noun

cantina

kan-TEE-nuh/kænˈtiːnə/

A casual place serving drinks and sometimes food.

The travelers stop at a roadside cantina for lunch.

A small, open-front cantina with a short bar, two stools and one dining table.

Etymology

The diminutive of canto suggests a 'little corner,' perhaps a corner for storage. The resulting word meant a wine cellar, which connects it to the later sense of a bar or saloon.

In context

The Western Library109:58

He returned to the cantina and spoke to the barkeep, whose name he had learned was Enrique.

Will Fain, U.S. Marshal Book 4 by R. O. Lane | Western Audiobooks

More examples

Music drifts from the crowded cantina.
She orders a drink at the cantina's counter.
The small cantina serves tacos until evening.

Forms

cantina · cantinas

Similar words

bar: Emphasizes serving alcoholic drinks.
tavern: Usually a traditional establishment serving drinks and sometimes meals.