CANTINA RESTAURANT ABUJA - Goodies Corner

I had lunch at Cantina restaurant Abuja for the ongoing MasterCard restaurant week and I must say it’s a really beautiful place. It’s right beside Sinclair guest house. If you’re not sure what restaurant week is all about, I suggest you read my last post first.

LOCATION

30, Yedseram street, Maitama, Abuja. It’s right on the side of the road so you can’t miss it. They’ve got a pretty decent parking space as well.

AMBIENCE

I really loved the interior decor – the white furniture, vibrant red table cloth and the brick walls. I loved the seating arrangements too; very easy to sneak into a little corner and enjoy your meal as I did. They also had seating arrangements to accommodate large groups.

Digital menu barcode at cantina restaurant abuja

One thing that caught my attention was the pipe-like things on the ceiling. I asked the manager about them and he told me they were the air conditioners. In my opinion, that is just brilliant. Actually noticed how airy the place was when I walked in and no AC in sight. There were some other interesting decor pieces that I loved like the glass jar of wine corks placed on a wooden barrel.

Barrel decor at cantina restaurant abuja

FOOD

I was there for lunch so of course, I asked for the MasterCard restaurant week lunch menu.

What I ordered:

Appetiser – Chicken strips
Main course – Mama spicy chicken
Dessert – Nutella crepe
Peppermint tea
Water

chicken strips at cantina restaurant abuja

For my appetiser, I had breaded and deep-fried chicken strips served with BBQ sauce (my choice). This was really satisfying and sweet; I had no space in my tummy for anything else. I really enjoyed it.

The main course was pepper chicken served with red, spicy sauce and Spanish rice. I packed this to go because I was already feeling full. When I tasted it at home I didn’t like it. The rice alone was okay but there was something ‘off’ about the sauce. I couldn’t eat it.

nutella crepe at cantina restaurant abuja

The Nutella crepe which I had at the restaurant was sweet! the crepes were really thin and filled with Nutella, served with some banana slices.

SERVICE

I wasn’t too impressed by the service I received at Cantina restaurant Abuja. First of all, I walked past three waiters, sat down for a few minutes and no one approached me to hand over the menu or offer any form of assistance. Then while figuring out what to order, I asked some questions about the meals and he couldn’t explain anything to me. Picked out meals based on what was written there and then they said none of the desserts was available.

I was already getting irritated before the manager came in and said they can work on the Nutella crepe. After the drama with menu, every other thing went quite well though. Overall I’d say my experience was 6/10.

The total amount for my meal ₦11,531 including service charge and VAT. I had to pay just ₦2,531.25 because I had a ₦9,000 voucher courtesy the Lost in a City team and MasterCard.