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Nueva Cantina - Downtown Tampa, Tampa, FL

Nueva Cantina - Downtown Tampa

3.9 (57)
$30 and under
Mexican
903 N Franklin St, Tampa, FL 33602-3809

Make a reservation

2 people
7:00 PM
Booked 50 times today

About this restaurant

  • Good for groups
  • Lively
  • Good for special occasions
Come join us at Nueva Cantina! We are serving up freshly squeezed margaritas and bold, vibrant Mexican street food such as birria, Adobo Chicken, Al Pastor and Carne Asada Tacos – all crafted with top-quality ingredients sourced straight from Mexico for an unforgettable dining experience.

Additional information

  • Dining style
    Casual Dining
  • Price
    $30 and under
  • Cuisines
    Mexican, Cocktail Bar, Contemporary Mexican
  • Hours of operation
    Mon–Thu, Sun 11:00 am–10:00 pm Fri, Sat 11:00 am–12:00 am
  • Phone number
  • Payment options
    AMEX, Discover, Mastercard, Visa
  • Dress code
    Casual Dress
  • Catering
    We offer our fresh and delicious Mexican cuisine for catering from parties of 25 to over 200
  • Private party facilities
    We accommodate larger parties of 8 to 30 or more.
  • Delivery & takeout
  • Neighborhood
    Downtown
  • Parking details
    Street Parking
  • Additional
    Beer, Cocktails, Counter Seating, Delivery, Dog Friendly, Entertainment, Full Bar, Gluten-free Options, Happy Hour, Late Night, Non-Smoking, Patio/Outdoor Dining, Takeout, Weekend Brunch, Wine

What 57 people are saying

Nueva Cantina - Downtown Tampa reviews from people who’ve dined at this restaurant. Based on recent rating.

Overall ratings and reviews

Reviews can only be made by diners who have eaten at this restaurant

3.9
3.9 based on recent ratings
  • 4.0Food
  • 4.0Service
  • 4.2Ambience
  • 3.9Value

NoiseModerate

Loved For

  • Tampa / Central Florida West

    Good for groups

  • Tampa

    Good for groups

Review summary

AI-generated from verified diner reviews
Nueva Cantina offers a "great vibe and great food" in downtown Tampa, with standout margaritas and a lively atmosphere. While some patrons noted issues with air conditioning and service consistency, many praised the "amazing food and amazing staff." It's a trendy spot with "super tasty" dishes and "excellent guac and queso."
57 Reviews
  1. Neysha

    Tampa / Central Florida West1 review

    5.0

    Dined 2 days ago

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 3
    4. Ambience 5
    Good food and good prices!!Music on point but waitress took a long longer that we expected leaving us without water and soda even the Margarita that we ordered was ready for more than 20 minutes at the bar and was 10 minutes after she delivered to the table.

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  2. cali

    Tampa / Central Florida West1 review

    1.0

    Dined 2 days ago

    1. Overall 1
    2. Food 2
    3. Service 1
    4. Ambience 1
    i booked a party of 10 people through open table and as soon as we arrived they told us they no longer had a table for 10 available and could only fit 8. why advertise you can take parties of 10 if you can’t fit them in? it was a saturday night so our party knew that we must give the waitress some grace knowing that she had multiple tables to take care of. we had to ask 3 other staff to refill our waters, give us silverware, one of our guests never received their order, and when it was time to do the birthday celebration we were eating our cake with KNIVES. as time went on we felt as though the staff was treating us this way on purpose. mediocre place. no AC inside and fans running everywhere. wouldn’t recommend. we all wanted to love this place but left highly disappointed.

    1 person found this helpful

  3. Taneishia

    San Francisco Bay Area1 review

    5.0

    Dined 3 days ago

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 3
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 3
    The kitchen manager is the reason I am giving this establishment high reviews. He was very accommodating and the waitresses went above and beyond to make sure my party of 12 enjoyed ourselves.

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  4. Sikiu

    Tampa / Central Florida West2 reviews

    3.0

    Dined 3 days ago

    1. Overall 3
    2. Food 4
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 2
    AC is not working properly. Place was hot and noisy

    1 person found this helpful

  5. Bryan or Caroline VIP

    Washington, D.C. Area16 reviews

    3.0

    Dined 6 days ago

    1. Overall 3
    2. Food 3
    3. Service 3
    4. Ambience 5
    Overall, our experience was good. They weren't busy but our service was slow. our take out order came within minutes of ordering.

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  6. Carolyn VIP

    Tampa / Central Florida West7 reviews

    5.0

    Dined on June 8, 2025

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5
    My best friend and I went to Nueva Cantina for her birthday! We had the best time. The aesthetic is amazing and our waitress, Meg Ryan, was fab. The food and margs were *chef’s kiss*!!!

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  7. Cin

    Tampa / Central Florida West2 reviews

    1.0

    Dined on June 7, 2025

    1. Overall 1
    2. Food 1
    3. Service 2
    4. Ambience 2
    We made a reservation three weeks in advance and still had to wait 30 minutes to be seated when we got there. That should’ve been our first red flag. The service was so bad, I don’t even know how to put it into words. We had to keep flagging down our server just to get water, and even then, no one ever came back with refills. When our food finally showed up, we had to ask again just to get plates. It honestly felt like we were annoying them just by asking for the bare minimum. We came here because of seeing this place on social media. This is a reminder to not believe everything you see on social media. We were so excited to try the birria pizza. It was SOOOO disappointing. It was just very very thin slices with barely any meat, like literally barely any meat. It felt more like a sad quesadilla than anything else. Definitely not worth the hype or the price. The tacos were no better. The tortillas were dry, literally the worst tortillas I’ve ever had in my life. The “tacos” were so bad, I couldn’t even finish them. The sauces are also definitely not fresh. They come in a bottle on the table, and the salsa verde was so so watery, it was disgusting. Between the food and the service, the whole experience was horrible. Don’t believe everything you see on social media. I definitely would not return to this place.

    2 people found this helpful

  8. DavidR

    Tampa / Central Florida West2 reviews

    3.0

    Dined on June 7, 2025

    1. Overall 3
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 2
    I call ahead, and the person ensured me that the A/C had been fixed. A/C still broken a few portable units in various places, but not good. Music way to loud!!!. Wife and I could not talk at the table, so we just played on our phones. Food was excellent

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  9. Gene

    Tampa / Central Florida West1 review

    2.0

    Dined on June 7, 2025

    1. Overall 2
    2. Food 1
    3. Service 1
    4. Ambience 3
    Came with my family we wanted to try Olivia was our server and either she needs to be retrained or don't give a weak server more than 3 tables 40 minutes for drink from bar never seen her she never checked on us.. We all have been in the bathroom sick since we left. I tried calling, but there was no answer

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  10. Kristine

    New York City2 reviews

    5.0

    Dined on June 6, 2025

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5
    My husband and I had a great time at Nueva Cantina. Food was delicious service was outstanding!!!! Definitely will be going back with friends

    Is this helpful?

FAQs

Nueva Cantina - Downtown Tampa offers takeout which you can order by calling the restaurant at (813) 392-1007.

Nueva Cantina - Downtown Tampa is rated 3.9 stars by 57 OpenTable diners.

Yes, you can generally book this restaurant by choosing the date, time and party size on OpenTable.

  1. Home
  2. United States
  3. Tampa / Central Florida West
  4. Tampa
  5. Downtown

Make a reservation

2 people
7:00 PM
Booked 50 times today
Google Map for Nueva Cantina - Downtown Tampa

903 N Franklin St, Tampa, FL 33602-3809

Additional information

  • Neighborhood
    Downtown
  • Hours of operation
    Mon–Thu, Sun 11:00 am–10:00 pm Fri, Sat 11:00 am–12:00 am
  • Price
    $30 and under
  • Cuisines
    Mexican, Cocktail Bar, Contemporary Mexican
  • Dining style
    Casual Dining
  • Dress code
    Casual Dress
  • Parking details
    Street Parking
  • Payment options
    AMEX, Discover, Mastercard, Visa
  • Additional
    Beer, Cocktails, Counter Seating, Delivery, Dog Friendly, Entertainment, Full Bar, Gluten-free Options, Happy Hour, Late Night, Non-Smoking, Patio/Outdoor Dining, Takeout, Weekend Brunch, Wine
  • Delivery & takeout
  • Phone number
  • Catering
    We offer our fresh and delicious Mexican cuisine for catering from parties of 25 to over 200
  • Private party facilities
    We accommodate larger parties of 8 to 30 or more.
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