Los Cucos Mexican Cafe

I went here for brunch. There is no brunch menu. They are grossly understaffed. I believe 3 – 4 waiters for an entire restaurant. Waits are long. Food is not bad. I had carne asada and it was very satisfactory. Nothing extraordinary to talk about this place. I might go here for a beer after buying fly fishing equipment at Sportsman’s Finest next door, but not make an effort to stop here on purpose.

Just another Tex-​Mex restaurant. I may as well have defrosted my meal at home. The frozen margarita my husband ordered tasted like sweet & sour and marginal tequila — average at best. It took 15 minutes for my piña colada to arrive. The bartender had to ask the manager to make it and the manager poured what was left in a box of piña colada mix into a glass, rum from the well, and kind of tossed it in front of me. Prices were reasonable. I will not be going back. Hard to believe that this place stays in business when El Arroyo at this location couldn’t.

It makes me so sad to give Los Cucos 1star. I used to love it here, but this last visit has ruined it for me. My food (mariachi tacos) was literally disgusting. I took two bites and just could not continue. So I dumped out the contents and ate the tortilla alone. That’s when I also noticed that my shrimp/​chicken/​beef tacos had 1 tiny shrimp between the two of them, seriously 1 shrimp. The plate came with rice and beans, the latter of which were clearly from a can. All in all Los Cucos’ food was terrible. With the exception of the tortillas — those are fab. And the green salsa that comes with the chips is good. Our waitress was nice, the location is good, and the prices are reasonable. Sadly, none of this is enough for me to go back.

We acquired a Plum District voucher for this place, and finally decided to take the family down to use it. After an hour driving from The Rock, I was ready, even itching, to hate this place. It was not to be. This place is impressive for several reasons which, lucky for you, I shall share.
The atmosphere is just right. The lighting is perfect, and the ceilings are nice and high. The décor is rustic but elegant, kind of lodgy I’d say. The staff was very nice, and the service was prompt, though it wasn’t very busy. The food was very good. Besides excellent flavor and quality ingredients, efforts were clearly made which are often overlooked by other Mexican places. Highlights included corn tortillas that were made fresh onsite. Rice that was cooked on the iron skillet with the other food, rather than merely scooped out of a bowl. Bacon that was thick and hand sliced.
I also have to rave about the value, which really surprised me. The kids both got the quesadillas, which were made with the aforementioned handmade tortillas and really good cheese. With the fries and drink it would have more than fed an adult. $ 3.99. Considering that’s what you’d pay elsewhere for hot dogs or box macaroni and cheese, it’s a hell of a deal. Our meals were both in the $ 10 range, and easily fed us for lunch and dinner.
The 5-​star ranking eludes for two fairly nitpicky reasons. They have a climate control issue which makes it chilly in the restaurant on cold days. I like it that way, but the wife had to keep her coat on. The other thing is the salsa, which was better than average, but a little thin in substance and flavor.

I love this place. I went here on 12÷28÷11 and I love the food. The service isn’t great, but the food makes up for it. They serve this cold green sauce with there chips and it is amazing. I had the taco salad with chicken and it tasted really great. I have also had the El Gringo, and it was the perfect combination plate. I would definitely recommend going here, just plan to have slow service.

Los Cucos is descent. The fajitas are pretty good and the tortillas are really good. We often get take out when we have family/​friends at our house and it is perfect for that. Last time I tried the Fried Chicken Jalapeño, they are huge, not small poppers, it was OK.
Never crowded, they do have a full bar.

Some may say this place in Tex-​Mex — I disagree. This is the closest I found to traditional Mexican food in Lakeway area.
Really enjoyed the green guac hot sauce with the chips to start the meal. I say hot sauce but not very hot at all.
Even though we ate here on Friday — Decent happy hour on Monday and Tues ($ 1.99 margaritas).
Tortilla soup and cheese enchilades are excellent — Will definitely venture on this menu. Guac and salsa were very fresh. Wait staff super nice and friendly. TV’s in the bar area and place is kid friendly. Good prices and will be going back!

Went to Los Cucos for the third time last night, and once again it was great. Having grown up in South Texas, my gold standard dish is the cheese enchiladas I grew up on.
Usually I get them the first time I try a TexMex place, then try other dishes on later visits. So far I haven’t been able to try anything else since it’s so good. Last night I got really adventurous and added corn tortillas as well. They were clearly homemade and really flavorful, although they were so hot I had to wait a few minutes before I could comfortably pick them up.
If you know authentic TexMex, you won’t be disappointed!

I’m really surprised at all of the negative reviews of Los Cucos. I’ve been twice, and absolutely loved their Tex Mex. It’s nothing fancy, but the food, service, and atmosphere are solid.
Their fajitas are muy delicioso. (Try the Fajitas A La Poblana: Covered with sautéed mushrooms, onions, Poblano peppers and cilantro creamy sauce. Need I say more?) The green sauce that comes out with the chips is wonderful too.
I had the Seafood Al Vapor last time and enjoyed it as well (8 oz. Fresh fish fillet and (3) jumbo shrimp wrapped in aluminum foil, with spices, tomatoes, peppers, mushrooms, cilantro and butter lemon sauce).
If Los Cucos were closer to my Crestview hood, I’d put it in the regular rotation!

I have heard great things about Los Cucos from my sister-​in-​law, but had never tried it until last night. I had mixed feelings because of some of the poor reviews it has had on Unilocal and that I thought it could not live up to the expectations set by my sis-​in-​law.
Luckily, it not only met those expectations, it exceeded them. The restaurant is very clean with a Mexican adobe feel to it. They have a shaded patio, but it was way too hot to sit outside. The wait staff was attentive and got the food out fast. They did take a while with the bill.
However, the food was awesome. They have a green sauce that comes out with the chips and salsa that is worth coming there for. It was addictive. I had the beef fajita enchiladas. Oh, man, they rank up there with some of the best I have ever had. The meat was tasty and not too salty. They went light on the sauce which allowed the full taste of the meat to shine through. And, they smothered it in cheddar cheese goodness. The cheese was not greasy or stringy and made the dish. It was a nice combo of meat and cheese.
The spanish rice was better than the average rice side dish. It even had real chunks of peppers. The beans were so-​so, as was the guacamole salad, but that was fine since the main dish more than made up for it.
The topper on all of this was that the dish was under $ 10. Most of their entrees range from $ 8 to $ 12. Not bad, especially for what you get. Overall, a fantastic experience. Will definitely be going back.

I’m renaming Cuco’s to Blech-o’s. My dinner there goes down on the list of the 3 worst so-​called Mexican meals in my personal gastronomic history:
1. Leadville, CO — Figured a restaurant 7 blocks off the main street might be a hidden gem. Greeted by a sign on the door warning «microwave in use on premises.» Hungry and tired we walked in anyway. Shows how smart we were. Horrible gut-​wrenching meal ensued.
2. Alexandria, VA — Totally-​forgotten-​name restaurant located at corner of King and N. Washington Streets. Roaches danced as we ate burnt tacos and catsup «salsa” – oh my! And all the while the friend eating with us raved about how good it was. I’ve questioned her sanity from that day forward.
3. Bee Caves, TX — Cuco’s Fooled again. Lured by a rave review of the fried avocado stuffed with fajita beef, we decided to venture into a chain Mexican restaurant. The stuffed avocado was a bust – flabby, with an oily coating and rubbery cheese + tasteless meat inside. Ever heard of spices, Cuco? Basically almost everything was bland, poorly prepared or just plain inedible. Total waste of money. Noted that the table of 8 sitting next to us left platters of barely touched food behind. Seems we weren’t the only ones giving this place a thumbs down.

It took me some time to get the courage to come here in the first place because it still looked unchanged from its previous identity as El Arroyo, which had the curse of believing a thick coating of melted cheese is good on anything… even salads. But the place has a nice patio and it’s the closest restaurant to my house (I’ll take your sympathetic nods… I know, I know, what did I expect moving to Bee Caves?). Well I expect at least average Tex Mex, like the neighboring Iron Cactus and Maudies. Why anyone would choose to patronize Cucos over the aforementioned tests my sanity. The only reason I could possibly find is the $ 1.99 (on special) margaritas.
My companion and I literally left with half our food on our plates. Mostly I pushed my food around in an attempt to appease our very sweet and innocent server (innocent I say, because surely she has no knowledge of the horrible food). Still she kindly offered to pack it up for us to go. «Um…yeah, no thank you.»
Since I rarely give a one star review I believe I owe an explanation, so here it is:
The Stuffed Avocado with Chicken — Have you ever seen a stuffed avocado in the form of a breaded, greasy ball? Well now I have. I sliced into it to find a non-​adhesive breaded shell with the the contents resting inside: avocado slices, flavorless cubed chicken and gloppy melted cheese.
The Ground Beef Taco — The meat was a sickening gray color. Beyond that is was chock full of grease and visible fat pustules; apparently the lowest quality ground beef available. That was topped with some shredded wilting lettuce and the favored gloppy melted bland American cheese. The plate came garnished with iceberg lettuce and some very anemic diced tomatoes.
The Chicken Enchiladas — Made with same tasteless cubed chicken meat and thick melted cheese as everything else.
The BBQ Shrimp Skewer — So overcooked my companion could only manage one out of five. Me – «How’s the shrimp?» My companion — «It’s terrible, do you want to try one?»
The Rice — Really?! White rice at a Tex-​Mex restaurant?
Just a side comment to the Management: Ever heard of cotija cheese?
In Summary: Inedible.

Los Cucos suffers from inconsistency. We went a second time just to make sure. First time we went, I got the parilla grill. It was a spectacular object filled with everything you could want to wrap in a tortilla. It was kept warm by some sternos, and so by the end of the meal, you could really taste the sterno fuel. I felt pretty bad for a few days afterward, so they were one foot on the black list.
This last time we went was so much better, with a few repeats. The plate I got this time was the tomatillo platter. A fair sized steak with two tomatillo enchiladas, charros beans, and all the standard goods. The steak was very good. The enchiladas on the other hand were awful. I like some stinky cheeses and bitter veggies, but the combination in this enchilada was way too much. I think it was mostly the tomatillos, which can be rather bitter and unpalatable.
Why the four stars then? The two margaritas I washed it all down with. Now that was a great frozen margarita. The queso del mar (flameado style cheese with shrimp and a little sauce) was out of control good. They also serve some pleasant warm (like temp) salsa at the table. Service was swift and pleasant. They make killer flour tortillas. Lastly, if you don’t get the sopapilla, you’re crazy. Save room.
You almost have to go here with a bit of time just to make it through the menu. There’s bound to be something in here worth eating the whole plate of. I’m determined to find it.
When the line at Maudie’s is too long, give Los Cucos a shot.

Been here three times and keep hoping it gets better
Great location, friendly staff! Food is just ok

If you’re looking for really great Mexican food in the Bee Caves area, go to Maudie’s or Iron Cactus. I’ve been to Los Cucos several times mostly for work lunches because it’s close to the office. The service has varied with every visit. Either we land some awesome server who can handle our party of 15 no problem (the only reason they get two stars and not one), or we get some poor, over-​stretched guy who is sweating balls all over the menus and barely speaks English.
The food is lacking, to say the most. Everything is covered in Velveeta and the soup is just chicken broth with onions and mushrooms. No chicken or chilies or FLAVOR!
Don’t waste your time. It’s cheap, but not even worth it.

I can still taste it… mmmmmm
5 Star Service from 3 of the friendliest staff anyone could ask for.
Glasses never empty. Food Fast and a Flavor that lingers and has me wanting more.
I had 2 Mexican Kisses — and I could actually taste the Tequila!
We also ordered Queso and Spinach Chicken Quesadillas.
To Die For.

I had recently heard about Los Cucos on the radio. My wife and I were in the mood for Mexican food and decided to give this restaurant a try. Sadly, Taco Bell would have been a better option for our dinner date.
Our server first came to our table with one hand full of dirty dishes. He didn’t seem to speak English as he just stood there looking at us without speaking a single word. Throughout our meal we rarely saw him. When we ordered he didn’t seem to understand what we were saying, causing us to point to the menu.
I first ordered the $ 1.99 Margarita which I enjoyed. When our food was finally served, it appeared as if it had been sitting on the hot line for at least 10 min. My wife ordered the Fajitas A La Maria. The rice was coarse. The tortillas were also dry and hard. The fix-​ins plate was served too hot, thus causing the shredded cheese to have melted into a glob. The chicken fajitas had a good flavor but had been dried out due to the lengthy time spent on the hot line.
I ordered the Beef Fajita Stuffed Avocado. It was not very tasty. The fried breading was bland and seemed unnecessary. There was way to much avocado. So much that it overpowered the few strips of beef. At least the avocado was fresh and the beef, like the chicken, was tasty. The plate comes with a chicken taco, drenched, with melted cheese. The cheese over the chicken taco was disgusting (tasted like Velveeta). However, the chicken, like their beef and chicken fajitas had a delicious flavor.
All in all, If they were just down the street from my home we would possibly consider giving them a second chance. However, they are not worth the 20 min drive it took to get there. The 2 stars I give are for tasty meat and the beautiful entrance to a nice big building. I have a feeling that because of the poor service and sloppy food handling and presentation, this restaurant will have trouble filling their seats.

LOVE Los Cucos, so I’m a little biased, take this review with a grain of salt.
I came here with my dad tonight to have some dinner since the restaurant we were originally going to visit had a sign up telling us that they wouldn’t take our coupon. Well, sorry, your loss, you now get no money from us.
I’ve been a Los Cucos fan for the last 20+ years now and I’m glad that their recent expansion and «chain-​ing» hasn’t taken away from their food. I usually go to the spin-​off of the original Los Cucos in Houston at HWY 6 and Clay Rd and I was happy that this place had the same food quality and care put into their food as the original location.
My dad and I split the Fajitas A La Diabla which I believe is just fajitas with a habenero chile salsa that is just the right amount of heat balancing out the right amount of meat flavor. This dish is definitely hot for those that don’t eat too much spicy food so beware if you’re not used to the spicy side of food.
The server was quick to take our order and always made sure our drinks were full.
My only complaint was that when we showed up the folks running the front of the house couldn’t figure out where to seat us. Since this is a brand new location I can let that slide as I assume it is just a new crew getting used to the new restaurant.
Good food, great drinks, awesome service.

I had dinner at Los Cucos for the second time with my large high maintenance family and all our substitutes and special requests turned out right — a rarity for sure. I am torn between 3 & 4 stars because the food is your average Tex-​Mex with some interior Mexican grilled plates and a plus as they have a «Healthy Choices» section on the menu not much improvement over its former inhabitant El Arroyo though.
5 stars for the fresh made tortillas, crispy and not greasy fried tortilla chips and the green salsa that makes everything taste better and the perfectly seasoned and tasty beans (both the refried and barracho) and 3.50 margaritas before 6PM!
I have ordered both the Shrimp Fajita and Shrimp Tacos with shredded cabbage and both were good but average and I did not like the creamy lemon sauce used the green 5 star crack sauce instead.
They do not serve Chicken Tortilla soup??? However they serve Chicken Soup and Tortilla Soup so perhaps you could combine the 2. My Niece was very disappointed that her Tortilla soup was lacking chicken:) but loved her chicken quesadillas!
The Shrimp Cocktail was fresh and served with avocado and crackers or chips and the Nachos were delish! But then I think it hard to mess up chips refried beans and cheese.
Mom just wanted a plain bean and cheese burrito and was charged the same as the loaded one:(
But then the guacamole is made fresh table side with freshly fried chips!
Our server last night got everything right but was in much need of a personality transplant!

We need another Mexican restaurant in the Bee Cave/​Lakeway like I need another hole in my head, but I had to drop in and give it a try to see if Los Cucos was any improvement over that God awful El Arroyo that formerly inhabited the space.
I liked their avocado salsa and the chips were very crisp and not greasy. Service was also pretty efficient. The hubby had chicken fajitas and I have to say the marinade is excellent! Their refried beans are also very well done and seasoned nicely. I had the fish tacos served with a nice lemony sauce and found the tilapia was very fresh tasting. Their flour torillas are made in house and were really good.
I also suggest their Mexican martini as it is freshly made and doesn’t have that terrible mix that they use at Iron Cactus. Overall, we were pretty impressed and will likely be back when in the mood for typical Tex Mex fare with a hint of interior Mexico selections.