Y’all already know I’m a sucker for good Mexican food.

Honestly, it doesn’t even need to be the 100-percent authentic kind, either. Knock-off Tex-Mex, or the joints where you order step by step from the other side of a glass taco bar will do the trick for me in a pinch.

But when I find something that’s above and beyond, woo boy, I’m in.

And I’m all about Cantina Imperfecto.

One of Myrtle Beach’s newest restaurants opened in the spring of 2024 and is still astounding people as to how it’s turning a profit. While a decent chunk of the dinner menu is not what anyone would consider cheap, the bulk of the lunch menu and even some of the later options aren’t here to break the bank.

They’re set in a fashion to give you ever reason to return. Need some examples?

Let’s start with the lunch menu. There, you’ll find four different salads all capable of hitting the right marks … priced at $10 each. Or how about the street corn (big, whoppin’ yes, by the way) for the same amount or the shareable queso for $7.

Two of the most expensive items on the lunch menu aren’t exactly what most people would consider a Mexican staple, so we give them a pass on the $22 grilled salmon or the $19 baby back ribs. That’s not why we came here.

Instead, our group opted, moving clockwise around the table:

Southwest salad – romaine lettuce and spring mix, topped with roasted corn, peppers, beans, guacamole and tortilla strips and a side of cilantro ranch dressing;

ACP Bowl – Mexican rice, shrimp (instead of chicken), peppers and queso;

Steak fajitas – Served on the skillet with rice, onions, peppers, black beans, lettuce, pico and guacamole;

Chicken enchiladas – Served with Mexican rice, charro beans and green salsa and toped with queso and cilantro.

Admittedly, the lunch menu is quite a bit smaller, but no less impressive when considering that most folks don’t need as much earlier in the day. The dinner menu stretches to two full pages, with a number of items that aren’t available at lunch (or vice versa).

And the great secret of Cantina Imperfecto is the restaurant’s happy hour choices. Every day from 4 p.m.-7 p.m. in the primary bar area, patrons can choose from any of four margaritas for $6 each, beers from $3.50-$4.50 and a number of well and wine selections for $5. There’s more.

That happy hour menu also features 14 food items, the most expensive of the bunch chiming in at $10. Yeah, you can see why the bar stays packed.

Still, with everything else I’ve already told you, the motif of the eatery is set up in a way where it wouldn’t come as a shock to see a proposal happen next to a table. It’s that nice. And fitting of a restaurant located across U.S. 17 from Grande Dunes Resort Course.

Cantina Imperfecto, on the quick
Where: 950 Cipriana Drive, Myrtle Beach
Phone: 843.839.9055
On the web: cantinaimperfecto.com

Photos for this feature from Cantino Imperfecto’s Facebook Page