Vida Cantina

What can I say about Vida? Absolutely love this place. The food is original and fairly priced. Creative atmosphere. The hostess always remembers us. That takes talent. 2 people can eat pretty well for around $ 50. Can’t say that about too many places in Portsmouth. My only regret is that I can’t go there every single day!

Great nouveaux Mexican restaurant. Delicious margaritas, great apps and very tasty entrees. The service is always good. I’ve been there a few times and have always enjoyed my visit.

This place is so weird. It’s like some re-​tooled Friendly’s or something, with all sorts of typical Mexican restaurant kitsch hanging about. I kind of like it, though. One less lame-​o Friendly’s in this world. One more creative, inventive Mexican joint to enjoy and look forward to. If your party is larger than 4, though, they seat you at two booths next to each other and take out a huge divider, which is kind of lame but you can view it as a strange experience and tell your friends about it.
I went here only once before, and because they were serving pig’s face, no freaking joke. An entire half of a pig’s head, cooked with some wacky combination of sous vide followed by grill finishing. It looked just as repulsive and off-​putting as you can imagine, and my inner Vegan drove sharpened parsnips under my fingernails in protest, but we just dug in and man it was so awesome. You would never think that you could get so many different flavors from the different types of meats that make up a pig’s head, but there you go! Once in a lifetime experience, but I would repeat it again if you put enough margeritas in me. And the margeritas are good here, especially the $ 5 variety at happy hour.
I have to praise their guacamole, some of the best I have ever had: silky smooth and lemony delicious I could have eaten a whole order and in fact I did so we got more.
Their other little tapas-​like creations were very interesting, but not so well executed. The ceviche, for example, had this fabulously rich dark sauce but the fish was a little wonky.
This was nice: my guest ordered the shrimp special, but they brought out a shrimp enchilada instead. The waiter apologized profusely and said that the proper dish would be brought out immediately. So we got the proverbial «whole enchilada» extra, and that was consumed with interest and pleasure.
I got some sort of novel idea that will have old-​school Unilocalers rolling their eyeballs, but I have to say I have never seen this trick: simply substituting some rocket lettuce for a taco shell, so you just wrap up the filling in green goodness and chow down. I like that idea. A bit messy but lighter than your normal taco.
So all in all, I am divided on this creative Mexican fare. I guess it beats your normal burrito bar, but I was not convinced that it was all that and then some. I would love to come back some time when they have pig’s head again, just to see if I still can stand to look at it and then eat it. That was such a trip that I guess I just felt let down when I came back for normal Mexican grub.

My wife and I came across this place while driving through Portsmouth on our way home to Portland. We thought it would be a run of the mill Mexican place where we could get a quick dinner and head back on the road. It was much better than that. La Vida Cantina is located in an area rife with strip malls and the building the restaurant is housed in looks like it used to be an old Denny’s or Dairy Queen. They’ve clearly put a lot of work into renovating the place and making it as festive as possible inside. The decorations are fun, eclectic, and colorful. The service was fast and friendly and the food was good too. The guacamole and salsa were both fresh and tasty. The chips were crispy and had a nice homemade feel to them. It was also a nice touch that the hot sauces were made in house. We both ordered two tacos for our meal. I had a fried avocado taco and a fish taco. They were both pretty good. The slaw in the fish taco was a bit sweet to my liking, but that’s my personal preference. My wife loved her tacos. She had a carnitas taco and a shrimp taco and she thought both were very delicious. She immediately declared this restaurant was much better than any of the Mexican places in Portland. The one down side is the prices are a bit high for what they are offering. For example, $ 3 for warmed tortillas seems a bit steep as does the additional $ 3 charge for a side of rice and beans. Nevertheless, I can’t argue with the quality of the food. I imagine their mixed drinks are probably pretty good too. My wife and I look forward to coming back to this hidden gem the next time we’re in Portsmouth.

First time here, quick review.
The good: as far as a renovated Friendly’s goes, the ambiance is as good as it gets. Just delightful inside. Menu isn’t the typical burrito/​taco/​enchilada checklist, but unique and fun. Food was quite good, if a little pricey.
The not-​so-​good: unlike other Mex places, no free chips & salsa. Sodas were tiny, though refills were free. And there was apparently just 1 overwhelmed waitress today, so service was very slow, and one order was botched up.
Has potential, hope they address these very fixable bits, then it would be great.

Delicious margaritas! High quality tequilas from the bar to choose from. Reasonable prices. Service was prompt and friendly. Fish tacos are good with fresh avocado slices. Appetizer portions are a little small. Dessert ice creams are unique and flavorful.

Amazing. We loved it. Fresh! They have a local, fresh, organic menu called seasonal. Stuffed poblano with sweet potato. Surprisingly good on top of lightly sautéed fresh kale on top of an adobo sauce. The best margarita I’ve ever had outside our home! Not sweet. Salt rim. $ 5. During happy hour. My husband had local hake in a crust of sesame seeds on a hand made fresh corn tortilla. We’re sold!

I was excited to try this place because it got an excellent write up in the Portsmouth Herald, and sounded like it would not be the typical burrito drowning in cheddar type of fare. This menu is limited but that’s not really an issue for me. We were a little surprised we had to pay $ 4 for salsa and chips, but figured it would be worth it if the food is spectacular. We opted for the guacamole and chips for $ 9 which also came with salsa and chips. We both ordered tacos with black beans and rice.
I really wanted to like this place. However the guacamole was average, and the salsa was very bland. The tacos (carnitas, beef and chicken) were also very bland. I not only was there no heat to the food but there was very little spice other than salt that I could detect. The meats in the tacos were tender and tasted good, but nothing else in the tacos added any kick. I like hot and spicy food, so this was very disappointing. I don’t know a lot about traditional Mexican food but have had it other places and there was more flavor. The rice was mushy and basically what you’d get at any Mexican franchise type place. Black beans were OK.
There are enough good reviews that I would say, try it if you prefer more subtle flavors, you may like it here. If you are a fan of hot and spicy, don’t bother.

This is another great find. Farm to table, lots of gluten free options, yummy veggie dishes, and of course, the margaritas. I’ve been there a lot and it’s always a happy time for us. You can’t go wrong here if you’re looking for delicious REAL food!

Very nice Sunday brunch. My waitress was very pleasant and helpful.
I had an egg skillet dish that was very fresh. Spiced to taste with three choices of hot sauce.

What I liked:
— food was sooo delicious! Reminded me of the good mexican I have tasted in San Antonio. Not drenched in cheese. Not too many fried stuff.
— kids menu and kids water cup
What I didnt like:
— seating: they have booths that seat 4. We were 6, so they removed the upper partition between two booths making it almost an 8 seater. There still remains a half wall between the two booths.
— there was a fly! And it was not even summer.
— a little on the expensive side considering the seating and décor
— small menu. No fajitas.
Will I go again? Yes. Not very often. And only if the party is small.

I’ll start by saying that this restaurant has some good things going for it.
But, i left disappointed overall.
I’ll start with the GOOD…
— Atmosphere was nice, festive & upbeat. They attract patrons who aren’t the obnoxious, drunken types.
— Clean restrooms.
— They source many ingredients locally.
— Menu is on the smaller side, but the options were diverse.
— Overall great local feel.
NOT so good…
— Portions were way off. It was like we ordered rice and beans w/​enchiladas on the side, rather than the other way around. Bummer.
— Value. Just for instance… We paid $ 4 for tortilla chips as a «starter». What we got was, and this is no joke, 10 borderline stale tortilla chips and a tiny saucer of salsa. Why bother?
Although this isn’t the restaurants fault, our waitress forgot my beer, so i went the entire meal dry mouthed. Sad face.
So overall… this place has pretty good food, but lacked band for buck.

Despite what I said before, we decided to give Vida another try, this time for brunch, having heard they remodeled and refocused a little. I had the Huevos, which wasn’t bad. Their rice needs a little work. My husband had the Chorizo skillet, which he wasn’t a fan of… not enough chorizo and what was there didn’t have that authentic Mexican chorizo flavor. The biggest downside was the service – our waitress acted completely disinterested. We had to ask for a refill on the coffee and I never got a refill on my iced tea. We will try it again, but so far it’s been mixed reviews.

3 stars is «A-​ok» according to Unilocal,not a «bad ok». Sure, it’s not as glowing as my original review but a lot has changed here since we’ve been.
It’s still a very creative menu with locally sourced food. The service is still awesome though right now they seem a little short staffed, not faulting them for that.
We noticed that the taste and portions were quite different than before and they removed a staple (Mexican steak tacos) completely. The tacos were served lukewarm and more heavily sauced and saltier than I remembered. They were still tasty and filling, just not like before when there was more filling and the tastes of all the ingredients stood out clearly. We will definitely be back because we still like Vida and maybe the menu will go back to its goodness of ⁷⁄₈ months ago.
This is just based on the tacos, to be fair we haven’t tried any other offerings yet. The street corn and OG sautéed greens were delicious.

Was very happy with our lunches today — we had an order of chips and salsa w guacamole to start. The guacamole had just the right amount of chunkiness and the salsa was fresh and spicy. I had 3 tacos, pork belly, fried shrimp and grilled fish. They were all so good, served on warm tacos. Jean had fried avocado, chicken and fried shrimp. The shrimp was her favorite. I loved the pork belly. The service was very professional, the atmosphere was fun and bright and festive and the prices weren’t bad either. Will definitely be back soon — for happy hour!

Best Mexican food I’ve ever had. Everything we tried was outstanding. Guacamole and salsa; so fresh and tasty. The chicken enchiladas were delicious, same with the fried avocado taco. The street corn was super yummy too! For drinks, try the Flaca and the Chupacabra. Wish I lived closer so I could come every week!

Decided to try Vida Cantina last night. We were greeted and seated right away. The décor is interesting with lots of things to look at. The bar was very nicely done. I wish they removed the bench seating. It was a former Friendly’s and the bench seating is a strong reminder. Seems like they spent a lot of money remodeling and redecorating and the seating would be SO much better with actual tables.
We looked at the limited menu and almost walked out. Boy am I glad we decided to stay! We started with drinks with chips and guacamole. It was brought to us quickly and very good.
I ordered two tacos: marinated chicken and the fried avocado with the rice and beans. These were by far THE BEST tacos I have ever had! My tastebuds were doing backflips! My husband and I are avid foodies and we have vacationed in Mexico five times. The food here is exceptional and we would highly recommend it! I would describe this as an upscale Mexican restaurant. The service was very good but the food was the big winner for us. We will definitely be back!

My hubby and I were CRAVING fajitas the other day and figured we would try Vida Cantina. A Mexican/​Texmex place — they should have fajitas, right? That’s a negative. Okay, we’ll settle for a burrito. Nope, no burritos either. What? Dagnabbit! Sigh…
They don’t have chips and queso on the menu (seriously?), but they do have their alternative called Goat Cheese Fundito. It was excellent. We gobbled it up.
I had the carne asada enchilada with green sauce, the substitute I’ll settle for when no fajitas or burritos are available, and it was delish. The shredded meat was buttery like pot roast. I devoured it.
My husband was a little bummed that they didn’t have traditional refried beans. They do have refried beans, but not the pasty (and eternally yummy) pinto beans. They make their own out of black beans When it comes to Mexican, we’re used to it being a certain way since we both lived on the border for years and years. So, he was a bit disappointed — no fajitas, no burritos, no refried beans, no regular chips and queso — all the basics were strangely missing.
Aside from that, loved the ambiance. Service was delightful and fast. And the alternative choices for picky Mexican Food eaters were delicious.

We had the fried avocado taco’s… again…
Absolutely amazing!!! Great house margaritas too!

I’ll be honest, seeing a former Friendly’s building painted white with «good Mexican food» painted on the side was a bit off-​putting. I’m glad we decided to get past our first impression and give this a chance. The booths remain inside, but the décor has been completely changed so you think «Mexican restaurant» and not «Friendly’s».
We lucked out into arriving during happy hour and were greeted with a bunch of half priced drinks and snacks. Both the happy hour drinks and their normal drink list were beyond tempting, but I stuck to water. Boo.
We ordered WAY too much food. For starters we had the salsa flight and guacamole and my husband added on an order of ceviche and spicy peanuts. Each salsa was very unique with unexpected ingredients. It wasn’t cilantro in the basic salsa, but I couldn’t place the herb. There was also a mango salsa and a salsa verde. The guacamole was also good. My husband said the ceviche was just OK, but liked the peanuts.
For my main dish I ordered a carnitas taco and a chicken taco. Expecting a tiny scoop of each, I added on rice and beans. I didn’t expect bowls of each! It was all delicious. I barely touched the rice and beans but I am a Mexican/​Spanish rice snob and it was really good.
I like they they get a lot of their product from New England farms. That’s not typical for a Mexican restaurant.
I would visit here again without hesitation and you should too if you are in the area.