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Cantaritos Mexican Restaurant, now known as Taqueria Los Cantaritos Roseville opened back in late February of last year, and has taken the Roseville, CA dining scene by storm, as the quality of the food, the friendly service and the great location has added a whole new dimension to downtown Roseville. Not to mention they open at 08:00 in the morning, every day of the week, and serve menudo daily... As with all restaurant reviews I publish, I have no affiliation with the restaurant reviewed, and there is no monetary gain on my part, as I am simply a person who likes to eat, and I love to write-up, and publish my dining experiences.
Photo: It's Saturday morning, a little past the 08:00 in the morning opening time, September 28, 2024, and I've arrived at Taqueria Los Cantaritos Roseville to enjoy a great breakfast. This fine restaurant opens every morning at 08:00 for breakfast - all menu selections are available anytime the restaurant is open - every day of the week, and if you're a lover of menudo, it's served every day. During my previous visit a year ago, the restaurant was known as Los Cantaritos Mexican Restaurant - which the signage shows - but it seems the owner has acquired a couple of other area restaurants, including Taqueria La Herradura in nearby Auburn, along with another restaurant in Sacramento. Back on Monday, June 17, 2016, I had the opportunity to visit Taqueria la Herradura... click on the link to enjoy my visit.
Photo: The dining room is spacious, very clean and makes for a great place to enjoy the cuisine of Mexico in a relaxed atmosphere. Tables furnish the center of the dining room while booths line the walls. For your entertainment, there are several television monitors mounted on the walls and on this early Saturday morning, soccer games were being broadcast.
Photo: The restaurant operates on what I have labeled as the "Taqueria format," in that there is a menu above the counter where you make your selection, then pay for it. In return, if the restaurant is busy, you'll receive a receipt and a number, if it isn't busy you'll simply receive your receipt. You seat yourself at any available table of your choosing and when your order is ready, a friendly staff member will bring it to your table. Tipping is very optional, but strongly recommended, as the staff at Taqueria Los Cantaritos Roseville offers amazing service, with a friendly smile.
Photo: If you like people watching, you can choose a booth with a view of Vernon Street, which runs through downtown Roseville. On this Saturday morning, the street was quite empty, as it was blocked off due to a special event which was scheduled to happen later in the morning.
Photo: The "Soups" and "Beer" section of the menu, which is a small part of the wide array of Mexican favorites the menu offers. Click on the image or THIS LINK to see the complete menu the restaurant offers. I went with a "Menudo" and a "Micheladas" for breakfast... what more could you ask for?
Photo: With your food or drink orders, the chips and salsa bar is on the house, at your enjoyment. The salsa bar selections are labeled so you know what you're enjoying, and the level of spiciness, is spice isn't your "thing."
Photo: For my appetizer, I enjoyed fresh tortilla chips, along with "Pico de Gallo," which is a Mexican classic salsa, made from fresh vegetables and is served at almost every meal. On the side I enjoyed "Guacamole," another classic salsa, along with "Medium Salsa," which was truly, shall we say... cosmopolitan?
Photo: I enjoyed chips and salsa for an appetizer, and my friendly server, Monica, brought my dessert... a tall boy "Michelada" with Pacifico beer as the standard. Talk about a Saturday morning delight!
Photo: I'm a happy guy, as I raise my tall boy "Michelada" and toast to my amazingly friendly server Monica, and the great staff at Taqueria Los Cantaritos Roseville.
Photo: From the "Beverages" section of the menu I went with a "Michelada" and my choice of beer was Pacifico. What a great way to get a Saturday morning started! Tall boy "Michelada" in a large, frosted mug, with the beer mixed with tomato juice... dusted with chili powder and trimmed with a slice of line, lemon and cucumber made for a fine dessert... or was it an appetizer? Chilled beer, mixed with tomato juice, garnished with fresh citrus and veggie - for health - thrown in made for a great way to get my Saturday morning in gear. Does a drink, or life get any better?
Photo: Meet Monica, my amazingly friendly server, who brought my delicious breakfast to me with a smile.
Photo: I smile as I'm ready enjoy a superior Mexican breakfast at Taqueria Los Cantaritos Roseville. Thanks to my friendly server, Monica for snapping my photo.
Photo: From the "Soups" section of the menu, I went with a bowl of "Menudo," which the menu simply describes as "Mexican Soup." Tortillas are included with the soup, flour or corn, and I chose corn, to match the earthy goodness of the corn hominy in the soup. My chips and condiments made for my appetizer, and my "Michelada" served as my dessert. Un desayuno, muy sabroso... seguro. All menudo lovers will simply REJOICE! ... as you won't go away hungry, as this bowl of menudo was simply GIGANTIC and would keep the heartiest menudo lover happy and full for the rest of the day! For starters, when you place your order, you can choose to order your soup with, or without hominy... I went with hominy, as it adds an "earthy" dimension to the soup, and goes well with the corn tortillas. Oh yes... when it comes to tortillas, the question is... flour or corn? Broth is the foundation of every soup, including menudo, and the savory broth didn't disappoint, as it was an earthy brick red in color, simply delicious, full of flavor and really carried the soup. Added to the broth was LOTS, I mean LOTS of juicy, tender tripe, cut to perfect bite-size pieces, along with ample hominy to round out the soup. The tripe to hominy ratio was perfect, along with the broth, to made for a perfect bowl of menudo. The generous package of four corn tortillas made for perfect dipping, and for scooping every bit of the delicious broth. My bowl of menudo was full of flavor, hearty and simply delicious! Combined with fresh, warm corn tortillas for dipping, chips and salsa for appetizers and a tall "Michelada" for dessert - or was it the other way around? - today's breakfast I enjoyed at Taqueria Los Cantaritos Roseville as simply amazing! I highly recommend this fine restaurant for all who appreciate great Mexican cuisine, without having to leave Placer County. Great Gold Country dining!
Photo: My bowl of delicious menu came with chopped white onion, diced cilantro along with a half lime for added enjoyment. Like all menudo connoisseurs, I added the lime juice, along with the onion and cilantro to my soup to add extra flavor.
Photo: Mmmmm... good! A spoonfull of menudo, with broth, tripe, diced white onion along with chopped cilantro. Back on Saturday morning, February 25, 2023, I had to opportunity to be the third customer for the "soft opening" of this fine restaurant... For the last few weeks, I'd been watching Cantaritos Mexican Restaurant taking shape, as it's the new Mexican restaurant in the building that formerly was host Nela's Mexican Restaurant, which closed on the last day of 2022. I just happened to be in downtown Roseville, CA, Saturday morning, February 25, 2023, and almost literally, stumbled in for their "soft" opening.
Photo: It's twenty minutes past today's "soft opening" time of 10:00 in the morning... the first day the restaurant opened their doors to business, and lucky me, as I just "happened" to be in downtown Roseville, as I was actually on my way to visit another restaurant. I quickly changed my plans and opted to "open up" Los Cantarinos Roseville, also known as Los Cantaritos Mexican Restaurant. It's about 20 minutes past 10:00 in the morning, Saturday, February 25, 2023, and I plan to ENJOY! Does this building look familiar? For thirty years, it was Nela's Mexican Restaurant, which closed their doors December 31st of last year. I've been watching the construction progress, but I was surprised the restaurant "soft" opened today with no advertising or fanfare. I was certainly lucky to be in the right place at the right time. After I looked at my receipt, I noted that I was customer number three. Number one would have been better, but I'll be glad to settle for three.
Photo: The posted opening time of the restaurant is 08;00 in the morning, and they're open until 21:00 in the evening, every day of the week. Today was the "soft" opening of the restaurant, so they didn't open until 10:00. The friendly owner of the restaurant, Domingo, along with my hostess, Kelly, are making last minute changes to the sign on the font door that posts the operating hours.
Photo: As you enter the restaurant, you'll notice the very open floor plan, with booths lining the walls and tables in the center. The pastel walls are bare, except for several television monitors that were tuned to national cable news. The vermilion red of the upholstery contrasts well with the food floor, to make for a very light, airy and attractive decor. The decor is definitely different than most Mexican restaurants!
Photo: Nearly the same view as the above photo, taken on Saturday morning, January 09, 2022, when this was Nela's Mexican Restaurant. Los Cantaritos Roseville has made many changes! Click on the image to enjoy my previous visits to Nela's Mexican restaurant.
Photo: Looking at the open and spacious dining room, from the counter. Note the very sparse decor and the television monitors. Booths line the front of the restaurant, and the large windows provide a great view of Vernon Street, the main street in downtown Roseville. The booths near the window is "people watching" is your sport.
Photo: Los Cantarinos operates on what I call the "taqueria format." The menu is listed above the order counter, and you make your selection from the overhead menu, pay the counter person, receive a number, and when your order is ready, it will be brought to your table by a friendly staff member. The soft drink dispenser, coffee, along with the chips and salsa bar are at the right of the photo, to the right of the order counter.
Photo: The menu - all eight pages - is posted above the order counter, and features something for every taste. It's true Mexican cuisine and it's all delicious! To see the complete menu, click on the image... Since today was the "soft" opening of the restaurant, there were no printed menus and nothing was posted online. The restaurant opened without advertising or fanfare, and it was sheer luck that I managed to be in the right place at the right time for the opening, and to be the third paying customer.
Photo: As you place your order at the counter, you can get a peek into the kitchen, and watch the talented chef at work. At this time, he was busy making burritos, using giant flour tortillas.
Photo: The chips and salsa bar is an all-you-can-eat goodie, that features thick, delicious yellow corn tortilla chips, freshly baked from the kitchen. There isn't a heat lamp, as the chips are fresh, and warm from the kitchen.
Photo: You can choose between several different flavors of salsa, along with fresh and pickled vegetables. I was impressed the salsa bar included Mexican crema, which is a rarity in Roseville.
Photo: After I placed my order for a "Molcajete de Mariscos," I treated myself to a bag of corn tortilla chips, fresh pico de gallo, along with cups of avocado and salsa roja. Rather than little paper bowls, the chips and salsa bar uses paper bags for you to scoop your chips into.
Photo: I love this colorful poster/photo below the chips and salsa bar, that highlights some of the selections the restaurant offers, along with the presence in downtown Roseville. Today was the "soft" opening, and no beer or micheladas were available, as Los Cantarifos hadn't received their beer license at this date. I'm looking forward to stopping by in a couple weeks to enjoy a bowl of "Menudo," along with a michelada or a beer!
Photo: Meet Kelly, my amazingly friendly hostess, who brought my "Molcajete de Mariscos" to me with a smile. Kelly provided amazing service, and treated me like royalty. Considering the complexity of this amazing entree, it was well worth the 20-minute wait. I look forward to the day when the restaurant receives their licence from the county to sell beer!
Photo: Thanks, Kelly, for snapping my photo, as I'm a happy guy as I prepare to enjoy my "Molcajete de Mariscos." During the time it took for my molcajete to arrive at my table, I enjoyed the all-you-can-eat chips and salad bar.
Photo: From the "Seafood Plates" section of the menu, I went with a "Molcajete de Mariscos," along with an order of corn tortillas. The menu's simple description of this elegant seafood classic is, "Mixed seafood on a hot volcanic stone bowl." Along with the 'Molcajete," you choose between flour or corn tortillas... corn tortillas always work better with seafood as far as I'm concerned. I understand this dish has origins in the Mexican state of Oaxaca, but I've enjoyed "Molcajetes" during my travels in several northern Mexican states, including Baja California, Sonora, Chihuahua, Nuevo Leon and Tamaluipas. To keep all the delicious seafood hot, my entree arrived in a Mexican molcajete bowl, which is where the name of this amazing stew came from. A molcajete is a mortar and pestle made of fine volcanic rock, and used to grind spices and chilis, and for preparing salsa, guacamole and lots more. No Mexican kitchen is complete without a molcajete! For my delicious lunch, not only did this amazing bowl keep my seafood warm, but it added to the absolutely stunning presentation! "Molcajete de Mariscos" starts out with a rich, red sauce, made with chili peppers, tomato juice, lime juice and more. The sauce was rich, thick and very flavorful, with just a tiny bit of "kick," but not enough to offend even the most sensitive taste. The sauce was simply delicious, and held it all together. This was truly "mixed seafood," as this amazing dish was generously proportioned with grilled shrimp, diced tilapia fillet, scallops, grilled octopus, clams, and a couple of tiny crabs. For added taste and presentation, it was garnished with lime quarters, along with diced avocado. Oh my! The seafood was cooked and grilled perfectly, as each piece was seasoned to perfection, grilled or steamed perfectly... each piece was tender and juicy. Talk about a cornucopia of seafood goodness, as each type of seafood had a different taste, and each one was "standalone" delicious, but when you added them all together, this "Molcajete de Mariscos" was simply "seafood amazing!" The thick, red sauce held it all together, and coated each seafood with a rich, tomato/chili flavor. Each restaurant has a different variation of a classic molcajete, and my dish didn't include green onion, bacon, Oaxaca cheese, or a jalapeņo pepper, as it was all seafood! That was alright on my part! Los Cantarifos Roseville didn't skimp on my order of corn tortillas, as my lunch came with a generous helping of fresh, steamed-warm, medium size corn tortillas. The corn tortillas came in handy to scoop up the last bits of the delicious red sauce. This amazing dish was MASSIVE and even though I'm a great "eater," and a stone-cold "foodie," even I couldn't eat it all and one sitting, and I brought half of it home for dinner. You definitely get your money's worth at this fine restaurant! The "Molcajete de Mariscos" served at Los Cantarifos Roseville is a seafood lovers delight, as it's mostly delicious seafood, served in warm, tomato juice-chili broth, garnished by lime and avocado, which add a cool contrast to the warm seafood. This was one of the best molcajetes that I've enjoyed during my 25 years in Roseville and Placer County, and you'll be hard-pressed to find a molcajete that exceeds the quality and goodness of the "Molcajete de Mariscos," served at Los Cantarifos Roseville. Todo que puedo a decir es Muy Sabroso!
Photo: I loved the grilled octopus, shrimp, steamed clams and more, immersed and coated in the delicious tomato juice/chili broth. The lime wedges and avocado added a delicious and cool contrast to the steaming hot "Molcajete de Mariscos."
Photo: My "Molcajete de Marisco" included a couple of tiny crabs, which added to the goodness of the meal. I must admit the crabs presented a challenge to dissect, as the restaurant only provided a fork, but I'm a good "Boy Scout" and I always carry a pocket knife with me, which helped make short work of the crab. Los Cantarifos Roseville is a welcome addition to downtown Roseville, as this amazing restaurant adds another delicious dimension to the thriving downtown dining scene, with some of the best Mexican food in town, and an early - 08:00 in the morning - opening time for an authentic Mexican breakfast. The delicious food is authentic northern Mexico, the menu is GIGANTIC, the staff is friendly, and the dining room is very comfortable. Los Cantarifos Roseville is truly a fine choice for amazing Mexican dining, in downtown, Roseville, CA! Taqueria Los Cantaritos Roseville Copyright(c) 2024 eRench Productions. All rights reserved. We've been on the web since December 22, 2002.
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