Big Sur Cantina fills a void created when Pedro’s closed on the west side. In other words, it’s a nice place to grab a bite, have a drink or do both.
It certainly helps that Big Sur resembles the space’s former occupant, O’Grady’s, in terms of layout, with a big bar on the left and elevated seating on the right.
The drink menu includes an extensive list of margaritas (served on the rocks, frozen or in a tower) and “beach drinks.” The BigSur rocks ($8 on the rocks), made with Casamigos blanco tequila, Cointreau, agave nectar and fresh lime juice, is refreshing and leans on the sweet side. Meanwhile, the Tropical Storm mango margarita ($9.50 on the rocks) is thick, tropical goodness with a slight smokiness.
Onto the food. I ordered the San Jose burrito ($17) because it has so much going on inside. I liked that it wasn’t stuffed with too much rice or beans. Instead, it had plenty of chorizo, grilled chicken and bacon. Although the burrito is flavorful on its own, it also includes queso sauce, mole sauce and pico de Gallo.
All the tacos on the menu sounded so tempting. My first choice was the absolutely delicious Fisherman ($4). A big piece of deep-fried cod is complemented with crunchy onions and cabbage and topped with a smoky and slightly spicy chipotle aioli.
As suspected, the Hot Cheetos taco ($3.50) is just a gimmick. It comes with ground beef and a light sprinkling of Hot Cheetos crumbs on top, and you can’t taste them at all. Oddly, this taco tasted like a Taco Bell taco.
The rest of the menu contains salads, fajitas, enchiladas and a hefty list of starters. I chose the Pacific-Fried Calamares ($12). I enjoyed this unique dish, as the deep-fried calamari was thicker than typical and dusted with tajin chili/lime seasoning. Plus, it includes a spicy tomato salsa for dipping.
Big Sur Cantina is open every day for lunch and dinner.
Tags: far west, margaritas, Mexican
