La Cucaracha

WONDERFUL food!!! After living in Texas for 16 years, and then finding this gem about 3 years after moving here, I felt at home. The food is perfect- everything it should be. Pork Guisado Burrito is awesome. Guacamole is awesome. Everything super. About 1 out of 5 times, the service is lacking, but the food and surroundings make up for it. Bring a sweatshirt- the A/C is usually pumped during the summer. SUPER DUPER!!!! more

Went for a first date meet up...it was happy hour. We ordered the nachos grande...beef, cheese, jalepenos, etc...on chips...I am not kidding, there were 10 chips on a plate just over the size of a coffee saucer with a thick layer of cheese, etc...literally 2 tblp of a runny, smooth salsa...for FIVE dollars. Three bites each and we were done, no basket of nachos, no real size container of salsa...as we had our miniature margaritas as we saw baskets of chips go by and large margaritas...their happy hour was a joke...we left and went to Dixies for dinner...now that was a great meal! I will not go La Cucaracha again...no reason to go back...VERY disappointed. (and really, the couldn't find a full size dinner plate full of nachos with the same amount of toppings...unreal!) Pros: location Cons: everything more

We decided to go to this restaurant for Cinco de Mayo because we live in the area. When we got there they gave us a table in a room that was on the back of another room and we were the only people there. When the waitress came back we told her that we wanted to move to the bar because that is the only area of the restaurant that has happy hour, she started giving us a lecture about how the happy hour margaritas are not really good and that I should instead try the margaritas that are more that double the price. After insisting about moving to the bar she agreed. We sat in a booth and order appetizers, entrees and several drinks. We had just gotten our food when the restaurant started getting very busy, instantly we had four people walking by our booth every minute trying to clean our table and asking us if we needed a to go box. We had a very unpleasant experience and the waitress was right.....the margaritas are horrible! Pros: Only Mexican restaurant in this area Cons: Bad service, watery margaritas and high prices more

Greasy chips and guacamole from a cub foods tub started the affair. Along with 2 sprites the total was 14 dollars... 9 for the chips and guacamole from a tub. We were so disappointed we left before ordering entrees.. Need we say more... Way to expensive for even horrible appetizers.. Yikes! more

First off, the chips were greasy and seemed like they had been cooked in leftover oil from the previous day. The main ingredient in the salsa tasted like stale red pepper flakes from a pizza shaker. The two entrees we have were ok, but devoid of much flavor and very bland. Glad we tried it, but wouldn't go back. Pros: clean, good service Cons: the food more

I just ate at La Cucaracha for the first time. I can't believe I'd never been to this gem of a restaurant. I had the Pork Guisado Burrito. It was excellent. The portions are *huge*. I was also impressed with their beer selection. You don't usually find Summit at a Mexican restaurant. I'll definitely be bringing people back to this place. Pros: Great food & beer selection more

The food was okay but nothing that I would rush back for. We'd been there a few years ago while the couple we were there with had been there only a few months ago. We both felt that the quality had gone down for the price. Refills of anything -pop (including kids) and chips (to finish the $9 guac) were all charged for. Gratuity is charged for groups of 6 and over. Just some things to be aware of if your dining as a group or taking a family. more

So we just arrived home from hat might be the worst Mexican place I have ever been to. We only agree that the service was pretty good although they were not really busy either. Our margarita's were ordered first and we should have figured out the rest of the meal would be just as bland. I ordered mine without salt on the rim but I guess the bartender didn't bother to check so it came with salt. Good thing too cause it was the most flat without flavor drink I have had. It was almost like drinking ice water with lime. My dinner cost 13 bucks - Good size but the ground beef had no flavor. I think they might have just chopped up a hamburger and stuffed it into the shell. Rice and beans were kinda generic, no real bite to them at all. You don't even get free chips and salsa. If you haven't been to a Mexican place before - don't go. you wont ever go to another one. If you have been - Go SOMEPLACE ELSE!! and save yourself the torture of having to sit through the meal like I did. Pros: Good service Cons: Food without flavor or zest more

I don't really go for the mexican food, but for their carrot cake. It is the best I've had. You receive a HUGE piece which will last you 4 days. (eat a layer a day) It is a fairly pricey piece of cake however it is 4 layers of goodness. The chocolate and the carrot cake are 4 layers deep and the piece they cut weighs a couple of pounds. \r The mexican food is decent just a little bland. Pros: Carrot cake, Chocolate cake Cons: so - so food more

We have been going La Cucaracha for the past 15 years. I loved this place. We used to walk there from our apartment regularly. My favorit e was the Chile Relleno, super hot, tasty, no meat... Also the Aztec Chicken Tostada, the tomatilo sauce was amazing and the chihuaha cheese superb. Last night we went there because I was craving the Chile Relleno and it was really bad. The sauce tasted like just poured canned puree of tomato. There was no spice to it at all. The service was really bad, and the place smelled a smell that is not appetizing. I am soooo sad that my Favorite Mexican place in town it in a downward spiral. It was great in its heyday. We won't be back again. more

I thought I would ignore the write ups on this place and check it out for myself. It couldnt be that bad could it? I had been a server for years so I am pretty understanding. Boy was I wrong.I called ahead and talked to Katharine the host who was the most friendly person I have ever talked to on the phone. She was informative on the food, pricing and told me if I wanted free chips and salsa I could sit in the bar. SCORE! saw one booth that was dirty so I asked the server an older blonde lady (keep her in mind) if I could sit there she said sure.and walked away. So i sat down at the dirty table and waited-and waited-and waited some more.She came back and asked if I wanted anything to drink. I glanced at the dirty still not set table and said sure a Stoli Raspberry 7 please she said ok and left. 5 mns came and went and she came back and informed me they dont have Stoli Rasberry so I ordered a Absolut Citron instead. She came back with a bowl of salsa *no menu* and then left again... no chips.. just the salsa.. So she came back and I asked her if I could get some chips and a water and MORE salsa and a menuso she came back with chips no water.. no salsa.. no menu. So i sat there with my empty basket of chips and salsa and my drink and Katharine saved me and brought a menu I looked it over and waited and waited about 10mns the server came back and i orderd a taco salad. I figured I was safe with that. Sat there with my empty chips and salsa no water and dirty table. Food came I asked for more salsa which she DID bring this time but no silver ware. So i sat there looking at my food and the fruit flies waiting for me to leave and she came back to see how the food was.. i said i didnt know since i needed silverware she brought me some and never came back. She finally did but i went to pay my bill at the hostess station and left pretty sad about the situation. That could have been a great experience but was ruined by crappy service when it wasnt even that busy ;( Pros: Salsa was really good when you get it. Chicken on my Taco salad was very good. Cons: Need a new WaitStaff more

I've lived near La Cucaracha for quite some time now. Whenever I get hungry for mexican food, I decide to give it another try. Well my last time was definitely my last time. Hands down the worst thing about going to this place is the service. The wait staff usually treat me as an annoyance, rather than a customer. You'll wait quite a long time to get to your table, and quite a long time again to get your drinks. Another downer is the fact that you have to pay for chips and salsa. Lame. The food is usually just fine, but seems to take a long time to get back to the table. In short, don't go. You'll be disappointed. Pros: close to home Cons: service, service, service more

I would not recommend this restaurant to anyone. The service was awful. The people sitting next to us arrived 15 minutes after us and ordered their food after us. They received their meals before us, even though we both had tables of two. The waitress was always in a rush and never listened as we tried to order more drinks. The food had less flavor than a taco from Taco Bell. The ingrediants were fresh, but there was NO spice. I would go there again for drinks, but never to eat. Pros: Environment Cons: Food and Service more

One trip to this place was enough for me. The margaritas were very good and the bar area had a nice atmosphere. The menu had a nice variety. Some items are a bit overpriced. You have to pay for chips ($2) which are very greasy. The chips & guac cost $9! I was there w/ a group of 8 so I got to see several dishes. Food presentation was not impressive. Most of the food was drowning in one sauce or another. The mole sauce was disgusting The steak fajitas made me & my girlfriend sick. We ate there 2 days ago and are still not back to feeling 100%. I will never go back again. more

We had lunch at La Cucaracha for what was planned to be a nice afternoon but unfortunately soon after we received our appetizer the experience went down hill. I tried to order 3 tacos with one being chicken and 2 beef but to substitute chicken in 1 taco would cost $4. After we got our food numerous fruit flies swarmed our table the rest of our lunch which forced us to eat quickly because we really wanted to get out of the restaurant. I also was out of water for close to 10 minutes during lunch. After we got our check we noticed that the gratuity had already been added at 15% even though there was only 2 of us. She later explained that this had happened by accident and we weren't obliged to pay that amount but we did anyway since it was still on our receipt. To top of the poor experience it took us a long time to get our card and check back even though the restaurant was very quiet because of this receipt issue. To top off the experience when I got home later in the day there were 3 charges to the restaurant instead of 1 totaling $172 instead of the $36 we owed. It was a bad experience and we will not go to the restaurant again. We would have been much better off going to Don Pablo's. Pros: Guacamole Cons: Service, Fruit Flies, Charged Incorrectly more

Terribly overpriced, Marguerita's tasted like they were poured from a can, Chips and con casa were tough and were spicy with out any flavor. WON'T GO BACK!!! Pros: Nice Space Cons: no parking more

I have been many times as I live in the area, and people keep saying oh try it again. I have not had one good meal there. The drinks are over priced. I think the server was nice once. The last time was the last time. I took Mother who was in town for the weekend. She just wanted Mexican and some where close. She is has a sever limp and uses a cane. Walking for her is slow and difficult. It was off meal time so it was quite slow. The hostess walked passed many clean and empty tables to put the menus at the farthest one. When I asked if we could have a table closer to the door she accommodated with an eye roll and a sigh. The server did not show up to our table for almost 20 min. Just as we were preparing to leave. My mother said lets just order I am so hungry. The food was bland and cold when it arrived at our table 45 min later. When we mentioned it to the server she said well do you want it or not. The answer was no. We went to the South Robert area and had a great time. You can read my review of that place. Pros: In the Area Cons: service, food, price, and they charge for chips more

1. I find it funny that people can criticize this place when the first thing you see when you walk in to the left are the awards they've received, and quite frankly earned.\r 2. The food is really good. It's a family owed restaurant with their own family recipies. You can't expect to walk in and pay ""Taco Bell prices."" They need the money to keep themselves running!!!\r 3. The atmosphere in the bar is fantastic! And when Uli worked there, the place was PACKED!\r 4. If you are gonna complain about the service or wait, you need to realize the place is busy and to get good service, you better be nice to ALL the people who serve you. I used to hostess there and I HATED rude people!\r 5. Yes, you are going to have to wait for the food. You are not the only person there and it's not a fast food joint. Tres colores enchiladas, enchiladas suizas, and Gina's Yucatan tostadas are obviously going to take longer than the soup and salads.\r 6. Don't rate this place after your first time! There are new people training, people have bad days...blah blah blah...just try it again. Pros: Food, atmosphere, GUAC!!! Cons: Rude costomers ruining your night! more

I took my dad here when he was in town after he'd heard they had some of the best Mex in the Twin Cities. Needless to say, it was NOT the best Mex in the Twin Cities. We parked at the closest available spot, a 5 min walk down Summit. The host was cordial, but after that the service was spotty. Portions were large, which was nice given we were hungry, but lacked a certain umph that you'd expect out of authentic Mexican grub. Rather mild as well as if to suggest northerners couldn't handle the zip. Might as well be part of a chain......since it's about as authentic as Carlos O'Kelly's. Pros: Not all that expensive. Cons: Not all that good. more

Here's the thing...I love this place. I've been going here since high school and it will always have a special place in my heart. That said, go for the atmosphere and order some drinks. Do not eat. Just don't. You'll get sick. Plain tortilla chips might be okay. But I'm not even willing to risk that anymore-I learn from the past. more