Team behind much-loved Mexican restaurant to bring late-night cantina vibes to downtown Vancouver
A new Mexican cantina-inspired pop-up concept is coming to downtown Vancouver, and it’s brought to you by the team from Chupito.
Called the Cantina Social Club, the pop-up is blending the soul of old-school Mexican drinking houses with the creativity of contemporary Mexican cooking made with ingredients from the Pacific Northwest. The result is what the concept is calling an “ever-evolving dining experience where the menu changes with the seasons, local harvest, and the creative curiosity of the kitchen.”
The pop-up will run every Wednesday through Saturday starting July 22 from 6 p.m. until late out of Pinche Taco Shop at 367 Seymour St., with the space transforming nightly into a lively yet intimate cantina illuminated by candlelight, communal tables, and lush greenery.
Leading the culinary side of things is Chef Maria Ponce, who is drawing inspiration from different regions of Mexico while embracing seasonal ingredients from B.C. Rather than strictly following tradition, Ponce aims to use it as a foundation for new, inventive dishes.
Cantina Social Club
Complementing the food offerings will be a playful beverage program curated by Tara Davies and Erick Vazquez, who will follow the same philosophy of celebrating seasonality and community. There will be low-intervention B.C. wines, cerezas, and rotating low-waste, high-fun cocktails. Highlights include the Half-and-half Paloma (half frozen, half sparkling), Pina Daiquiri, Cantinatini, and rotating La Ronda, which are seasonal large-format cocktails made for sharing.
“Cantinas have always been about more than food and drinks—they’ are places where people gather, celebrate, debate, and build community,” says Vazquez, whose grandfather was a Cantinero in Mexico City. “Every time we visit Mexico City, we’re inspired by that incredible sense of energy and belonging. Cantina Social Club is our interpretation of that experience in Vancouver: creative without being complicated, refined without pretension, and always centred around bringing people together to have a great time, every time,” said Davies.
Cantina Social Club
The concept will also introduce Vancouver to Sergio El Bailador, the resident dancing skeleton mascot inspired by Mexican folk art and the festive spirit of the classic song of the same name.
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Cantina Social Club officially launched in downtown Vancouver on July 22, 2026. Will you be checking it out? Let us know in the comments.
Cantina Social Club
Address: Inside Pinche Taco Shop — 367 Seymour St., Vancouver
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