Hole in the wall place with exceptional food and large portions. Great fresh sauce bar. Friendly service. Was open on Thanksgiving! We were so disappointed with the food in Raleigh coming from the NYC and DC areas, its really sub par. Los Cuates was the exception. read more

Tucked away in the corner of an obscure strip mall, this just may be the best Mexican food in Raleigh. A simple cafeteria - review the menu board and order at the counter; take your beverage (fruit sodas and beer are options), cruise the salsa and pickled veggie bar and have a seat. Chips and salsa are brought tableside and your meal will be promptly delivered too. No fuss, no frills just freshly prepared, authentic dishes. Will return on the weekend when the shrimp soup is offered! read more

It's clean, it's traditional, and it's fairly cheap for what you get. The Horchata is large for the price, and good. The tacos are fairly standard fair. The chorizo a little disappointing. Most of my meats were overcooked, especially the carne asada which was almost black and crisp. Really deserves 2 1/2 stars, but I can't see this being more. Especially with the fantastic Taqueria El Toro within 10 minutes drive. Sorry, not a fan. read more

Los Cuates is fabulous! The food is great, the service is usually pretty fast and the restaurant has a nice dining area. The prices are very affordable and the portion sizes are very reasonable as well. Out of the many "Mexican Restaurant chains" in this area ie El Dorados, El Rodeo's, El Rancherito's, etc. Los Cuates food is unique, different, yet still authentic to the Mexican culture. The location is also very convenient to my office, so it's certainly one of my favorite lunch spots in North Raleigh. read more

Los Cuates - Taco Chicken Salad. My favorite!! - Mexican Near Me - Raleigh, North Carolina

There's little reason to go to Taco Bell if you're looking for cheap Mexican food. Los Cuates has you covered. While their dinner plates average about $9, you can order individual tacos for around $1.50 to $3.00 each. These are not your typical tacos, either. These things are hefty. The carne asada taco has so much tasty steak in it, you'll need a fork when you're done for all the meat that fell out onto your plate. If you dine in, you get a basket full of tortilla chips to enjoy with salsa from the small salsa bar. So far I've had two things that I didn't enjoy much: the adobada taco and the rolled-up tacos (taquitos). That said, I'm still exploring their varied menu, and I've enjoyed almost everything so far. Other reviewers have noted the owner's attitude (at least I assume she's the owner). They generally use the word "rude." I would say that she's not very interactive with customers, and that's just because she's extremely busy. They could consider hiring part time help for the lunch rush. I've never witnessed her being rude. She doesn't ignore or belittle customers and will always get you what you ask for. Don't come if you're looking for sauce-heavy Mexican food. There's plenty of chain restaurants that can give you that. BONUS: Fountain drinks seem to only cost $1 for lunch, despite the menu saying otherwise. read more

If you are looking for authentic Mexican food this would be the place. This is not a "fancy shmancy" place. You go for the food not the ambiance. My favorites: Breakfast burrito Lengua, carne asada and carnitas tacos Be careful with some of the seats though. I've sat on a few that almost feels like it's going to break and I'm a skinny one. read more

Love it!!!! As a San Diegan its hard finding Mexican food that reminds me of home and they brought me back to many late night burrito runs. Similar style to Santana's or Alberto's. If you havent tried a shredded beef taco from here you are missing out in life. They also have pretty good Cali-Burrito. read more

Wow. I only give it two stars because the salsa bar was a nice add in. However, I had a somewhat rotten piece of cilantro in the salsa. That's gross. I was the only person there at 8 on a Thursday. That's not very comforting. There is no service, but that's fine because that also means no tip. The price was fine, but the food was blah. I had an enchilada and burrito plate. The chicken in the enchilada was about average. I've have more moist and flavorful for sure, but I've also had drier elsewhere. The gross thing was the beef burrito. It would have been better with ground beef. The shredded beef was SO greasy. I kid you not-I poured about an ounce of 'fluid' out of my burrito. Took a few bites of that and left it. There was also WAY too much tortilla. Maybe they used a bedsheet to wrap the burrito? I took gobs of folded tortilla off, but the tortilla seemed to be of good quality, I must say. Also, being the only one there, I could hear the beeps of the microwave and then see my food come out. If this is "San Diego" or "SoCal" Mexican, I'll be having a lot of fast food whenever I visit that area. Finally, the drink glass I got had a leak in the bottom and was half full when I got it. Leaked all over the table and me. I'm not a leaker. So, I feel like I'm being generous with my 2 star rating. I much prefer the salsa and experience at the mexican restaurant behind Best Buy at Crabtree. I'll keep looking for my Baja experience. read more

Fantastic authentic Mexican food! We are visiting from Mississippi where Mexican actually means TexMex which is nasty. Originally we're from Cali and the owners of Los Cuates are from Cali so we are in love the flavors here. You can't go wrong. Everything on the menu is awesome. My husband is especially obsessed with the Barbacoa Burrito. read more

See all

Been here 3 times now and it seems to get better every time. Love the enchiladas, carne asada burritos and rolled tacos. Forget about what I said about the guac in my other review. They are serving the fresh stuff now. I try to hit this place once a week for lunch. read more

Just got home from my first dinner at Los Cuates and I loved it so much I decided to write my very first Yelp review. I'm going to try not to rehash what others have said before me, I'm just going to say that this place has some seriously excellent food. I ordered the carnitas plate and my boyfriend ordered the carne asada burritos. Both were delicious: the meat was perfectly cooked, and everything was well seasoned. The carne asada was particularly delicious. All the salsas were really great too, not just wimpy tomato paste like you get at some Mexican restaurants in the area. Only two things prevent me from giving this place 5 stars: 1) the chips are very plain, not even really salted (though the salsas mostly made up for that), and 2) there are no real vegetarian options on the menu (unless I overlooked something). If you're a vegetarian, I suppose you could get a cheese enchilada or something, but your choices would be very limited. I've only eaten there once, but I'm already a huge fan. Can't wait to go back! read more

Get the carne asada. Good flavor. There was only one girl working (taking orders, delivering food, cleaning off the tables)...so the service was a bit slow...but she was doing her best! The salsa bar is really good...and so are the chips. The restaurant is pretty basic on the inside. Next time, I'll get carry out. read more

Swung by Los Cuates in the hope of avoiding a super salty fast food lunch. No luck! Thought choosing local over a chain restaurant would be a good choice; turns out they're another place that believes anything without meat needs five pounds of salt in it. My bean tostadas were composed of thin, bean-coloured salt on a tortilla, topped with yellow cheese-shaped salt and some lettuce. Stupid me ordered two; I barely finished one before my stomach became upset from the revoltingly high salt content. What a waste of money! I feel sick and I'm still hungry, too. One-half star for the salsa bar, one and a half for the friendly, helpful staff. Were the food as good as the lady at the counter, my meal would have rocked. If you eat meat, you'll probably enjoy yourself; if you don't, and prefer your meal not to be at stroke-inducing levels of saltiness, go elsewhere. I wish I had. read more

The service is A+! The lady that greeted me and my daughter was so pleasant!The food is A+!! I had the rolled tacos with guacamole and cheese and the Carne Asada burritos. These were amazing. They reminded me of my old Navy days in San Diego eating at Robertos and Albertos!! I will definitely be returning.. read more

Los Cuates - Rolled tacos - Mexican Near Me - Raleigh, North Carolina

See all

Just stopped by for a steak quesadilla and oh my I'm so glad I did! The lady at the front was so warm and friendly. I got to munch on some fresh tasting chips (better than the chips you usually get at other Mexican restaurants) and salsa of my choice from the bar while I waited. I got one of each salsa because I didn't know which ones I would like. Well the green sauce, I mean the true green colored sauce, (there are 2 green ones) was my favorite. When I got home and took a bite of my quesadilla, before even putting salsa or sour cream on it, I was very impressed. The steak itself actually had flavor and was wonderfully tender. A very generous amount on top of that. Can't wait to try other items. Nailed both the food and service! read more

I'm a San Diego native and have spent a LOT of time finding a Mexican joint that doesn't make me want to scream here in NC. Los Cuates is definitely that place! We've been several times and have never been disappointed. For those of you that have experienced the REAL stuff... this place has cheddar cheese (which, in my opinion, makes all the difference). They still have the gross white crap that they pass off as cheese, but they have the good stuff too, you just have to ask for it :) Their chips and guac aren't the greatest, but that is the only reason they aren't getting a full 5 stars from me. It's so nice to not have to wait for a trip home to get decent Mexican food in Raleigh. read more

Good inexpensive and fast Mexican food. Had the chorizo con huevos and it was a little greasy, but very tasty. We'll be back. read more

Los Cuates - Chorizo con huevos - Mexican Near Me - Raleigh, North Carolina

This the only place in Raleigh to get authentic So Cal Mexican food. They will also sell you a pound of pre-marinated meat, plus tortillas and all the fixings, for $12.95 so you can cook it yourself at home! read more

Los Cuates - Carne Asada tacos! This is a taste of our hometown of San Diego. - Mexican Near Me - Raleigh, North Carolina

It just wasn't that good... the chicken was fatty the salsa was subpar.. I wouldn't go back.

The "rolled tacos" seem like grocery store purchased taquitos. The taco salad is very good though. The sauces and guac is also nice, and you feel like you're in a very authentic place with Centro Fox on TV. read more

We are from San Diego & have been living here for 16 years. The food is California style Mexican. You order off the display board & they bring your food to your table . Great carne asada, carnitas & machaca burritos. The beans are wonderful. The shredded beef & fish tacos are also great. The owner Claudia is from Oceanside just north of San Diego. Claudia, wish you had a location in Durham. It is worth the drive to Raleigh. read more

They are terrible and highly disrespectful to loyal paying customers. They are slanderous and should have never been in the food industry with their terrible customer service. This place doesn't even deserve a 1 star, they deserve a zero. The manager called me stingy and cheap. Refused to give me my food after it was paid for after I told them I was leaving an honest review. They also refused to give me another drink when I asked for it with no ice. I was a loyal customer who always came in excited to get my usual order. I always leave a tip too. I advise you to spend your hard earned money else where since this is how they treat their customers. I was called cheap and stingy for wanting no ice in my drink because they thought I wanted extra juice. I never like ice in my drink any where that I go. This place is definitely beneath me as it you be for every one else who is reading this post. TRY CRONIC TACOS you want me disappointed there. read more

I NEVER write reviews but this place has the BEST enchiladas and just in general best food Ive had in a long time! They take time to make the ingredients and you can really taste the difference. They also have a great condiment bar with pickled carrots too! read more

The food is always fresh and made to order. The best authentic Mexican food in Raleigh. The ladies that work the front is always kind and pleasant. read more

Again, this location is also NOT authentic Mexican food. It is definitely made with the American "excess" lifestyle in mind. The ingredients were not all that fresh, in fact, I got sick a few hours later. If you are Mexican or Californian, do not bother visiting this restaurant. You will be sorely disappointed. read more

Get the Carolina burrito!! It's really a California burrito, a San Diego staple, which is amazing. I looked for years and can not explain how happy I am that I found it here. Carne asada, fries, cheese, just amazing!!! read more

One of my lunchtime staples. I work nearby. Come in at least once a week for either a pollo asado burrito or carne asada burrito which are huge and tasty. Price is decent for what you get. Free chips and salsa Order at counter and they bring it to you. No frills for sure but solid food. Great salsa bar too. I think there salsa verde is one of the best around. read more

I stand corrected. We went back a second time, again for the carne asada fries, and tried a chicken taco salad. Wow!!! Whole different experience! The carne asada meat was consistent with our first visit- well-seasoned, tender, and plentiful. The chicken reigns king, now, however!!!! Amazingly seasoned, to the point where we were both scraping around on the plate looking for the last morsels!! The taco salad itself was also very tasty and fresh. Maybe the best one we have ever had. I personally love that they don't put rice in it: just beans, meat, lettuce, cheese, sour cream and pico de gallo all inside that divine fried taco bowl. Seriously, I take back my two stars!! Even the service was much better and very friendly this time. Based on this, we couldn't help but wonder why there was only one other table there this evening. Prime time on a Saturday night!? So....Go there, now!!! You won't regret it!!! read more

Tried the fish tacos and they were absolutely delicious! The salsa bar was cool as well! Will definitely be going back.

Delicious food and good service and a great place to relax a good place for families to go to Teehee read more

Great, authentic Mexican cuisine and they have a drive thru! It has the convenience of a food truck without you having to stand outside in line and prices are decent. It's perfect if you want authentic Mexican food on the go, but not if you want to dine. The only reason I didn't give five stars is because I ordered a chicken taco and the gave me steak. read more

Gotta shout out to the chef! I've been on a hunt for the best taco in NC for a couple weeks now and these were hands down the best! It's all about making whatever meat goes in that fresh delicious taco is nice and crispy!! It's all about the crisp! Carnitas, odobada, and chorizo all delicious to the MAX. Go. Now. read more

Alright, I waited a few days after the first bad experience and ordered again. I really, REALLY wanted to like this place. But I can now confirm, I did not just catch them on a bad day. Their food is actually just that bad. It seems to me their food is inconsistent at best and completely inedible at worst. This time I ordered crunchy tacos and rolled tacos (to compare to last time) and also the carne asada taco combo that comes with rice and beans. Once again, the taco meat in the crunchy and rolled tacos was completely unseasoned, not even salt. The meat in the carne asada tacos, however, was so salty it was inedible. This time, rather than the rice being inedibly salty, surprise! It was the beans! The rice was actually pretty tasty. Would I recommend this place? Absolutely not. No way. However, if you're willing to go into your spice cabinet and add your own seasonings, the crunchy tacos are actually pretty good. A word of advice to the owner (and chef!): PLEASE learn how to properly season your food. If this place knew how to properly season their food, I think they'd be my favorite Mexican restaurant in the area. Until then, however, I won't be ordering or recommending. read more

Keep in mind any bad reviews aren't from folks who have experienced Socal mx food. This is the closest we've found since moving to durham. The sketchiness (if you want to call it that) only makes me feel more at home :) and please. Please. Don't ask for rice and beans inside your burrito :) read more

Holy cannoli! This place just changed my life. Literally because after eating there I am going to have to have my pants surgically removed. The portions are absurd and they still aren't even the best attribute to the place. The best aspect is the taste. Usually when you go to Mexican restaurant that gives you pounds of food for ~7 you expect cheap boring slop. It's always good but never delicious like this was. You order at a counter then sit down and they wait on you from there. They bring you chips and you can pick out the salsa from a salsa bar with 4 different options. To be honest a lot of people were raving about them but I just wasn't crazy about any of them. I actually liked that they were all really spicy but they just seemed to be lacking balance and were all spice with no flavor. They then bring you your food when it's ready and the party starts. I ordered the carne asada burritos combo platter and the person I went with got the chile rellenos combo. The chile rellenos were good but not amazing. I'd been warned that it was the only weakness to the menu but they couldn't be convinced. The burritos were a whole different story though. There was no fooling around when it came to these burritos. There were two of them and each one was about 3/4 the size of a moes or chipotle burrito. I thought it was a joke when they came out at first. Inside it was stuffed probably with probably 70% really great tiny chunks of steak and 15% guacamole and 15% fresh pico. It was emotionally overwhelming this burrito was so delicious. I suggest opening up to squeeze a lime inside (available on the salsa bar) and add some hot sauce. Maybe even add a little sour cream on top if you are feeling wild and crazy. They both came with your standard mexican rice and pretty solid refried beans with cotija cheese on top. Overall the meal was fantastic. The food amazing but the ambiance was essentially a terrifying Jesus portrait that kept staring at me funny and the chile rellenos were not amazing so I'm sticking with 4 stars. I actually had it at 5 but dropped it down at the last minute. Either way you must go there. read more

I found this place using Yelp when I was in Raleigh last week, and I'll be back for sure, any time the Mexican cravings hit. I got a chimichanga, rice and beans. My chimi came with shredded beef, peppers, onions, tomatoes. It was the right size, the tortilla was nice and crispy, it was served with guacamole and sour cream. Absolutely perfect. Peter got carne asada tacos, rice and beans, which were amazing as well. They normally have tamarindo but sadly they were out during my visit. If you've followed my reviews at all you've seen me whining about the lack of good Mexican food in the area. Back home there were two places I frequented depending on where I was when I got hungry... Nico's and Filiberto's. I went at least once a week, often twice. Anyway, I walked in and mentioned to Peter "The menu reminds me of Filiberto's!" and it turns out the guy behind the counter (I believe his name is Tony, he was very friendly and chatted with us quite a bit) is the owner's son and they used to own two Filiberto's in Arizona. So... yeah. Woo-hoo! I've found the real deal, the food I've been missing, authentic... no pasteurized processed mystery white cheese all over my plate. No flavorless ground beef with random tomatoes mixed in. No random peas and carrots in my rice. And an actual decent sized scoop of guac that didn't cost $3 extra. All at decent affordable prices. I think my chimi plate was about $6. I can't see myself going anywhere else for Mexican now that I know about this place. read more

Being from San Diego I didn't have my hopes up, but apparently the owners are from Southern Cali too! THANK YOU for bringing a taste of home to NC. Love this place!! read more

Let me start by saying my friend and I ended up here because it was open until 11pm on a Sunday night, and we were craving Mexican food like the Southern Californians we are. All of our other favorite Mexican restaurants in the area were already closed or not open on Sunday, so we decided to find our way here. We don't regret it. :) My palette for Mexican food is sophisticatedly unsophisticated -- that is, I want it to taste like the memories I have of Southern California baja style Mexican food, or even better, just like my favorite street tacos in Baja California, Mexico. Sometimes I trick myself into half-acceptable solutions in Raleigh-Durham area, thinking "this is just as good as home..." -- but I generally know when I'm lying to myself or when food has a "twist" on it that is just not quite authentic Baja style (not always a bad thing, but it's not what I crave endlessly when I think of fish tacos, carne asada fries, and adobada.) I genuinely felt like I was being honest with myself tonight when my tummy went home raving. The giddiness started when I saw Carne Asada Fries on the menu (a Southern California delicacy consisting of french fries topped with carne asada :)). Knowing I *had* to order these, I also decided an adobada taco would be my second line of judgment. This place impressed on all counts. First, salsa bar = YUM. Spicy only in comparison to other local establishments' salsa, but very familiar to what I'm used to in Southern California. Those carne asada fries I mentioned? Total win. I've never seen these on a menu on the east coast. They are served with just cheese and carne asada, so make sure you order a side of guacamole also, and sour cream if you're up for it. It's important to spread these items on top of the carne asada fries before devouring for best experience. :) The adobada was even more impressive - served in a small corn tortilla just like my favorite baja street tacos, with cilantro and onions, and get this- NO PINEAPPLE! Let me explain why this excites me so much. Normally, you see "Al Pastor" tacos at Mexican restaurants in the area (and elsewhere on the East Coast), which are essentially the same style as Adobada. The Al Pastor tacos I've had so far in this area are always served with pineapple bits. I know this is an authentic way to serve this dish, but I personally don't like the pineapple. Back to my memory of the Mexican food I first fell in love with: my favorite street tacos in baja and at favorite Southern CA Mexican joints rarely served pineapple with their adobada, and again, my palette is partial to memory. ;) That said, the pork is also more deliciously marinated than any of the Al Pastor tacos I've had at other local establishments (and did I mention they didn't have pineapple in them?) :) Oh, and they also have my favorite Mexican beer, Pacifico. Total win. read more

Only gave 4 stars because I would like a warning or indication of heat on their salsa bar. That green stuff tore my mouth up! However, it is much tastier and more tolerant if you put it on your food. Also, the chimicanga had green bell peppers in it and I hate those, never had them in chimichanga before so would have liked for that to be listed, I'll know better next time... I say next time because I'm definitely going back here. I had the chimichanga, my Mom had the tacos -which she couldn't stop raving about. They were made there which really impressed her. My daughter had french fries and a cheese quesadilla. Now, let me tell you, had I known there were going to be that many french fries I wouldn't have let her eat the full order, there were A LOT of fries in this order, enough for two. NO complaint there as I love huge portions. This place was as expected due to the rave reviews and warnings about how it's really a self-serve hole in the wall kind of place, but in a good way. Can't wait to go back for lunch and for breakfast! Yes, they had a breakfast menu posted and they open at 9am so I'm looking forward to it one day. read more

Having lived in Cali for some years I was very spoiled with great tacos! this place is almost as authentic! Quick friendly service, yummy salsa bar, w plenty of fresh cucumbers and radishes and lemons that only perfect your taco experience!! I love this place and have never been unsatisfied. Try something different every single time, everything has been great! read more