Chef/Restauranteur Jose Garces to Debut The Cantina at Distrito in Philadelphia’s University City, this September

This month, Chef and Restauranteur Jose Garces will debut The Cantina at Distrito, featuring a new student-friendly menu with all items under $10 on the first floor of his bi-level modern Mexican restaurant Distrito (3495 Chestnut Street, Philadelphia).  The Cantina menu includes items such as: Traditional Guacamole, available in two sizes; a variety of Enchiladas; Mission-Style Quesadillas; and Distrito’s famed Esquites, sweet corn with queso fresco, chipotle and lime among others.  There will also be a variety of Mexican beers, which start with $2 cans of Tecarte, as well as special reasonably priced cocktails, which range in price from $3 to $6.  The Cantina at Distrito will be open from 3 pm until close, seven days a week, so book your reservations today!

In September, Latin superstar Chef Jose Garces‘ will debut The Cantina at Distrito, featuring a new menu with all items under $10 on the vibrant first floor of his bi-level modern Mexican restaurant Distrito (3945 Chestnut Street, 215-222-1657.)  The selection includes a variety of tacos, Mission-style quesadillas, inexpensive margaritas and Mexican beer specials which start with $2 cans of Tecate.  The Cantina at Distrito will open Monday to Friday at 3 pm, Saturday and Sundays at 4 pm.

“Distrito is the most exciting and fun restaurant in our family,” says Chef Garces, “and our Cantina Menu makes it even more accessible to area students who prefer to hang out with friends over cocktails and snacks, rather than indulging in a full meal.”

With its playful setting that includes a booth crafted from a Volkswagen Beetle, a working jukebox, flamingo pink walls, a 14-seat karaoke room and the atmosphere of a roadside food stand in Mexico, The Cantina at Distrito is a great place for a festive yet casual meal.  The Cantina Menu includes:  Traditional Guacamole, available in two sizes;  a variety of Enchiladas, such as Enchilada de Cangrejo with jumbo lump crab, poblano peppers, roasted corn and salsa verde;  Mission-Style Quesadillas, available with fillings that range from queso mixto to grilled chicken to skirt steak;  Tacos al Carbon, stuffed with hanger steak, pulled pork, portabella or tongue, among others;  and Distrito’s famed Esquites, sweet corn with queso fresco, chipotle and lime.  Menu items range in price from $3 to $10.  Distrito’s more extensive dinner menu will be served exclusively in the upstairs lounge and dining room.

Also of note is the special cocktail menu that Chef Garces and his team of talented mixologists created for the new Cantina.  The libations will include:  the Cantina Margarita;  Evil Ways, grape vodka and lime; Jugando Tea, sweet tea, vodka and passion fruit; and an assortment of Shooters, including the Bazooka, Red Bull and tequila, and the White Widow, tequila, melon liquor and horchata.  Cocktails and shooters range in price from $3 to $6.  Inexpensive beer options, including a variety of $5 Mexican and microbrew draughts, will also be available.

Distrito was named “Best New Restaurant 2009″ by Philadelphia Magazine and was included on Conde Nast Traveler’s Hot List 2009 as one of the world’s top 50 restaurants.  In 2008, Esquire magazine named Distrito among the best new restaurants in the country, while locally, The Philadelphia Inquirer named them best overall new restaurant of 2008.  The restaurant was a semi-finalist for the prestigious James Beard Foundation’s “Best New Restaurant” award in 2008, the same year that Chef Garces was honored with the Foundation’s award for “Best Chef, Mid-Atlantic.”

The Cantina at Distrito will be open from 3 pm until close, seven days a week.  Upstairs, dinner is served Sunday through Thursday from 5 p.m. until 10 p.m., and Friday and Saturday until 11 p.m.  For more information, or to make a reservation, please call (215) 222-1657 or visit www.distritorestaurant.com.