To preface, I am of Mexican heritage, & grew up eating authentic, home-cooked Mexican food. Formerly from S.F. Bay Area, I could find real Mexican food pretty much anywhere. In Utah generally, though, it's not that great. After readjusting my expectations, I was able to settle on Cancun Cafe as a decent, "non-commercial" Mexican restaurant. Yes, they do offer "dumbed-down" versions of Mexican as most places in SLC do, but they will also make it to order, if you ask. So, if you order an authentic version, using good, clear instructions, you'll find their food is consistently good. Mind you, the service is sometimes subpar at certain locations, but other than that, my family has come to rely on Cancun Cafe for a decent Mexican meal, as long as we verbalize the changes we want made to the food. I recommend it!
(4)
Sean B.
good food, quick and friendly service, great price. just what I like when I need a quick lunch. I have probably been here 50 times and it has been consistent as can be.
(4)
Andrea M.
I liked what another reviewer said ... About how they never get excited to go to cancun cafe even though they are, in general, always excited to eat Mexican food. Even not good Mexican food is good. But that's not really the case here. The good: The chips and salsa are my favorite! The chips are always warm and freshly made. The salsa is delicious...great flavor, tastes fresh, with a little kick, not too chunky...which is how I like my restaurant salsa. The fish tacos are pretty good but the tortillas are always falling apart and disintegrating because the sauce is so runny. The service is always good, always fast, and prices are reasonable. The food is very mediocre. I've had everything on the menu...nothing is really bad but not amazing either. Not memorable. Nothing stands out at all. Why have I had everything on the menu at a place with mediocre food? Because we eat here ALL THE TIME. It's close to home, not a lot of other Mexican food options nearby and there is never a wait. And sometimes, when you just need a quick dinner and you have your kids with you, that's all it takes.
(3)
Barbara A.
One of our favorite places to go. The food is tasty, I love the cochinea tacos and the beans. This is the first place I've ever had beans that don't bother my stomach.
(5)
Vi T.
Hmm... I definitely didn't love Cancun Cafe but I didn't haaaaate it either. It was just kind of meh for me. I had the cheese enchiladas and it could have been better with a little more flavor in the sauce. The rice was soft and moist but didn't have a ton of flavor either. I do appreciate the fact that they had fresh lettuce on the side. I've been to too many Mexican joints that serve wilted sad lettuce. I do love their chips. When the woman brought them out, I was a little nervous. They're the thick variety and more often than not, those chips are hard as a rock and kind of stale. Cancun Cafe had the thick chips but they were warm and surprisingly light and crisp. And then there was the service. I'll give the woman the benefit of the doubt but she seemed kind of unpleasant. She was great about checking in on us but she didn't seem to happy about it. Alright, so I've had worse Mexican food here in Salt Lake for sure. But with the variety of places I can go, I don't need to be sad and go to Cancun Cafe. Not worth it.
(2)
Amanda C.
As a whole I was not excited about Cancun Cafe, and I usually get really excited about even mediocre Mexican food. One thing that they did ok was the chips, they were served hot to the table. They were delicious while they were still hot but lost of lot of their yumm as they got cold. The problem with the chips was that they were not presented with a salsa that was worth eating. I ended up eating them with little to no salsa. I got the cheese enchiladas with beans and rice. As a whole I felt like they were blah. The cheese was good and perfectly melted but the red sauce was oily and partially separated. The rice was good and slightly crunchy on the top which I love. The beans were nothing worth talking about.
(2)
Alain M.
Stop and had some Chile Verde burritos. . .Im glad i did they where so yummy . Was fast , and cheap cant beat that . Was looking for there downtown location. Didn't find it on here so im leaving it here .love this place
(5)
Andy M.
My wife and I love going here! The staff is always friendly. The chips are served warm and taste great, especially with the salsa verde! I have tried almost everything on the menu and have yet to pick a favorite. Their chili verde is great, the tamales are delicious, the enchiladas are amazing! I will usually order the Cancun Trio when I have a hard time choosing what to eat. If you are in the mood for an adult beverage, both the piña colada and margaritas are excellent. I have recommended Cancun Cafe to many of my friends and family and they all love it as well. The only downside is that when they are busy, it may take awhile for someone to take your order, get the check, etc. Overall, waiting for a little extra time has never ruined the experience for me and I'm already looking forward to eating there again!
(5)
Sam E.
I noticed the reviews are mixed for Canicun Cafe. Yes, the location could be better, and decor inside, however, it is the best tasting Mexican Food in the vicinity (within a 5 mile radius). We live nearby and have often eaten at the other three Mexican restaurants in the immediate area and Cancun Cafe has the best tasting food. We are quite puzzled at the reviews stating lack of flavor. If anything, they use too much salt. We have ordered about half of the menu selections and all have been very flavorful. If you are looking for authentic, you will need to travel another 10 miles. Cancun Cafe is a good balance between American Mexican anid Authentic Mexican. For the area, we feel it is the best choice of Mexican Food.
(5)
Maggie P.
Margaritas are awesome! MMM! Oh, and the food is pretty good too. I'm a huge fan of their rice. I don't know what it is but it's one of my favorites. The food has always been great. I'm not saying that it's crazy ridiculous delish but it's not bad by a long shot. I'm always super happy and full when I leave.
(4)
Matt H.
I must preface this by saying I have been going to their locations for years and have very good memories of this place. Is it the best food? No but it is more authentic than many places you will go in Utah. How about the service? It has gone down in recent years but i will admit that it is nice not having a waiter come around every 2-3 minutes asking if everything is ok and trying to make small talk. That being said, I have had pretty much everything on the menu at one time or another and the portions are generous, I love the flavor, and the price is right. It really isn't a very expensive place to eat and that definitely plays to its strength.
(4)
Vida A.
Went here because no lard in there beans according to my bf who is vegetarian. He got the cancun platter as he says "2 days worth of food". I did too but with meat. Well server who only had us as a table forgot and brought 2 platters with meat. She apologized but he had to wait while i ate. She didnt even take it off the bill as a courtesy even tho she even told us it was her fault. We even got dessert and she charged us for everything. Im not looking for a free meal but if you make a mistake, you should do something to redeem yourself. Also if we have to ask for everything, thats a pretty bad server. Notice if customer is low on salsa or water, bring more out before having to b asked for more, duh! We were the only table!!! Side work can wait. Again another $50 meal that was not worth it. Price includes drinks.
(2)
Krystle H.
My boyfriend and I were visiting his family in SLC. We had a hankering for Mexican food (burritos and enchiladas). First, the phone ordering proved difficult. A request for a vegetarian burrito was met with resistance (just don't add meat, right) however asking for a shrimp burrito ($3.00 extra) was met with ease. Next, when we went to pick up the food, there was an extra charge for chips and salsa which had not been requested. When we informed the waitress, she said that we had in fact ordered them. We decided to just take it and left. When we got home and opened the containers, we found the most ridiculous attempts at burritos I have ever seen. Both the chicken and shrimp burritos were basically chicken/shrimp tossed into small, taco sized tortillas. Unseasoned, on a bed of shredded lettuce. Having spent $25 on three items, my boyfriend immediately returned the food. The same waitress assured us that what we were viewing were in fact, burritos. We were told more than once that was their burrito "way". We did eventually get our money back from the manager. The food we received here was embarrassing and offensive. Please don't go unless you like disappointment.
(1)
Jon W.
We dined at Cancu Cafe last week. We come frequently. The food was great. The service was great. It is the best place in Salt Lake to get great Mexican home cooking and the prices are so reasonable. we will be back.
(5)
Scott R.
I always love coming to here. I have never had a bad expiernce and the food is good as well. I really appreciate the drink prices and selection. They have recently expanded inside and I love the fact I can watch the game and eat here. Great selection of beers both low and high alcohol content. The chile verde is good and always done right. The service is fast and efficent.
(4)
Sarah R.
I normally would give a place a higher review for good service, but the food had NO taste what-so-ever! I fell like mexican food should be a "party in your mouth"...this was not the case here at the Cancun Cafe. We were there on a Saturday night (7ish) and we were 1 of 3 tables...should have been our first clue, but I enjoy hole in the wall type places. We ordered drinks (Me- Water, unfortunately sans lemon...and hubby- Bud Light bottle, sans frost- it was luke warm, eww!!) We also shared chips, salsa, and an order of Guac. None of which we were impressed with... again no flavor, so we asked for hot sauce, we were given some sort of black bean salsa ?? which also was not spicy... on to the entree. I order tamales...always! It's my way of getting an idea of just how authentic a place really is...The tamales covered in a green chili Mole were not on the list of best tamales...but they also didn't make the worst list. However, the rice and beans that accompanied them brought me to where I give the 1 star review. Terrible and Bland... we will not be returning.
(1)
Tina C.
Not as bad as some reviews suggest (and that's coming from a Southern Californian). Salt Lake City is somehow eluding my taste buds and this place won't be a favorite either, but the chips and salsa, beans, rice were all decent. The fish tacos were made with a muddy-tasting mystery fish, but otherwise prepared and presented authentically Baja style. The salads in my lunch group looked fresh and appealing. I'm not a spice hound, so the overall trend towards bland actually worked for me. Servings were big and overall it was a decent lunch option for folks in the area. Plenty of seating and brightly decorated (on a dreary day), but only one bathroom...glad the place wasn't very busy
(3)
Sam M.
Food is supposed to have flavor right?! Not here. I think you can find better Mexican somewhere else.
(2)
Ryan C.
Was horrible, chips were as stale as cardboard.
(1)
Deener F.
This was place was decent enough but not off the charts amazing. My food could have had more flavor. I had the chicken fajitas and the bf had the grilled fish tacos. A bonus that the fish tacos were grilled and not fried. The service was ok, nothing stellar so I put this place as just "OK" but not amazing. The prices were good for food and I had plenty to eat. Eh, not mind blowing but worth checking out if you want some mexican and want to try something new.
(3)
Kelly J.
This place isn't as good as it used to be, but I still like it. Cheese Enchas rock!!
(3)
Jason C.
My first yelp review. I was really excited about eating at Cancun cafe. The Family that owns CC are native to the Yucatan peninsula. I lived in the Yucatan for a couple of years and love the food native to that region. My wife and I went there on a Monday at 12:30. We were the only ones in the restaurant. The waiter dropped of chips and salsa quickly. Chips and salsa were average. I ordered the cochinita which was the daily special. I was disappointed that there was only one yucatecan dish which was the cochinita. My wife ordered the green chili burrito.My cochinita was alright. But nothing spectacular. My wife's green chili was a disappointment. Hardly any meat was in the burrito. It was tasteless. The real shocker was in my beans. I am not kidding when I say this.... it looked like a condom. I brought it to the attention of my waiter. He asked to see it and could not tell me what it was after he examined it for a minute. He wrapped it up in a napkin and showed it to the chief. My waiter came back and said it was an onion peel. Definitely was not an onion peel but it was probably a finger off a latex glove. I told him I wanted to talk to the manager and he said that the manager had the day off. I told him that I would not pay for the entire meal. The waiter assured me the kitchen was clean and sanitary. After much discussion with him he finally gave me a 50 percent discount. It was very evident that there was no leadership. I am not recommending this place to anyone.
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Specialities
Takes Reservations : Yes Delivery : No Take-out : Yes Accepts Credit Cards : Yes Good For : Lunch Parking : Private Lot Bike Parking : Yes Good for Kids : Yes Good for Groups : Yes Attire : Casual Noise Level : Average Alcohol : Full Bar Outdoor Seating : No Wi-Fi : No Has TV : Yes Waiter Service : Yes Caters : Yes
If you enjoy Taco Tuesday, then you have officially fallen in love with the Mexican Food. The main grain of Mexican cuisine is maize. Also known as corn, maize is grown for the past 9000 years after the crop was discovered by the people in Mayan civilization. Mexican empire flourished when they started growing beans, tomatoes, chili pepper, sweet potato and cactus. Till this date these ingredients are used in cooking authentic Mexican dishes and drinks.
Great use of spices, fresh chili pepper dishes like fajitas, tortilla chips, corn chips, salsa, chimichangas, burritos, nachos and quesadillas are invented in America. But when you are looking for authentic Mexican food then you must find a restaurant in the city that serves Rajas con Queso, Garbanzo in a Guajillo Chile Sauce, Pork Filled Chiles Rellenos, Chiles en Nogada, Molcajete Salsa, Pico de Gallo and Frijoles de la Olla. An eye-opening fact – Mexican don't like their food hot. They use fresh chili and other spices to create a flavor that lingers in your mouth.
Mexican food is great for those who are Gluten Intolerant as they use Corn instead of wheat in most of their dishes. Also, you can easily find many beans based Mexican dishes. Another dish which didn't get similar glory as tacos or nachos is the Mexican hot chocolate. If you love something hot on a chilly day, then go for Mexican Hot Chocolate. On merry days, you can enjoy the authentic Mexican Drinks like Tequila, Mezcal, Tecuí, Sotol, Bacanora, Charanda, Posh O Pox, Puebla and Pulque. Mexican Cuisine is for people who enjoy strong drinks and hearty meals.
Martina W.
To preface, I am of Mexican heritage, & grew up eating authentic, home-cooked Mexican food. Formerly from S.F. Bay Area, I could find real Mexican food pretty much anywhere. In Utah generally, though, it's not that great. After readjusting my expectations, I was able to settle on Cancun Cafe as a decent, "non-commercial" Mexican restaurant. Yes, they do offer "dumbed-down" versions of Mexican as most places in SLC do, but they will also make it to order, if you ask. So, if you order an authentic version, using good, clear instructions, you'll find their food is consistently good. Mind you, the service is sometimes subpar at certain locations, but other than that, my family has come to rely on Cancun Cafe for a decent Mexican meal, as long as we verbalize the changes we want made to the food. I recommend it!
(4)Sean B.
good food, quick and friendly service, great price. just what I like when I need a quick lunch. I have probably been here 50 times and it has been consistent as can be.
(4)Andrea M.
I liked what another reviewer said ... About how they never get excited to go to cancun cafe even though they are, in general, always excited to eat Mexican food. Even not good Mexican food is good. But that's not really the case here. The good: The chips and salsa are my favorite! The chips are always warm and freshly made. The salsa is delicious...great flavor, tastes fresh, with a little kick, not too chunky...which is how I like my restaurant salsa. The fish tacos are pretty good but the tortillas are always falling apart and disintegrating because the sauce is so runny. The service is always good, always fast, and prices are reasonable. The food is very mediocre. I've had everything on the menu...nothing is really bad but not amazing either. Not memorable. Nothing stands out at all. Why have I had everything on the menu at a place with mediocre food? Because we eat here ALL THE TIME. It's close to home, not a lot of other Mexican food options nearby and there is never a wait. And sometimes, when you just need a quick dinner and you have your kids with you, that's all it takes.
(3)Barbara A.
One of our favorite places to go. The food is tasty, I love the cochinea tacos and the beans. This is the first place I've ever had beans that don't bother my stomach.
(5)Vi T.
Hmm... I definitely didn't love Cancun Cafe but I didn't haaaaate it either. It was just kind of meh for me. I had the cheese enchiladas and it could have been better with a little more flavor in the sauce. The rice was soft and moist but didn't have a ton of flavor either. I do appreciate the fact that they had fresh lettuce on the side. I've been to too many Mexican joints that serve wilted sad lettuce. I do love their chips. When the woman brought them out, I was a little nervous. They're the thick variety and more often than not, those chips are hard as a rock and kind of stale. Cancun Cafe had the thick chips but they were warm and surprisingly light and crisp. And then there was the service. I'll give the woman the benefit of the doubt but she seemed kind of unpleasant. She was great about checking in on us but she didn't seem to happy about it. Alright, so I've had worse Mexican food here in Salt Lake for sure. But with the variety of places I can go, I don't need to be sad and go to Cancun Cafe. Not worth it.
(2)Amanda C.
As a whole I was not excited about Cancun Cafe, and I usually get really excited about even mediocre Mexican food. One thing that they did ok was the chips, they were served hot to the table. They were delicious while they were still hot but lost of lot of their yumm as they got cold. The problem with the chips was that they were not presented with a salsa that was worth eating. I ended up eating them with little to no salsa. I got the cheese enchiladas with beans and rice. As a whole I felt like they were blah. The cheese was good and perfectly melted but the red sauce was oily and partially separated. The rice was good and slightly crunchy on the top which I love. The beans were nothing worth talking about.
(2)Alain M.
Stop and had some Chile Verde burritos. . .Im glad i did they where so yummy . Was fast , and cheap cant beat that . Was looking for there downtown location. Didn't find it on here so im leaving it here .love this place
(5)Andy M.
My wife and I love going here! The staff is always friendly. The chips are served warm and taste great, especially with the salsa verde! I have tried almost everything on the menu and have yet to pick a favorite. Their chili verde is great, the tamales are delicious, the enchiladas are amazing! I will usually order the Cancun Trio when I have a hard time choosing what to eat. If you are in the mood for an adult beverage, both the piña colada and margaritas are excellent. I have recommended Cancun Cafe to many of my friends and family and they all love it as well. The only downside is that when they are busy, it may take awhile for someone to take your order, get the check, etc. Overall, waiting for a little extra time has never ruined the experience for me and I'm already looking forward to eating there again!
(5)Sam E.
I noticed the reviews are mixed for Canicun Cafe. Yes, the location could be better, and decor inside, however, it is the best tasting Mexican Food in the vicinity (within a 5 mile radius). We live nearby and have often eaten at the other three Mexican restaurants in the immediate area and Cancun Cafe has the best tasting food. We are quite puzzled at the reviews stating lack of flavor. If anything, they use too much salt. We have ordered about half of the menu selections and all have been very flavorful. If you are looking for authentic, you will need to travel another 10 miles. Cancun Cafe is a good balance between American Mexican anid Authentic Mexican. For the area, we feel it is the best choice of Mexican Food.
(5)Maggie P.
Margaritas are awesome! MMM! Oh, and the food is pretty good too. I'm a huge fan of their rice. I don't know what it is but it's one of my favorites. The food has always been great. I'm not saying that it's crazy ridiculous delish but it's not bad by a long shot. I'm always super happy and full when I leave.
(4)Matt H.
I must preface this by saying I have been going to their locations for years and have very good memories of this place. Is it the best food? No but it is more authentic than many places you will go in Utah. How about the service? It has gone down in recent years but i will admit that it is nice not having a waiter come around every 2-3 minutes asking if everything is ok and trying to make small talk. That being said, I have had pretty much everything on the menu at one time or another and the portions are generous, I love the flavor, and the price is right. It really isn't a very expensive place to eat and that definitely plays to its strength.
(4)Vida A.
Went here because no lard in there beans according to my bf who is vegetarian. He got the cancun platter as he says "2 days worth of food". I did too but with meat. Well server who only had us as a table forgot and brought 2 platters with meat. She apologized but he had to wait while i ate. She didnt even take it off the bill as a courtesy even tho she even told us it was her fault. We even got dessert and she charged us for everything. Im not looking for a free meal but if you make a mistake, you should do something to redeem yourself. Also if we have to ask for everything, thats a pretty bad server. Notice if customer is low on salsa or water, bring more out before having to b asked for more, duh! We were the only table!!! Side work can wait. Again another $50 meal that was not worth it. Price includes drinks.
(2)Krystle H.
My boyfriend and I were visiting his family in SLC. We had a hankering for Mexican food (burritos and enchiladas). First, the phone ordering proved difficult. A request for a vegetarian burrito was met with resistance (just don't add meat, right) however asking for a shrimp burrito ($3.00 extra) was met with ease. Next, when we went to pick up the food, there was an extra charge for chips and salsa which had not been requested. When we informed the waitress, she said that we had in fact ordered them. We decided to just take it and left. When we got home and opened the containers, we found the most ridiculous attempts at burritos I have ever seen. Both the chicken and shrimp burritos were basically chicken/shrimp tossed into small, taco sized tortillas. Unseasoned, on a bed of shredded lettuce. Having spent $25 on three items, my boyfriend immediately returned the food. The same waitress assured us that what we were viewing were in fact, burritos. We were told more than once that was their burrito "way". We did eventually get our money back from the manager. The food we received here was embarrassing and offensive. Please don't go unless you like disappointment.
(1)Jon W.
We dined at Cancu Cafe last week. We come frequently. The food was great. The service was great. It is the best place in Salt Lake to get great Mexican home cooking and the prices are so reasonable. we will be back.
(5)Scott R.
I always love coming to here. I have never had a bad expiernce and the food is good as well. I really appreciate the drink prices and selection. They have recently expanded inside and I love the fact I can watch the game and eat here. Great selection of beers both low and high alcohol content. The chile verde is good and always done right. The service is fast and efficent.
(4)Sarah R.
I normally would give a place a higher review for good service, but the food had NO taste what-so-ever! I fell like mexican food should be a "party in your mouth"...this was not the case here at the Cancun Cafe. We were there on a Saturday night (7ish) and we were 1 of 3 tables...should have been our first clue, but I enjoy hole in the wall type places. We ordered drinks (Me- Water, unfortunately sans lemon...and hubby- Bud Light bottle, sans frost- it was luke warm, eww!!) We also shared chips, salsa, and an order of Guac. None of which we were impressed with... again no flavor, so we asked for hot sauce, we were given some sort of black bean salsa ?? which also was not spicy... on to the entree. I order tamales...always! It's my way of getting an idea of just how authentic a place really is...The tamales covered in a green chili Mole were not on the list of best tamales...but they also didn't make the worst list. However, the rice and beans that accompanied them brought me to where I give the 1 star review. Terrible and Bland... we will not be returning.
(1)Tina C.
Not as bad as some reviews suggest (and that's coming from a Southern Californian). Salt Lake City is somehow eluding my taste buds and this place won't be a favorite either, but the chips and salsa, beans, rice were all decent. The fish tacos were made with a muddy-tasting mystery fish, but otherwise prepared and presented authentically Baja style. The salads in my lunch group looked fresh and appealing. I'm not a spice hound, so the overall trend towards bland actually worked for me. Servings were big and overall it was a decent lunch option for folks in the area. Plenty of seating and brightly decorated (on a dreary day), but only one bathroom...glad the place wasn't very busy
(3)Sam M.
Food is supposed to have flavor right?! Not here. I think you can find better Mexican somewhere else.
(2)Ryan C.
Was horrible, chips were as stale as cardboard.
(1)Deener F.
This was place was decent enough but not off the charts amazing. My food could have had more flavor. I had the chicken fajitas and the bf had the grilled fish tacos. A bonus that the fish tacos were grilled and not fried. The service was ok, nothing stellar so I put this place as just "OK" but not amazing. The prices were good for food and I had plenty to eat. Eh, not mind blowing but worth checking out if you want some mexican and want to try something new.
(3)Kelly J.
This place isn't as good as it used to be, but I still like it. Cheese Enchas rock!!
(3)Jason C.
My first yelp review. I was really excited about eating at Cancun cafe. The Family that owns CC are native to the Yucatan peninsula. I lived in the Yucatan for a couple of years and love the food native to that region. My wife and I went there on a Monday at 12:30. We were the only ones in the restaurant. The waiter dropped of chips and salsa quickly. Chips and salsa were average. I ordered the cochinita which was the daily special. I was disappointed that there was only one yucatecan dish which was the cochinita. My wife ordered the green chili burrito.My cochinita was alright. But nothing spectacular. My wife's green chili was a disappointment. Hardly any meat was in the burrito. It was tasteless. The real shocker was in my beans. I am not kidding when I say this.... it looked like a condom. I brought it to the attention of my waiter. He asked to see it and could not tell me what it was after he examined it for a minute. He wrapped it up in a napkin and showed it to the chief. My waiter came back and said it was an onion peel. Definitely was not an onion peel but it was probably a finger off a latex glove. I told him I wanted to talk to the manager and he said that the manager had the day off. I told him that I would not pay for the entire meal. The waiter assured me the kitchen was clean and sanitary. After much discussion with him he finally gave me a 50 percent discount. It was very evident that there was no leadership. I am not recommending this place to anyone.
(1)