The Saddle Cantina has different specials on different days, check out:

FajitaRita Mondays~ Our Sizzling Chicken or Steak Fajitas are half price as well as our giant frozen Margaritas!

Taco Tuesdays ~ Our platter of soft tacos are 15 kuai off and buckets of Sol Beer are only 100 kuai instead of 150!

TGIF Happy Hour ~ From 5pm to 8pm ALL drinks (not bottles) are half price! Its the perfect end to a busy week.

Weekends ~ BBQ time, huge skewer kebabs with juicy chicken, beef, lamb, veggies or shrimp are flame grilled to perfection.

Cinco De Drinko ~ The 5th of every month brings you 24 hours of drinks HALF PRICE!

Sad Cantina

Second Bite review, August, 2011

For the last several months, we’ve been hearing rumors about the Saddle Cantina’s culinary comeback. Friends raved about the food and the new chef, JP, and we couldn’t wait to try. But eating our way through half the new specials menu on two separate visits, we’re disappointed. The food is now edible, which is a big step up for The Saddle, but still mediocre.

The Tampico steak tampiquera (¥83) comes with a superb side of rice, and the flavors of the rather soggy enmolada tortilla are spicy and legitimately Mexican. The meat, though, is dry and bland. The ahi tuna salad (¥75) sounds appealing on the menu, but the medium rare slices of tuna are overly fishy. The spicy sauce that covers the tuna and accompanying salad has a nice bite, and the slices of fresh mango add a lot to the dish. But a similar side salad with the habanera pan-fried chicken (¥82) was over-dressed to the point of drowning in spice. The large chicken breast, topped with a sauce that starts with a robust tomato flavor and gradually builds into a moderate spice, is passable, but not exciting.

Saddle’s new specials aside, the regular offerings are better than they used to be, although that’s not saying much. Tacos dorados (¥40)—corn tortillas with shredded chicken, guacamole, sour cream and cheese—are surprisingly bland, and the guacamole was watery and tasted a little off. Saddle quesadillas with cheese and jalapenos (¥45/small) are deliciously cheesy and spicy—but it’s pretty hard to go wrong with melted cheese on tortillas.

On a positive note, service has definitely turned a corner, and there seems to be a very effective system in place. Waitstaff was efficient and pleasant on both our visits, and they’re great about bringing and refilling free glasses of water.

Sienna Parulis-Cook