Black George welcomes you to their establishment. They are open at night from Tuesday to Saturday. You can get there by car. They are in a location known for its nightlife. Payments by American Express, MasterCard and Visa are accepted.
A friend recommended this place to me and Ive been there a few times since. The service was friendly and everyone enjoyed their meals. I enjoyed their wines but I thought were just a bit pricey but that wouldn't stop me from going back.
I think my review would be more than 3 stars were I not vegetarian, but the fact is that I ate at Kantina a few months ago (September 2012) and there was one vegetarian entree. The entree was not particularly rivetting -- it comprised of baked vegetables with some sauce and tofu. I'd previously eaten at Kantina (May 2011) and at that time I recall there being a nice risotto that was vegetarian.
The worst restaurant in Ontario I have been ever. I would never come again there. Food did not meet our expectations at all... I don't want to go in to the details but in short tasteless. To add we had to wait for a long time to be served. Asked to talk to owner but he didn't want to talk to us...
Kantina Cafe will not see us again there.
A small restaurant that more people should know about!
Great decor, style, feel, the onlyyy down side was I found the tables pretty small, so it was challening to fit all our food on it.. meh, oh well, sometimes thats the case,lol
ALl food listed was fabulous! no complaint accept maybe more short ribs on top of the rissoto, because I couldnt get enough of them!lol
Im struggling to remember what our deserts were called, but i one was like a chocolate lava type cake, and it was okay, but surprising the best dessert (and the owner swore by it and was right) was actually the Vegan dessert. I dont remember what it was called, but its apparently the best dessert they have!
The owner chatted with my table quite a bit, helped me pick my wine etc, really nice guy :)
there were 2 vegetarian options, that i can recall, when i went there in May 2011. the one I ordered was great (I believe it was some sort of risotto). i haven't gone back because i didn't want to exhaust my options, as I believe i'll end up there sometime soon anyways.
Just great, like being at my Serbian grandfathers house if he cooked gourmet! Everything was excellent! I suggest if your reading this to just get up and go there.
solid place, very friendly service. better for meat eaters
i'm vegetarian, and was pleasantly surprised at how good the vegetarian options looked. i didn't think the serbs really did veggie food. they mushroom risotto was great. it had this parmesan "basket" which was melted parm wedges, melted together to form a half-diamond, and contained a little salad. the large tomato basil bisque, which i had as an appetizer, was quite tasty. my only issue is that i have a feeling i'd get tired of the vegetarian options were i to visit the restaurant many times. it's definitely a great place to visit infrequently as a vegetarian.
We returned to the Kantina for a second time because our first experience was completely fantastic. This second visit wasn't as good, but we still enjoyed the meal and look forward to returning.
Since our first visit, they've renovated the place a little; improving the seating arrangement and adding a bit of privacy. It's not a big change and the place is still tiny and 'cozy' feeling, but it's definitely an improvement.
My disappointment was the menu. Apparently it changes frequently (bad idea in my opinion) and so the the dish I had enjoyed so much the first time (beef stew) wasn't available. In fact, there was no beef on the menu at all (that's a kiss of death for this reviewer). There was a lamb stew but that's not for me, so I reluctantly settled for chicken. In fact we both had chicken.
Now as far a chicken goes, it was excellent. We received a generous serving, nicely cooked and well dressed with accompaniments and sauce. It was one of the better chicken dishes I'd ever eaten; but it was no substitute for the beef dish I craved.
As before, we found the service attentive, competent and friendly; more than adequate for a restaurant of this nature (what I'd call an upscale cafe with an eastern Europe charm and laid-back style).
Certainly we'll be back as it's clear the owner is passionately committed to the Kantina and is continually improving the guest experience.
Not far from the John Labatt Centre and the bustling Convent Garden Market, the Kantina Cafe & Restaurant occupies a convenient, although little-trodden position on Talbot Street to the south. The word ‘Cafe’ is misleading as it is no longer open during the afternoon.
One would be extremely impressed by a very comfortable lounge at the front, should you be required to wait. The beautiful decor creates a comfortable atmosphere with a line of tables on one side and individual cubicles on the other. The lighting is perfect. But it was a little disconcerting to see the owner dressed in very ragged jeans that better suited a construction site - if this was a construction site, perhaps, customers should not have been permitted.
There is a reasonable lunch menu available - the dinner menu is more attractive, and both change frequently (Their Website menu only provides an example). We tried a potato soup containing small bits of bacon that is given the strange title of ‘French Fries Soup’ ... it was very good even though the french fries were not evident. I was very surprised, when the server came to take away the soup bowl, that she removed the used soup spoon and placed it on the table for the next course. Lamb Stew became the main entree which was totally rich in chunks of luscious lamb, and contained grains of fresh ground black pepper which worked well as a pleasing occasional taste. Nevertheless, there were no vegetables or, even, some rice ... not even a piece lettuce or bread. I feel that this is unfortunate for a restaurant that is sometimes described as ‘fine dining’. I am unable to comment on the desert, a chocolate ice-cream mixed with bacon bits, I will leave that to others.
Should you feel that these comments are unfair, let me also say that the lunch bill (including a questionable 15% tip) equalled $50 per person.
Maybe my expectations were set too high,since for many months I had wanted to visit and had heard wonderful things...
I noticed some construction material upon entering, so it was apparent they had just gone through some renovations.The restaurant was also quite cool.
I had hoped there might be some daily specials in addition to the regular menu- but there were none. and the Serbian rolls were off the menu, apparently the chef didn't have time to prepare them.
The presentation on the lamb and schnitzel was wonderful-but the flavours were just okay.Ordered a couple of glasses of wine from New Zealand,but was a little disappointed there weren't more labels from Eastern Europe.
Would have liked a coffee with my baklava(which was a very satisfying), but apparently the electrical system was not fully fixed, and the espresso machine was out of action...
The host/server was attentive, but there was something missing...
Overall we thought it was very good, but not reaching the levels we had anticipated. Maybe things weren't quite ready after the renovations.
Although I've only dined here once, it's already high on my favorite list for London restaurants! It's different, in a good way. The food is fantastic! And the service was pleasant and professional. No wonder Kantina gets such great reviews here; they're very well deserved!
If you go, it's not super easy to find. Let me save you from driving around looking, like I did. It's a tiny place on Talbot, directly across from Robinson's Hall (South of Dundas, on the West side of Talbot).
My daughter and I ate here earlier in the week. I had the best beef stew dish I've ever experienced! My daughter had a feta salad that was unique and delicious! Of course, as mentioned by others here, there's also the bread and cream-cheese served while you peruse the menu. It too is fantastic.
I can't wait to go back!
Great food and atmosphere. Decor very inviting. House wine good and well priced. Should have had the white chocolate creme brulee as the soft chocolate cake was a little dry and not very sweet. Service excellent and the butter served with the delicious bread was a winner. coffee also great.
I will definitely go again
I have now visited Kantina 3 times, and each time has been WONDERFUL! The food is delicious, the wine is a great price, the service is top notch - I just love it! We will defintely be back and I've recommended it to many friends.
We live in Cambridge, our son lives in London. We asked him to pick a restaurant for his 24th Birthday, Kantina, he done real good. Food was excellent, service incredible. Very knowledgable and attentive staff, everyone spoke to you. I understand Kantina has only been open for a short period of time but I have this feeling they are going to be around for a long time. If you have not been there, go, it will be one of the best meals that you will have. We will definitely be there again.
From the moment my date and I walked in, I loved it! The chef introduced himself and shook our hands; we were seated by a lovely server and surrounded by beautiful decor; the owner himself stopped by our table to ask us about our meals and the food was absolutely amazing! I will definitely return...hopefully with the same date? ;)
Have dined at Kantina several times; both lunch and dinner. The food is always beautifully presented, very tasty and filling. The menu is interesting and offers good variety. The Serbian bread and cheese are worth the visit alone. Wine list fine, beer list rather weak. The decor is simple yet warm. The service excellent and personable. Open early and late and always welcoming (but closed Monday). A must for London eating.
Fantastic value. Menu was a nice mix of "what is that? sounds good" and a few "safer" options for the less adventurous. I had an awesome soup and meat rolls my guest's grilled salmon was done perfectly. The "sour cream butter" spread was really nice too.
Great value - I don't know why so few people have heard of this place. Totally worth a visit.
Had a big party so tried a good number of the dishes and shared them. They were all fantastic, tastiest food ever. We even had a couple of vegetarians in the group who raved about the salads and bread and cheese and chocolate soufflé. So even though Serbian food is heavy on the meat dishes, there's something for everyone here. One of the best restaurants I've been to anywhere and I've been to many all over the world.
Wonderful atmosphere, tastefully decorated room. The food was delicious with professional presentation. Serving sizes were very adequate. The only unfortunate thing was that we were there on a Friday evening and were the only table occupied. London - get to this place & experience some wonderful, ethnic Serbian cuisine. Don't let this restaurant go away!!
Absolutely amazing. Love the decor and the music, and the staff are wonderful. The food was ART, from the presentation to the taste. I have been there three times just to try different dishes and each time was a true pleasure. I will definitely be back ,and recommend this restaurant as a place to go.
