I've lived in Charlotte for almost ten years.... and in my head I've always thought Cantina is a 3 star kind of place. That is until our Friday night adventure here.\n\nWalked in around 9:30pm. The place was super busy. There was some sort of large private party happening in the side room. We grabbed drinks at the bar while we waited for a table to open. Took only a few minutes.\n\nOne of the major reasons for my change in heart to add a star? The current staff. The bartenders, the servers, the manager... man, have they nailed it with a tremendous crew right now. A lot fun, super nice, they all genuinely look like they enjoy being there. When people can have that good of a time at work... you know it's a great place. On to the food....\n\nPicante pi\u00f1a. House infused pineapple tequila muddled with fresh pineapple agave nectar, lime juice and a muddled Serrano pepper. Holy expletive. I love a spicy margarita and this is just fantastic. The muddled combo of pineapple and pepper give it such a great flavor. I usually only have one spicy margarita when I go to a Mexican restaurant. I had two here... and contemplated a third.\n\nGuac: made table side. Fresh. Delicious. Perfection.\n\nChips n salsa: Solid. And the bowls never went empty. That's the way to my heart... keeping my snacks full.\n\nChicken Tortilla Soup: tastes like a giant hug. (I don't mean for that to sound weird) Great flavor. Big chunks of chicken. The cup is a pretty good size.\n\nPork Belly Taco Sliders: four little tacos of deliciousness. Perfect little bites.\n\nPig Wings Carnitas: GET THESE. NO, SERIOUSLY. GET THESE. I actually got them by accident. The kitchen sent out the wrong thing. Wow, am I glad they did. Make sure you eat them with all the side fixings. These won an award at one of the Charlotte food festivals.\n\nCantina, I must say I'm impressed with you right now. The food, the service, the people. Hope this trend continues.