CEDARBURG — There has been an increased buzz around Mexican cuisine in Cedarburg. The source? Growing popularity of the newly opened La Cantina, located on Washington Avenue. Since its May 15 launch, the restaurant has seen an increasing flow of people looking to try its authentic Mexican food.
Lisa Navis Schwab, a resident of Cedarburg, is one of these avid La Cantina fans.
“Before La Cantina, there weren’t really a lot of [Mexican food] options, so we were looking forward to when it opened,” Schwab said. “We really felt it was more authentic than our other options, and [the food] was just really really flavorful and good portions.”
Schwab is not the only Cedarburg resident who had this reaction to the newly opened restaurant. According to Carlos Cervantes, manager of the Cedarburg location, business has boomed since its opening, and there’s no sign of it slowing down.
“I’m really happy with the results of the customers,” Cervantes said. “They’re really happy, so I’m just a happy guy now.”
Cervantes moved to Cedarburg after discovering the vacancy of the Dairy Queen that occupied La Cantina’s building prior to its arrival. After looking for three years, Cervantes decided Cedarburg’s quiet atmosphere was ideal for launching a new location.
While there are about 15 other La Cantina locations in different states, each restaurant is family-owned, including the Cedarburg location.
Although the restaurant is new to Cedarburg, the La Cantina brand has a 30year-old tradition for delivering genuine Mexican cuisine.
Schwab and her husband have been to La Cantina three times since its opening, and said each menu item they’ve tried has been better than the last. Schwab said she was impressed not only with the quality of the food, but the creative spin put on traditional dishes.
“My favorite has been their camarones dish, it just has this cheese sauce that was wonderful,” Schwab said. “Their drinks are also just so different, not just margaritas … I really really liked the raspberry mule I had the other night, they served it in this really cool pottery.”
Cervantes said all the menu items have been popular, and the staff is just managing to keep up with demand without sacrificing good service. Even when the restaurant is packed wall to wall on a Friday night, Schwab said she is in and out within an hour, and the quality of service is not been diminished by the large crowds.
Cedarburg’s location has around 15 employees, and is still looking for more energetic staff to keep up with its swelling demand.
La Cantina is located at W63N170 Washington Ave., Cedarburg. Fr more information, go to www.lacantinacedarburg.com or call 262-618-2027.