{"id":12234,"date":"2019-01-29T10:19:57","date_gmt":"2019-01-29T16:19:57","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.thebozho.com\/?p=12234"},"modified":"2019-02-05T18:26:13","modified_gmt":"2019-02-06T00:26:13","slug":"canteen-margaritas-happy-hour","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.thebozho.com\/canteen-margaritas-happy-hour\/","title":{"rendered":"Canteen’s half-price margs sweeten afternoon, late night happy hours"},"content":{"rendered":"

I\u2019m checking out a new happy hour in Madison every other week with my girlfriend, Abby. I\u2019ll report on the hits, misses, and best deals. Suggest your favorite happy hour via <\/em>email<\/em><\/a>.<\/em><\/span>\n

Canteen<\/a> was the first restaurant Abby and I tried when we moved here in August, and it was the first in a series of positive experiences we\u2019ve had at Mexican restaurants in Madison. For reasons unclear to us, we\u2019ve found the Mexican food more consistently delicious here than in the California\u2019s Northern Sacramento Valley, where taco trucks are parked on every other street corner. Go figure.<\/p>\n

\"Canteen
Photos by Howard Hardee<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

We recently revisited Canteen, which is located in a funky triangular building near the Capitol. It\u2019s a clean, colorful and stylish place with a floor-to-ceiling mural of flowers and a long bar facing Hamilton Street. On this particular Sunday afternoon, the place was nearly empty. There was a soggy-looking NFL Pro Bowl game on the TV over the bar and winter cityscape in the window.<\/p>\n

\"Canteen<\/p>\n<\/span>You\u2019d expect such a place to be pricey, but it\u2019s not, at least when you go for happy hour (which also runs late night on weekends!). Most drinks are half price<\/strong>, including wine, house margaritas and pints of Pacifico. There\u2019s also $2 cans of Tecate<\/strong>, to which you can add a shot of bartender\u2019s choice tequila or mezcal for $3 more. We decided to split a strawberry \u201cdaquirito\u201d for $4.50<\/strong>, a margarita made with rum and tequila and served on the rocks with salt on the rim.<\/p>\n

\"Canteen<\/p>\n<\/span>On a downer note, there isn\u2019t any food on the happy hour menu<\/a>. But at $6 for two tacos, it\u2019s entirely possible to have a decent meal for two \u2014 with happy hour drinks \u2014 for under $20. And that\u2019s nothing to sneeze at, you know? So we ended up getting a tasty chicken burrito and fried cauliflower tacos anyway.<\/span>\n

The big takeaway:<\/strong> Canteen is a great place for a quick, light bite. And it\u2019s surprisingly affordable given its style and location. The creative and colorful margaritas match the decorations, and the tacos are small but satiating and delicious. As a restaurant on the Square with inexpensive food and a late-night happy hour on weekends, Canteen is also an excellent choice for post-bar pilgrimages.<\/span>\n

Happy hour:<\/strong> 2-5 p.m. everyday and 11 p.m.-1 a.m. Friday and Saturday<\/span>\n