Licha's Cantina is super cute! We were in town for a long weekend and were looking for some Mexican food. We came for happy hour on Thursday evening and ordered the Calabazitas and the Mole Con Pollo. Both were very good. The chicken tinga on the mole dish was excellent and I loved the flavor of the mole. The crema on the Calabazitas was excellent. We also ordered happy hour margaritas that were the perfect sizes and very good. We loved the fresh salsas and chips and the guacamole was great. We will be back for sure! read more

We loved this place for brunch! The service was excellent our waitress was amazing. Food took a little long but we went for Sunday brunch and showed up at 130. They closed at 3 and they stayed open for lots of people to finish serving and I never felt rushed. The service topped it for me. The food, was bizarre. It's SO good I had the chicken quesadillas with eggs on top and I was in heaven. I'm not big on Mexican brunch food but this combined the cuisine and time of day really well! I posted pics of what my friends got and all was just beautiful and there were zero food complaints. The watermelon margarita basically made my week, although I will say don't have more than 2 read more

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Drinks were very weak. When I told the manager, the bartender and manager when off. I do not recommend this place. Many better places here in Austin. read more

Last night tried three different taco plates ALAMBRE Steak, bacon, queso asadero, onions & peppers DE PATO Roasted duck, green onions, orange LENGUA Beef tongue, onions, escabeche All good but the Lengua was AweSOM - melt in your mouth kind of AweSOM read more

Best interior Mexican food in Austin!! Amazing happy hour! Amazing food! Amazing staff! Amazing Drinks! What more can I say. If you haven't tried it you are missing out. read more

Lichas is an awesome hidden gem in my opinion! I am new to Austin and I am a sucker for a good chill vibe. I tried the Tinga De Pollo Orange and chipotle braised chicken. A great dish to share! The inside is nice for a date night or you can just kick back in their homey front yard patio atmosphere. Plenty of shade. Candy was very kind and a great waitress. I shall return! #Spicymagarita read more

We were really excited to try this restaurant, but it's too expensive for what they have to offer! The choriqueso is superb. The pastor is good, but the suadero does nos taste like real Mexican street tacos! read more

Best Mexican restaurant in Austin. We've been 3 times since moving and have always had an incredible experience - great atmosphere on Friday and Saturday nights. read more

Anniversary dinner! Found this place on yelp and was eager to try. Great authentic local experience!! Loved the atmosphere -indoor/outdoor options. Although it's very hot. If the heat bothers you go later in the evening when the suns setting. Friendly quick service. Seemed like you couldn't go wrong ordering. I kept watching dishes come out and I wanted to everything. Fresh gauc is a must. My only upset note is since I'm pregnant I was unable to try a margarita!!! I'm a lover of margaritas and they looked amazing. If you give this place a try please let me know how delicious they are. Sigh. They do not take reservations and they are a popular spot so expect a pretty hefty wait time. read more

I came here with 7 other people (bachelor's party, so we were all pretty hungover), and this place was our saving grace. Such a special Tex-Mex place on East 6th! It's an old house that's been re-purposed to serve brilliant food to a bunch of hungry peeps. The servers are all really nice, and the food is delectable. I highly recommend the ceviche and shrimp tacos :) read more

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Summary: I travel to Austin frequently for work. In every city that I travel to regularly, I've been trying to establish a go-to taco and tequila joint. This is my Austin go-to. Ease of Entry: I've never had to wait, luckily. That may be because I've only been here by myself and have sat at the bar. Atmosphere: In an authentic Mexican joint, you can't get any better than this. Cute front porch and outdoor seating. Awesome authentic interior with many well-thought touches that you have to take the time to notice and appreciate. Beautiful back patio. Service: I've had the same bartender every time I've been there. I'm not sure what his name is, but he kind of looks like Dax Shepherd...can't be too many of them that work there. Each time, I have been promptly offered complimentary chips and salsa (2 types of salsa mind you). The first time I was there, he offered a drink on the house and most recently he squeezed my last drink in for the happy hour prices, even though it was a few minutes past. It's the little things like these instances that help differentiate between establishments. The way that I was treated each time that I have come to Licha's leaves me with no desire to try any other Mexican place in Austin. Food: The most recent time I ate, I got the Alambre tacos. I was pleasantly surprised by the way you are served these tacos. They are served in a skillet, where you create your own tacos with the tortillas that are kept in a warmer. In other words, they are served fajita-style. I tried the Alambre and it was delicious and filling. Drink: I have tried every tequila and mezcal cocktail on the menu. Everyone of them is delicious. My recomendation is to ask for a Spicy Margarita. I think it's a buck or two more, but well worth it. I also love the fact that they serve "La Mula" which is a mezcal version of the moscow mule - and they come in great cups. This is my favorite drink to make at home, and I've never seen these served in a bar before. They also have an amazing selection of mezcals and tequilas if your a feeling up to trying some things. Value: The $5 drinks at happy hour doesn't get much better anywhere in the country and probably the best value in Austin. read more

Great experience over Labor Fay Weekend! Bottom line is each dish we tried was amazing: Scallops, vegan queso, carnitas tacos, red snapper and chicken mole were all superb. We will be back soon! read more

I really wanted to love this place as it's such a quirky old home with interesting art scattered about, but I was seated in an area that the floor was so soft and old I really thought I would fall through the floor. We started with margaritas which we enjoyed as you could taste the tequila and they were not too sweet. We had the vegetarian queso with mushrooms and served with yummy tortillas. It was wonderful. But the entrees were not good or flavorful. Weird blue mesa stuffed with black beans which was as tough as shoe leather, one with a cactus salad and one with shrimp. The cactus salad was meh and the shrimp while cooked perfectly was on a weird way too sweet mole sauce. Also, service was so so slow. read more

We got a marg and a Paloma and both were STRONG. We started with the elite corn and it was pretty good. Then we did the Al pastor and brisket tacos and they were pretty decent. We like the complimentary hot sauces that they provide too. read more

Good for happy hour! 5 dollar margs and with you two sopaetas (sorry on the spelling- they are basically English muffins with meat on top) they were good and filling. Cute outdoor seating. read more

I was recommended by a local to visit Licha's Cantina. I ordered the Enchiladas, replaced the pork with chicken, and ordered a side of rice (which was way too much). If you order the Enchilada, stick to just that order, I could have shared with another person. It was absolutely delicious. Highly recommend this place. Love the feel. I felt like I was walking into my long lost Mexican abuela's antique house - the lit velones on my way up the stairs, loves! read more

Licha's Cantina - Bars Near Me - Austin, Texas

Came here for a bachelorette party last night - of course with the location it was jam packed. However, I'll start with the fact that I showed up for my reservation at 7:30 - and we had to wait 20 more minutes before the table was even set up. The drinks were great - I recommend the Bonita if you're looking for a boozy horchata! The food did not disappoint, but the portions are HUGE. You can split easily! The food and our waiter made up for the chaos and the wait. I recommend stopping in if you're craving some good (and gluten free) Mexican food! read more

When a place has a no reservations policy, it's usually really good. Licha's proves this point! The place is super cool, its an old house that's been converted to a restaurant. The drinks were awesome! The food was AMAZING! This was not the basic Mexican place. There were some unexpected dishes that were really good. It has a very cool Austin vibe, that makes it not agonizing to wait for your table. I am coming back here frequently! read more

Best HH in East Austin!! Great drinks and food for $5, cute patio, and fun atmosphere. Don't miss it!!

Very rude! The only thing good about this place was the food, which is sad because as much as I would love to go back I would not want to experience such rude behavior again. I went during happy hour and I was very happy with the prices and the choices available. I ordered the mole con pollo which is this medium sized dish on a corn patty and it was amazing. The table also ordered a margertia pitcher and a bucket of beers, which I though was on the pricey side for happy hour but they where on point! Super tasty and the margarita served up to 6 people( mediumish cups) They have really great music, outside seating with seating in the back and nice lighting. Ok the bad stuff and why I gave them 2 stars. I went with a party of 6 and we arrived at separate times I told the waitress we would wait to order until the party arrived, however I don't know if she was really forgetful or what but she came back every 5 mins asking if we where ready to order what we wanted, etc, etc. And when the party did come she hurried over and did the same thing we all said no! GEEZ CHILL OUT WOMEN! we just wanted to chill and drink and order whenever, but clearly this waitress was on a schedule and wanted us in and out on her time. So after the whole are you ready?are you ready? and are you done? are you done? we finally decided to get the check. I did tell you we came on happy hour right? well apparently this waitress forgot that fact and charged us for regular priced items and when we told her she said no you didn't order that and added well you ate it! I could not believe my day I was having with this rude person and on top of that another waitress had to chime in and add your stretching the truth. REALLY! Not only that she couldn't even split our check! she had us do the math and circle, draw arrows and write names for who's order went with who's card. I could not believe any of this was happening to me. As I left the waitress yelled have a good day, thanks for coming! come back again! I will definitely not be coming back again. read more

Awesome spot with great food/drinks/service! Can't wait to go back to have some spicy margaritas!!

This is a really great date spot even if it is a bit close to the highway. Great ambiance. Guac is on point. Every taco I've ever gotten here has been amazing. And their bean sauce is next level. EAT HERE. read more

Great choice of beer and cocktails. Red AND green salsa are the bomb. Great atmosphere, sit at the bar and watch the bartenders work and the cooks work on that pastor taco. read more

Menu said Nega Modelo was $5 but got charged $7. Appetizers are $15. This place is good example of gentrification gone wild. read more

Licha's Cantina - Bars Near Me - Austin, Texas

Yum yum yum!!! We waited an hour to be seated here (but wandered over to Wright Bros. Brew & Brew to imbibe while we waited), but it was worth it. Toasty chips and two sauces to munch on while we ordered traditional homemade Mexican food. I had a skillet with tangerine chicken and my husband got a steak skillet thing. He asked for bacon on the side, but they did end up putting some of it in his meal. The decor of the restaurant is very cool and the bar was impressive. It's a bit expensive but I would love to try it again! read more

Food and service have always been absolutely exceptional. Selections are creative and just spectacular. One of our new favorites in town!!

Went here for brunch. ACL going on in Austin, so it was loud and busy and actually quite annoying to try to get a drink at the bar while we waited for our table. Once seated the food was very good. read more

Have eaten here so many times, and enjoyed it every time! First off, they have great guacamole. It tastes great on everything that they have. I also love their salads. I have enjoyed the cochinita pinup which is so savory and delicious. The pork is really tender, and I especially loved it when it was with the sopecito. Recently, I have had the al pastor tacos and the alambre tacos. The meat for both were so tender, and I love the sweetness of the fresh pineapple with the pork in the pastor. The pork was also so crispy and crunchy, while still being so tender. Their margaritas are also really great! A great neighborhood spot to visit with friends! read more

Always one of my favorites! This place is really good interior Mexican food! I LOVE their tacos! You can't go wrong with any of them, and I always have leftovers. Margaritas are nice and strong, and the salsas are delicious! Great spot to bring people visiting, or for a tasty lunch or dinner. read more

I discovered this place during COVID. Our server Emanuel. He was ABSOLUTELY INCREDIBLE. Such great service, amazing food, and delicious atmosphere. 10/10 would recommend Emanuel as a server. Perfect experience. Thank you SO much! read more

Stopped in here yesterday while in the area for a snack. All in all, it was a solid stop with a couple of spicy margaritas and shared guacamole and Esquite. The green salsa was my favorite of the ones they brought to the table. We had to ask for chip refills a couple of times and our second drink was a little slow to come to the table. This is an authentic spot and wouldn't mind returning for more than a snack in the future if I were in the area. read more

I don't do many restraunt reviews but this Licha's Cantina I went to on Saturday night was everything. We waited maybe 30min for a table. The was actually fun because how lively the atmosphere is. I don't do salsa and normally take salting every chip but I never had to ask for a salt shaker cuz the homemade chips were the most perfect ones. Comparable to Pappasitos. Then the mole came out and I went to heaven and it's for sure my new go to Mexican. read more

Licha's Cantina - Bars Near Me - Austin, Texas

Okay food, poor experience. We were recommended to Lichas by a coworker who couldn't stop raving about them so we finally made it over for dinner. Such a cool (but very small) atmosphere in an old house. The back yard has a covered patio with a bar and a large table to wait at. We tried the margaritas and while they were good, they weren't anything special. Small and weak for $11/ea. Our buzzer went off and we headed to the hostess for our seats. We were seated right on the edge of a common walkway to the kitchen (with no doors) just across from where the chips and salsa are filled with lots of hustle and bustle all around us. Basically a service area. There was a large party at the table next to us and the guy at the end of their table was basically sitting at ours. The bench seat was high and the table was low. I'm 6'2 and I felt like a sardine. The room was stuffy and heat was radiating from the kitchen just over my shoulder. We couldn't even hold a conversation. We asked 2 different people if we could move to an open table in another room and were told simply "no. Sorry." We asked our server and she said "if you want another table you're going to have to wait." I could see an open table. I understand that restaurants have a certain order in how they seat people but this was just unfriendly. Sure didn't feel welcome. I had the duck plate and she had the salad. While the duck was tender and the dishes were presented nicely, both lacked flavor. The only taste mine had was the sweetness of the mole but that's about it. Didn't finish it. When asked if my wife wanted dessert, the answer was a defeated "no. I just want to get out of here." We agreed. I had been so excited to try Lichas for the last few weeks and now that I've been, I don't think I'll be back based on just the customer service experience alone. The food didn't make it much better. In the car ride home she told me again how disappointed she was we went here and that it felt like a waste of money. Lichas, in hospitality, your initial impression sets the tone for your guests experience. You really failed on this one. I'd like to chalk this up as a one-time experience but I probably won't be giving them another chance. read more

Food was brilliant. I had a few house margaritas and the pork/mango tacos. This place is an must in Austin area. Take an uber/Lyft or walk to this place, Stacy was our waitress and she was beyond friendly, knowledgeable, inviting. DO NOT LET THE EXTERIOR FOOL YOU! This is a fresh and vibrant place to eat. Owner/Chef came out to welcome us and take care of any dietary issues. The food is influenced from Mexico City (where the chef is from), the menu is full of flavorful bits that will leave you pleasantly full. read more

Licha's Cantina - Bars Near Me - Austin, Texas

WOW! Had friends in town for ACL and I got a recommendation for Licha's. Food was amazing! We went in mid afternoon so just some drinks and split a few entrees. Everything was fresh and tasty. They had tons of options, including plenty of plant based ones for the vegan in our group. Have to say the service kind of sucked, otherwise would give a 5 star. They weren't busy when we got there, but waited a long time for drink orders and then food orders. Once we got the orders in things moved pretty quickly. If you are looking for tex mex or your standard fare, go elsewhere. If you are looking for something authentic and full of flavor, check this place out! Just bring your patience. read more

Seriously good, authentic, reasonably-priced Mexican food in a super cute atmosphere! What more could you want?! The vibe of this place is laid back fun - we were there on a Friday night and they had a mariachi band playing on the patio. Definitely recommend Licha's! Hands down some of the best Mexican food in the city. read more

We went to Licha's Cantina tonight (Friday), after having it recommended by a few people. The restaurant was lively, busier than expected, and there was a 45 minute wait. Usually that means 20-30 minutes. But it ended up being 45, maybe 50 minutes. While waiting we got drinks. The margarita was just bad-- it tasted grungy. I've made better cocktails in a 5 gallon water cooler with ingredients from CVS (in a state where they sell liquor in grocery stores). The Mezcal cocktail (la mula?) was good, had nice balances going on. Normally we prefer tequila to Mezcal. Once we were seated, our server(s) worked to get out our chips and order, they seemed attentive. The watermelon tequila cocktail and the house tequila (I sipped on) were both great. The Choriqueso was pretty good, but the chorizo itself was meh. It was bland, and there wasn't much, just a patch near the center of the serving dish. Chorizo in Austin never (except once) has the normal light spice and flavor of a good chorizo like we're used to in CA and AZ. Our food came out next, and with the initial wait and busy-ness of the place, we had our two hour parking expiring soon. In all of the recommendations from friends, the wait time or duration had never been mentioned. I don't think the service once we were seated was slow, but almost half our parking went to waiting for a table. At that point, I saw another guest who had arrived a few minutes after us talking to the manager about how they had not been seated yet-- they must have been waiting for 1.5 hours by then. The food though. I got the lengua tacos and she got the Mole con pollo. The lengua looked more like pork belly, as it was thicker pieces and I couldn't see taste buds or tongue ridges anywhere. I tasted it and it had the nice feel and base flavor of lengua. The overall flavor wasn't what I was used to, but different can be fine. I enjoyed it overall-- their take on lengua was different, but appeased my craving for at least the night. She got what looked like a little odd pizza. The mole was spread thin over a tortilla with some chicken bits spread on top. Normally, we're used to a chicken breast smothered in mole. However, this dish had by her estimate less than half a breast of chicken on it and the mole had partially soaked into the base tortilla, rendering it un-scoopable. She didn't like her meal. Overall, there was some good, some bad, and mostly shades of average. I think the service once we were seated helps get the rating to be a 3. We were not impressed with the food and didn't have an experience that warrants coming back or recommending it. But we didn't regret trying. read more

Fantastic food - great service and an excellent fun interior. The tacos and enchiladas were really authentic

I joined up with some friends here for Happy Hour one evening and you could tell this was a family run place. And I mean that in the good Austin way. The servers were kind, they checked on us frequently, talked with us, had fun with our group, some servers even knew Spanish and spoke Spanish back and forth with people in our group and the went right on speaking English to other members of our group. Everyone felt included and taken care of. It was incredibly relaxing and the drinks were excellent. I have to come back and try the food! read more

Highlights of this meal: Drinks, despite the $8 price tag on a cocktail, and the appetizers, despite the lack of seasoning on the guacamole. (Literally seemed like mashed avocado with a couple pumpkin seeds and a dash of queso fresco. Thankfully I love avocados so it was doable.) OTHERWISE: Licha's is in a cute little house that looks like your Abuela's, but there's Saint candles everywhere, Frida Kahlo on the wall, basically every little piece of what hipsters interpret Mexican culture as, but the food that came of Abuela's Cocina ended up tasting like it came from Memaw Claire's kitchen instead. The food overall was flavorless. My parter's duck was overcooked, and was basically just bland duck meat smothered in mole that was only half good. Also the Concha Burger was not at all as exciting as it could've been. It was full of meat and really nothing but that, no variety of texture because the only other ingredients to the burger was shredded lettuce and guacamole, and once again, wasn't seasoned well enough either. This restaurant lacks flair and spice, and they cover it up by making the place look more "Mexican". Well, artwork on the walls and blaring tejano music can't fix your regular ass hipster food. Not going back. read more