Cantina 18

Cantina 18 is a favorite of mine for comfort food after travel. I order the Chicken Fajitas with corn tortillas. When I tell them I have a gluten allergy, they are very aware and make it clear what I can and can not have. I can have their chips and queso, which is fantastic!

How confident are you that this establishment takes safety precautions against cross-contact?

— Very

How much of the menu is available gluten-free?

— Some

How would you rate the taste and quality of the gluten-free food you tried?

— Excellent

Staff is very knowledgeable about celiac. Most of their dishes can be prepared GF. Super helpful and willing to tweak menu items to accommodate celiac.

How confident are you that this establishment takes safety precautions against cross-contact?

— Very

Is there a gluten-free menu?

— No gluten-free information on the menu

How much of the menu is available gluten-free?

— Most/All

How would you rate the taste and quality of the gluten-free food you tried?

— Excellent

Have been here a few times and never had issues! Their chips are gf!

How confident are you that this establishment takes safety precautions against cross-contact?

— Very

Is there a gluten-free menu?

— Gluten-free items are marked on the main menu

How much of the menu is available gluten-free?

— Most/All

How would you rate the taste and quality of the gluten-free food you tried?

— Excellent

I saw mixed reviews on here about whether their chips were in a shared frier. When I asked the waitress she mentioned that the chips were fried in a shared frier. I ate here and due to this chose not to eat the chips. I had fajitas for my meal and did not get sick. I did not eat any corn tortillas with my fajitas in order to limit cross contamination. They do not have a gf menu and the waitress just says that most things are gf and can point out what is. While I am glad I did not get sick, I will say I don’t feel confident that this is the safest restaurant for celiacs. However, I might still come here again if I am in a pinch and my friends want to eat at a Mexican restaurant in the area. This will not be my first choice to eat at though due to the safety concerns.

How confident are you that this establishment takes safety precautions against cross-contact?

— Somewhat

Safety Feature Ratings

• Staff is knowledgeable and can answer questions

Is there a gluten-free menu?

— No gluten-free information on the menu

How much of the menu is available gluten-free?

— Some

How would you rate the taste and quality of the gluten-free food you tried?

— Excellent

Absolute favorite “classy” Mexican restaurant in the Raleigh area. The chips are fried in a dedicated fryer and you can get anything on a corn tortilla. The side of rice and queso are GF too. Nothing is marked on the menu, but the waitstaff typically is knowledgeable on what items are safe. I love the chicken tinga quesadilla and am never disappointed.

How confident are you that this establishment takes safety precautions against cross-contact?

— Very

Safety Feature Ratings

• Staff is knowledgeable and can answer questions

Is there a gluten-free menu?

— No gluten-free information on the menu

How much of the menu is available gluten-free?

— Some

How would you rate the taste and quality of the gluten-free food you tried?

— Excellent

Other Characteristics

• Good for dinner
• Offers outdoor seating

I was highly disappointed in my experience with Cantina 18. I had high hopes about chips and then fries also after talking with the servers (it took 4 to answer the question) when I visited. I question the safety and dedication of the dedicated fryer. At the bottom of our bowl of chips was a chunk of fried batter of some sort. After confirming this and the fries were "celiac safe", I was skeptical of the safety of my meal. I tried telling myself it was a weird clump of chip or fry crumbs when it looked like breaded chicken batter and I'd just wait and see if I got sick. Unfortunately, I did! On top of this the food was just not that good. It was very dry and came out in 8 minutes which leads me to believe everything is mostly prepared ahead of time and sitting under warmers. Overall, not worth the price or risk of contamination in the future. I will not try again. I would like to highlight the positive aspects of the place for non-celiacs. I cannot say the food was good because my and my friends food was bad, but the atmosphere is nice, the staff was friendly and the outdoor seating area is very nice.

How confident are you that this establishment takes safety precautions against cross-contact?

— Not very

Is there a gluten-free menu?

— No gluten-free information on the menu

How much of the menu is available gluten-free?

— Not Much

How would you rate the taste and quality of the gluten-free food you tried?

— Below Average

Other Characteristics

• Good for takeout
• Offers outdoor seating

Very good! I tried 3 diff tacos on soft corn tortillas. The one with chicken and cranberries was great. Also the beef one was good.

How confident are you that this establishment takes safety precautions against cross-contact?

— Very

Is there a gluten-free menu?

— No gluten-free information on the menu

How much of the menu is available gluten-free?

— Most/All

How would you rate the taste and quality of the gluten-free food you tried?

— Good

I always enjoy eating here and have never gotten sick. The staff are knowledgeable about which items are gluten free (or can be made gluten free). Great tacos at a reasonable price, and they seem to take gluten allergies seriously.

How confident are you that this establishment takes safety precautions against cross-contact?

— Very

Is there a gluten-free menu?

— No gluten-free information on the menu

How much of the menu is available gluten-free?

— Most/All

How would you rate the taste and quality of the gluten-free food you tried?

— Excellent

Other Characteristics

• Good for takeout

Never had an issue here. Chips are fried separately

Great gluten free options. Chips are fried separately. I’ve had tacos, burrito bowls, salads and never had an issue!

How confident are you that this establishment takes safety precautions against cross-contact?

— Very

Is there a gluten-free menu?

— Separate gluten-free menu

How much of the menu is available gluten-free?

— Some

How would you rate the taste and quality of the gluten-free food you tried?

— Excellent

Staff was very knowledgable and most of the menu could be made gluten free. The chips have their own fryer and queso is gluten free. The tacos typically come with a flour tortilla but that can easily be switched for a corn tortilla! And the burritos can be made into a burrito bowl instead.

Celiac friendly?

Yes

Excellent workers! They were very willing to make anything gluten free and were very cautious. They also have a lot of choices to eat!! Can make almost anything gluten free! Highly recommend

Celiac friendly?

Yes

I love this place and the fact that the chips are gf is life changing. I will say that twice (once this location and once in Morrisville), my tacos or quesadilla have been brought out on flour tortillas, but thankfully I noticed and they remade both orders. Other than that, lots of gf options!

Celiac friendly?

Yes

I ordered a salad with chicken and vegetables and ate the chips after the waiter said they were gluten free. Got a nasty gluten headache after I left the restaurant so I’m assuming there was some cross contamination or the chips weren’t really gluten free.

Celiac friendly?

No

Good options. Frustrating they aren’t marked but all servers know what is gluten free and what isn’t it.

Definitely adding to our regular rotation. Virtually everything can be made GF, so don't worry that menu doesn't indicate. Great attention to safety. Dedicated fryer for chips. Everyone's meal was delicious.

Celiac friendly?

Yes

I am celiac and love eating here! They always take great care with my meals and just about everything on the menu can be made gluten free. Plus, the corn chips are made in a dedicated fryer so are safe to eat! I highly recommend Cantina 18.

Celiac friendly?

Yes

Celiac friendly?

Yes

I used to consider this a safe place. But today I was there for lunch and twice I had to send my tacos back. First they had fried things in them that weren’t gf. Then they came back with grilled shrimp in flour tortillas instead of corn. Gave up and left hungry. Wait staff and kitchen clearly didn’t communicate or care or both. I stated my issue with gluten and that I had celiac. Really disappointed.

Celiac friendly?

No

We called Cantina 18 ahead of our visit to ask about their gluten free prep procedures, and were impressed. They have a separate prep area just for gluten free items and spoke very comfortably about keeping things safe. While they don't have a separate gluten free menu, the manager carefully showed us which items were safe on the menu and checked on us multiple times during our lunch. I had beef hard shell tacos while my husband had the steak burrito (served in a bowl without the tortilla). Both dishes were delicious and neither one of us got sick (I'm gluten intolerant, he's wheat intolerant). Their chips are also made in a dedicated fryer. We enjoyed our lunch and will definitely be back!

Soft corn shells !!!

Celiac friendly?

Yes

The wait staff is extremely helpful and knowledgeable and I feel very comfortable eating here. The chips have a dedicated fryer and are soo good. Love the nachos and tacos - but be sure to ask about marinades etc. on the meats!

Yummy and safe. Have eaten here twice with knowledgeable waiters. Local business.