Bottom Line: Bluelguana Cantina is serving up some tasty tacos and burritos on the high seas with handmade tortillas and fresh salsa that delivers a kick.
Are you looking for some good tacos and burritos along fresh tortillas and spicy salsa that delivers a good burn? Well, I have just the place for you. The only thing is you are going to have to be on a boat to enjoy it. A Carnival Cruise ship to be exact.
I recently did cruise on the Carnival Dream, and one of the many food options they have onboard is the Bluelguana Cantina. That little eatery that is tucked in a corner at the center of the ship is serving up tacos and burritos for both breakfast and lunch and they have a salsa and condiment bar which includes their fresh-made salsas as well as other veggies and hot sauces so that you can you to customize your meal as you see fit. The line gets pretty long there and you might think that the buffet is the quicker option, but after trying out the Cantina one time it became a regular stop for the rest of my trip.
On my first visit, I dropped in for lunch and went to the taco side (tacos and burritos have separate lines) because it wasn’t as busy. They are cooking up fresh flour tortillas and the choice of fillings includes chipotle-rubbed chicken, ancho roast pork, and seasoned battered fish. I went the sampler route and asked for one of each.
The chicken and pork are similarly seasoned with each delivering a slight kick and some nice smokiness. The meat is very tender and moist and quite tasty, and if you ate these with nothing but the flour tortilla it would still be a good meal. The piece of fish is rather large for the tortilla and it does not stand out too much beyond delivering a decently fried hunk of seafood, but it is still good.
What really kicks these tacos to the next level, though, is their salsas. I tried several of them and my favorites were the Salsa Roja, the Arbol Chili Salsa, and the Habanero Salsa. The Salsa Roja has a nice roasted taste with some earthiness. It is not too hot–maybe a little below Medium on my scale–but it does have some sting. The Arbol salsa is similar but has more tang and more heat; I would put it slightly above Medium. The habanero salsa was the best of the three, though, delivering good, fresh habanero taste with just a touch of sweetness and a nice brightness. But be warned, this brings the heat and it will hurt. I would put it at the Fiery level on my scale.
Next, I stopped by for the breakfast tacos, and they only had chicken as the option for meat. They also had beans and you could get either fried or scrambled eggs on your tacos. I went with just the chicken and scrambled eggs (not a fan of beans with breakfast) and that combination worked out well. The smokiness of the chicken blended well with the mildness of the eggs, and I will have to consider chicken as a breakfast taco meat going forward. And of course, I got my three favorite salsas for the tacos and it turned into a breakfast party!
For my next trip, I had to give the burrito a try. For those, they have chicken, beef, or shrimp as the meat choices along with plenty of other fillings like beans, rice, sauteed onions, and more. For tortillas, you can choose from wheat or jalapeno. I went with the latter and had them put beef, roasted corn, sauteed onions, charred green peppers, shredded cheese, and guacamole inside.
The beef was tender and well-seasoned with a nice char. The veggies are cooked just right so that they aren’t mushy and they add some earthiness and sweetness. The cheese and guacamole add creaminess with some additional sharpness coming from the former. The burrito was decent-sized but not humongous, and it was quite filling. I alternated between my three favorite salsas with each bite, and that worked out quite well.
My only complaint with Bluelguana Cantina is that they don’t have tortilla chips available because I sure wanted some of those to eat up some more salsa. But I guess they know if they do that they will have to fill up that salsa bar more often. There is no extra charge for the food at this spot (some of the eateries on the boat do have an upcharge), and you can go back as many times as you want. But I advise restraint because you will have plenty of eating to do on the boat and all of their food is excellent.
I don’t know if Bluelguana Cantina is on every Carnival Cruise ship, but from what I glean from their website it is a regular for their boats. So if you happen to be sailing with Carnival, check and see if one is located on your vessel. They are open for breakfast and lunch, but they do get pretty long lines, so strategize your arrival time properly. And if your ship has the RedFrog bar, go get one of their private-label brews on tap to wash down that tasty Mexican food. (Even with breakfast. Hey, you’re on vacation!)