Ordered the quesa tacos (recommended by many friends) and it was DELICIOUS and FILLING! Comes with 3 tacos and a beef broth. Will definitely be coming back to try some other things on the menu. read more

Los Cuates - Mexican Near Me - Raleigh, North Carolina

I just wanted to thank Stacey for the review, informing us former Californians about Los Cuates and how similar there cooking compares to the Mexican food we love and miss so very much. I love their street tacos. OMG, I almost cried with the first bite.We have been here for almost two years and I had almost given up the search. grateful. read more

10/10 food! burritos and salsa are so good!!!!!! The service was great and fast! Always super consistent!

It's a very strange set up. It is a sit down dine in restaurant, but you have to order your food at the front counter and pay for it before you can be seated, as if you were at a Taco Bell. Also, the only time I've ever seen a fajita plate, that does not include rice and beans. You have to order those, and pay extra for them. The mixed fajita plate was light on meat, 4 medium sized shrimp, a few bites of beef and some chicken that was diced so finely that it looked like it was ground chicken. And some very overcooked vegetables. But the serve yourself salsa bar was nice. read more

Great food! Great service!! I got something a little bit spicier than I would normally get (even though she warned me! ) and it was amazing!!! They took great care of the kids food. My husband loved the spicy salsa and he is hard to impress. read more

Ive been going to this place weekly since we first discovered it on a lunch trip a month back. If you're looking for no nonsense authentic mexican food with a great salsa bar this place is definitely your spot. The standouts for me so far have been the carne asada and adobada but everything people have gotten here they love. The service is awesome and they bring out chips for you to use with your salsa bar if you dine in. Among my favorite places to dine in the city. read more

Best Mexican food on Raleigh hands down ! I live in LA for 33 years and have searched for 3 years trying to find Mexican food that compared to hone and this is the spot !!! They're 30 minutes from me but worth the drive all day read more

Los Cuates - I got more but it was gone before I got a picture - Mexican Near Me - Raleigh, North Carolina

I'm from California and this place makes me feel like home! The food has been amazing as well as the salsa! So much flavor at a great price. I'm so sad we live like 25 minutes away! Otherwise I'd be here a few times a week if I could. read more

I love Los Cuates! It reminds me of the Mexican fast food I used to to love in Arizona - same style of cooking, but even better. I am in love with the beef tacos and the breakfast burritos especially (I recommend bacon, egg, cheese, and potato!), but I've never tried anything I didn't like. If you like spicy salsa, try the more brightly green of the two. It is legitimately spicy and phenomenally tasty. read more

The steak burrito was the best I've had in Raleigh. Coming from Chicago, where the carne asada meals are tough to beat, I had v v found anything worth writing home about down here. I was in the area so I yelped a steak burrito to satisfy my craving and this little place showed up. There were some negative reviews so I went in with bated breath. The carne asada burrito was fantastic! Overloaded with meat, very large burrito, diced tomatoes, shredded lettuce, chopped onions(which I normally always ask to hold but it added a good flavor) and cilantro. I asked for melted cheese on top which they added for me. It added the taste of home which no one adds down here. Highly recommended. Very much worth the price which is slightly higher than normal but the portion was large and the steak was overloaded so I had 0 issue with price. My girl ordered the enchiladas and she was pleased. The portion was also large and the plate was filled with beans and rice. The salsa, from the salsa bar was spicy, we couldn't find mild. It'd be nice to place signs. Chips were fresh. Beer is a little expensive for the ambiance. There was a new girl taking orders and she was unable to answer my questions on food but it was her first night, or so she said, so I'll give that a pass. Not a very cozy place but the taste and portions make up for that. My new steak burrito joint for sure! read more

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We have been looking for a good Mexican food restaurant with food like we would have in California and we FINALLY FOUND IT!! The food was amazing, customer service was great, the vibe was that perfect "hole in the wall" just like back home in San Diego. We will be back!! read more

This family is doing REAL Mexican dishes the RIGHT way !! I can't wait to eat again !!

Mediocre Mexican. Ordered "mixed" enchiladas (described to us as beef with vegetables), a chimichanga, a cheese quesadilla, 2 large horchatas, and a caramel churro. The filling in the enchiladas and chimichanga was the exact same. Shredded beef with peppers and onions. Rice and beans served with both were meh-- not a ton of flavor. The filling was also under seasoned. The horchatas were huge and the churro was good. The people working there were pleasant. The portions were large and the prices were reasonable but I've had so much better Mexican elsewhere that I wouldn't return. read more

Quick review for the carne asada fries! They were great and reminded me so much of my time in San Diego where I've had the carne asada fries. They pretty good and reminded me of the food that I miss so much. The guacamole is also refillable and it's all a great price so definitely stop by for a tasty treat. The horchata (cinnamon rice milk) is also made fresh daily so definitely get it as well as it complements the savory taste of the carne asada fries. read more

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Always delicious fresh cooked Mexican food. I love the breakfast burrito options. Always a go to location.

It's been a few weeks since we ate here on a Saturday afternoon, but I've been wanting to leave a favorable review. The food was delicious, and the service was superb. The ladies were so friendly and nice. The atmosphere seemed authentic and was family oriented. We both enjoyed our visit. read more

Absolutely delicious. Ingredients taste fresh and amazing! I love a small sit down place. The atmosphere was lovely. Bright colors and wonderful staff. My roommate who is an incredibly picky eater also enjoyed the food. The chunky salsa is so flavorful I added it to my meal and wanted to take some home. The carne asada tacos had juicy tender steak, the vegetables really added a freshness and taste that I love. :) read more

The food wasn't that good.And my table wasn't clean that good.but the service was really good.my beans were watery and the rice was dry and hard read more

One of Raleigh's best kept secrets, this is an authentic Mexican restaurant and the prices are very reasonable and the portions are huge.. They also have the best real Mango Juice in the area.. My wife and I both got the steak quesadillas and they were amazing. read more

Los Cuates - Steak - Mexican Near Me - Raleigh, North Carolina

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Finally a mexican food place worthy of a trip. This is what cheap drive thru mexican tastes like at almost anywhere in the West. I have heard it referred to as San Diego style burritos. Whatever you call it it is good and tastes like what I would eat growing up in AZ. read more

The carne asada burritos were great, but if you order takeout they really skimp you on beans and rice (and the beans were quite bland). Also, no chips and salsa were included with the order (which I expected with most Mexican restaurants). Going to stick with El Rodeo. read more

Not what I was expecting but damn they have some tasty food. Stopped on in to Los Cuates before a show at The Ritz, if you're looking for a quick and tasty meal then look no further. Tucked away behind the Kanki on Old Wake Forest Rd. you'll find this west coast style Mexican food joint. There sign doesn't light up at night so it can be a little tough to find but it's worth driving around for. I ordered the carne asada tacos. The carne asada is so good and they clearly make their food to order. I loved the salsa bar there were so many yummy choices and all fresh ingredients. They have a nice selection of Mexican beers all pretty cheap. The food is so cheap too and way better then some other fast taco joints in town. This is a fast casual restaurant, you order up front and they bring your food out to you. The lady working the register was very sweet and helpful with suggestions. I'll definitely be back soon, I can't get enough good Mexican food. read more

Los Cuates - Carne Asada tacos - Mexican Near Me - Raleigh, North Carolina

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First looks are deceiving. This restaurant is more of a order counter with space for tables and chairs. But the food is fantastic! I enjoyed a chicken asada burrito. Full of meat, cilantro, and other wonderful tastes it was delicious. Four different salsas were at the salsa bar do there everyone could enjoy the spice level they liked. The cheese enchilada was on a fresh cheers tortilla, yum. Lunch for two was $20 and the portion so large we did not eat dinner. I will return again soon. read more

Whoever opened this restaurant single handedly brought San Diego to Raleigh in the delicious form of ghetto-greasy amazing carne asada fries! There are so many awesome things about this place and I am going to count them for you right now. 1. Carne asada fries. 2. Open late. Even on Sunday. 3. Mexico-style cheap prices. 4. A salsa bar that will clear your sinuses it's so spicy. 5. Workers who barely speak English and are completely awesome. 6. They take cards. 7. Large portions. Some may think this sucks, but you know it's awesome. 8. Did I mention they have carne asada fries? I am so exited about this place I can hardly contain myself. And I can pretty much guarantee that I will become the duchess of this place at some point. read more

Los Cuates - Carne asada fries! - Mexican Near Me - Raleigh, North Carolina

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Seriously. If my stomach ruled my decision-making at all times (fused with its current Siamese twin, ye ol' near-empty wallet), I might honestly move to Raleigh just to be nearer to this place. Does Los Cuates do Mexican on a fancy level akin to, say, a place in Durham like Mez? No. But, then again, all four of us ate ourself to the 'gorged' status at Los Cuates for about $21.00 total, whereas I may have had to second-mortgage our home in Ohio to do so at Mez. Okay, okay - there's this thing called exaggeration, but still, Mez is far pricier. I also feel 100% more comfortable eating here, surrounded by people candidly speaking Spanish in a rough-hewn, nothing-visually-snazzy environment, than I am any day in a place where most purses cost more than my life. On to the food: we got one of our girls the cheese quesadilla, expecting something of modest stature (as tends to be the norm) - however, for $2.95, this thing dwarfed the head of our 1.5-year-old. Our oldest got their chicken quesadilla - again, massive. She finished 1/3 of it, and we definitely had major leftovers even after Mom & Dad had vultured the plate for a while. I had the Carnitas burrito, stuffed to overflowing with tasty steak & guac. My beloved had some chicken dish, which she loved. LOTS of non-speaking, 'Oh, yeahhhhhh... this is awesome' facial expressions going back and forth between the two of us as we chewed. The deeply affectionate, full-tummy, 'good Lord, that was good' afterglow from Los Cuates lingers two weeks afterward, and we're stoked to return. The basic run-down? 1) Comfy, laid-back, and super-casual. 2) Friendly service. 3) SUPER-affordable, and crazy-delicious. 4) Dinosaur portions - prepare yourself for take-home. read more

Real deal So Cal/Baja estillo grub! Chile relleños that are NOT some weird version with queso sauce(?) REALLY?!? Anaheim chile, cheese, batter, fini! Chile Verde that rocks. Everything here is awesome. Whatever the drive, come find this place. Staff is friendly, attentive and, welcoming. You've been told. If you don't come here now, it's your own fault! read more

I bow my head in shame for living so close to this place, driving by it all the time and never having tried it. Our loss, as we've been missing out on some great food! Thank you Fellow Yelpers for leading me in the door finally! Here we were on a Sunday morning, Husband has a craving for Mexican food, neither of us wanted to get too fixed up, and a quick check of their hours showed that they opened at 9am. Bless their hard-working hearts! I realize not many people might not want chile rellenos at 10:30 in the morning, but it sounded good to me, and bring on the beans and rice with it! Husband ordered the Carne Asada burritos with beans and rice. With a tea and a soft drink, it was $22 (before tip). Note: you don't have to grab the plastic wear that is at the counter. That must be for take-out. They will bring you real silverware. They will also bring you chips, and the salsa bar is every bit as wonderful as everyone has been raving about. They had 4 salsas out and every one was excellent. I managed to catch the gal who took our order around the salsas so I asked what each were. The chunky red one is a fairly typical salsa that most people would do with chips. It was very flavorful and had lots of onion in it, which I love. There was a less chunky red one that had hot chili peppers mixed it. Definitely hotter! Then the thinner of the green ones was a tomatillo one which is on the milder side. Watch out for the thick green one that has avocado in it. It is HOT. All tasted incredibly fresh and well-made! I had ordered tea which they hadn't made yet, so I had to get a little emergency diet coke to get me through the hot salsas before our meals showed up. Once the tea was brewed, I switched back to that. You get your own drinks here. Our giant meals were brought piping hot and wow good! My chile rellenos were rich and a bit greasy, but heck they're fried, and they're REAL rellenos (it's always interesting to see what many restaurants serve under that name). The beans were topped with lots of cheese, and the rice was garnished with fresh tomato,onion and guacamole, and there was a pile of shredded lettuce. And for some reason flour tortillas were served on the side. Husband's burritos were HUGE and there were two of them, along with beans and rice. His beans had just a dusting of a different kind of cheese, unlike mine that had lots of melty cheese. He thought it was all really good. Said it was chock full of lean grilled chopped steak and picadillo. He can put away some Mexican food, but only got through one burrito. I managed to eat about half of mine. We both needed take-out boxes. The only reason I can't give this 5-stars is the atmosphere, as others have already pointed out. But it is very clean. There is no doubt that the owners CARE about what's most important, the quality of the food. You can TASTE the care. And you can't beat the prices. We will for sure be back. read more

Great food at an affordable price. The menu is large and diverse. There is something for everybody.

I was DESPERATE for some good Mexican food. I was warned and warned again that the Mexican food does NOT compare to what I can get back home in SoCal, but I was willing and open to trying a couple spots that I had found on yelp! Los Cuates was one of them and I'm so glad I went to try it and went with an open mind! I decided to try both the Carne Asada Fries and the Carne Asada Burrito plate. Carne Asada Fries - If you get a side of guacamole and sour cream and some pico de gallo, it's almost as good as it is back home! I have to say that I was really impressed with their carne asada! I was expecting dry meat without any flavor but it had a GREAT flavor! I was really impressed! I would be back JUST for the fries! :) Carne Asada Burrito Plate - You get not one but 2 carne asada burritos filled with asada, pico de gallo and guacamole! The plate comes with 2 burritos, rice and beans. I wasn't too impressed with the beans (tasted like it was straight out of a can) and rice is rice, but I really was, again, impressed with the carne asada and the fact that you get 2 burritos!! Salsa Bar - I am absolutely a fan of their green salsa - not to be mistaken with the chile verde - but the brighter green salsa! I could probably eat buckets of that salsa!! This girl APPROVES! I also love that they have cucumbers, limes, radishes, and pickled jalapenos and carrots out - I feel like a lot of establishments just have their salsas out and the other condiments are over-looked! Glad I was able to see it there. All in all, I will be coming here whenever I am craving Mexican--it also helps incredibly that I live less than 10 minutes away!! :) I spent $18 dollars for everything but I probably ate it all over 3 meals! So, $6 per meal? I'll take it! :) This LA girl was VERY happy!! read more

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We just moved here from Southern California and have been missing Mexican food. So we decided to take a risk and order Mexican food here. OMG the best Mexican food we've had even for some places in California! Absolutely delicious and super affordable too. We had carnitas burrito, carnitas tacos, fish tacos (Baja style) and tacitos. And they carry our favorite Mexican beers too... Modelo Negra and Especial, Victoria and yes, Corona too. Can't go wrong here! Happy Cinco de Mayo 2020! read more

Los Cuates - Carnitas burrito - Mexican Near Me - Raleigh, North Carolina

I ran across this on YELP and realized that it was close to where I worked. So, I ventured in today for a takeout lunch. I picked the Mixed Burrito - shredded beef, onions, tomato, peppers, beans. VERY NICE! It was big (see attached pic) and cheap ($5 total). I grabbed a few containers of salsa off the bar and packed in some sliced cukes to cool things down and I had a really great lunch ready to go eat at my desk while on a conf call. I'll definitely try it again. The price is right. Service was fine at the counter. Overall very enjoyable! read more

Los Cuates - Mixed Burrito - eating @ desk! - Mexican Near Me - Raleigh, North Carolina

My 4 stars for Los Cuates is based primarily on their Carne Asada Fries, which should illustrate how good these fries are. I first tried the concept of Carne Asada Fries at Alberto's in Southern California and was taken away by such a simple, munchies food. Ever since, I've had perpetual cravings for this late night snack but have been unable to satisfy this need. Enter: Los Cuates. This place is hidden in the North Market shopping area, and provides a simple, clean environment with super legit Mexican/Latin American dishes. Although I only had the Carne Asada Fries, I could immediately tell from the menu that this place was the real deal. The fries were incredible, as I made sure to do it SoCal style by adding guacamole, sour cream, and hot sauce. You NEED to try them. For good measure I also had their horchata and caramel filled churros! The horchata was fairly good and the churros were cooked fresh and were delicious. I'm very pleased with Los Cuates and am looking forward to eating here again to try their other dishes, with the hopes of adding one more star to my review. read more

Los Cuates - Carne Asada Fries (added Guacamole and Sour Cream) - Mexican Near Me - Raleigh, North Carolina

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Finally!!!! Was searching for Authentic Mexican food in Raleigh and I've found my spot!!

I hate to rate low because I love this place and being from southern Cali, I know what their food should taste like. The reason I'm upset is because they started putting fillers (beans & rice) in their carneasada burrito. I understand trying to save money, but please go back to original ingredients in your burrito's. It's very upsetting that you are trying to save money over keeping your customers happy. I'm incline to go back and eat here more once you go back to the original recipes. read more

We knew we were getting our food to go. Husband ran in to get to-go menu to bring to the car. They don't have to-go menus. So I had to get out and look at the menu board. The cashier wasn't particularly friendly or welcoming. We asked a few questions and she made us feel like we were wasting her time. Quite impatient. We settled on the 2 taco combo, add a taco, since she let us swap out the American style "beef" tacos with carne asada, carnitas, and lengua street tacos. After I ordered my food I went back out to the car and let my husband wait for the food. I just didn't feel welcomed. The tacos were, ok. I have had much better, but they were average. The various salsas helped the flavor along. At least the meat tasted fresh and there was a lot of it. The rice was, well, typical Mexican rice. The beans tasted undone and watery. I am not sure they even let them boil all the way before they "refried" them. I probably wouldn't eat here again. read more

I had never heard of this place before Sunday. I was invited to join a group from church for an after church lunch at Los Cuates. Before saying yes or no, and with a little help from my friends regarding the spelling, I checked my Yelp app to see how close it was and how it was rated. Sure enough, 2 1/2 miles from church and 4.5 star average. Why not? My bride & I reviewed the menu while our party was filtering in, and I asked for recommendations from people who had been there. My bride and I talked about it and we decided she'd order the poblanos and I would order the burritos and we'd split them between us. MY little girl decided on chicken nuggets and fries. Between the 3 of us, I think we got out of there for just under $30 with the tip (and I'm not cheap when it comes to tipping). Goodness gracious, it was an unexpected mountain of food! I'd never seen poblanos that large before, or tasted them that good. The burritos were also very good, although slightly on the salty side. The beans and rice were perfect and I started wondering when they were going to get featured on groupon or living social. The true test - the leftovers - we always take home what we couldn't eat, and typically, the food gets put in the fridge for a few days and then gets thrown out on the following week's trash day. Not this time! I just finished a hearty lunch of leftovers from Los Cuates, and it was still pretty awesome (for leftovers, that is). read more

Glad yelp lead me to here. I had to catch a flight out of RDU and needed something fairly close by. The service here was super friendly and if your looking for authenticity then you've got it. No problems ordering in Spanish and it doesn't qualify as legit in my book if there's no horchata on the menu- which was pretty tasty here. The tacos were quite tasty though the carne asada wasn't as exciting as i expected. I wish they did al pastor. The salsa bar had a fairly decent mild sauce that wasn't too overwhelming for those of us that can't handle the spice. Bottom line: Good prices, excellent service, tasty food. read more

Folks, this is San Diego-style, Baja mexican food. San Diego style Mexican food is very different than LA mexican food. As as native San Diegan, this is hands down the best mexican food in the area, at least to me. I have very high (personal) standards of mexican food and have been to many in the triangle because of it. I always joke, if they talk about me in Spanish (i speak spanish but i'm filipino) and don't put rice and beans in their burritos, then it's gonna be good. This place did not talk about me, but their burritos are bomb. Also, breakfast burritos. Why don't more places have it like this place? moreover, if you've never had a california burrito (essentially carne asada with french fries), try one. just make sure to ask for the fries extra crispy. Interestingly enough, they have carne asada fries which is just fries, carne asada, and cheddar. No. it needs to be fries, carne asada, salty cheese like cotija cheese, guac, sour cream, pico de gallo and maybe some frijoles too. They have nachos, probably to appease the gringos like myself, that are this. But the carne asada fries do not have that. weird. Anyways, i absolutely enjoy this kind of mexican food, and while I feel many people in this area will not, it is definitely worth a try! read more

I came in on a slow Monday when there was 3 other tables occupied other then me. I ordered number 18. Which is 2 carne burritos. While I waited I got chips and salsa. The salsa bar was awesome. Clean- spicy - even had a carrot and cucumber sides! I was thrilled and then I got my main food. The rice was cold- the beans were luke warm- the burrito meat was very chewy and super salty! It was not great to say the least. I eat two bites and was done. I was hoping for this to be my new Mexican hot spot but it missed the mark. Also for having to wait about 15-20 minutes on a super slow day was confusing. Why did it take so long? read more

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Yesterday ordered burrito and enchiladas. Was very delicious. Fast served,responsible price. But too big menu it can be little confusing. But definitely come back read more