Salsa Cabana - 渋谷

Note: this review is for the benefit of tourists and gaijin only, as 1) I suspect Salsa Cabana’s menu is geared towards Japanese palates, and 2) Americans living in Tokyo treat finding good Mexican food as a Holy Quest, that they will suffer in service of. Salsa Cabana is… meh. Very much a mixed bag. The location and decor is wonderful! Definitely a good vibe going on here. Also, the drinks are wonderful… though a good bit on the expensive side. Still though, their mojitos are better than 80% of the ones I’ve had in America, so that’s something. The food though, ehhh… My first visit I had the beef tacos, and they were good. Not world-shattering, “Tell the masses our Crusade is at an end” good… but certainly tasty. My second trip I tried the chicken enchilada though, and oh god… it was not good. Not even a bit. If I had prepaid, I wouldn’t even have finished it; I just would have snuck out. So… proceed with caution. Let me sun up the review this way: Frijoles is a boring Chipotle-like chain 30-minutes away in Ebisu; Salsa Cabana is 30-ft from the door of my hotel. I’ve been to Frijoles TWICE since eating at Salsa Cabana. So make of that what you will.

Delicious, and pretty big portions! The quesadillas are perfect and the beef is cooked to perfection. The Nakano store is lovely and atmospheric too. The only drawback is they're (justifiably) super busy and cooking can sometimes take a little bit. But it's worth the wait!

Slightly expensive but great cocktails. Food was good but portions smaller than you might expect from the picture. I would definitely go again for a special night out.

Nice place, tastes ok portion smaller than expected, quesadillas was amazing!

Pretty decent selection, not just the typical Japanese-Mexican you expect to find in bars around Tokyo. Definitely worth trying if you're in the area.