CLANCYS CANTINA
Solid and unflashy: CLANCYS CANTINA holds an A health grade, 92/100, out of its most recent Volusia County inspection on April 6, 2026.
On health score it's safer than 59% of Volusia County restaurants we grade. Diners rate it 4.2 from 1,460 reviews. Cuisine: Mexican. Menus here flag options for dairy-free, keto, and paleo diners.
Get directions Call (386) 428-4500
Restaurant details
- Health grade
- A (92/100)
- Violations
- 6 total — 1 intermediate, 5 basic
- Address
- 301 FLAGLER AVE, New Smyrna Beach, FL
- Cuisine
- Mexican
- Categories
- Mexican restaurant
- Price
- $10–20
- Rating
- 4.2 stars (1460 reviews)
- Seats
- 150
- Phone
- (386) 428-4500
- Website
- Official website
Community Rating
Reviews via GoogleWhat diners say — our read
Complaints here are real, but they are mostly not about the kitchen. Reviews mentioning service average 3.5 stars, so it divides opinion rather than settling it. Whether it is worth the money follows at 26% of reviews, where ratings average 2.4.
If you had to pick one number to represent this corpus it would be 5, the most frequently given rating (6 reviews). Behind those, how long an order takes is raised in 26% of reviews (2.4 average). Newer reviews score better than older ones (4.5 recent against 2.0 earlier), so direction is worth weighing alongside the average.
Against that, the kitchen inspects well — an A (92/100), 1 intermediate and 5 basic violations at the most recent DBPR visit. DBPR last walked in on April 6, 2026. Across its inspection history the kitchen is improving, which argues for giving it the benefit of the doubt. That puts it ahead of 59% of graded kitchens in Volusia County. The citations behind that grade include food-contact surfaces clean and sanitized and nonfood-contact surfaces clean.
The weak part of this listing is the experience, not the sanitation — those are different failures. The individual reviews are below, newest first, if you want the raw material.
Our own analysis of 19 reviews for this restaurant, set against its Florida DBPR inspection record. How we calculate grades →
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Our first time trying out the Cantina! We had some tacos, quesadilla, steak and the poppers, which were all plentiful, but the poppers could stand to have more peppers than cheese. ;) The atmosphere is quite cool, but it was a bit hard to hear ourselves-over the class reunion that was in the same dining area as us. Thankfully, our waiter/Jackson was quite good and really on top of his game & made our evening :)
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Pretty darn good food, great staff, good variety on the kids menu, reasonably priced, perfect for lunch after the beach, kid & dog friendly. Been coming here for years and will continue to as long as their open.
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Sat outside, on way to Daytona, food good, not great, enchilada and refried beans. Parking close by which is a plus for that area.
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Can't beat for the price! Their shrimp quesadilla is delicious.
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I stopped in for the first time after a long beachday. Was starving, and Shelby was the bartender. She recommended this delicious ground beef burrito. I ate the whole thing, it was so delicious. She was sweet and made sure the beers kept coming, offered me the side hot sauces too... She also kept me loaded up with chips and salsa. Best burrito I had in a long time. Great atmosphere, service and met some nice people sitting at the bar. I will be back for sure.
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I went here for the first time on a work trip and I definitely would say I’m not disappointed. I ordered the steak fajitas and the shrimp jalapeño popper and it was definitely delicious. I sat at the bar with the bartender Justin and he was the best!
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Stopped in here for a drink and a quick bite to eat, the top shelf nachos were excellent and a bartender was very friendly. Very good atmosphere here.
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Food was overpriced, steak was cold and it had no flavor. The chips didn’t even have flavor and the drinks were small. Not worth the money AT ALL.
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You should probably update your business hours. You are not open on Mondays, yet your Google page says you are. sometimes people come from other cities to come visit you and then you’re not even open. It’s quite a simple fix to not waste people time.
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The tacos here are absolutely amazing, especially the fish ones! The vibe is festive and the staff is super friendly. It's become my go-to spot for a casual night out.
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Talked to a girl in a seat next to me, boyfriend threatened me and made me leave. Better spots in scottsdale for sure.
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Great location and atmosphere
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Great atmosphere & service. Brett was phenomenal! However, I had the grilled chicken tacos & my hubby had blackened chicken sandwich which both had no flavor whatsoever. The tacos had no seasoning or sauces on it leaving it dry & flavorless. Ate half a taco & two spoonfuls of flavorless red rice. I did tell our server about it and he said he’d tell the kitchen. Nothing was taken off or offered to take off the bill whatsoever. Was disappointed.
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It wasn’t busy and food took upwards of 40 min. Server was good but avoided us related to food taking forever. Food was mediocre at best. It seems like a kitchen problem. Personally, I will never be back related to there being many more options in the area. Maybe a bad night?
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Let me explain I eat in a lots of Mexican restaurants and this has been the worse of all food took almost an hour to come out and the plate was very small portion with a high price but our waiter Will is the best to bad the food doesn't match the service Will gave us this evening My self an army veteran service is second to none
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At a glance, this seems like a decent place. They have tons of seating inside and outside. But parking is scarce and the quality is not worth the wait. Also, the décor suggests Mexican. It is more Americana with tex-mex influence. Nothing on the menu is authentic. I have been there several times with friends and alone. Tonight is the last time I'll ever go. Each visit has given us decent service. However, if I order anything but the most basic dish, they get it wrong. I have a few food allergies and I'm very clear with the server. They have never got it right. Tonight was the last chance. My server and I clearly communicated and I saw him write it down. 40 minutes later, it comes out wrong. The manager who brought it didn't even stop walking as he dropped it and sped away, faster than I could point out the issue - the very allergies I specified are all over my food. When my server arrived I told him, and he had them remake it. This time it was cold fish with no toppings at all. Just meat on flour tortilla. Not even salt. The queso dip had also arrived cold enough that the chips broke trying to penetrate it, and the replacement was just warm. When I explained the issues to the manager (I'd been there over an hour now), he stared blankly - clearly just waiting for me to shut up. When I pointed out that he seemed very uninterested and that I was obviously wasting my time with him, he just offered to comp. the cheese and walked away. There are so many options to eat on Flagler…
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Tables are always messy, the servers can't be bothered to wipe anything down. There are always crumbs everywhere. If you are Celiac or gluten-free this place is your worst nightmare. You will never escape the chips. For Christ sakes they are everywhere. The food is over expensive and disappointing when it comes out, they cosplay as Mexican food but are scared of salt and pepper. If you sit close enough to the back kitchen area sometimes you can hear the owner yelling at his employees. Overall kinda just a beachtown diner vibe. If you want good food I would go to an authentic Cuban or Mexican place, usually the prices are better and they don't try and poach your food. Birria tacos are INSANELY overpriced. I can get 5 tacos for $16 authentically made at cafe con leche in daytona 20 minutes away....id rather give my money to someplace authentic then be robbed for under seasoned meat. Was very disappointed because i was told their birria was good but it wasnt worth it
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Great food in a wonderful location! Staff was outstanding also. Very good Mexican food.
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Quite possibly the worst nachos I have ever had in my entire life
Overall Score
73 / 100
Composite score from health grade, dietary options, ratings, and inspection record — distinct from the state-derived health grade.
Opening hours
- Monday
- Closed
- Tuesday
- 11 AM to 9 PM
- Wednesday
- 11 AM to 9 PM
- Thursday
- 11 AM to 9 PM
- Friday
- 11 AM to 10 PM
- Saturday
- 11 AM to 10 PM
- Sunday
- 11 AM to 9 PM
Inspection history
The following records are from Florida DBPR public inspection records, most recent first.
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April 6, 2026 · Routine - Food
Call Back - Complied
0 high-priority · 1 intermediate · 5 basic
- 14 — Food-contact & nonfood-contact surfaces properly designed/maintained (×2)
- 22 — Food-contact surfaces clean and sanitized
- 23 — Nonfood-contact surfaces clean
- 29 — Plumbing installed & maintained; mop sink; backflow prevention
- 36 — Floors, walls, ceilings clean & maintained; proper ventilation
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April 3, 2026 · Routine - Food
Warning Issued
2 high-priority · 1 intermediate · 8 basic
- 03 — Temperature control of foods (cold/hot holding, cooking, cooling, reheating)
- 10 — In-use food dispensing utensils properly stored
- 12 — Handwashing; employee eating/drinking/smoking practices
- 14 — Food-contact & nonfood-contact surfaces properly designed/maintained (×3)
- 22 — Food-contact surfaces clean and sanitized
- 23 — Nonfood-contact surfaces clean
- 29 — Plumbing installed & maintained; mop sink; backflow prevention (×2)
- 36 — Floors, walls, ceilings clean & maintained; proper ventilation
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October 21, 2025 · Routine - Food
Inspection Completed - No Further Action
3 high-priority · 3 intermediate · 9 basic
- 01 — Food from approved source; safe, unadulterated, sound condition
- 02 — Consumer advisory, date-marking & labeling of ready-to-eat foods
- 11 — Employee health knowledge; no ill/symptomatic employee present
- 13 — Clean clothes; hair restraints; jewelry; fingernails
- 14 — Food-contact & nonfood-contact surfaces properly designed/maintained (×2)
- 22 — Food-contact surfaces clean and sanitized (×2)
- 23 — Nonfood-contact surfaces clean
- 24 — Storage & handling of clean equipment and utensils; air drying
- 35 — Insects/rodents/pests; outer openings protected against pests
- 36 — Floors, walls, ceilings clean & maintained; proper ventilation
- 40 — Employee personal belongings
- 41 — Chemicals / toxic substances properly stored & used
- 51 — Other conditions of sanitary & safe operation
This grade is calculated by us from Florida DBPR public inspection records — Florida does not issue official grades. How we calculate it →
Data last updated: April 6, 2026