Baja Cantina

Great cali style mexican food. Good portions (just like in California!) and great service. Best of all good food. I’m into it. This is the real deal. I’m married to a man who is half mexican who grew up in Southern California — he likes this place too!

Do yourself a favor and upon entering this restaurant grab a sombrero and ask if they have any tamales left. If they do eat it. They probably won’t (they are that good) but that is why the rest of the menu is there. Wear your sombrero for the evening and enjoy the tamale (if you are lucky enough).
This is a standard ‘California Mexican’ style place from the Día de Muertos tchotchkes right down to the oil cloth table coverings that look straight out of the 70s and if you know me you know that this means I love it here! The queso is good, the enchiladas are tasty and their burrito will do in a pinch. Just ignore the fact that the side salad has a weird lemon vinegar dressing and enjoy the ambiance.

OK, I’ve found it.
This is the place I can get my perfect beer batter shrimp/​fish tacos, just like they have them in California. They’re delcious and perfect and amazing and hit the spot exactly just right.
The service still isn’t great and the beans and rice are also stll not great, at least the rice didn’t have microwaved hard crunchy bits this time.
Last time: perfect enchiladas wth green sauce.
This time: the perfect fish taco.
This is where I’m going for mexican from now on, screw all the rest!

Hmmm walking in out of the rain I found this to be a cozy place to be. I wasn’t quite sure what I was expecting to be honest, but we’d been given a corner table for 4 people and as I smooshed next to the window I glanced at the menu and thought maybe it won’t be that bad.
I ordered the vegetarian nacho’s hoping that it would come out sooner rather than later as we all had a movie date to make it to.
My companions ordered various other bits and pieces. Although we were a bit perplexed why there were 2 prawn taco’s on the menu.
One prawn taco’s would cost you $ 25 and you got 2 taco’s. The other cost you $ 19 + $ 4 for the prawn for 3 taco’s.
If you want prawn taco’s go for the $ 25 for 2 that costs more — visually they looked way better. The 3 taco’s prawn looked really really… well. lacklustre next to the other place. We were surprised however realised why it was $ 1 cheaper for 1 more extra taco.
As it was, our waitress didn’t seem to know the menu, so when we asked about various things she hesitated, uhmmed, ahh’d and gave us a half answer that didn’t really answer our questions. So we went with basic food instead of other options on the menu.
It would be nice to have a waitress that knows the menu next time though.
The food itself wasn’t too bad. It wasn’t anything to write home about. There weren’t enough beans in my taco. Considering it was vegetarian there wasn’t much of anything in my taco apart from cheese and corn chips. There may have been a spoonful of beans but they disappeared really quickly.
I was tempted to try a margarita, but being that I was on medication and needed to see a movie I thought better. Last thing I needed was to start squealing about flying dragons in the theatre.

Going to a Mexican restaurant is like going to a childrens birthday party — loud, bright colours, food ends up all over your hands and face, jugs of red drink that can make you a bit cray cray, and if you’re lucky, a piñata.
Baja Cantina lives up to this reputation, with a gigantor laminated menu that makes conversation difficult, and matching serving sizes. My burrito looked like as big as a pass-​the-​parcel though unfortunately filled with rice more than anything else. Great guac but the chips were just deep-​fried tortillas and a bit thick for my liking.
In the end, you don’t go to Baja Cantina nor children’s birthday partys for mind-​blowing food. It’s all about having fun with friends in cheery, colourful surroundings. And the tequila menu.

This place is decidedly average. Everything about it is just OK, from the décor to the service to the food. Portions are on the big side, and the gauc is good, but the chips (which at least are fresh fried) are a bit too thick for me in terms of crunchiness. Mexican spiced squid was way overcooked and almost inedible due to its chewiness. Fajitas were very tasty and had all necessary accountrements for the perfect fajita, but with a massive portion of ingredients you only get 4 weensy little tortillas. For $ 26, surely you can throw in an extra wrap or two? It’s always busy so do book ahead. Expect to sit so close to the other tables that you bump elbows with your neighboring diners every time you reach for another chip.

Best baja fish tacos I’ve yet tasted down under!
Went on a busy Friday night, the front was fully packed so was expecting a wait, however they lead us to the back, past the kitchen, to a super chill beer garden. Perfect for a beautiful balmy night. Colored Christmas lights made it really ambient and relaxing.
Ordered the special ceviche, which changes daily with the sea food market produce. Today it was salmon and tuna served with a spoonful of guacamole and corn chips. Tasty and tangy, but quite small in size.
Mains came shortly after finishing. Ordered the chicken fajitas which came sizzling on a pan. Fun to DIY wrap your fajitas– but there were only THREE (3!!) corn tortillas served. Seemed pretty stingy for the price tag. We had remaining stuffing and nothing to wrap with.
The fish tacos came 2 in a serve for $ 25… Luckily they tasted amazing! Crispy exterior and soft and flakey innards, perfectly cooked and overflowing with a cabbage coleslaw. Super satisfying.
They also have imported Mexican beer. Go for gold with these. Arriba!

delicious food. it gets really loud on weekends so be ready to yell. a bit overpriced but still good food. has the beef chimichanga! food came out pretty quick too. only gripe is that lady that greeted us could have been abit nicer and smile more. she seemed a bit over it and was annoyed when we asked questions.

This used to be one of our favorite places on glebe point road however it seems they changed management or something when down as the quality of the food and service declined to a point where I don’t think I’ll go back

Man what a rip… Steak Nachos for $ 17 and a California Burrito for $ 23?
For two things you can make at home for less than $ 20, for that price you’d expect massive portions or something that would taste out of this world.
Well, it didn’t taste out of this world, it left a bad taste in my mouth because it felt like a ripoff.
The only thing Mexican or Californian about these two items from Baja Cantina are the name… nachos were wack and the California Burrito didn’t even taste like a California Burrito… especially considering it’s 3x the cost of one.
It’s also really loud here so you have to yell to hear the person across from you.

Absolutely love this place! My favorite for Mexican in Sydney. #1 Sangria– my best friend and I go and split one carafe, and are giggling and red faced by the end of it! Not bad price for such quality sangria. The food is also delicious, and it comes in huge portions. As someone from the U.S. South where authentic Mexican food is cheap and abundant, I recommend this place to anyone who wants real, tasty, and affordable Mexican cuisine.

One of the few good Mexican restaurants in Sydney. Casual and relaxed eating, with an excellent menu and a great range of tequila and other alcoholic drinks.
Front is often packed and hard to get a table, but the recent addition of a peculiar little beer garden has made things easier. Still, would recommend booking if you have your heart set on getting a table.

My favourite Mexican restaurant in Sydney. The best dishes are the fish tacos, the nachos with chorizo and potato, the chicken suiza and the tortilla soup.

I love this place! The food is great and the atmosphere is really good. Our favorite dishes are the guacamole and corn chips and the chimichangas. They cater for vegans and vegetarians as well. I actually like this place better than the other Mexican restaurant down the road. Its cheaper and tastier.

Mexican typically isn’t great in Sydney, but we all have to go somewhere to get our «fix.» Baja Cantina is one of those places for me.
It’s reasonably priced by Sydney standards and the food is yummy. Share the Mixed Dips with your group — it comes with legit gaucamole, queso and salsa. None of this silliness where you have to buy chips and salsa (each item separately) and it’s too small to share.
It gets crowded, so bookings are a good idea. Also, cash only.

Very popular, very busy. Pretty decent Mexican as far as this part of the world goes, though visiting Americans might not find it up to scratch.
Loud, and packed rather tightly across two rooms.
Service was good, but a little busy and beleaguered when I was there.
There’s a good variety of dishes, many of which are quite large. You might be fine sharing a main between two people.
Good place to grab a bite before seeing a film at the Hoyts Broadway around the corner.

Lets talk truth. This isn’t authentic Mexican.
I travelled through Mexico for over two months and it is fair to say that tasty cheese, sour cream and burritos were nowhere to be seen. In fact, Mexican in its simplest form encompasses soft corn tortillas with a meat of your choice, pico de gallo and a wedge of lime.
I first visited Baja Cantina before my travels, at a time when I was a little less informed about traditional Mexican cuisine. I ordered a Chicken Burrito, which showed up on my plate as a conglomeration of what appeared to be food from the day before wrapped in a flour tortilla. That’s putting it mildly. I did enjoy the corn chips and guacamole, but it’s a simple dish that is hard to get wrong.
On the second occasion I went for more traditional dishes: Soft Corn Tacos with Chorizo and Chicken Mole (pronounced Mol-​eh). Unfortunately the tacos didn’t have a whole lot of flavour and was covered in the tasty cheese I despise so much. The Mole had a little more promise with interesting flavours, however the chicken meat was of considerably poor quality.
The service was friendly and the beer was cold. But other than that, it seems I will have to continue my exhausting search for authentic and tasty Mexican cuisine in Sydney. If there is such a thing.

From what I’ve heard, the Australian equivalent to Mexican food in the US is Thai. How are they counterparts? Respectively, they are omnipresent, cheap, and familiar. Having lived most of my life in the States where it is a struggle to find top quality Mexican food, I was curious to see how Sydneysiders would approach this cuisine. My friends and I went to Baja Cantina for dinner. It is a rather large Mexican restaurant in the heart of Glebe. Browsing the menu, I was instantly taken aback by the prices. A fajita for $ 26? Chicken mole for $ 23? I would never consider paying these prices for Mexican food in America, but I was willing to see if these prices would translate into superior quality to what I’m used to. Beyond their specialties, Baja Cantina has a large selection of appetizers, different salads and nachos, and ‘classics,’ which include tacos and quesadillas (for $ 19!).
Ignoring the prices, I ordered a California Burrito that was stuffed with tender skirt stake, French fries, salsa, melted cheese, and sour cream. My friends ordered tacos and we all decided to share a plate of nachos. Presentation with Mexican food is usually never impressive, but all the platters looked delicious. My burrito was slightly crispy on the outside, which thankfully prevented the filling from dripping all over my hands. Qué rico! It was delicious. The nachos that we shared were smothered with beans, melted cheese, salsa, sour cream, and hot jalapenos. It was certainly tasty. Though the dishes were enjoyable, I don’t believe they were worth the price.

Baja is a great place to head if there’s a huge group of you. I say this based on the fact that every time I go there it is swarming with groups of 10 — 20 people and the waitresses seem relieved when they hear we’re only after a table for two. Although, on most occasions, that relief morphs back to panic when they remember that we’re the fourth couple waiting for such a table.
Baja is also great if you’re feeling particularly Scroogey. Not because all the items on their menu are terribly cheap (Chicken Fajitas = $ 23.90), but because if you’re lucky enough to have the same eating habits as your dining partner, then some of their meals are great for sharing. For instance, a plate of Baja’s famous nachos ($ 12) is easily big enough for two people, and if you’re going to be buying sour cream, avocado, beans, chilli, tomato, coriander, cheese and corn chips, then a night at Baja could even turn out to be more economical than making nachos at home.
The tortilla chips and guacamole are a great starter (even if you are having nachos for your main) and, if you rationalise like I do, saving money by sharing nachos means you can afford Sangria! So, the next time you want to go out for dinner but finances urge you not to, take a big bunch of friends to the Baja courtyard, douse yourself in jalapeños and chilli sauce, wash it down with Sangria, sit under the fairy-​lights and be grateful that not only is it delicious and cheap, but you don’t have to clean the cheese off your grill.

I have a love /​hate relationship with my local Mexican eatery, Baja Cantina. While I am tickled to death that I can access a carnitas burrito practically on command, I am NOT so pleased that that baby will set me back 23 whole hard-​earned dollars! Back in California you can get almost 4 burritos for that price, and each would feed you for two whole meals! Regardless of their exorbitant prices, the chefs at Baja really do Mexican food right. The tortilla chips and house made guacamole taste like they’re imported straight from Cancun. The beer battered fish tacos with chipotle cabbage are another knockout in the taste department, but at $ 25, not a whole lot easier on your pocketbook. Sometimes I go to sleep at night and dream that Baja Cantina would start doing a taco Tuesday special like their nearby competition Flying Fijita Sistas, but so far, no dice.