested and rarely turned down.

That being said, the last few times I have been there I was really hoping the menu would have been 'upgraded' a bit. While I have enjoyed everything I have tried on the menu, it is fairly small. I absolutely love Cantina and always return because of its consistent quality and service, but its year-long dominance on casual Mexican could soon be threatened by a similar concept with a similar vibe, yet updated menu.

For instance, why just let us choose what type of meet we want on our burrito. Choices are great and all, but for those of us that are as indecisive as myself, I like to see what the chef has come up with and try things I wouldnt necessarily put on a burrito/tacos at home. Mix it up, get weird, take feedback, and repeat...

p.s. I'd like a reservation for tomorrow night around 7:00? 5 people...

Oh em gee. My husband and I have been searching for a place for decent food, and we are definitely more than satisfied!

We went for lunch-- and only two minor disappointments
(1) We couldn't order a main. Had to choose between the tacos/burritos and/or the brunch menu... but definitely happy with the quality of the food!
(2) No crunchy tacos! =( Those are definitely my fave, because I like a little crunch (or maybe because Taco Bell is my guilty pleasure...) !

The nachos were definitely my favorite. The choice between a full and a half plate was one of the hardest decisions that we had to make! Opted for double meat (thats what she said, lol). The ooey gooey cheese, the beans, the olives! Added some jalapeno peppers (which was free at the salad bar!!) and that was it... HOMERUN!

He had one of the breakfast burritos and I had a mamita (Aye aye!). The portions are ridiculously large and I had to take mine to go. Both were scrumptious and just so unexpected here in Shanghai! The food was just amazingly fresh and delicioso.

Ordered two juices, because we didn't want to end up getting trashed on the "ALL-YOU CAN-DRINK-HOUSE MARGARITAS" and the bill was UNDER 300RMB.

Cantina Agave can expect us as regulars!!

Great margaritas. I'm sure the mexican food isn't as "authentic" as maya or whatever so pretentious twats beware. Outside of that, tasty, friendly owners, reasonable, great location.

We ate outside, and there was a homeless man trying to sell us flowers for a long time before one of the waiters finally shoo-ed him away. The service was a little spotty because we were sitting outside, but overall no complaints. What's more, we had ordered ONE enchilada to be split, but they actually served us two enchiladas without us knowing until the bill came and were charged for TWO enchiladas. We complained to the manager(in a civil manner), and she actually took off one of the enchiladas from our final bill. Now that's great service.
The tamales are SMALL and NOT THAT GOOD :( Definitely not worth the price.
However, the enchilada verde was DELICIOUS! You must get them with a side of guacamole!!!!
The tacos with chicken mole and burrito with chicken mole were equally okay, but nothing beat the enchiladas.
Their guacamole has big tomato chunks and is a bit spicy. SO GOOD.

An Ode to Cantina Agave

A few footsteps
From my homes
Lies a Cantina
Where Mexico roams.
I love burritos
and tacos too
And must admit
I've eaten a few.
Cantina is fun
But not for the food
It's decor is limited
But for friends it's gooood.
I cannot see
Why it is so hot
But I guess we all
A chipotle lot.

I think cantina is a great example of being at the right time at the right place. Shanghai has so few good, cheap, social mexican places (Maya too fancy for me), and cantina fits the bill but has a nice social location you can't beat. Don't go for the food or the decor but for the fun atmosphere and the company of your own friends.