Pamplin Media Group – Cantina Toro opens inside Mazatlan restaurant

The new Madras bar inside the Mexican eatery features nine beers on draft and a fresh beverage menu

For those feeling a bit cooped up and wanting to go out, Madras has a new option.

Mazatlan Mexican Restaurant has just opened Cantina Toro, a family-friendly bar that features a brand-new menu of alcoholic drinks.

“It’s going great,” owner Luis Basaldua said of the first few days. Everybody that comes in seems to be excited about the new cantina, and Basaldua said they have been busy since opening Thursday, March 25.

Basaldua and his wife, Claudia Toro, and her father own Mazatlan Mexican Restaurant, and they realized that Madras needed a family-friendly bar where folks could hang out with their kids for happy hour, watch the game on TV, and have a drink. So, they decided to convert the banquet room into a bar.

“We wanted to provide that for the community and have somewhere where people can go that’s a little classy, and they can sit down and have everything from a Long Island iced tea to a margarita to just gin and tonic,” Basaldua said.

Bar hours and the menu are the same as the restaurant. Cantina Toro visitors can order lunch, dinner and dessert in addition to alcoholic beverages. There are nine beers on draft and a large selection of whiskey. The new drinks menu features pictures and details of each beverage, such as margaritas, cocktails, tequila and gin.

Green State Construction and Cove Electric worked on the remodel, and Central Oregon Heating and Cooling and Plumbing did the plumbing work. There’s new flooring, tiling and countertops. They’re getting a new stereo system and plan to eventually have karaoke. The cantina also features five new televisions, which can all be playing different channels.

Cantina Toro can seat 100 people, but because of current pandemic capacity limits, they can only have 75 people in the bar. Minors are allowed inside from when they open at 11 a.m. until 9 p.m. For now, the bar will close when the restaurant closes, but Basaldua hopes to be able to extend the hours in the summer.

They hired two weekend bartenders and have expanded their server staffing by employing several young people in the restaurant.

“We’re focusing on giving the best quality food and drinks and most importantly service. We’re really focused on that,” Basaldua said. “We’re providing a fun place for people to come on the weekend and throughout the week.”

Cantina Toro

Owners: Luis Basaldua and Claudia Toro

Address: 675 Highway 26, Madras

Phone: 541-475-6873

Hours: 11 a.m.-9 p.m. Sunday-Thursday and 11 a.m.-10 p.m. Friday and Saturday