Cuca’s Mexican Food

This restaurant was cleaner than most and had good salsa. The California burrito was also really good, though I’m not sure why people neglect to mention it comes with a buttload of sour cream when the patron asks for no cheese. But I digress. My only true issue is that they don’t have a bell to ring for service. I was the only customer here at 12:15pm today but I had to wait for 5 minutes to have my order taken. A bell in non-​peak hours would be the only improvement I could offer. Otherwise I enjoy this place and will be coming back!

Good food, the problem is that 2 of the 3 times they have seem to run out of meats, today at 12:15pm they were out of All Pastor and Carnitas.

I love to come to Cuca’s for Taco Tuesday. I usually order carne asada crunchy taco and a small bowl of chicken tortilla soup. The chicken tortilla soup is delicious and the carne asada crunchy taco is flavorful. I tried chicken taco before and I did not like it as much as carne asada taco as it was bland. This place gets very crowded after 11:30 am so you have to get there early to get seated. Just be prepared for long line if you come late.

First time coming in today after living here in Foothill Ranch for over a year. I feel like I’m hard to please with Mexican food after living in San Diego for so long! I’ve yet to find legit Mexican food up here like in SD. But, I did enjoy my meal here. I ordered some chicken tortilla soup and chicken floutas to go. The soup is full of fresh chopped veggies and chicken breast. Very tasty! The floutas were hot fresh and tasty as well. Odd part was they weren’t cut up as usually served in a restaurant. Just two huge floutas. No big deal as they packed me a knife to go! The guacamole was very good as well. I’d love to come back and try the tacos!

Why did I wait this long to try this place out? So delicious so authentic and fresh!!! I usually have pictures of my order but I was so hungry I devoured it and since it was so good I still wanted to leave a review letting everyone know that they should try this place out! Best part is less than 2 miles away from where we live! I ordered the combo platter with Chile Relleno, carne asada enchilada with beans no rice! Yummy! Husband ordered Carne Asada torta delicious! The pico de gallo salasa was amazing! I ate like 3 mini cups of that with their chips! I blame the baby growing in my tummy for being such a pig tonight!!! Oh did I mention they have a small little kiddy corner with kids cartoons and toys for my son to play in while we enjoy our meal??? YEEES WE WILL BE BACK!

Everything I’ve ordered has been on point! I stay away on (taco) Tuesdays because the line can be serious. But, it is so good!

Good food and service! The busser went out of his way to provide a heater for us outside and came back to grab our paper plates even though a trash can was near. Cheap, great taco Tuesday spot. The carne Asada taco was my favorite!

It’s disappointing to find a place with good food that isn’t clean.
If you like mom & pop Mexican, this place is hard to beat. You get good value for your money. I’m a big fan of their Enchilada & Chimichanga plates and soups.
BUT this place is NOT CLEAN! The silverware containers are totally gross. On my last visit, I had to pick out about 20 greasy knives before I found a decent one. The floors are messy and the napkin dispensers are always dusty.
It’s a bit dark and uninviting in there, not as open and bright like a good casual restaurant should be. They should lose the TV’s there since they play that festive Mexican music, which I truly enjoy.
The staff is pretty neutral. Not rude, but not cheerful either. Oh, well.
Not a bad place, just dine in with caution.

Last stop at Cuca’s was a total strike-​out. Very disappointing to say the least.
In a nutshell, the food was cold and bland. And the burritos and enchiladas were topped with a tomato sauce that was tasteless and the consistency of soup. To add insult, a tablespoon of store bought shredded cheese was melted on top.
Sorry Cuca’s, you’re off my «go-​to» list.

Ordered my food for pick up, I get home and I’m missing one of three orders. And of course, can’t go back because they’re about to close. It’s rediculous how a simple order can be messed up.
Came back Monday to take care of the transaction, and Emerald *owner* took great care of it, and his staff was pleasant and apologetic. My wife loves this place n would come back again, I’ll just need to make it a habit to check my food, every where I go from now on.

This place really does not have good Mexican food at all. Tried it three times. Done trying. Unfortunately I’d have to suggest that you go to the Shell gas station that has the «Los Primos» grill inside if you want good fast Mexican food in Foothill Ranch. For a sit down restaurant, drive just a little further to Ricardo’s on El Tora.

OK, I am not going to lie. I am a little obsessed with one item at Cuca’s So much now, that is the only thing I usually order when I go there. It is their Taquito Burrito.
I was at this restaurant in a strip mall in Foothill Ranch and was reading an article they had posted. It was from OC Weekly and listed the Top 100 Things to Eat in 2013 and listed this burrito as #56.
Intrigued, I decided to try it. Wow, it was awesome. You can choose chicken or beef taquitos or both, you get two inside. Basically the taquitos are surrounded by rice, cheese, beans and guacamole and rolled in a tortilla. It is fantastic. You can also get it chimichanga style, deep fried. OMG.
OK, enough about my obsession :)
Cuca’s also offers some great deals on Taco Tuesday.
It is a zoo here on Taco Tuesday, so be forewarned. I love chorizo and I grew up eating this, so it is comfort food for me. They make a fantastic chorizo and egg plate here at breakfast.
Another comforting favorite of mine when the weather gets cooler, is their Albondigas Soup. Yummy meatball soup goodness.
The staff here is friendly and nice, as is the owner, who has talked to us in the past, to see what we thought about the restaurant and food. Happy that we have a nice local place to get local food.

This place sucks went inside to see if they had shrimp tostadas. I walk in and the cashier was outside having a full blown conversation with some people outside. The cooks were the only ones inside. I stand around for at least three minutes looking at the menu. Finally she comes in and has an attitude and responds my question about the tostadas (we don’t sell that here). Never again will I attempt to try anything here or would eat somewhere where the employees are so rude.

I had a really bad experience with carnitas meat quality; here’s what I sent to the manager, heard back but she did not follow through, it’s been a couple of weeks:
«My family started visiting the Foothill Ranch Cucas about a year ago and tend to order carnitas burritos and carnitas tostada salads. Until about a month ago, the quality of your carnitas meat could always be relied on. However, we’ve recently noticed frequent chunks of gross fat, and the tostada salad carnitas had a couple pieces of gross fat that I ordered yesterday to go (Sunday Nov 1) and then today i was eating a carnitas burrito from the same order and got a huge piece of fat including what looks like a tube-​shaped piece that looks like a large blood vessel or something… Completely gross! I was curious as to what your quality expectations were/​are, as I’m not sure we’ll be returning any time soon. I will follow this email with a photo of the large gross chunk of fat and the gross tube thing.»
I’d have given Cucas two stars for the declining and specifically bad quality this time, but had to give it one star since she had the chance and didn’t follow through…

The owner– Emerald is the best. We have been going to Cuca’s since they opened. We love the food, service and the price is reasonable.
On top of that Emerald provided catering to my daughter’s wedding last Saturday. The guests (185) were all impressed with the food and service. As usual Emerald makes it look easy. She is very competent and can be counted on. Her food is the best!
I recommend her restaurant and catering to everyone!

Cuca’s has decent Mexican food at a great price. I stopped in to try out their carne asada tacos and they were tasty, hot, well seasoned and overall yummy. I am planning to return and try more items so I can do a more decent review but I wanted to give them some stars for the tacos.

Came in for some lunch today and as always, the food was really great. Shredded beef taco and the chicken enchiladas were just what they say they are… made with real, good quality meat. The Chile Rellano were a little small, but the authentic taste made up for the smallness. If you want chips n salsa, you have to buy them @ $ 2.15 for each basket. Anything under $ 5.00 here has to be paid for with cash, their debit machine will not except any amount… under $ 5!
All in all, it was a tasty lunch!
Remember…this place gets pretty packed for lunch Mon. — Fri. after 11:30 as there are plenty of multi employee businesses all around here. Have lun

Okay, bumping up to 5 stars! For the delicious tacos, awesome salsa bar (love those pickled jalapeños and carrots), the value, and the staff! They are super friendly.
Definitely hit them up for taco Tuesday — just be prepared for a line! :)

In the wake of being gifted 2015 Elite, I have a confession to make. Forgive me Unilocalers, for I have sinned.
I’m the Duchess of Cuca’s Mexican in Foothill Ranch and I haven’t written them a review yet.
*insert shocked-​face emoji here*
Phew, it feels good to get that monkey off my back. Okay, lemme polish off my Duchess crown, perch it on my noggin and give this little gem the props it deserves!
Located in a strip mall between a CVS and Joann’s off Town Center Drive, this small (I would assume family-​owned) restaurant is an order-​at-​the-​counter type place where they deliver your food to the table. They are friendly, quick and very reasonably priced. Most importantly, they deliver a delicious, authentic product.
The first experience I had at Cuca’s was a group lunch we took away from the office. I had a shredded beef enchilada which was very good.
HOWEVER. On my little quest to find Albondigas soup, (Mexican meatball) I discovered that a cup (as big as a cereal bowl, here) of Cuca’s version, with rice added complimentary is a cool $ 4.80 tax included. Now if that’s not a weekday lunch you can get behind… well, get behind me in line! Ha ha!
Albondigas is especially delicious with a few lemons squeezed into it, which are available on their salsa bar. Their chicken tortilla soup and guacamole/​chips are fabulous, as well.
I’ve never boozed there, as I visit on my lunch break from work, but they apparently have a happy hour and it looks like it’s worth checking out one of these days.
Lastly, some local patrons may take this last thing for granted, I however do not. If you park yourself at the right table (inside or out) the views of the Saddleback foothills are breathtaking. There’s something magical to me about those views… it’s a nice contrast to my beach life in Costa Mesa.
Who wants to meet me at Cuca’s? I’ll even consider letting you wear my crown.

Not a bad place for Mexican Fast Food!
I am not a huge fan of rice and beans in my burrito though so when we ordered Carnitas Burrito I asked for no rice. The meat was good.
The chicken tortilla soup was really good! Definitely getting this when I am sick or when it is cold out. Though I didn’t see any tortilla in the soup but nonetheless still yummy!
The beef tamale was not bad. The meat could have a little more flavor but the masa was moist and good.
The salsas were watered down though. The spicy one was the only decent salsa. :/​
Not a bad place for a quick eat in Foothill Ranch! I will try breakfast next time!