Cantina Sur – a taste of Mexico in the Glebe

By Kate McGregor

“I love to cook. I love to give good service. I love to have customers who are willing to try something Mexican.” When Temo Hernandez talks about Cantina Sur, it is with the enthusiasm and pride of a chef and first-time restaurant owner. He and his business partner Ramon Canales have created a warm and inviting destination at the corner of Bronson and Renfrew avenues.

Diners who step through the front door of the 90-seat restaurant are transported to another world. The interior walls are flame red; colourful flags hang from the ceilings; skeletons and “sugar skulls,” symbols of the Mexican Day of the Dead, appear everywhere you turn; two pool tables and television screens beckon everyone to linger. The ambiance speaks of good times over food, drinks and music.

The name “cantina” means bar in Spanish, and “sur” means southern. Temo is from Acapulco, Mexico, and his wife Andrea comes from Colombia. The couple juggle operating the restaurant with raising their young family, an eight-year old son and five-year old daughter who attend French school in Gatineau. Andrea does the accounting in addition to helping Temo in the kitchen and on the floor.

Hernandez’s passion for the restaurant business started in Mexico where he worked as an employee and business owner. At one time, he even managed a large restaurant that seats 900.

The family decided in April 2013 to make Ottawa its home and Hernandez began to think about opening a restaurant in the Glebe. This was a neighbourhood he felt would support a Mexican-born chef who offered real Mexican cuisine rather than Tex-Mex, that fusion of American and Mexican cuisines that is popular in many local eateries.

Hernandez secured the location in August 2014. Three months of intensive interior renovations ensued. Outside, there is a wheelchair ramp and parking for six cars in addition to adjacent street parking.

When you drop into Cantina Sur for lunch or dinner, don’t expect to find hard-shelled tacos on the menu. Those Taco Bell style creations are not found in Mexico. Instead, Hernandez features fresh food made from scratch: soft corn and wheat tortillas made by a local Mexican cook and guacamole prepared from small, dark and creamy Mexican avocados that have more oils and more flavour than the larger, smooth-skinned variety. Marinating the meat in smoked chillies, orange juice, garlic, apple cider and onions makes pork adobo, one of the restaurant’s popular signature dishes. Also popular are yucas fritas with chipotle mayo, a snack dish found all over Latin America. The menu also features burritos, fajitas, enchiladas, quesadillas and nachos.

Like other Latin grocers in Ottawa, Hernandez buys 80 percent of his supplies from Montreal, including beans, flour, chillies, spices, corn and powders. His pork comes from Navan, Ontario, and he shops for other meats and vegetables in Ottawa.

Word of mouth and regular Facebook postings help draw a crowd to Cantina Sur. Students from Glebe Collegiate drop in for the $3.50 lunchtime main course and drink special. Families, neighbours, Carleton University students and the Latin community also come for the food and Mexican specialty drinks like margaritas and tequila shots.

Theme evenings are a draw, with taco Tuesdays and open jam sessions on Wednesday evenings, which showcase anyone who wants to share their music.

Weekends, Hernandez might place seven to eight servers on the floor to accommodate patrons who come for the live Latin music, right up to closing time at 2 a.m. While there is no designated dance floor, diners often get up to move to the beat. The restaurant also caters private parties, including children’s piñata celebrations, where guests take turns striking a decorated papier-mâché container filled with small toys or candy.

Cantina Sur continues to hit just the right chord with diners who love homemade Mexican food delivered with just the right side dish of ambiance, warmth and fun under the enthusiastic watch of Hernandez and Canales.

Stay tuned. Hernandez is already thinking about offering Sunday brunch with a Latin theme.

Cantina Sur
665 Bronson Ave.
613-567-7373
Website
Tuesday – Thursday 5 p.m. – 9 p.m.
Friday – Saturday 5 p.m. – 2 a.m.
Closed Sunday and Monday

Kate McGregor is a certified Integral Master Coach™. To inquire about her services: 613-884-1864; kate@kmcommunications.ca ; www.kmcoaching.ca