Cantinflas Mexican and Vegetarian Restaurant, located downtown on Main Street, offers a non-traditional take on Mexican cuisine with a more upscale environment than other Mexican establishments in Greenville. The restaurant offers a variety of vegetarian options, but some of the food did not taste as fresh as it could have.

The décor at Cantinflas is bright and cheery, with beautiful artwork and murals covering the walls. They also offer outdoor seating, which would be nice once the weather gets warmer. With only about ten tables inside, the restaurants has a cozy feel.

The chips and salsa, served right when you sit down, are delicious. The chips are warm, full-sized corn tortillas that they fry in-house every morning. The salsa was tasty, cilantro-heavy but not spicy. The menu claimed their guacamole was “the best,” so I had to give it a try. The dip definitely lived up to the claim: the guacamole was freshly made, citrusy, and very creamy. However, it was $8 for a modest serving, which seemed a little ridiculous.

I went there for lunch, so the prices for the entrees were between $8 and $10. Dinner menu prices ranged between $15 and $18, reasonable for a downtown restaurant. I ordered a sangria (drinks prices were not listed on the menu) and was shocked to find out that it was $10 for a relatively small glass of sweet wine that didn’t even include fruit! The margaritas, my waitress said, are a similar size and also cost $10.

I wanted to try one of Cantinflas’s experimental vegetarian options, so I ordered the “Pizzabella,” a crispy crust with tomato sauce and vegetables on top (it usually comes with cheese, but I ordered it without). The vegetables — a mixture of onions, peppers, zucchini, and portabello mushrooms — did not have very much flavor. My friend ordered the fajitas, which included the exact same vegetable mixture with added corn, and she agreed that they did not taste fresh. The other friend I dined with ordered the “Veggie-rito,” a burrito filled with vegetables and cheese topped with what was, in my opinion, a far too tomato-heavy sauce. Since all of our dishes were centered on vegetables, I would have expected them to taste less watery and more flavorful.

Cantinflas is located in the heart of Main Street, across the street from Sticky Fingers. I am glad that I tried this unusual take on traditional Mexican food, but I’m not entirely sure I would recommend it to a friend. If you do choose to go to Cantinflas, be aware that the drinks are a bit overpriced and the vegetable-heavy options do not taste very fresh.